Legendary Dr. Hilary Clayton has been recognized by Premier Equestrian during the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival 10 for her many accomplishments and contributions to the horse world.
Petting a horse's muzzle
As a veterinarian and scientific researcher, Dr. Hillary Clayton has raised questions and provided solutions in areas that very few have ever considered exploring.
© 2016 by Adam Borkowski
The list of accomplishments and contributions that Dr. Hilary Clayton has made to the equestrian world are impressive. As a veterinarian and scientific researcher, she has raised questions and provided solutions in areas that very few have ever considered exploring.
The first incumbent of the Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University, Clayton is also a past president of the Association for Equine Sports Medicine, Past President of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, and a member of the International Equine Veterinarians Hall of Fame.
She is currently the President of Sport Horse Science, LC that covers all aspects of equestrian sports including training and conditioning sport horses, understanding the biomechanical and physiological basis of equine performance and the interaction between the rider, the tack and the horse.
Her commitment to the horse world as a speaker, author and consultant in the area of equine sports science, with emphasis on translating research findings into practical applications, is legendary. She states that her goal is to try to improve not only performance, but also health and welfare.
It is this commitment that Premier Equestrian - an industry leader in manufacturing world-class footing, dressage arenas and accessories - wishes to honor and the reason why they have presented her with the Premier Equestrian Award during Week 10 of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF.
“In my career there were certain things I did that nobody had tried to do before,” Clayton reflects, “Asking questions like ‘what is rein tension? How much tension is in the reins? How much tension is in your hand when you ride?’ and then to develop techniques that actually measure those things and start to study them.”
She goes on to say that, as another example, she has recently developed a product that measures the horse’s head angle. “It will tell you if the head is behind the vertical, on the vertical, or ahead of the vertical,” Clayton describes, “And since we’ve developed that product, we’ve modified it so that, now, we can also measure pace.
We can tell you if your horse is going within a certain range of speed or faster or slower.” She continues, “Also, if it’s hooked up to a heart monitor on the horse, it will give you instant feedback whether the horse is within a specific heart rate for training purposes, or under or below your target heart rate.”
Clayton is a life-long horsewoman, herself, and is excited to be riding and showing her 11 year old Lusitano this season. She says they are currently showing at 4th level, with hopes to get into Prix St Georges before too long. She was excited to be named as a Premier Equestrian and thanked them for the award which included a striking tricolor ribbon and engraved Premier Equestrian Award commemorative plaque.
“I feel the job I’ve done, and continue to do, is like my whole life is rolled into one. My passion, my interest, my horses, riding, professional aspects – they’re all just parts of the whole!”
Premier Equestrian wishes for all disciplines of equestrians and horse lovers, like Dr. Hilary Clayton, to have enjoyable experiences with their horses, in or outside the show ring. The company is proud to offer an affordable choice for first-rate American-made products that enhance the equestrian performance of its customers.
For more information about Premier Equestrian and its full line of products including footing, dressage arenas, and arena groomers, please call 1-800-611-6109 or visit Premier Equestrian.
Press release provided by Heidi Zorn - Premier Equestrian