CLINIC SCHEDULE

PLEASE SEE CLINICIAN/PANELIST BIOS AFTER THE SCHEDULE

DRESSAGE FOR ENDURANCE RIDERS starts 8AM Thursday June 20th with 15 available sessions ending Friday June 21st at noon.

INFORMATIONAL CLINICS:

THURSDAY JUNE 20TH:

11:30AM-1:00PM - Presenting your horse to the veterinarians (trot-outs) and Crewing with Kelsey Russel (15 horse limitation, unlimited audit)

1:00-2:30PM - Equine Bodywork by Lauren Lukert (15 horses to be evaluated & unlimited auditing)

2:30-4:00PM - Equine Nutrition by AMD - fueling your endurance horse

4:00PM-5:30 - Junior Young Rider Panel with Alex Shampoe, Megan Wert & Shelby Payne

6PM Gatherings:

• Wine and Cheese for adults sponsored by Veterinary Practice

• Junior/Young Rider food and fun at the JrYR tent

FRIDAY JUNE 21ST:

8:00-9:00AM - Rider Fitness and Stretching by Mirella Bulawa (bring a yoga mat if you would like)

9:00-10:00 - How to identify and avoid Tying Up in the Endurance Horse with Dr. Stephanie Valberg

10:00-11:00 - The Science behind Electrolytes - what, why, when for your horse by Dr. Fran Rowe from MadBarn

11:00-Noon - No hoof, No Horse - Endurance Horse hoof care by Jeff Pauley, AWCF Endurance/Sport Horse & Farrier for NETC ride

Greta Wrigley- Dressage for Endurance Riders

Kelsey Russell

CLINICIAN/PANELIST BIOS:

Kelsey Russell has been a member of AERC since 2010 and has represented the USA internationally on the 2011 USA Young Rider team in Abu Dhabi, UAE. 2013 USA YR team in Tarbes, France. 2014 Normandy, France WEG. 2018 Tryon NC, USA. Also, in numerous national championships including two wins in 2011 and 2015 at the North American Junior/Young Rider Championship.  She has helped coach and train the Young Rider Team that competed in the Netherlands in 2021.  Kelsey will be talking about and demonstrating the best way to present your horse to the veterinarians in the holds and for Best Condition.  Remember first impressions are lasting impressions, so you will want to present your horse in the best way possible.  This can mean the difference between completion or not and/or the coveted BC award. In addition she will share tips/tricks in crewing for your horse to prepare to go back out on trail, rested and feeling good!

Lauren Lukert, MA, Med

Greta Wrigley, USDF Gold Medalist: Born in Trinidad, Greta was educated in England and earned the British Horse Society Instructor and Intermediate Teaching Certificates in the 70’s. In 1976 Greta moved to the US where she evented and worked to improve her jumping and dressage skills.   In 1998, she opened Greta Wrigley Training (GWT) Center currently located in Alachua, FL.  Greta has concentrated her training with Arabians and has earned Bronze, Silver and Gold USDF (US Dressage Federation) medals as well as garnering multiple Regional and National Championships.  GWT specializes in Dressage instruction for the amateur rider and has instructed students from the schooling show to the FEI level. Ms. Wrigley’s goal is to work with a given horse and rider at their level and provide informative feedback to help them ride together as a team. Greta has instructed several Endurance riders, helping them to find balance riding down the trail.

Lauren Lukert is an equine and canine bodyworker specializing in myofascial release and craniosacral modalities for equines. She employs red light therapy when applicable and has decades of experience with horses.  Lauren is a Permitted Equine Therapist with FEI and has treated hundreds of endurance horses.  Last year she traveled to the UAE for the FEI Endurance World Championship and treated the only American horse to successfully complete the grueling 100 mile desert ride.  Lauren rides endurance and resides in western North Carolina.

Junior / Young Rider Panel

Mirella Bulawa

Alex Shampoe: I am 22 years old. I started endurance when I was 13 on my own horse. I have ridden or crewed at five world championships. My long-term goal in endurance is to travel and race over the world. I would love to help other young riders set goals, and dreams to travel and race to step out onto the world stage.

Megan Wert: I am from central PA, and I am seventeen years old. I did my first endurance race when I was nine and I immediately fell in love with the sport. Since then I have competed in two YR Endurance World Championships, one in 2021 and the other in 2023. I hope to share my love of endurance with other young riders so that they may find it just as fun as I do.

Mirella Bulawa: I am certified by NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) as a Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach, and Behavioral Change Specialist. I am also certified Assisted Stretching coach. I was born and raised in Poland. I was always physically active. After having my kids, I wanted to teach them all I knew about healthy lifestyle, nutritious meals and natural ways of preventing sicknesses. This passion for a healthy lifestyle led me on a path of helping others. As a personal trainer, I teach my clients about the importance of being physically active and make every session as fun (and safe) as possible. As a nutrition coach, I advise my clients about better nutrition choices and keep them accountable on their journey to became healthier version of themselves. As a behavioral change specialist, I encourage my clients to change their way of thinking, their self-talk, and all the habits which sabotage their proceedings to became healthier. It’s a long process but instead of short term dieting, we work on implementing life-long lifestyle changes. As an assisted stretching coach, I help my clients stretch, which is a great way to improve their range of motion and prevent injury. 

Dr. Stephanie Valberg, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DACVSMR clinic sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research

Shelby Payne: I have been riding horses since I was 4 years old, and I have been competing in endurance rides for the past six years. In 2023, I was the first-place junior in AERC’s Northeast division, completing 280 miles. I’ve also competed as a Hunter/Jumper in competitions, winning many awards. I love endurance riding for the challenges it brings, the bond I get to make with the horses and the community that is created. My amazing mentor, Teri Carroll has taught me everything she knows about endurance riding and has inspired me to be the rider that I am today. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge and I hope that I can inspire others to try this sport.

Dr Stephanie Valberg is a pioneer in understanding and managing equine neuromuscular disorders in horses. Her research has transformed equine clinical practice and has led to the discovery of previously unknown muscle disorders, the identification of their genetic basis, and the development of nutritional strategies to minimize muscle pain. She worked with Kentucky Equine Research to develop the first feed used to reduce the incidence of tying-up and was a member of the team that sequenced the equine genome. She was named Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Quine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015 and remained in that position until she retired in 2022. She mentored more than 60 graduate students, interns, residents and postdoctural students. She is widely published and is the recipient of numerous awards for teaching and mentorship. In 2012, she became the first woman to be inducted into the University of Kentucky Equine Research Hall of Fame and twice recieved the Pfizer Research Excellence Award. In 2017, Dr. Valberg performed muscle biopsies on 40 Arabian, mostly from Endurance to further her research on muscle myopathy. Personal note from Holly Corcoran: Dr. Valberg helped me find the answers I needed to compete successfully and avoid/manage tying-up.

Dr Fran Rowe, DVM

Dr. Fran Rowe is from the heart of horse country - Lexington, Virginia - where she grew up galloping over fields and up mountains fox hunting her Welsh Cob pony, Ant, and later eventing her OTTB, Mongo. Dr. Rowe completed her BS in Chemistry at Roanoke College in 2016, then her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech in 2020. Dr. Rowe spent 3 years in equine private practice prior to joining the Mad Barn team in 2023. When she's not nose-deep in equine nutrition, Dr. Rowe enjoys spending time baking, gardening, and (of course) riding!

Jeff Pauley, AWCF

Jeff Pauley, AWCF has a very diverse backbround. His formal education includes both an Associates Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelors Degree in Manuafacturing Engineering. His formal education of Farrier Science came in 1989 when he attended Alvin Richardson’s Horseshoeing School at night for 10 weeks while working his day job at Rockwell International where he worked for 14 years. In 1991 he took a leave of absence and attended a 6-week course at Kentucky Horseshoeing School. Like many successful farriers, Jeff started out part-time until he found he could be successful then took the plunge in 2001. Jeff is a strong proponent for continuing education and improving his skills as well as serving as clincian for Delta Mustad Hoofcare Center. He is an avid competitor with the World Championship Blacksmith group as well as teh American Farrier Association. Jeff also recently passed the United Kingdom AWCF test. He gives back to the industry serving on the AFA Board of Directors as well as being a AFA tester. He was also the USA Team Farrier for the 2006 & 2010 World Equestrian Games and the 2008 World Endurance Championship. Jeff shoes hunters, jumpers, eventors and endurance horses as well has providing therapeutic shoeing.