Nampa, ID (October 25, 2016) – Winning the Accuhorsemat Cup at the 2016 Sport Horse National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show in Nampa, Idaho, is a laudable feat for anyone, but for 12-year-old Lucy Bartlett it was an especially sweet win. The Accuhorsemat Cup is awarded to riders who stay calm under pressure and whose horses remain relaxed during the stresses inherent to every horse show, and Bartlett and Angyls Among Us fit the bill.
Angyl is an eight-year-old Crabbet-bred mare by the sire of A Love Song. She is three times removed from Bask ++, and her dam was Afire Bey V. Barlett has owned her for a year and a half. She and Angyl competed in Open and Amateur Training Level Dressage, Open and Amateur Sporthorse In-Hand, and Open and Amateur Sport Horse Under Saddle classes at the 2016 Sport Horse National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Show.
Accuhorsemat, an innovative equine acupressure blanket, not only rewards those horses and riders who avoid tension under pressure, but also actively helps horses and riders to remove tension. The Accuhorsemat stimulates key acupressure points across the body to release tension in connective tissue, allowing for more mobility and pain relief. The Accuhorsemat has added benefits of helping loosen a horse before exercise and calming an anxious horse. Post workout, it helps sooth tired muscles.
“Honestly, I felt very accomplished,” young Bartlett said of winning the Accuhorsemat Cup. “To be 12 and competing against trainers and adults is sometimes tough. So, I expected that I wouldn’t achieve what my competitors would. My trainer Valerie Baker of White Horse Dressage has always taught me that when you are on a horse, no emotion should be shown except happiness and confidence. And that, if something unexpected happens, you push through and cry later. I have worked on this consistently and I am overjoyed that I have achieved it. Angyl and I met our goal for this show season and showed improvement throughout the course of the competition. We got encouraging comments from the judges and are working up to a higher goal of First Level in the near future.”
Barlett’s mother, Pam Bartett, is understandably proud of her daughter. “Lucy has truly found her passion in horseback riding!” she said. “We are grateful for the Accuhorsemat award, as I think that one of the most important lessons that she is learning is perseverance. We are thankful for our outstanding trainer who focuses on character and sportsmanship more then blue ribbons (although blue ribbons are fun to earn!).”
Her daughter has been training with Baker since she was six years old, and Lucy Bartlett credits her trainer with her ability to keep calm under pressure that earned her the Accuhorsemat Cup. “My trainer Valerie has taught me so much over the course of the six years I have been with her, and she has watched me mature into a passionate and confident girl and rider,” she said. “I have also learned to have trust in my horse. I feel a happiness way down in my heart, for which there is no substitute, when I’m on her back.”
Bartlett not only received the impressive Accuhorsemat Cup trophy, but also won an Acuswedemat – an acupressure mat designed for people – as part of her award. The Acuswedemat provides the same great benefits for the rider – reduced muscle tension, reduced pain, and overall relaxation. The Accuhorsemat blankets were developed in Sweden to address the needs of performance horses experiencing challenges with stiffness and recovery. After showing their effectiveness in Europe, the blankets and the mats for people were brought across the Atlantic. Acuswede, the North American distributor of the Accuhorsemat and Acuswedemat, now brings the healing properties of acupressure to competitive equestrians in North America.
To learn more about Acuswede and the equine and human acupressure products that the company provides, visit www.acuswede.com.
Photo: Lucy Bartlett and Angyls Among Us won the Accuhorsemat Cup at the 2016 Sport Horse National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (Photo courtesy of Pam Bartlett).
