Plusvital are delighted to welcome Francis Derwin Jr on board as our newest Supplements Brand Ambassador. One of Ireland’s leading young riders, Frano has risen through the ranks of pony showjumping collecting a European gold medal for Team Ireland along way. A consistent performer, he jumped as part of the 2022 European Bronze medaling Irish…
A new genetic test to identify Traditional Irish Horses has been developed in response to concerns over the dilution of the Irish Sport Horse gene pool by European warmblood horses. The research behind the test was published this week in the peer-reviewed Journal of Genetic Resources in a paper entitled “The genetic composition of the…
Following the success of the inaugural event in 2022, the RDS Breeders’ Talk returns to this year’s Dublin Horse Show. Plusvital are delighted to announce it’s title sponsorship of this year’s event, which takes place on Saturday 12th August. Hosted by ‘Big Talk for Breeders” podcast host Michael Doherty, the event will consist of four…
Race goers were back at it last night as the fourth meeting of the Plusvital Trainers Championship at Leopardstown Race Course Summer Series got underway. The rain stayed away to see the favourite Rampage take the Plusvital Supplements Handicap. Trained by Tom McCourt and ridden to victory by James Ryan, both winning trainer and breeder…
Plusvital are delighted to announce partnership with The Curragh racecourse of the August Summer Series. Four race meetings will take place over the August weekends this summer. Starting on Saturday 12th August featuring the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes, Future Champions Day which takes place on 19th August with the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Futurty Stakes and…
The second of this year’s Leopardstown Summer Series race meetings gets underway tonight, June 15th. With trainers already stacking up the points on the Plusvital Trainers Championship leader board from the first race meeting of the series on June 8th the evening also saw the crowd pleasing Coeur D’or lead the pack home in the…
Leopardstown Racecourse have today announced that Irish equine science company Plusvital will sponsor the Plusvital Leopardstown Summer Series Trainers Championship which will be run over eight Thursday evening fixtures, beginning next week and running to August 24. Each trainer will receive points for their successes at each of the meetings, with the overall winner taking…
As the summer weather has well & truly arrived here are some things to consider in managing your horse’s hydration & mineral levels. Even when horses are not engaging in exercise they will passively start to loss moisture through evaporative from the skin. In a moderate temperature range of 5-20oC this can be up to…
The modern domestic environment of the racehorse is much different from that of the wild habitat the horse once adapted to survive in. Prior to domestication, as a prey animal, horses relied on being vigilant to potential threats and having quick reactions to escape danger. The ‘fight or flight’ response is responsible for assessing and…
April is Stress Awareness month. Horses are naturally predisposed to being stressed. As evolved prey animals, their instinct is to be watchful and mindful of threats. Additionally they are creatures of habit and disruptions to their routine is disrupted can have anxious implications. In modern equine management horses can experience stress for a variety of…
Temperament is often referred to by winning connections as a crucial element of a racehorse’s success. Temperament reflects patterns of thought, behaviour and emotion and includes the ability to cope with the demands of training. Horses that do not easily adapt to the training environment may have extended periods out-of-training and unsuitable temperament is responsible…
This weekend saw the opening of the flat season at Naas Racecourse. Despite a week of wet weather, the sun shone and racing could proceed. Sponsoring the Devoy Stakes for a fourth year, Visualisation for Joseph O’Brien and Harold Millar was an impressive winner on the day. The 5 year old bay gelding, ridden to…
