Winter Wonderland of Horses

The hustle and bustle of Christmas and the New Year are over. All of us at Southern States hope you and your family enjoyed a merry and happy holiday season. With winter here, the fields and pastures are fallow, the barns winterized, and most horses and people are hunkered down to keep warm. It's a slower, laid-back time for rest and reflecting. So, are you ready for some really big football and the launch of the world's biggest advertising campaigns — with really big Clydesdale horses in the starring roles?

For our cover story in this issue of EquuSSource, we tip our hats to the world's most famous draft horses by featuring members of the Southern States family with big horses and dreams of their own. From sleigh rides pulled by Belgian draft horses, to police mounted on Clydesdales and Percherons, to a therapeutic nurse whose Clydesdale is the grandsire of one of the famous Budweiser Clydesdale team, we've got a team of horses that are big stars in their own right.

Other star personalities featured in this expanded issue run the gamut in age and talents. You will revel in the success of four young winning riders, and when we say young, we mean young. Two of them are only nine years old. Proving that you're as young as you feel, meet a seventy-five year old barrel and pole racer and his sixteen year old grandson. Dressage riding with its intricate moves to music has been compared to ice dancing, and we've got two of the world's best to share the secrets of their classic art. There are wise insights from a world-renowned trainer and President of the Pinto Horse Association of America living and working on a 100-year old farm.

Plus, you will find tips on the best way to go winter horse riding, the best diet to improve the lives of horses with Cushing's disease, helpful new technology for vets, and the latest hot buys for these cold months. To celebrate the members of the Southern States family in the winner's circle this past year, we're featuring an expanded News Roundup section. It's all a great way to start the year off right. So, grab a blanket and get wrapped up in the winter issue of EquuSSource. After all, EquuSSource is all about serving the Southern States community of horse lovers — like you.

Happy New Year!

Steve Patterson
Editor-In-Chief
Southern States Vice-President, Marketing & Sales

P.S. To show our continued commitment to the horse community, 40 of our field sales personnel recently went through a 2-day FeedMaster equine health and nutrition class.