Children 4 Horses

Dying Mare Leads Her Foal From the Wilds of Dartmoor to the Safety of Human Care

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Mon, 13 May 2013 01:41:00 +0000

On Mother's Day I wanted to share this story from last fall about one amazing pony mom. ~Declan

The mare in this picture is dying. And she's leading her foal from the wilds of Dartmoor to the safety of human care

By RYAN KISIEL

PUBLISHED: 07:29 EST, 3 September 2012 | UPDATED: 17:40 EST, 3 September 2012

As posted on Mail Online

Trudging for days across the exposed moor, this is a dying mother’s final act of love for her newborn.

Just hours after leading her foal to the safety of a farm, the mare died.

Experts believe she knew she did not have long to live when she spent five days fighting illness and exhaustion to guide her young offspring across Dartmoor.

Final journey: The emaciated mare walked across Dartmoor for five days in order to deliver her foal to the home of owner Lorraine Chambers

Sad tale: The mare then died less than 24 hours later

The foal was dependent on her mother’s milk, and would have died alongside her if she had not been escorted to human care.

But the tired and emaciated mare battled to deliver her to the home of her owner, Lorraine Chambers – only to die less than 24 hours later. Vets confirmed that the mother died of natural causes but said she would have been aware of her failing health.

Now five months old, the foal, who has been named Queenie, is being hand-reared by Charlotte Faulkner of the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association. She will be rehomed on another farm after she is weaned in the coming months.

Doing well: Now the orphaned foal is being hand reared by Charlotte Faulkner of the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association

Dedication: Ms Faulkner is now giving the little pony her undivided attention as a tribute to the courage shown by its mother

Mrs Faulkner said: ‘Both mare and foal would have been out there on the moor for the whole summer and would have been brought off the moor in the annual round-up next month.

‘The mother must have known what would have happened to her foal if she had died so she brought her in.

‘Queenie has her own little paddock at the moment and has a friend in another foal close by, but if she gets a little lonely she cries out for my attention, just like any other young toddler.

‘The mother was dying of natural causes and she led the foal to safety. She had the sense to head to her owner’s farm.

‘She knew the route – she had been there many times before. They are amazing animals and perfectly adapted to Dartmoor.’

There are around 1,500 ponies living on Dartmoor, all owned by farmers who have rights to common grazing. The ponies are native to Britain, but have declined rapidly from more than 25,000 in the 1930s.

Social Work Professor Combines Love Of Horses With Research

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:15:00 +0000

I wish people would realize all that horses can do for people, maybe then people would respect the horses! ~Declan

Social work professor combines love of horses with research

By Contributor on May 08, 2013 on horsetalk.co.nz

A university expert in social work knows the healing power of horses. Jane Moorman reports on the work being done by Wanda Whittlesey-Jerome, who is assistant professor in the School of Social Work at New Mexico State University.

For Wanda Whittlesey-Jerome horses are more than an animal to ride or pull a wagon. They are a way to help people with emotional problems and physical disabilities.

Whittlesey-Jerome, New Mexico State University assistant professor in the School of Social Work, combines her love of horses with her desire to understand ways animals can help people heal.

Wanda Whittlesey-Jerome

“As a teenager, I was fortunate to have my own horse,” she said of her life growing up in a rural community north of Dallas, Texas.

“I have always had a special place in my heart for horses. I don’t know what it was. I couldn’t put it into words, but I knew I had a connection. I wasn’t a lonely teenager. My mare was always glad to see me in the morning and after school. Having a horse helped me meet other kids through equine activities, as well as people who also loved horses.”

As her life progressed to young adulthood, Whittlesey-Jerome’s interaction with horses ceased as other interests occupied her time. Later, as her life path moved her toward a profession as a social worker and eventually a college professor on the subject, in the back of her mind she knew she wanted to someday have horses back in her life.

That day came when she and her husband, Ric, moved to Corrales, New Mexico. “While I enjoy my personal horses, Eli and Lady, I wanted to explore the use of horses in therapeutic settings,” she said.
Through the National Association of Social Workers New Mexico Chapter, Whittlesey-Jerome is networking with other social workers in the state using horses in therapy with their clients.

Therapies with horses can be either on the ground, known as equine-assisted psychotherapy, or while riding, vaulting or driving, known as therapeutic riding. The prefix “Equus” is Latin for horse; in Greek, the prefix “Hippo” means horse; and while hippotherapy typically uses riding to strengthen gross and fine motor skills, as well as communication skills, equine-assisted psychotherapy rarely uses riding as part of the therapeutic intervention.

“A number of years ago, I became aware of the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association’s model which was created by a clinical social worker as an intervention for behavioral health and mental health,” she said.

The EAGALA model has clients working either individually or in groups with horses. While not riding the animals, the people work the horse through obstacle courses within an arena. The work is often done without touching the horse or talking to the team members.

“The teams come up with some really unique problem-solving and the individual members learn about themselves through the way the horses react to them,” Whittlesey-Jerome said. “Since horses are prey animals they are very aware of everything in their environment. They know if a person has self-confidence and is in control of the situation, or if they are afraid.

“A teenager hiding behind a tough attitude soon learns that the horse is not impressed by his or her baggy pants and blue hairdo. Horses act as mirrors and are not judgmental. They approach these kids just the way they are and they usually open up and are more like their real ‘selves’ around the horses.”

She adds that horses are curious, precocious, social and like being with people and other horses. Horses like contributing and being busy, so they enjoy being part of a therapeutic exercise.

“I have also been involved with the Cloud Dancers Therapeutic Horsemanship Program in the greater Albuquerque area. While EAGALA is an equine-assisted psychotherapy model, Cloud Dancers has offered both EAGALA and therapeutic horsemanship – where clients have an opportunity for a unique therapeutic, recreational experience in a fun, safe environment,” she said of the organization, of which she had served on its board of directors until September 2012.

As a social work professional and professor at the university’s Albuquerque Center’s master’s of social work program, Whittlesey-Jerome wanted to quantify the impact equine assisted therapy has on clients through research studies in order to help build an evidence-base for its utility.
“Clinical social workers have been using companion animals, such as dogs, in the therapeutic setting for a number of years,” said Whittlesey-Jerome, the current president of NASW’s New Mexico Chapter. “So using horses seems like a logical progression to that. We have established a network of clinical social workers with horses across the state.”

To date, Whittlesey-Jerome has conducted several studies to quantify the impact of equine-assisted psychotherapy on at-risk adolescent resilience, and hippotherapy and therapeutic riding on the gross and fine motor skills, communication skills and behaviors for children diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

“A teenager hiding behind a tough attitude soon learns that the horse is not impressed by his or her baggy pants and blue hairdo. Horses act as mirrors and are not judgmental.”

“Early results are positive and indicate that this type of therapy does help,” she said. “In a study of at-risk adolescents, we learned that the equine-assisted psychotherapy group demonstrated stronger positive changes in resilience scores compared to those in a typical psycho-educational, talk therapy group,” she said.

Partnering with Cloud Dancers and Albuquerque Public Schools, the study of children on the autism spectrum showed that equine-therapies had a positive impact on the boys’ physical and behavioral health, which translated to a higher degree of success in school over the short term. Interestingly, Whittlesey-Jerome and the boys’ therapists wondered if riding atop a horse could have influenced these boys who were mostly confined to wheelchairs for mobility, and that their “change in perspective” might have influenced their overall sense of self as a result.

As she is compiling her findings into research presentations and articles, Whittlesey-Jerome has begun another equine study that will explore the impact of equine-assisted psychotherapy on the general self-efficacy of adult female victims of interpersonal violence. In this study, she will partner with Guadalupe Stables, LLC and Domestic Violence Resource Center, both of Albuquerque.
“Ultimately, my goal is to add to the evidence-base for equine-assisted activities and human-animal-nature activities so they can be shown to have therapeutic value to healing physical, mental and emotional/behavioral health issues,” she said.

Whittlesey-Jerome’s theoretical model, The Human-Animal Partnership Model, is being developed as a chapter in a comprehensive electronic textbook for veterinary and health professions students she is co-authoring with Gaylene Fasenko, assistant professor in the university’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Animal and Range Science Department.

Whittlesey-Jerome wants her work to go beyond research and authoring a book. She dreams of helping to develop a holistic, healing ranch that is run and operated by New Mexico State University, where animals and crops are a central part of the healing of American soldiers, veterans and their families as they face the issues associated with repeated deployments into war zones, and/or the post-traumatic stress disorder that has been growing in frequency among service members. The vision is to provide services to the soldiers, veterans and their families in this comprehensive continuum of care.
“The idea is that we will take them as they come, if they just need a weekend retreat or if they need to be there for weeks on end. We will help them reconnect with the feeling parts of themselves in a safe place where they can work it out. Whether through sweat therapy by working with animals and/or working in a community garden, or by participating in all kinds of other innovative creative therapies, like mediation, yoga, massage and aromatherapy, and dance, music and art therapy,” she said. “We want to bring together animals and nature, and everything in between, to help our military personnel and their families get back to a healthy life.”

The innovative military program, currently entitled “R&R Ranch,” was originally envisioned in 2007 by Whittlesey-Jerome’s graduate social work research students. But financial issues impacting the economy caused the idea to be tabled until recently.

“We have Dean Lowell Catlett of the College Agriculture, Dean Tilahun Adera of the College of Health and Social Services, and Dean Garrey Carruthers of the College of Business supporting the concept so far,” she said. “As the idea begins to coalesce, more deans will be brought to the table, since R&R Ranch would ideally involve all colleges of the university as well as the community colleges, and the Cooperative Extension Service across the state.”

“We currently have two social work students joining some business students to conduct a needs assessment, now called values proposition, through an independent study with Kevin Boberg at the Arrowhead Center during the summer,” she said. “They will be interviewing folks across the state to find out if people think R&R Ranch is a good idea. Once that happens, MBA students at the College of Business will develop a business plan and from there it will take off.”

Whittlesey-Jerome is excited about this future program, as are those who are supporting it.
“The idea is that we actually have a sustainable project that reaches out through our land-grant mission and our mission of military science to all corners of New Mexico. As Dean Catlett has said, ‘This is a no-brainer,’ and I agree. It’s a win-win for all who will be involved,” she said. “And, most recently, staff with our own NMSU Foundation have decided to focus on R&R Ranch as a priority project When I think about the possibilities, I couldn’t be happier.”

Open Up, Say 'Neigh': Horses Help Teach Med Students

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 02:21:00 +0000

Who would have thought that horses would be used in training doctors for humans? This is so cool! ~Declan

Open up, say 'neigh': Horses help teach med students

Linda Carroll, TODAY contributor

May 6, 2013 at 11:34 AM ET As posted on TODAY

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Video: For America’s next generation of doctors, bedside manner can fall by the wayside in the first few years of medical school. But one doctor in Arizona is hoping to change that by offering a first-of-its-kind class using horses to instill compassion. NBC’s Dr. Nancy Snyderman reports.

For the next generation of doctors to develop a better bedside manner, it’s important to spend some time in a stable.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Allan Hamilton of the University of Arizona Medical Center, Tucson, is using his ranch for a first-of-its-kind class to help train first year medical students, bringing the humans in close contact with large flighty four-legged patients who can’t talk and who can be highly -- and violently -- reactive to doctors who aren’t attuned to their patients’ body language.

At his first “lecture,” Hamilton shows this year’s class how to safely approach a horse. He slowly walks up to one of his horses, running his hand over the animal’s body as he moves around it.

“I put my arm around him like this so the whole time, even when I go through his blind spot, he knows exactly where I am,” Hamilton tells the students and NBC chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman.

The slow, careful contact with the animal is not only for self-protection -- the reaction of a startled horse can range from bolting away to spinning and kicking out at something it perceives as a threat -- but also as comfort and reassurance.

The idea for the course began when Hamilton caught himself approaching a patient too abruptly and without the right amount of sensitivity.

“The whole thing started one day when I was in a hurry,” he said. “I was delayed getting to clinic and we just burst into this room because we were in such a hurry and this woman, she just screamed when we walked into the room because we came in so fast. I just remember thinking to myself, ‘boy I never would have done that if that was a horse.’”

The concept makes a lot of sense to Snyderman, a horsewoman herself. “As a physician I hear from medical school professors all the time who say that the students come in eager and passionate about helping others, and leave as cynical and harsh doctors,” she said.

Riley Hoyer, one of the first-year medical students who signed up for Hamilton’s innovative class, recognizes the skills he’s learning.

Right now, “I'm studying books instead of focusing on patient care and so this was just one class that I could do as an elective to try and better learn how to interact with animals and learn how to use my body language to interact with patients,” he told TODAY.

Because horses can’t talk, students need to learn to read their body language to set up a “conversation.” They need to have a rapport and develop trust before the horse will stand still to have its heart monitored with a stethoscope or to get an inoculation.

Snyderman watched as one of the other students connects with a horse. “And now he’s making eye contact with you because you approached him in a very sensitive way,” she said. “It’s a lot like [approaching] a patient.”

Hamilton believes that the program can build better doctors, helping them to overcome fear and improve confidence.

“Probably even more important is it saves doctors,” he said. “Our salvation is going to be to go back to what really makes us fulfilled, which is this essence of human-human interaction and the ability to take somebody in the most dire of circumstances and say,’grab my hand I know we're going OK we're in this together.’”

Hamilton's class has been offered since 2001 and it's gaining attention around the country. Stanford University and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey are now offering similar courses.

Hamilton didn’t get his horses with a plan to teach students a better bedside manner. “I moved out here specifically to do neurosurgery by day and horses by night,” he said with a chuckle.

Woman's Bid To Save Donkey That Resembles A Woolly Mammoth From Extinction

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 01:12:00 +0000

I cannot believe that people were good and ready to slaughter this endangered rare donkey! Thank you Ms. Annie Pollack for rescuing these wonderful animals! ~Declan

Woman's bid to save donkey that resembles a woolly mammoth from extinction after their numbers drop to less than 1,000

Annie Pollock began rescuing giant Poitou donkeys bound for abbatoirs
Hampshire farmer has built up largest herd of Baudet de Poitou in the UK
Loveable donkeys have shaggy coats and can grow to up to 8ft tall

By Kerry Mcdermott
PUBLISHED:06:57 EST, 8 May 2013| UPDATED:09:01 EST, 9 May 2013
As posted on Mail Online

A female farmer has dedicated herself to rescuing a critically endangered breed of giant French donkey after falling in love with the quirky creatures.

Annie Pollock, from Lymington in the New Forest, has devoted the past nine years to rescuing and nurturing enormous Baudet de Poitou donkeys - which resemble a cross between a woolly mammoth and Star Wars favourite Chewbacca.

Ms Pollock is now the proud owner of 22 Poitou - the largest herd in the UK.

Enormous: Farmer Annie Pollock, seen with giant donkey Izzy, has the largest herd of Baudet de Poitou donkeys in the UK

There are thought to be less than 1,000 of the 'mischievous' giant donkeys left in existence.

The lovable donkeys can grow to more than 8ft tall - bigger than most horses - and breeders have to keep them to a strict diet to prevent them growing too large.

Annie, 52, has spent the last nine years building up a herd of 22 Poitou donkeys, which originate from the Poitou-Charentes region of France and are known for their friendly yet mischievous personalities.

She and her small team of farm hands work round the clock to look after the rare donkeys, dedicating hours to grooming their unusual shaggy coats to stop them turning into dreadlocks.

Loveable: Poitou foals Charlie and Cadeau at the farm in Hampshire, where the farmer made a home for rescued donkeys that had been bound for the abbatoir in France

The breed were popular working animals until the mid 20th century when they were replaced with machines.

A survey in 1977 found just 44 surviving donkeys, and there are still less than 1,000 in existence.

Ms Pollock, one of only two Poitou breeders in the UK, said: 'In 2004 I phoned a lady in France looking to buy a llama, and ended up with two Poitou donkeys which I instantly fell in love with.

'I started looking into the breed and found out they were incredibly rare.

'Gradually I built up the herd, and then started rescuing them.

'I have rescued seven from France which would have otherwise ended up going to the slaughter house.

'Word spread I was rescuing them and I have since been approached by a lot of people about taking in their Poitou.

'The breed were to France what shire horses are to Britain and were exported all over the world,' Ms Pollock said.

'Then came mechanisation and they fell out of favour.

'There are still less than 1,000 in the stud book and we have 22 of them,' she added.

Critically endangered: There now are less than 1,000 Poitou donkeys like Izzy in existence

Mischievous: Ms Pollock said the donkeys are funny and friendly, but also 'a bit naughty'

The biggest donkey at Annie’s 120-acre Norley Farm is Verveine, dwarfing standard donkeys at a whopping 16 hands - or 5ft 4ins - measured to its shoulders.

Its huge neck and head add several extra feet to its overall height.

The largest in the world lives on a farm in Texas and stands at 17 hands (5ft 7ins).

The biggest donkey in the UK is thought to be at a farm in Lincolnshire, standing at 8ft tall when measured from the ground to the tip of its ears.

Annie added: 'Verveine is huge and will probably get a bit bigger still. At 16 hands she is quite a bit bigger than people like to ride horses.

'Most people tend to ride horses that are 14 or 15 hands.

'Historically they had very poor diets so we actually have to limit what they eat otherwise they will grow too big.

'I love their temperament, they’re so funny and friendly, and they teach you patience.

'They’re very intelligent and also a bit naughty. People often write-off donkeys but I think they are just wonderful.'

In Perfect Harmony: Horses as Healers

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:25:00 +0000

Horses are such wonderful healers! ~Declan

In perfect harmony: horses as healers

Posted: Tuesday, May 7, 2013 12:02 pm on CalaverasEnterprise.com

By Judy Georgiou

Dogs have long been valued in the medical world as indispensable companions for people with disabilities. They can see and hear for the impaired, move for the immobile and are better than Prozac in lifting the spirits of just about anyone, with or without disabilities.

But how about horses?

“Few people know the gifts horses bring with them,” said Tara Glessman, founder of Harmony Ranch, a nonprofit equine-assisted activities program in Mountain Ranch, where children and young adults partake in recreational therapeutic riding.

Glessman bridled her 10-year-old mustang Hadassah and led her through the barn doors toward the arena on the El Dorado Ranch property. The horse is one of six that Glessman uses to work with students who have emotional, behavioral and physical disabilities such as autism, post-traumatic stress syndrome, Asperger syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

“Horses changed my life in ways nobody could since I was 14. I wanted to share this gift with others,” Glessman said. “We provide a place where students can make a change in a very positive way.”

Her students have the opportunity to develop trust, self-confidence, and responsibility through mastering horsemanship skills. She builds a strong foundation by teaching them how to halter their horse, groom saddle, lead and ride. They discuss how horses think and how to be safe around them.

“Our goal is independence,” Glessman added.

Over time, students often learn to ride largely because they’ve developed strong communication skills with the horse, forging a trusting relationship that can be elusive with people.

“Horses teach kids empathy,” Glessman explained as she admired Hadassah. “They’re masters of communication without words, the perfect mirror of emotions. Sometimes a student can’t tell me what’s wrong, but it’s reflected in their relationship with the horse.”

“Eighty percent of human communication is non-verbal,” she continued. “A horse is honest. The way they respond to the way they are ridden tells a lot about the student’s energy.”

Glessman has seen dramatic changes in her riders. Three years ago, a student with Asperger syndrome began her program.

“He had intense hyperactive behavior. At first, he couldn’t even look me in the eyes,” she recalled. “Over time, he started to trust and connect to the horses, and controlled his emotional swings when he saw them reflected in the horse’s behavior. On a trail ride one afternoon, as he rode an Appaloosa named “Jellybean,” the peace and rhythmic movement of the trail provided a safe haven. He started to open up and trust me, too. Then he looked deeply into my eyes; I didn’t think it was possible.”

Glessman smiled quickly, as emotion caught her breath. “He’s finding himself. He’s getting comfortable in his own skin. It’s beautiful.”

Besides the soulful allure of galloping a white stallion down a sandy beach into the sunset, there are very real physical benefits to riding as well.

For example, at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Danish equestrian legend Lis Hartel became the first woman in the equestrian sports to win an Olympic silver medal. She accomplished this feat despite being paralyzed below the knees, and told the world how riding her horse, Jubilee, had helped her recover from polio.

“A horse’s stride is the closest to the human gait,” Glessman explained. “Moving in rhythm with the horse provides sensory input which is rhythmic and repetitive, very similar to human movement patterns of the pelvis while walking. This stimulates muscle memory.” Riding can improve balance, posture, mobility and function for people with physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.

How did Harmony Ranch begin? Three years ago, Glessman started teaching at Bridlewood Equestrian Center in Copperopolis. In January of 2012, she moved to the rolling green hills of El Dorado Ranch in Mountain Ranch, and became a certified trainer in horsemanship skills and safety training with the International Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship International. She feels fortunate to see her vision blossom into reality with the use of a large barn, ten horse stalls, a round pen, arena and easy access to serene mountain trails.

As Executive Director, trainer and barn manager, Glessman is grateful for a group of dedicated volunteers who assist her.

“They are a huge part of our success. I’d welcome anyone interested in volunteering to contact me, so we can help more kids,” she added hopefully.

“We keep our riding prices very low and have a sponsorship program as well. I don’t want to turn anyone away. Everyone should have a chance to heal,” Glessman smiled as Hadassah seemed to whinny in agreement.

Glessman admits that meeting the expenses of Harmony Ranch is challenging.

“I just can’t let the kids down,” she said without hesitation. “I’m very lucky to have a great board of directors who share my passion and determination. This isn’t a job; it’s a mission.”

While more studies are needed to show exactly what role horses play in health, Glessman sees firsthand the benefits of her program.

“We’re reaching those hard-to-reach kids,” she said as she led Hadassah back to her stall, stroking the horse’s soft mane gently. “I’ve seen how lives can change by working with horses. I just love what I get to do.”

For more information on Harmony Ranch, contact Tara Glessman at (209) 754-4299 or Harmonyranch@rocketmail.com.

Colorado Sheriff Opens Wild Horse Investigation

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Thu, 09 May 2013 01:32:00 +0000

Colorado sheriff opens wild horse investigation

By Dave Philipps Published: May 8, 2013 | 5:40 pm As posted on The Gazette

After months of false starts, state authorities have opened a formal criminal investigation into Tom Davis, a southern Colorado wild horse buyer who admitted to breaking state laws while shipping hundreds of federally protected wild horses to an unknown fate out of state.

Last week, the Conejos County Sheriff's Office opened the investigation at the request of state brand commissioner Chris Whitney, who said Davis, of La Jara, admitted to the commissioner that he broke brand laws.

A ProPublica report published in The Gazette in September detailed how Davis, a proponent of horse slaughter, purchased truckloads of protected wild horses from the Bureau of Land Management. Davis said he then shipped the horses to what he called 'good homes ' all over the country. None of the horses has been accounted for. Wild horse advocates believe they illegally went to slaughter. Davis denies this.

Colorado law requires a state brand inspection when livestock is sold or shipped more than 75 miles. Brand records show Davis received more than 1,700 horses from the BLM, but shipped only 765. None of the horses is in his possession, meaning almost 1,000 were shipped or sold without an inspection.

Davis admitted as much to ProPublica in 2012, saying he did not want brand inspectors to know where the horses were going. When the reporter suggested that was illegal, Davis replied, 'Since when is anything in this country done legal? '

He could not be reached for comment last week.

Each violation of the brand law is misdemeanor punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

After the ProPublica report, state agencies dithered, unsure how to enforce the law. The brand commissioner thought it was the job of the district attorney in Alamosa. The district attorney said it was not. Nothing happened with the case until a Gazette inquiry in early April.

After being contacted by The Gazette, the district attorney, David Mahonee, referred the case to the Conejos County Sheriff, where it was seemingly forgotten again.

'We don't have any open investigations, ' Undersheriff Chris Crown said in late April. 'If Davis didn't get a brand inspection then you need to need to speak to the brand inspector. '

Brand Commissioner Whitney, notified by The Gazette that there was no investigation, said last week he called the sheriff's office and the undersheriff assured him he would open an investigation.

The undersheriff could not be reached for comment.

On Wednesday, the district attorney confirmed that the sheriff had opened an investigation. 'I can't say more than that, but I know they are working it, ' Mahonee said.

The federal government is also investigating Davis for allegedly selling wild horses to slaughter in violation of agreements he signed with the Bureau of Land Management.

Repeated calls to the spokesman for the Interior Department's inspector general's office regarding the investigation were not returned.

Horse Saved From Slaughterhouse When His Pregnant Mother Was Bought For Just $300 Beats The Odds And Wins

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Mon, 06 May 2013 02:35:00 +0000

This story proves that slaughter bound horses are NOT worthless and that EVERY horse is at risk!!! Thank you Ms. Gail Vacca for saving Lulu and unknowingly saving her foal Magna Fortuna too!! ~Declan

Horse saved from the slaughterhouse when his pregnant mother was bought for just $300 beats the odds and wins Chicago race

By Associated Press As posted on Mail Online
PUBLISHED:10:51 EST, 3 May 2013| UPDATED:13:58 EST, 3 May 2

He may never run for the Kentucky Derby roses, but Illinois race horse Magna Fortuna and his owners are celebrating a victory none-the-less — his survival.

The three-year-old gelding's name means 'great luck', and he was a long shot when he won a recent race at Hawthorne Race Course outside Chicago - one of the biggest race tracks in America.

His mother Lulu was purchased for $300 at an Indiana slaughter auction by Gail Vacca, founder and president of the Illinois Equine Rescue Center.

Lucky: Magna Fortuna, with jockey Julio Felix up, rides to a 9 3/4-length win during a horse race at Hawthorne Park in Cicero, Chicago

Dark horse: The three-year-old gelding whose name means 'great luck' was the longest of long shots when he won the race

Vacca found out later that Lulu was pregnant when purchased.

When the foal was born he was first named Taxi - that was until Vacca traced his lineage back to an impressive sire — a $2.58 million career stakes winner called Magna Graduate.

Speaking about the race, Vacca said the horse - who was the number six spot in the seven horse race - led the entire way.

'He was out for a joyride,' she said afterwards. 'He didn't even look back.'

Magna Fortuna's 'biography' explains the moment Vacca rescued the horse's mother Silver Option from slaughter: 'Ms Vacca was at the auction looking for any thoroughbreds that may have come from the tracks in Illinois when she spotted a smallish bay mare that was in obvious discomfort from being severely lame in both front feet.

'Unfortunately the mare was already in a "kill pen" just waiting to be loaded onto a trailer for the grueling ride to slaughter in Canada.'

After being taken back to Illinois, Silver Option soon gave birth to Magna Fortuna, who was originally named Taxi until his routes were traced back to his race-winning father.

It was then that Vacca decided he would be trained to race.

Since the victory, offers have flooded in to buy the horse but so far they have been rejected.

Rescue: Gail Vacca, center, the founder and president of the Illinois Equine Rescue Center, purchased the horse's mother at a slaughter auction and later found out the horse was pregnant with Magna Fortuna

Abandoned Horses Helping Children and Adults Facing Challenges

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Sat, 04 May 2013 15:41:00 +0000

This story is awesome and gives proof that there is no such thing as an"unwanted horse"!! Thank you Karen Bander for giving these horses a second chance and a new life with a wonderful job! When I look into a horses eyes, I see the healing hands of God and I am so thankful that these horses get to help heal these children and adults. ~Declan

Abandoned Horses Helping Children and Adults Facing Challenges

Throwaway Ponies is giving horses a new leash on life

By Tammy Mutasa

| Thursday, May 2, 2013 | Updated 5:03 PM CDT

Tammy Mutasa, NBC 5 Rockwall Reporter

Some ponies once abandoned by their owners are now helping people facing serious life challenges, thanks to Throwaway Ponies in Rockwall, Texas

Ponies once abandoned by their owners have a new lease on life; helping children and people facing serious life challenges.

Sometimes healing can come from an unlikely companion. For 13-year-old Rachel Papson, her horse Flaminca helps ease the crippling pain in her feet caused by Lyme disease.

"She would just protect my heart if I gave it to her. She is just amazing," said Papson. "It's just a pure blessing from God. I just don't know how to express it; just a new world and I don't know what I'd do without her."

Throwaway Ponies are animals nobody wanted, but they're getting a second chance as therapeutic riding horses for children with physical and emotional disabilities.

"The horses help them learn. If they can handle a 1,000-pound animal, they can handle what life throws at them," said founder Karen Bander.

The organization started nine years ago as a backyard operation with three horses. Now it has more than 70 horses being used for therapy riding and hundreds more that have been adopted out.

The group said with the economy, it's about 30 percent more expensive to feed horses, making the number of abandoned ponies skyrocket. Now, they are receiving help from business executives who've also been laid off.

They call themselves Executives in Action and they help the organization with strategic planning and fundraising.

"So many have lost their jobs, through no fault of their own; now they can give back to the community by helping us," said Bander.

It's a safe haven, helping horses, while healing minds and bodies and healing hearts.

"These horses are a blessing," said Wendy Papson, Rachel's mom. "I truly believe they are a blessing from God to help her, because she is in pain every day and when she is with horses it is a time when she is at peace."

Throwaway Ponies is always looking for volunteers. They can be contacted at 214-202-1390.

More: ThrowawayPonies.org

Former Racehorses Get A Second Chance At Life

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Sat, 04 May 2013 14:26:00 +0000

It's so good to see organizations out there giving racehorses a second chance and a new life and saving them from slaughter.

<CLICK HERE> to flip through all the pictures of OTTB's (Off the Track Thoroughbred's) waiting to be adopted and in their new jobs. ~Declan

Former racehorses get a second chance at life

By Ashley Strickland, CNN

updated 8:48 AM EDT, Fri May 3, 2013

Once considered an unlikely candidate for adoption because of his injuries incurred on the track, ex-racehorse Watson (formerly Wooden Phone) is now enjoying a new life with owner Suzanne Minter. She adopted him while working at LOPE Texas, a thoroughbred rehab and adoption farm.

Click through our gallery to learn more about how ex-racehorses are enjoying a second chance:

HIDE CAPTION

After the race, a new life

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

When a racing or breeding career ends, thoroughbreds quickly lose value
Organizations are working to provide adoption and retirement options
Thoroughbreds can be retrained as gentle therapy and family horses

(CNN) -- Wooden Phone was never asked whether he wanted to race. Born in 1997, the dull-brown thoroughbred didn't show initial signs of greatness, but the horse would net more than $800,000 in winnings during his career.

A warrior on the track, he kept coming back from severe injuries to beat likely champions. His temperament wasn't suited for the highly stressful industry -- trainers called him "difficult," a diva.

After his racing career ended at age 9, retirement didn't suit him either.

Easily agitated, Wooden Phone would pop his lip -- the equivalent of a child sucking his thumb. He was nervous just leaving the pasture.

Anyone who has been around thoroughbreds will tell you that these horses love a job, and now Wooden Phone's duties were outsourced to younger, stronger workers. Intelligent and sensitive with a drive to please, racehorses like him also crave human attention and care.

Unfortunately, when a racing or breeding career ends, thoroughbreds can quickly become useless to their owners. The injuries compound and when money and options run out, convenience leads them away from the stables and into the slaughterhouse.

"We have to improve the likelihood that a racehorse has more value alive after it is finished racing than dead," said Alex Brown, former jockey and author of "Greatness and Goodness: Barbaro and his Legacy."

The racing industry has worked to provide retirement programs and track policies that prevent slaughter. But Brown wants to see even more accountability: transparency of medical records from owner to owner, as well as support for programs that rehab ex-racehorses.

Thoroughbred Charities of America and the ASPCA's Rescuing Racers Initiative have collectively awarded millions of dollars in grants and funding to these programs.

"I think all of us who make our living with horses have an obligation to give something back and provide for the welfare of these horses," Dan Rosenberg, head of Thoroughbred Charities, said.

Horsemanship teacher Michael Richardson demonstrates the sensitivity and responsiveness of Santo, a former track horse at LOPE.

HIDE CAPTION

After the race, a new life

LOPE Texas is just one of hundreds of organizations across the country dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating ex-racehorses for new homes and purposes.

Suzanne Minter, an experienced rider volunteering her time at LOPE, first met Wooden Phone two years ago. His personality captured her heart.

LOPE founder Lynn Reardon was surprised by Minter's soft spot for the horse -- Wooden Phone was not an adoption candidate after his many injuries. And then, there were the stress issues.

Ex-racehorses get a bad reputation for being aggressively energetic, although their "bad manners" come from training gaps. With the right rehab techniques, they can be gentle enough to work with veterans who suffer from PTSD and children with autism.

Wooden Phone and Suzanne Minter quickly bonded.

Minter was dedicated to rehabbing Wooden Phone, although it became more sporadic when she had unexpected abdominal surgery. She wasn't able to ride, but she would sit on his back as he gently stood still. As she had helped him, he took care of her in return.

"He fell in love with her. He just melted every time she came around. It was a match that was so clear the moment he met her," Reardon said. Minter adopted him.

Over a two-year period, the 16-year-old horse, once known for the foamy stress sweat on his neck, is now the gentlest horse in the barn. Together, Minter and the newly named Watson are training for dressage events.

The lip popping has evolved into quirks, such as holding one brush in his mouth while Minter uses the other to groom him, grabbing people's jackets with his teeth for fun or curiously following his new obsession: ponies.

"Ex-racehorses get overlooked sometimes because people just think they are fast, but they have a lot of heart," Minter said. "I think they are all looking for a person of their own."

David and Ace of Hearts, which is waiting for adoption, share a moment. "Every time I go to the barn, I can tell someone has changed by being around these horses," Tucker said.

HIDE CAPTION

After the race, a new life

Turning hope into help

"There are so many places for these horses other than slaughter," Cindy Gendron of the Homes for Horses Coalition said. "Now people are using them for therapeutic riding, equine-assisted psychotherapy, show events and family horses."

The Homes for Horses Coalition aims not only to end horse slaughter, but to promote growth and collaboration in the horse rescue and protection community. Supported by the ASPCA, the Animal Welfare Institute and the Humane Society of the United States, this coalition in Washington is an umbrella for 240 organizations.

CANTER, a member of the coalition, was one of the first groups to create an online showcase of ex-racehorses in 1997. It's an all-volunteer organization with affiliates across the country, where people scour the "backsides" of racetracks every weekend and document the horses up for sale, executive director Nancy Koch said.

"The racetrack is quite a closed-in world. Not everyone can wander into the backside, you need to be escorted otherwise. We broke a lot of barriers that way," Koch said.

Other CANTER affiliates in "phase two" have taken in horses and provided rehabilitation so they can find new homes. They placed more than a thousand horses in 2012, according to the Homes for Horses Coalition.

Volunteer-based adoption farms, such as Kim Smith's Second Stride near Churchill Downs, follow a similar model and work to connect owners and horses. Like LOPE, an extensive adoption process ensures that each new home is a good fit and requires follow-ups in the months and years ahead. If the home doesn't work out, they take the horse back.

These farms also make thoroughbreds available to people who may not have five figures to spend on a horse but have the time and resources to care for one, administrative manager Leslie Pratt said.

Life after the track

"In the horse adoption world, ex-racehorses are seen as the equivalent of pit bulls," Reardon said. "People think they are edgy, so you have to do a lot of myth-busting."

Retraining can ease the issues that create negative stereotypes about ex-racers. And helping these horses can help heal the trainers, too.

The James River chapter of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation pairs men at a correctional facility with ex-racehorses. The horses are cared for by men who work through and graduate from a groom elite training program, which trains them for a job once they are released.

Anne Tucker, the foundation's president, likes to tell the story of Happy and Will. Happy, a nervous thoroughbred, was kicked in the face by another horse while trying to assert her authority after arriving at James River. Will was the insecure young inmate taking care of her.

Will and Happy's bond helped them to heal each other.

"It's hard to say whether Will gave Happy confidence, or Happy gave Will confidence," Tucker said. "Horses look at everyone on even footing. The men have made some mistakes, but they aren't bad people. They just need someone to confirm that, and that's what the horses do."

The pair bonded and healed one another. Happy was adopted after a full recovery, and Will has been released and is working on a local thoroughbred breeding farm.

The golden years

"Some of these horses are like your best athletes -- they gave everything to the sport, and they got banged up in the process," said Michael Blowen, founder of Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Center. "To me, this is like having Larry Bird in my backyard."

Formerly with the Boston Globe, Blowen had racehorses at Suffolk Downs. He quickly learned that when the horses couldn't race anymore, they weren't "going to a riding academy in Maine" as he was told -- they were going to slaughter. He decided to dedicate the rest of his life to offering ex-racehorses a retirement paradise.

Old Friends' locations care for more than 130 horses across three states, located near racetracks so fans can come visit the "retired athletes" in big paddocks.

"It is the equine equivalent of retiring and living on a golf course, except they eat the greens," Blowen said.

Gallery: Click the image to the left to view a collection of Kentucky Derby hats created to benefit retired racehorses.

One resident, Clever Allemont, earned $316,329 during his eight wins. In 2009, he ended up in a kill pen in Kansas, deaf with one eye set in a graying face. He seemed to know he had reached the end, according to Kristin Chambers. Chambers and Diana Baker saved himfrom a trip to the slaughterhouse.

Now, he is living out his golden years at Old Friends, gleefully rolling in the dirt and inspiring the groups of deaf children who tour the farm to see him. But not every thoroughbred that gave their lives to racing has the same happy ending.

Ferdinand, winner of the 1986 Kentucky Derby, died in a Japanese slaughterhouse in 2002, according to reporting by "The Blood-Horse" magazine. National Racing Hall of Fame's Exceller met a similar fate in 1997. After Ferdinand, Old Friends asked Japanese breeders to let them know when the horses have peaked and have since rescued Creator, Sunshine Forever, Fraise, Ogygian and Wallenda.

Old Friends has also inspired others to save ex-racehorses.

Sally Steinmann, who grew up dreaming of having her own horse, became a milliner known for her derby hats. And now some of those hats are created in honor of Old Friends and auctioned off to benefit the horses.

"I feel like these hats are little ambassadors and if anybody can learn about these horses, what we are trying to do and how much we all feel a responsibility to take care of them, then it's a really great thing," Steinmann said.

She studies photos and old racing film to craft hats that represent the horses, translating their legacies into silk dupioni with vivid trims. While the hats are extravagant pieces of wearable art, they are also creative pieces of awareness.

The art of Kentucky Derby hats

"Michael said we each get a dot, and this is his," Steinmann said. "I just want to connect our dots. We all have something we wish more than anything else that we could change in this world."

Inside and outside the racing industry, ex-racehorse welfare is a world of slowly connecting dots.

These retired horses are returning the favor by enriching the lives of the humans working to save them.

"People connect well with horses because they are gentle, instinctive creatures," Gendron said. "Just to lay your hands on a warm, powerful horse that puts his head down and looks you in the eyes is an amazing feeling, especially for someone who is in physical or emotional turmoil. Horses seem to sense that, understand it and take care of people."

Agent Alex, adopted in 2012 by Sarah McCullough from Second Stride, before adoption, left, and after adoption. He is just starting his eventing career.

HIDE CAPTION

After the race, a new life

Horse Deaths At BLM's Palomino Valley Facility More Than Twice As High As Reported

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:52:00 +0000

Why is the BLM not reporting all these deaths? What are they trying to hide? ~Declan

Horse deaths at BLM's Palomino Valley facility more than twice as high as reported, rendering receipts reveal

12:43 pm, May 1, 2013 | Written by Mark Robison As posted on RGJ.com

The number of horse deaths at the BLM’s Palomino Valley wild horse facility is vastly underreported, according to rendering receipts uncovered by a Freedom of Information Act request made by the farm animal advocacy group Animals’ Angels.

Animals’ Angels sought the Palomino Valley facility’s rendering receipts for the services of Reno Rendering, whose legal name is Nevada By-Products. Rendering is when animal carcasses are hauled away and processed into other usable materials. (Possible uses: Cartilage, tendons and hooves are turned into gelatin used in such products as Jell-O and Altoids; stearic acid is used in car tires; blood and bone meal can be used for fertilizer; and some tissue is used as “byproducts” in animal feed.)
Animals’ Angels found:

According to the contract paperwork, Nevada By-Products was chosen over landfill disposal due to cost effectiveness and the fact that “Due to the sensitive nature of the public to the wild horse and burro program, it is necessary to dispose of these large animals as quickly and discretely (sic) as possible and Reno Rendering fulfills these requirements."

In addition to the contract itself, our FOIA request obtained all records of deceased horses and burros sent from the BLM holding facility to the rendering plant from January 1, 2010 through May 31, 2012.

During that timeframe the BLM itself reported in the official Palomino Valley Mortality Detail Report that only 241 horses and burros died at the Palomino Valley facility and 50 at the Fallon facility. However, the records from the rendering plant tell quite a different story. According to the Nevada By-Product invoices for that same time period, a startling 577 dead horses were received from the Palomino Valley Facility. This is a shocking difference of 286 animals (336 horses if Nevada By-Products does not render the horses from Fallon), a number simply too large to ignore.

The BLM’s Heather Jasinski was asked for comment. She responded:

As for Animals’ Angels and their posting about the discrepancy of numbers of deaths: as stated in my earlier response, the National WH&B Program is currently reviewing its reporting procedures for all aspects of the program and will modify them to correct any identified discrepancies. Until any modifications are identified as being needed, we will continue to respond to any requests based on the current recording procedure.

The discrepancy seems to come about mostly from the counting of baby deaths. They aren’t tracked because they haven’t reached the age where they would be branded and enter “the system.” A controversy is over whether their deaths should be counted in general but also whether they should be counted as negative fallout from roundups, with the thinking being that they may have survived if born in the wild and their mothers hadn’t endured the stress of roundup, confinement and unfamiliar food.

Finally, as cited in another blog post today, here’s an excerpt from a different email by Jasinski:

How many horses have died at the facility since Jan 1, 2013? According to the Wild Horse and Burro Program System, the number of horses that have died at PVC from Jan. 1, 2013 through April 1, 2013, is 37. This number does not include stillbirths (aborted fetuses, animals born dead and newborn animals found dead) and young foals that died before they were freeze marked. Foals are freeze marked when they are weaned. This varies with the size and condition of the foals and the mares, but usually occurs sometime between three and six months of age.

See the Animals’ Angels report here. It includes the rendering contract and rendering invoices.
The photo was taken last month at the BLM's Palomino Valley facility last month by the RGJ's Tim Dunn.

Horse Whisperer That Breaks Wild Mustangs Shows Russell The Ropes

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Thu, 02 May 2013 02:51:00 +0000

I would LOVE to be a horse whisperer - it sounds like just the sort of challenge I need! Watch the videos at the bottom of this post to see Mike Branch in action!! ~Declan

Horse whisperer that breaks wild mustangs shows Russell the ropes

12:27 PM, May 1, 2013 | By Russel Biven As posted on WBIR

The wild mustang saddles a mystique that few American animals carry. Its muscular body and relentless spirit have been used by millions of United States soldiers in war, and it continues to roam the western plains today.

But while its population grows, the land around it does not.

Mike Branch of Grainger County has been hired by the Federal Bureau of Land Management to help.

"There are roughly 35,000 in captivity that need good homes," says the expert horseman.

Branch gentles several dozen mustangs each year. Then, he tries to get them adopted, but it's the way he does it that's brought him worldwide attention.

He's one of an elite group of horse whisperers, much like the character played by Robert Redford in the movie by that name.

"You have to develop a relationship so that the horse is willing to trust you with its life," says Branch, who does countless demonstrations at horse shows across the country.

Members of the royal family even invited Branch to England a few years ago to teach his techniques.

"As far as the horse world goes, this is why I'm here," says Branch.

Now, he might have his toughest challenge yet, teaching 10News anchor Russell Biven to break and ride a wild mustang using his techniques.

"Well," jokes Branch, "if he gets bucked off it should help ratings."

To learn more about Branch's efforts to help the mustang, go to
www.mikebranchhorsemanship.com.

Horse Whisperer Mike Branch

Horse Expert Mike Branch offers some advice on taming wild mustangs. (32 Minutes)

Russell Biven breaks a wild mustang

For the past three days, Russell Biven has been sharing the incredible work done by local horseman Mike Branch-- taming mustangs. (3.5 Minutes)

Award For Young Rescuers Of Stranded Pony

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:02:00 +0000

I wish I was with these AWESOME kids, "IT'S NOT COOL TO BE CRUEL"!!!!!!! ~Declan

Award for young rescuers of stranded pony

By Horsetalk.co.nz on May 01, 2013 in News

Several of the students with the pony they rescued from a sticky situation.

A group of Queensland high school students who rescued a pony stuck in mud beside a creek have been honoured with an RSPCA award.

One of the students swam the shetland pony to safety.

The nine Noosa High School students received Meritorious Awards from RSPCA Queensland for their efforts. The award recognises care and compassion shown to an animal in need.

The students were returning from a canoe expedition in the Noosa Everglades as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Awards program, when they spotted the small horse stuck in mud beside a steep bank in Kin Kin Creek on the Sunshine Coast.

“The pony would almost certainly have died if it hadn’t been rescued,” RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty said.

“Not only that but they showed real ingenuity and courage to save its life.”

The boys first had to dig the pony out of the mud and then swim with it downstream for 200 metres to an area where it could be helped ashore.

“These days we see a lot of cruelty to animals and sadly this is often committed by young people,” Beatty said.

“So it’s really important that we recognise the actions of these students and the courage and tenacity they showed to save the life of this animal. We applaud them!”

It's National Animal Advocacy Day: Please Make a Phone Call!

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:54:00 +0000

Today is National Animal Advocacy Day!!

Children 4 Horses is teaming up with the ASPCA, and others to stop horse slaughter! Please take a minute today and join me in calling your legislators to let them know AMERICANS ARE AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER!! Let's work together and show Congress that people from all over the country care about protecting our horses and do not want our horses going to slaughter either here in our own country, or in Mexico and Canada.

I will fight until we have won for the horses!! ~Declan

It's National Animal Advocacy Day: Please Make a Phone Call!

Tuesday, April 30, 2013 - 10:15am As posted on the ASPCA

Got a sec? Today we’re joining forces to celebrate National Animal Advocacy Day—and we could really use your help! We need everyone to pick up the phone, call their legislators and urge them to ban horse slaughter once and for all.

Horse slaughter is barbaric and cruel. It’s not only bad for horses, but it also for people. Meat from American horses is unsafe for human consumption. Enacting a ban on horse slaughter has never been more urgent.

What Do You Say?
It’s simple. Ask your legislators to support the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act. The SAFE Act will prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the U.S. and ban their export abroad for that purpose. This bill will protect our nation’s horses from the predatory horse slaughter industry and protect the public from toxic horse meat.

Please visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center to find your legislators' names and phone numbers. Then share this post with your friends on social media using the hashtag #AdvocacyDay.

Thank you for standing up for horses!

Stop Horse Slaughter
Call Congress Today!
Celebrate National Animal Advocacy Day on April 30

Animal advocates are a powerful force when we work together. That’s why we’re joining forces on April 30 to celebrate National Animal Advocacy Day—and you’re invited! We’re going to spend the day on the phone, calling members of Congress and urging them to ban horse slaughter once and for all.

Horse slaughter is barbaric and cruel. It’s not only bad for horses, but also for people. Meat from American horses is unsafe for human consumption. Enacting a ban on horse slaughter has never been more urgent.

The ASPCA is fighting this grisly industry, but we can't do it without your help. In conjunction with National Animal Advocacy Day, we are asking our members to call their legislators and urge them to support the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act.

The SAFE Act will prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the U.S. and ban their export abroad for that purpose. This bill will protect our nation’s horses from the predatory horse slaughter industry and protect the public from toxic horse meat.

Let’s show Congress that people across the country, in every corner of every state, care about the protection of horses, and will not tolerate their senseless and cruel slaughter.

What You Can Do

Please call your legislators on April 30, National Animal Advocacy Day, and urge them to pass the SAFE Act. Visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center to look up your legislators' names and phone numbers.

Take Action Now »

With everyone working together on one concerted effort, we can put our hoofprint on Congress and help pass the SAFE Act! Thank you for standing up for horses!

Thousands Appeal to Governor Haslam (Tennessee) About Animal Abuse Bill

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:27:00 +0000

We CANNOT let "ag-gag" bills pass in our country - they will NOT help the animals. People like Dawn Roberts in this article would be arrested and that is so very very wrong! Please contact Governor Haslam and ask him to VETO the ag-gag bill in his state of Tennessee. Use the link below for Governor Halsam's contact information. ~Declan

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR GOVERNOR HASLAM

Thousands appeal to Gov. Haslam about animal abuse bill

Posted: Apr 26, 2013 3:25 PM EDTUpdated: Apr 26, 2013 8:30 PM EDT

Reported by Dennis Ferrier As posted on WSMV.com

WSMV Channel 4

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -

Gov. Bill Haslam is getting an earful about a piece of legislation that some say would protect people who abuse animals in Tennessee.

Carrie Underwood appeals to Haslam to veto animal abuse bill

A popular country music artist is joining animal rights groups in calling on Gov. Bill Haslam to veto a controversial bill that would require anyone recording images of animal abuse to submit unedited footage or photos to law enforcement within 48 hours.

The bill's House sponsor says animal safety is their top priority.

The Livestock Cruelty Prevention Act would require anyone recording images of animal abuse to submit unedited footage or photos to law enforcement within 48 hours.

The bill's House sponsor says animal safety is the top priority, but critics contend the bill's short reporting deadline would result in short, incomplete investigations and say the bill discourages would-be whistleblowers from coming forward out of fear of prosecution.

The ASPCA, the Humane Society of the United States and Mercy for Animals have all appealed to Haslam to veto the bill - as has country music artist Carrie Underwood, who tweeted to her fans on Twitter to contact the governor about what she called the "Ag Gag bill."

A spokesperson for the governor's office said they have received about 4,500 emails and nearly 1,800 phone calls about the issue so far, and almost all of them have been against the bill.

Dawn Roberts, of Springfield, delivered a petition to Haslam's office full of 6,000 signatures. She is not a lobbyist or a member of an animal rights group. She's just an animal lover who knows first hand what it takes to stop abuse.

"When you are driving by there everyday and you're seeing horses laying on the ground or see a horse and you picture it, and then a week later and it's thinner. And then a week later, it's thinner. And then you see a dead horse," Roberts said.

Roberts documented a tough case near her home. She said Robertson County sheriff's deputies would run out to Lee Krisle's farm, and Krisle would say, 'Oh, that horse - just bought home. He came that way.' So, it didn't go anywhere.

Roberts and her neighbors then started taking photographs - daily, for months - and all of a sudden it wasn't "he said, she said." It was "look at the proof."

"We showed that it was the same animal for a period of time and what he was telling the law enforcement or the agriculture extension officer was not correct," Roberts said.

A grand jury indicted Krisle this week on multiple counts of animal cruelty, and all horses have been taken off the farm belonging to Krisle - a convicted horse rustler and felon.

If the governor signs the legislation, the kind of investigation Roberts and her neighbors conducted would no longer be legal.

The governor has 10 days from the time a bill reaches his desk to either sign it into law, veto it or do nothing - in which case it becomes law anyway.

For now, the attorney general's office is reviewing the bill, and Haslam hasn't said which way he is leaning on the issue.

Horses Seized From Maryville Barn Over Soring Investigation

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:45:00 +0000

This is good news for these horses who now will no longer suffer the abuse of "soring". I can't believe the man, Larry Wheelon, who was hurting these horses is a high rated show judge and is on the ethics committee of the Tennessee Walking Horse Trainer's Association. My Wheelon isn't ethical at all!! ~Declan

Posted: Thu 3:31 PM, Apr 25, 2013

Updated: Fri 12:28 PM, Apr 26, 2013 As posted on Local 8 News

Horses seized from Maryville barn over soring investigation

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Authorities seized 19 horses who may have been subjected to the cruel practice of “soring” from a Maryville, Tenn. barn and transported them to safety.

The Humane Society of the United States assisted the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, Blount County SPCA and Horse Haven of Tennessee with the seizure.

The barn was used by Larry Wheelon, charged with one count of felony animal cruelty on suspicions of soring, which is the application of caustic chemicals and painful devices to the hooves and legs of horses to produce the artificial high-stepping “Big-Lick” gait that gains unfair competitive advantage at horse shows.

Additional charges are possible pending the outcome of the investigation.

UPDATE: Horse Haven of Tennessee's equine manager seriously injured by colt. The organization is raising money to help her, noting she doesn't have insurance. Click here for full story

The sheriff’s office assisted in serving a search warrant last Thursday after receiving a tip about possible animal cruelty.

Authorities said they discovered horses visibly in pain and several barely able to stand.

Wheelon, who is an active director of the Tennessee Walking Horse Trainer’s Association and sits on its ethics committee, has been cited by inspectors at least 15 times for violations of the federal Horse Protection Act between 1993 and 2012. He is also a AAA-rated judge with Shelbyville, Tenn.-based S.H.O.W, which is the largest of the USDA-certified horse industry organizations that self-police competitions.

Leighann McCollum, Tennessee state director for The HSUS, said, “These horses are clearly in extreme pain – some of them from having chemicals applied to their skin and bolts driven into the soles of their hooves. We are grateful to be able to help rescue them so they will no longer have to suffer like this, simply for the sake of a blue ribbon. We commend the Blount County SPCA and Blount County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work and dedication on this case.”

Gino Bachman, president of Blount County SPCA, said, “Seeing these horses suffering so badly that they can hardly stand is heartbreaking, but being able to assist in this investigation and today’s rescue gives us some solace.”

The horses will be thoroughly examined and receive any necessary immediate medical treatment and will be cared for at an undisclosed location pending the final disposition of this case.

This is the second time in two years that a Tennessee walking horse trainer has faced animal cruelty charges in Tennessee. Last month, a Fayette County Grand Jury indicted former Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame trainer Jackie McConnell and two co-defendants on 38 counts of animal cruelty for illegally soring and torturing horses as documented in a Humane Society of the United States undercover investigation conducted in 2011.

McConnell already has a federal felony conviction stemming from the same investigation and was sentenced to three years of probation and a $75,000 fine.

The HSUS encourages Congress to pass the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act of 2013, H.R. 1518, which strengthens the Horse Protection Act by ending industry self-policing, banning the use of certain devices associated with soring and strengthening penalties.

The HSUS is also urging Gov. Bill Haslam to veto Tennessee’s controversial anti-whistleblower, or “ag-gag,” bill, S.B. 1248, which would make it a crime for whistleblowers and journalists to document and expose chronic animal abuse at industrial agriculture facilities and horse stables.

"Ag-Gag Bill Stopped in Indiana

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:20:00 +0000

In Indiana the "ag-gag" bill was withdrawn without a vote! Hopefully other states will follow Indiana's example. ~Declan

'Ag gag' bill stopped

Updated: Friday, 26 Apr 2013, 6:04 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 26 Apr 2013, 6:03 PM EDT As posted on WISHTV.com

Jim Shella

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - State lawmakers will work into the evening as they wrap up the 2013 General Assembly. They still must pass a new 2-year state budget and the tax cut it contains.

In the meantime, a controversial bill was withdrawn without a vote. The bill that opponents call the "ag gag" was the source of a spirited debate in the Indiana House when House Speaker Brian Bosma stepped in and took the bill off the table.

It's procedural move that could mean the bill is dead. The so-called "ag gag" would make it a crime to photograph agricultural operations without permission but opponents see it as an attempt to thwart the first amendment.

"To gag whistle blowers. Why do we always want to do something that is outrageous?" asked Rep. Pat Bauer (D-South Bend.) "This is something that is outrageous for this time."

"This bill's got the same problem as my golf game," said Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis.) "It's not capable of being made good. The core idea is bad."

A milder version of the "ag gag" bill could still pass if Senate author Travis Holdman agrees to it.

He hasn't made that decision yet.

Bill Cites Cruelty, Seeks to Ban Horse Slaughter

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:25:00 +0000

Hooray for Maine! I am glad to see people in the state of Maine stand up for horses and speak out against horse slaughter. People in Maine, please contact your legislators and let them know that you support this bill (L.D. 1286) and a ban on horse slaughter! Use the link below to find your Representative in Maine. ~Declan

MAINE STATE LEGISLATORS CONTACT INFORMATION

Posted:Today
Updated: 12:22 AM

As Posted on Portland Press Herald

Bill cites cruelty, seeks to ban horse slaughter

The plan also would prevent transport of horses through Maine to plants in Canada that would turn them into food.

By Dennis Hoey dhoey@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

A legislative committee will hear public testimony Tuesday on a bill to prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption.

click image to enlarge

L.D. 1286 was drafted with help from Maine Friends of Animals, which estimates that 1,500 horses are shipped through Maine each year to slaughterhouses in Quebec.

2011 Associated Press file

L.D. 1286 would ban slaughterhouses for horses in Maine and any transportation of horses through Maine for slaughter in Canada.

It also would repeal current state law that allows horse meat to be sold in Maine as long as it is conspicuously labeled.

Supporters say the bill could prove controversial but Maine should take steps to outlaw horse slaughter.

Horse slaughterhouses were outlawed in the United States in 2007, after the Department of Agriculture said it did not have enough money or resources to inspect them. But last year, the government resumed inspections, allowing slaughterhouses to reopen.

The chief sponsors of Maine's bill, Rep. Gary Knight, R-Livermore Falls, and Rep. Elizabeth Dickerson, D-Rockland, said they are concerned that someone might try to open a horse slaughterhouse in Maine.

"Our bill is a proactive measure," said Dickerson, who owns a horse rescue farm. "It's an inhumane process being used in the slaughterhouses. At least a cow will stand still, but a horse will not."

Knight said he has heard that slaughterhouses shackle horses' legs before slitting their throats.

The Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee will hold a public hearing on L.D. 1286 at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Room 214 of the Cross State Office Building in Augusta. At a later date, the committee will hold a work session on the bill to decide on its recommendation to the Legislature.

A similar bill, introduced three years ago, never gained support and was withdrawn from consideration.

Knight said the new bill has support from both parties.

He said he decided to push the bill after hearing reports from Maine Friends of Animals that a farm in Vassalboro was sending horses to slaughterhouses in Canada. Knight said it is his understanding that the farm is no longer in business, but the legislation is still needed.

"Maine has become the focal point for horse (slaughter) trafficking," he said. "I've talked to a lot of people and there is no one in my district who thinks this bill doesn't make sense."

Violators would be prohibited from owning animals and could be required to take humane-education courses.

Wendy Ireland, executive director of the Maine Harness Horsemen's Association, said she is aware of the bill but is reserving judgment.

Ireland, whose organization promotes harness racing in Maine and represents more than 3,000 horse owners, trainers, breeders and drivers, said a big issue for all competitive horse owners is what to do when a horse nears the end of its racing life.

"Most owners try to find good homes for their horses, and most do," she said.

L.D. 1286 was drafted with help from Falmouth-based Maine Friends of Animals, which estimates that 1,500 horses are shipped through Maine each year to slaughterhouses in Quebec, based on inspections done during border crossings.

Robert Fisk Jr., the organization's president and director, said, "Our state serves as a funnel for horse slaughter."

He said the market for horse meat is being driven by consumers in Europe -- France and Belgium in particular -- and Asia.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a law in September that prohibits the slaughter of horses, transportation of horses to slaughter, and sales of horse meat for human consumption in his state.

At the time New Jersey adopted its law, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said a national poll showed that 80 percent of Americans opposed horse slaughter for human consumption.

The Maine bill targets only horses, but the bill's supporters say opponents fear that cows, chickens and pigs will be their next target to protect.

"It is a diversionary and false argument to classify this legislation as a conspiracy against all farm animals," Fisk said in an opinion piece he submitted to the Portland Press Herald. "This is about one issue and one issue only: the slaughter of horses for human consumption, which 80 percent of the American public opposes."

Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com

Routine On U.S. Racetracks, Horse Doping Is Banned In Europe

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:17:00 +0000

I wish America would stop doping their race horses, and look at Europe and say, "Hey, Europe has horse racing without all the drugs, maybe we don't need to dope up our horses!" IT WOULD BE AWESOME IF THAT HAPPENED!!!!! ~Declan

Routine On U.S. Racetracks, Horse Doping Is Banned In Europe

by ELEANOR BEARDSLEY

April 23, 2013 4:03 PM
As posted on NPR

French jockey Olivier Peslier celebrates a win at Longchamps racecourse near Paris in 2012. While many drugs can legally be used on horses in U.S. racing, they are barred in Europe.

Fred Dufour /AFP/Getty Images
At the famous Hippodrome de Longchamp just outside of Paris this month, crowds came to cheer and bet on the sleek thoroughbreds that opened horse racing season by galloping down the verdant turf course.

Horse racing in Europe is different from the sport in the U.S., from the shape and surface of the track to race distances and the season itself. Another big difference is doping.

Drugs are not allowed in European horse races. But in America, they aren't just legal, they're widely used — particularly furosemide, better known as Lasix. The drug helps prevent horses' lungs from bleeding during races.

Gina Rarick, an American horse trainer who works in France, says U.S. horse racing is out of step with the rest of the world. Eleanor Beardsley /NPR

Gina Rarick, an American horse trainer in France, is grooming a horse at her stables in Maison Lafitte, lush horse country west of Paris. Rarick feels the practice of administering Lasix is ruining the sport in America.

"Every horse in America starts his day with a shot or two in the neck. I'm sorry, but it's wrong. It's just wrong." she says. "The Americans ... have these horror stories about, 'Oh, if we don't use Lasix they're gonna bleed to death and drop in front of people.' ... It's ridiculous. We don't use Lasix in the rest of the world."

Last month, the American horse Animal Kingdom, winner of the 2011 Kentucky Derby, had a two-length win at the Dubai World Cup. That victory, Rarick says, shows that a horse can run without Lasix.

It also comes at a time when drugging is a top issue in the U.S. racing industry. The Breeders' Cup has banned race-day drugging of 2-year-olds and was going to extend that ban to all of its races this year. But last month, the Breeders' Cup board rolled back on those plans, in part due to lack of support by many in the racing industry.

A Powerful Drug

Rarick says Lasix is a powerful diuretic.

"If you give a horse a shot of Lasix and then watch what happens, he'll start to pee, and pee, and pee. ... [It] gives the [phrase] 'piss like a racehorse' a whole new meaning," she says. "He will lose ... 30 pounds of body weight in fluids. ... It's a tremendously powerful drug.

Rarick rides on practice tracks at Maison Lafitte, the lush horse country west of Paris where she trains.

Eleanor Beardsley/NPR

Horses are then so dehydrated after the race, she says, that other drugs are needed to help them recover. She describes it as a vicious circle.

While Animal Kingdom won the Dubai Classic clean, he raced on Lasix when he won the 2011 Kentucky Derby. In fact, there are 14 medications allowed in America's top horse race, Rarick says. Critics argue that those legal drugs help mask a raft of illegal substances.

Barry Irwin, Animal Kingdom's owner, wants the use of drugs in American racing stopped. He says 95 percent of American racehorses are being medicated for a problem that affects only about 5 percent.

"I'm more interested in not having any drugs in racing at all, so that everybody can play on a level field and we can be more in line with international sport," Irwin says. "All other sports are getting rid of medication, and we're stubbornly hanging on to one drug."

Different Approaches

Veteran thoroughbred trainer Dale Romans disagrees. He believes using Lasix is the right thing to do and says horse racing in the rest of the world should catch up with the U.S. — and modern science.

"A lot of people don't realize we have this problem," Romans says, "because they don't see it. They don't come back to the barn with the horse. They don't see blood running out of their nose. They don't see ... that they're bled inside and it causes lung infections. So we have an inexpensive medication to prevent it from happening and I think we should use it. I think the horse should be put first."

Tom Ludt, outgoing chairman of the board of directors of the Breeders' Cup, says the issue of medication in the U.S. horse racing culture is extremely complicated.

"It's very hard for us to compare racing here and in Europe because they run a different style, they run mainly on turf and they take many more seasonal breaks," Ludt says. "We're much more commercialized here. If you look at what the horses run for in purse money in Europe versus here, it's crazy. They run for nothing, except in a very few races."

The use of Lasix and other race-day drugs has created two worlds of horse racing: the U.S. and everywhere else. Rarick says she wishes that weren't so.

"It would be nice to have an ambition of one day getting a horse good enough to run the Breeders' Cup or win the Kentucky Derby," Rarick says. "But that's not my ambition at all because I could never run under those conditions. If they make it drug-free, yes, that would be a dream to go back and one day compete in one of the races I used to watch as a kid growing up."

But for now, Rarick says, she's more than happy to stay in the European racing world

Valley Meat USDA Walk-Through for Horse Slaughter

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:09:00 +0000

The walk-through is NOT a final determination and is only a step in the process for Valley Meat to be approved for horse slaughter. We cannot give up the fight and need to keep educating people on horse slaughter, it's cruelties and how it is a predatory business built on lies and deciet. ~Declan

Valley Meat USDA Walk-Through

Public News Service - NM | April 2013 | Audio

PHOTO: Sybil and Gambler (colt) rescued by Front Range Equine Rescue in Larkspur, CO.
Courtesy:Front Range Equine Rescue

April 25, 2013 As posted on Public News Service

ROSWELL, N.M. - Agents of the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted a walk-through of Valley Meat Co. on Tuesday, days after the Humane Society of the United States and Front Range Equine Rescue submitted a notice of intent to sue if the agency agrees to provide inspections required for the facility to slaughter horses.

The walkthrough does not constitute a final determination for Valley Meat, according to attorney Bruce Wagman, a partner at the Schiff Hardin law firm who represents both potential plaintiffs.

"It means they did an inspection of the facility for certain criteria," Wagman said. "It doesn't at all mean that there's an approval of horse slaughter. The walkthrough is part of a chain of events, sort of like saying once you get the nomination that you're actually the president. You may get nominated, but that doesn't mean you're going to win."

In their submission, Larkspur, Colo.-based Front Range Equine Rescue and the national Humane Society note that horse slaughter is a threat to the environment and to wildlife in the vicinity.

USDA activity related to Valley Meat is not necessarily affected by the notice of intent to sue, Wagman said. However, he emphasized that opening a horse slaughterhouse would require a final grant of inspection by the USDA, not just a walkthrough.

In threatening to sue, the organizations say wastewater and other slaughterhouse byproducts produced at Valley Meat could damage the habitats of several threatened or endangered species. That means more obstacles to approval for the plant, Wagman said.

"In order to approve the site as a slaughterhouse," he said, "USDA is required to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service over the potential damage to those endangered species and their critical habitats."

Valley Meat is located near the South Spring and Pecos rivers, Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Bottomless Lakes State Park. Among species mentioned in the notice are the Pecos bluntnose shiner, three snail species and a freshwater shrimp.

Should the USDA give Valley Meat final approval, owner Ricardo De Los Santos still faces other obstacles. Wagman said plans to export the meat to eastern Europe and Asia would not comply with the New Mexico Food Act.

"Under New Mexico food law, horse meat is adulterated and cannot be sold," he said. "You can't sell it to somebody else, either. Doesn't mean, 'Oh, you can sell it to Europeans.' It means it can't be sold - period."

Horse slaughter remains a hot topic in New Mexico. Renee Blake has some of the latest developments.

In the New Mexico Food Act, revised in 1993, Chapter 25, Article 2 refers to adulterated or misbranded food. The text is online at nmenv.state.nm.us.

Renee Blake, Public News Service - NM

Oldest Horse On Flathead's Wild Horse Island Dies

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:36:00 +0000

I am so sad that this AMAZINGLY old horse died! :-( But I am glad that he was free and was able to live his life. ~Declan

Oldest Horse On Flathead's Wild Horse Island Dies

Having roamed Flathead Lake’s largest island for more than three decades, at one point upholding its name as the lone equine resident, the oldest gelding on Wild Horse Island has departed for greener pastures.

“It’s too bad, but he had a pretty good run,” says Jerry Sawyer, who manages the seven state parks located on Flathead Lake for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “It’s pretty rare that they get that old. And he just kept hanging in there.”

Every winter, the old man’s ribs became a little more pronounced, his winter coat a few degrees more tattered, and wildlife managers grew increasingly certain that it would be his last.

And then, with spring’s arrival, he would emerge to prove his tenacity again.

“He was there a long time,” Sawyer said. “He had been shedding his winter coat and his metabolism was slowing down. He came across as really wild and wooly, and that was certainly a sign that he wasn’t going to keep going. He did have pretty good habitat, though, with plenty of forage, and the predators are pretty slim out there. There are coyotes and a few mountain lions. He did well.”

Longtime Wild Horse Island resident Barry Gordon last saw the old horse around the first of December, and said he was looking weaker than he had at the beginning of previous winters.

“He really hung in there,” Gordon said. “He was always the wildest of all the horses that we have out here. You never could get up next to him, but he was always the one that watched over the rest of them. He just finally gave her up.”

The old horse’s death leaves five mares and one gelding, a population that still outweighs what is technically allowed by Wild Horse Island State Park’s management plan – a maximum of five wild horses to run free on the island’s 2,164 acres. The island also supports significantly higher numbers of bighorn sheep and mule deer.

FWP, which has to transplant bighorn sheep off the island to keep their population in check, has one major rule for the wild horses, which are present solely to honor the island’s name. They can’t reproduce.

That’s meant the males on the island, like the oldest horse, must be geldings.

In 2009, the herd of wild horses dwindled to only the old man, and FWP began restocking, first adding a mustang because they didn’t think the old horse could make it through another winter. When he did, they added four wild black mares – the first females FWP had ever transplanted to the island.

Unbeknownst to anyone, one of the mares was pregnant, and one day a seventh horse appeared on the island. According to Gordon, the old horse was protective of the young filly.

“He was the one that kind of ran the show,” Gordon said. “He was quite protective of that little filly. When visitors would get near her he would start snorting. He was quite protective of that little girl.”

The herd tends to forage on Wild Horse Island’s east side in the morning and migrate to the western edge to follow the sun. Sawyer said the rest of the herd is faring well, and estimates that the old horse died at least a month ago.

“You can’t live forever, but he did pretty good,” Sawyer said. “You’ve got to give him credit.”

Lawyer: Inspectors Clear New Mexico Horse Slaughterhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:09:00 +0000

This is NOT good news - I really hope slaughtering horses doesn't start in New Mexico or anywhere else in the United States!! It is DEFINITELY WRONG and we need horse slaughter to STOP!!!! ~Declan

Lawyer: Inspectors clear NM horse slaughterhouse

By JERI CLAUSING, Associated Press

Updated 12:11 pm, Tuesday, April 23, 2013 Updated 5:00pm

As posted on The San Fransico Chronicle

Valley Meat Co. owner Rick De Los Santos stands in a corral area outside the former cattle slaughterhouse he has converted to a horse slaughter facility in Roswell, N.M., Monday, April 15, 2013. The plant --- which has been waiting more than a year for federal approval of its operations -- has become ground zero for an emotional, national debate over a return to domestic horse slaughter. Photo: Jeri Clausing

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — About 5 miles from this southeastern New Mexico town's famed UFO museum, tucked between dairy farms, is a nondescript metal building that could be home to any number of small agricultural businesses.

But Valley Meat Co. is no longer just another agricultural business. It's a former cattle slaughterhouse whose kill floor has been redesigned for horses to be led in one at a time, secured in a huge metal chute, shot in the head, then processed into meat for shipment overseas.

It's also ground zero for an emotional, national debate over a return to domestic horse slaughter that has divided horse rescue and animal humane groups, ranchers, politicians and Indian tribes.

And Tuesday, it moved one step closer to becoming the first plant in the country in more than six years to slaughter horses, with a successful inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

At issue is whether the majestic symbols of Western culture are livestock or pets, and whether it is more humane to slaughter them domestically than to ship tens of thousands of neglected, unwanted and wild horses thousands of miles to be slaughtered in Mexico or Canada.

Front and center in the debate is Rick De Los Santos, who along with his wife, Sarah, has for more than two decades worked this small slaughterhouse, taking in mostly cows that were too old or sick to travel with larger herds to the bigger slaughterhouses for production.

Now, with cattle herds shrinking amid an ongoing drought, De Los Santos says he and his wife are just trying to transform their business and make enough money to retire. They're seeking to slaughter domestically some of the thousands of horses that De Los Santos says travel through the state every month on their way to what are oftentimes less humane and less regulated plants south of the border.

"They are being slaughtered anyway. We thought, well, we will slaughter them here and provide jobs for the economy," De Los Santos said.

Instead, Valley Meat has been ensnarled in a yearlong political drama that has left the plant idle and its owners the target of vandalism and death threats — warnings that increased after humane groups found a video a former plant worker posted of himself cursing at animal activists, then shooting one of his own horses to eat.

"People are saying, 'We will slit your throat in your sleep. We hope you die. We hope your kids die,'" De Los Santos said. "Sometimes it's scary. ... And it's all for a horse."

Indeed, voicemails left on the company's answering machine spew hate and wishes for violence upon the family.

"I hope you burn in hell," said one irate woman who called repeatedly, saying, "You better pack your (expletive) bags (expletive) and get out of there because that place is finished."

The couple have hired security and turned over phone records to federal authorities. They are, nevertheless, surprisingly candid about their plans, offering media access to the 7,200-square-foot slaughterhouse with one kill floor and two processing rooms that De Los Santos says can process 50 to 100 horses a day.

"It's complicated, this industry of feeding the world," Sarah De Los Santos says matter-of-factly. The meat would be processed for human consumption and exported to countries in eastern Europe and Asia.

Attorney Blair Dunn says agriculture officials found no issues at Valley Meat Co. during Tuesday's inspection and told the owners they are recommending a grant of inspection be issued immediately.

The plant passed a similar inspection last year but then was told it couldn't begin operations until the USDA developed an acceptable test to measure the horse meat for drug residue.

It wasn't until the plant sued the USDA for blocking its application that the agency earlier this year agreed to move forward with the inspections necessary to allow Valley Meat Co. and about a half-dozen other plants around the country to slaughter horses.

But the Obama administration wants to prohibit such slaughters. The administration's 2014 budget request excludes money for inspectors for horse slaughter plants, which would effectively keep them from operating.

The USDA did not respond to an email from The Associated Press asking about the inspection process and whether a drug test has been developed.

But Dunn said Department of Justice lawyers repeatedly have assured him that there are no impediments to the plant opening. Dunn says he expects final approval for the plant to come in a matter of days.

"Everyone is talking about this as a humane issue," De Los Santos said. "This is not a humane issue. It's politics."

Humane groups and politicians including Gov. Susana Martinez and New Mexico Attorney General Gary King strongly oppose the plant. They argue that horses are iconic animals in the West, and that other solutions and more funding for horse rescue and birth control programs should be explored over slaughter.

Fueling opposition is a recent uproar in Europe over horse meat being found in products labeled as beef.

Still others are pushing for a return to domestic slaughter. Proponents include several Native American tribes, the American Quarter Horse Association, some livestock associations and even a few horse rescue groups that believe domestic slaughter would be more humane than shipping the animals elsewhere.

They point to a 2011 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office that found horse abuse and abandonment increasing since Congress effectively banned horse slaughter by cutting funding for federal inspection programs in 2006. Because rescue groups can't take care of all of the horses in need, tens of thousands have been shipped to slaughterhouses in Mexico.

In this mostly agricultural town, touted on its welcome sign as the Dairy Capital of the Southwest, there is surprisingly little uproar over the plant.

"I was against it," said Larry Connolly, a retiree having coffee at Starbucks last week. "Then I started talking to some ranchers. They said they were for it. So I'm neutral."

Local horse trader and former rancher Dave McIntosh said opening the plant would be the "best thing for the welfare of horses."

But Sheriff Rob Coon said he believes most people in town oppose the plant. His office was inundated with calls and emails from irate people after the horse-killing video was discovered online last month. The former Valley Meat worker posted the video more than a year ago in response to animal activists opposed to horse slaughter.

"A lot of the ranchers are for it, simply because they want a place to take a horse rather than starve it out," he said. "But it's not our society. We don't eat horses."

Coon said his department has met with other local agencies in preparation for protests and potential trouble should the plant get the green light to open. But he clearly longs for the day when Roswell — whose main street is populated with statues of green extraterrestrials — was known for a rumored 1947 UFO landing, and little else.

"I was just telling our county manager: 'What happened to our aliens?'" Coon said.

New Mexico Horse Meat Facility Moves a Step Closer to Operation

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:14:00 +0000

We can NOT let this plant open! Mr. Rick De Los Santos, who is trying to start horse slaughter back up again, is a convicted criminal and an example of the kind of person who is involved in horse slaughter. We have to STOP this plant from opening!!!!!! ~Declan

New Mexico Horse Meat Facility Moves a Step Closer to Operation

By STEPHANIE STROM

As posted on The New York Times Published: April 22, 2013

Amid the unfolding horse-meat scandal, a New Mexico slaughterhouse has moved closer to becoming the first in the United States since 2007 to be allowed to process horses for human consumption.

Troy Grant/New Mexico Solid Waste Bureau

Piles of cattle bone and offal at a New Mexico slaughterhouse, now seeking to process horses for human consumption.

“I am recommending to the Dallas district manager that your application be processed, and a grant of federal inspection be issued, provided you meet all other requirements for inspection,” Scott C. Safian, a director at the Agriculture Department, wrote in a letter dated April 13 to Ricardo De Los Santos, owner of the Valley Meat Company.

Mr. De Los Santos has been seeking U.S.D.A. approval for his processing plant in Roswell, N.M., since December 2011.

“Grants will not be issued until an establishment is able to produce a safe product in accordance with the Federal Meat Inspection Act,” said an Agriculture Department spokeswoman, Catherine Cochran.

On Monday, an advocacy group for horses sent a letter to the U.S.D.A., asking it not to grant permission for Mr. De Los Santos to operate the facility because he had failed to disclose two felonies on his original application form, as well as on a second, subsequent form.

“Is this really a guy we want to be operating a regulated business, one in which the U.S.D.A. will rely on his representations?” said Bruce A. Wagman, a lawyer representing Front Range Equine Rescue, the advocacy group.

A. Blair Dunn, the lawyer representing Mr. De Los Santos, said Front Range had erroneously described a case of criminal trespassing as a felony. He said the issue was “another desperate attempt to degrade my clients” by Front Range and the Humane Society of the United States.

“Everything regarding that information has been vetted” through the department’s food safety and inspection service “and has been certified by letter by U.S.D.A. to offer no impediment,” Mr. Dunn wrote in an e-mail.

The issue of horse slaughtering has become contentious in light of a labeling scandal in Europe, where ground beef in processed foods made and sold by companies ranging from Nestlé to Ikea was found to contain horse meat.

On Monday, Robert Redford, who starred in “The Electric Horseman” and “The Horse Whisperer,” lent his voice to the debate in a letter to Equine Advocates, a horse welfare group, explaining his opposition to slaughter. “We need to oppose this unspeakable practice with all our might,” Mr. Redford wrote. “It has no place in our culture.”

Horses have not been slaughtered in the United States since 2007, after Congress forbade the use of federal money for inspection of horse meat. That prohibition fell out of legislation in 2011, and Mr. De Los Santos first applied for inspection in December of that year.

On that application, dated Dec. 13, 2011, Mr. De Los Santos wrote “none” in the section asking applicants to account for any felonies they have committed.

A subsequent application dated March 1, 2012 was filled out the same way, with no note made of any felony.

But on a third application dated March 15, 2013, the section is filled out with Mr. De Los Santos’s name and two convictions, one for criminal trespass in Texas in 1988 and the other for residential burglary there in 1978.

Court records show that Mr. De Los Santos was arrested by the Amarillo police department on Sept. 11, 1989 — his third U.S.D.A. application reported the incident occurring a year earlier — on suspicion of criminal trespass but charged only with a moving violation and convicted of that offense.

He was arrested on Aug. 28, 1978, in Dallam County, Tex., charged with residential burglary and convicted.

In his letter, Mr. Safian indicated that the U.S.D.A. and Mr. De Los Santos had been corresponding for some time on the issue. “We note that your April 4, 2013, submittal contends that the disclosed convictions were previously identified on a 1990 application for federal inspection,” Mr. Safian wrote. “However, for clarification, our records indicate prior disclosure of only the 1978 conviction, and no disclosure of a 1988 conviction prior to submittal of your March 2013 application.”

Nonetheless, Mr. Safian concluded that because of the time that had elapsed since the incidents and “other factors,” he was recommending approval of the application.

Mr. Wagman, the lawyer for Front Range, contended that Mr. De Los Santos now has committed a third felony by improperly filling out his first two applications. Under federal law, it is a felony to knowingly falsify, conceal or materially misrepresent facts submitted on a federal application.

Front Range also forwarded to the U.S.D.A. letters from the New Mexico Environment Department to Mr. De Los Santos, noting various failures related to discharge from what was then known as the Pecos Valley Meat Packing Company, a cattle slaughtering operation the De Los Santos family operated in the facility where they are seeking to slaughter horses.

In 2009 and 2010, the U.S.D.A. itself suspended inspection of Pecos Valley Meats, effectively suspending its operations, after finding problems with its sanitation and food safety program including “inadequate” testing for E. coli and “irregularities” in the segregation and disposal of “specified risk materials.” Those are parts of an animal banned for human consumption because they run a higher risk of contamination with the bovine spongiform encephalopathy prions that transmit mad cow disease. Mr. Dunn said the suspensions were only for a short time.

'Butterfly Girl' Pandora Humphries Now a Real Life Aaver of Horses

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:03:00 +0000

This young horse enthuastiast is so kind and never gives up even though she's sick. I am glad to see that she wants to give the race horses a second chance! ~Declan

'Butterfly girl' Pandora Humphries now a real life saver of horses

Grant McArthur
Herald Sun
April 21, 201310:18PM

Pandora Humphries is helping rescue racehorses bound for the knacker's yard. Picture: Jay Town Source: Herald Sun

SHE captured hearts as "butterfly girl", but life now is definitely all about horses for little Pandora Humphries.

Having had her life saved more times than anyone wants to remember, Pandora knows all about second chances and is using all her energy to give retired racehorses a fresh chance.

After falling in love with horses last year, the tiny nine-year-old has inspired her parents to begin a charity saving thoroughbreds from knackeries.

Despite weighing just 19kg due to the effects of her undiagnosed condition, Pandora has amazed her mother, Amber Hendry, with the bond she shares with thoroughbreds, which tower over her as her gentle best friends.

"Pandora just has this way with them, and it is brilliant to see somebody who has come from where she has come from taking so much on," Ms Hendry said.

"She learns so much down here, not like you do with a dog or a cat."In August last year . . . Pandora got on a horse and it was just amazing. It was the first time she had even been near a horse, and look at her now.

"She can have a bad day but then come here, open the gate and go in to see the horses, and everything is great."

Seeing Pandora leading powerful racehorses around the We Were Champions charity's Werribee base, it is difficult to believe she spent her first two years clinging to life in isolation at the Royal Children's Hospital, where she became the unforgettable face of the Good Friday Appeal dressed in her butterfly outfit.

An undiagnosed condition causes Pandora's red blood cells to attack each other and not regenerate and, although a bone marrow transplant saved her life, she still relies on medication including injections of hormones to help her grow.

The grade 3 student convinced her parents to get her a welsh pony named Bella, but her obsession did not stop there.

Inspired by Pandora's love of horses and his horror at seeing emaciated and abused horses before they go to knackeries, Ms Hendry's partner, Anthony Swords, set up the We Were Champions charity to rescue, rehabilitate and rehouse retired racehorses.

The family has now rescued 15 thoroughbreds by outbidding knackeries at horse auctions, spending between $200 and $500 on horses who have often won tens of thousands of dollars on the racetrack before becoming too old or slow.

The charity has gained strong support from Mr Swords' employer, Gatto Corporate Solutions, owned by Mick Gatto, and hopes to find homes for the animals to live out their days as pets.

"This has picked her up a lot at school," Mr Swords said.

"It gives her that extra drive, and when she is around horses instead of being behind with some of the other things, she knows more about this than the other kids and it has really brought her along."

Robert Redford Calls For a Ban on Horse Slaughter

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:31:00 +0000

Thank you Mr. Robert Redford for speaking out on behalf of America's horses. ~Declan

April 22, 2013, 8:14 a.m. ET

Robert Redford Calls For A Ban On Horse Slaughter

As Posted on The Wall Street Journal

CHATHAM, N.Y., April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the cusp of the 2013 Annual American Equine Summit hosted by the New York-based national equine protection organization Equine Advocates, the call to ban horse slaughter permanently has received much needed support from Robert Redford.

Actor, director, environmentalist and founder of the Sundance Festival, Redford wrote a letter to Equine Advocates President Susan Wagner to support the unequivocal stance that horse slaughter must be banned in the US. "Horses are acquired for slaughter without disclosure and often through fraud and misrepresentation. The entire slaughter process is cruel, inhumane and perpetuates abuse and neglect without consequences, in addition to condoning a violation of our nation's cruelty laws," said Redford. "As Americans, we have the right to oppose both the return of horse slaughter to the US and the transport of our wild and domestic equines to other countries for the purpose of slaughter."

Redford joins a bilateral effort to reverse the advance of horse slaughter through public opinion and safety concerns, and legislation on both state and federal levels.

New York has become the latest state to push for a ban on horse slaughter with Senate Bill S.4615 and Assembly Bill A.3905. New York State Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, who will deliver the Keynote Address at the Summit, joined State Senator Kathy Marchione in co-sponsoring the bill at a press conference last week. If passed, New York State would join California, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas in prohibiting it.

The Obama administration's proposed 2014 budget includes a proposal to essentially prevent equines from being slaughtered in the US by defunding FDA inspections. The recent bipartisan introduction of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act would also prohibit the transport, export or import of horses intended for slaughter or horsemeat, leading the issue closer to the solution most Americans demand: Ban it.

"We applaud Robert Redford for his powerful, meaningful and profound words on behalf of America, at a time when over 80% of our citizens oppose horse slaughter," said Wagner. "Beyond the sheer brutality of the practice, horse slaughter will enable dangerous FDA-banned drugs found in horsemeat to potentially threaten the US food supply if cross contamination occurs with other meat, like what's happening across Europe. Horses are not bred for food and should be removed from the food chain."

Experts, government officials and others will convene at Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary in Chatham, NY Saturday, April 27 -- Sunday, April 28 for the 2013 Annual American Equine Summit. For a full list of speakers, visit: http://www.equineadvocates.org/EquinesBlog/?p=765. Follow Summit News #AES2013.

Founded in 1996, Equine Advocates Inc. is a national non-profit equine protection organization whose mission is to rescue, protect and prevent the abuse of equines -- especially through banning the slaughter of American horses -- through education, investigation, rescue operations and public education. Info@equineadvocates.org, @equineadvocates.org or 518-245-1599 for more information.

The Big Deal About Horse Meat

noreply@blogger.com (Declan) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:59:00 +0000

This letter to the editor was written by my friend Ms. Barbra Kellogg! She is sooo awesome and I am glad she wants horses to be treated humanely too!!! ~Declan

The big deal about horse meat

Letter to the Editor

Posted: 04/22/2013 12:35:20 AM EDT

Updated: 04/22/2013 12:35:20 AM EDT
As posted on The Birkshire Eagle

Monday April 22, 2013

The April 5 op-ed by Peter Albertson, "Why the fuss about horse meat?" missed the key reasons why there is indeed a ruckus: primarily that horse meat is profoundly toxic and inhumanely produced.

Horses -- particularly racehorses, an estimated 60 percent of whom end up at slaughter -- are walking pharmacies. "Eating them is about as healthful as eating food contaminated with DDT," says Dr. Nicholas Dodman, professor of clinical sciences at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

Antibiotics used in cattle have been approved for use in food animals. By contrast, horses are administered not only antibiotics, but a pharmacy of drugs banned from the food chain, including hormones, steroids, coagulants, sedatives, parasiticides and potent painkillers. Horses are raised as athletes and long-lived companions; they are liberally medicated to enhance performance and address injuries and chronic conditions.

The other major reason 80 percent of all Americans and 90 percent of Massachusetts residents surveyed are opposed to horse slaughter for human consumption is the inevitable suffering inflicted on an animal that has spent its life serving humans. To most it is considered the moral equivalent of sending former service dogs to dog meat factories.

To get Albertson’s "dry, soft meat," horses suffer unspeakable cruelty from auction to feedlot to transport, then during the kill process itself. Two USDA responses to FOIA requests produced horrifying images -- including a 900-page report of violations -- of horses arriving at former U.S. horse slaughter plants dead (sometimes trampled to death), or with limbs torn off, broken necks, and eyes bludgeoned (sometimes admittedly gauged by transporters to reduce fighting).

Due to equine physiology and temperament, it is difficult to slaughter horses humanely in factory settings, as the organization, Veterinarians for Equine Welfare, has testified. According to Dr. Lester Castro Friedlander, a former USDA Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer, equine brain placement, which is further back than bovine’s, requires a precise and penetrating shot to render a horse unconscious. As video investigations have shown, this rarely happens on the first shot -- in violation of the 1958 Humane Slaughter Act -- and results in multiple shots; terrified, thrashing horses; and many horses being vivisected while still conscious.

BARBARA KELLOGG
Lenox

The writer is a horse owner, horse rescue volunteer, and the chair of the Massachusetts Equine Welfare Council. She is also a member of the Berkshire Disaster Animal Response Team.

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