Sunday, August 31, 2008

NTRA Marketing Summit / Have Your Voice Heard!

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association desperate to clean up their image and attract new fans,...calls for emergency "Marketing Summit." Here is an opportunity for everyone to share their thoughts on what the industry can do to improve their image and get more fans....sign the petition with your ideas by clicking on the title above. YES we can make a difference!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ntra-horse-racing-wants-new-fans

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Racing Industry Events 4 September

Click title (above) to read more about our "Industry Accountability" Campaigns;

RACING INDUSTRY ACTIONS

1.NEVADA, Las Vegas

Sept 21-23

MARKETING SUMMIT TO FOCUS ON NEW FANS

Email Print RSS by Blood-Horse Staff
Date Posted: August 19, 2008
Last Updated: August 20, 2008

Edited press release

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Marketing Summit, to be held Sept. 21-23 at Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, will feature a special 90-minute session on Sept. 22 called "Reaching a New Generation". The workshop will be moderated by John Della Volpe, founder and president of SocialSphere Strategies and director of polling at Harvard's Institute of Politics, and will focus on tactical strategies that racing can employ today to engage and retain new fans.

Joining Della Volpe in his presentation will be five members of a newly created NTRA online marketing task force: Dana Byerly, 42, from New York City; Jessica Chapel, 34, from Brooklyn, N.Y.; Patrick Patten, 30, from Matawan, N.J.; Troy Racki, 26 from Loma Linda, Calif.; and Kevin Stafford, 30 from Hanover, Penn. All are active bloggers, handicappers and online contributors.

"The presentation will be a living, breathing Web 2.0 collaboration with some of racing's best fans," said Della Volpe. "We have scoured the Internet for racing's most ardent supporters, then we created an online community and gave them an assignment: Develop a plan to market the sport to a new generation of fans. Over the course of about six weeks, the group will be spending dozens of hours meeting, debating, and challenging each other's assumptions -- the results of which they will present to the industry at the NTRA Marketing Summit."

The three-day conference will also include a Monday, Sept. 22, luncheon speech and Q&A session with NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop; a Tuesday roundtable presentation by the NTRA's Horseplayers' Coalition; and updates on several NTRA programs and initiatives, including advertising and marketing, the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship, the NHC Tour, legislative/regulatory issues, promotions, television, public relations and NTRA Advantage.

The Summit will begin with a private handicapping tournament for attendees on Sunday, Sept. 21. Following a full day of sessions on Monday, the Summit will conclude with a half-day session on Tuesday.

"We look forward to a lively and provocative gathering sure to provide many timely and relevant strategies for the year ahead," said Keith Chamblin, senior vice president-communications and industry relations for the NTRA.

Article: http://www.bloodhorse.com/article/46656/marketing-summit-to-focus-on-new-fans.htm

Racing Industry Actions

2.FLORIDA


St. Petersburg, Florida - Sept 29 - Oct 1st., 2008

FLORIDA SIMULCASTING CONVENTION


http://www.tra-online.com/conference.html

Here is why:

Account Wagering Companies / Simulcasting
http://www.freewebs.com/horseracinghallofshame/accountwageringcompanys.htm

Simulcasting makes BIG BUCKS for Industry, and you can BET the racing industry BIG-WHIGS wil be there!
Tell Them to Put Some $$$ Aside for Racehorse Retirement, (and more than just the usual 1/3 of 1%!)

Read More About it Account Wagering Companies here;
http://www.freewebs.com/horseracinghallofshame/accountwageringcompanys.htm

Here is the number of the St. Petersburg Police where you can call to see about permits for pickiting this event;

(727) 893 - 7780

and a link to their site; http://www.stpete.org/police/

Friday, August 29, 2008

Emergency Wild Horse Summit / Oct 11-12

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:

August 27th, 2008 Karen Sussman ISPMB

605-964-6866

EMERGENCY WILD HORSE SUMMIT
TO CONVENE IN LAS VEGAS


Lantry, SD-With more than 33,000 healthy wild horses threatened with euthanasia by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros (ISPMB), Wild Horses Forever, and Marisa Morin will hold one of the most informative and enlightening wild horse summits ever to be conducted.

The summit will bring together the leading experts in the world of equine behavior, genetics, research, and range management. The focus of the summit will address the current crisis facing America's wild horses' threatened existence on public lands and will bring forth proposed solutions.

Along with the many equine scientists presenting, there will be panels composed of interested wild horse groups yet to be announced. "It is the desire of our group to have as many diverse participants on the panel to create an enlightening discussion," says Karen Sussman. The conference's theme will be "Using our Diversity as a Strength to Preserve and Protect Wild Horses."

The summit will be held at South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on October 11th and 12th from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., culminating with a media event on the morning of October 13th.

Interested parties should send their names, addresses, and E-mail address to wildhorsesummit@gmail.com You may also check the web site for up to date information at www.wildhorsesummit.com Registration deadline for the summit is September 9th and can be done on line.

Holland Rubutts USA Today (Again)

HOLLAND RUBUTTS USA TODAY (AGAIN)

National Newspaper Slaughters Facts

USA Today Faulted for Shameless Innacurracies

In her op-ed on horse slaughter titled Homeless on the Range (Aug. 14th 2007 USA Today), Mary Zeiss Stange demonstrates a remarkable journalistic ability to ferret out the truth and then painstakingly avoid it. As I read Dr. Stange's article with growing incredulity, I was reminded of the astute observations of the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan when he said, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts" and "There are some mistakes only someone with a PhD can make."


Dr. Stange's research on the subject of horse slaughter appears to have been limited to watching old Kirk Douglas movies, reading Oren Dorell's earlier USA Today article US shelters saddled with unwanted horses (March 2008), and googling a few pages on the internet.

Stange's distain for the tedium of fact checking was clearly demonstrated by her inclusion of a quote from Dorell's article attributed to Julie Caramante. Dorell had already apologized for committing the huge journalistic no-no of incorrectly attributing the statement to Caramante with whom he had never spoken.

Dr. Stange opens with a subtitle claiming that horses are being abandoned in the thousands. But instead of offering some evidence in support of this statement (and there is none), she goes on to claim, "The single overriding cause of surplus horses is the movement to ban the sale of horses or their meat for human consumption."

While Stange later mentions that more horses are being sent over the borders to slaughter in Mexico and Canada, she skillfully avoids the embarrassing fact that these increased exports have resulted in more American horses being slaughtered this year than before the plants were closed.

According to the USDA, through June of this year we sent 65,899 horses to slaughter as opposed to only 63,650 for the same period of 2006 (the year before the closures). This unfortunate statistic entirely belies the Stange claim of causation for all the supposedly abandoned horses.

There is no documented evidence that horse abandonment is epidemic or even significant, and there is presently no lack of a "slaughter option" for owners who wish to betray their equines with a tortuous trip to brutal slaughter.

Unsubstantiated statements run through Stange's article like the abandoned horses galloping through her furtive imagination. Even when she sites valid data, Stange manages to misquote it. For example, she claims "There are, to begin with, too many horses in the USA: 9.2 million as recently as 2005, up from 5.3 million in 1999".

These numbers imply that the horse population nearly doubled in just 6 years, but while the 9.2 million figure is correct for 2005, the 5.3 million figure (actually 5.25) was from an American Horse Council study done in 1986, not 1999. The actual period of this increase was 19 years, not 6, but this is hardly the kind of explosive growth that makes sensational scare journalism.

Even when Stange uses real data to make her points, she carefully cherry picks it to support horse slaughter. For example, she points out that the AHC study found a third of all horse owners had an annual income of $50,000 or less, inferring that many horse owners cannot afford to take care of their horses. But this figure includes people in many situations that allow them to take very good care of a horse for very little money including people who live in rural settings and own land with good grazing.

Stange carefully avoids a more telling economic statistic from the same study. The study estimated that the American horse industry earns about $141 billion dollars a year either directly or indirectly. When one considers that horse slaughter industry is estimated to pay horse owners only about $40 million dollars a year, we are left with the fact that horse slaughter represents only about 0.03% or one third of one tenth of one percent of the income horses generate. Unwanted horses A postscript to the article claims that in 2007 the Unwanted Horse Coalition estimated that 170,000 abandoned horses lived in the United States. Contacted about this estimate, the UHC said they had no knowledge of where this quotation came from and that they had no such data. This misquote is followed by several press reports as proof of this epidemic of abandonment and neglect which according to Stange was the result of the closing of the US based slaughterhouses. It took little investigation to prove that these examples were as flawed as everything else in the Stange article. One example references the case of Francine Derby who had 120 starving equines seized from her Central Florida ranch in May. The Derby story was about a long term case of hoarding and had nothing to do with the current situation or the closing of the slaughter houses. Morgan Silver, executive director of the Horse Protection Association of Florida, stated that she filed a police report on the deplorable situation with Derby's horses back in 2003, four years before the first plant closings. At that time, Derby already had over 100 equines, mostly ponies and minis. And as to the pretense that Derby was a "rescuer", she had 45 stallions and was breeding the animals according to Silver. Another example given to prove the dire consequences of having closed the US plants states, "It is estimated that 200 of 1,200 wild horses overpopulating the Virginia Range near Reno, are actually "strays." Many won't survive in the wild, and the mustangs could be at risk of disease from domestic horses." Attempting to add her own spin to the story, Stange breaks new ground by streamlining the ancient and laborious process called Chinese Whisper Syndrome in which a story is repeated countless times until it bears no resemblance to the original. Stange uses her rigorous abstinence from fact checking to accomplish the same result in a single repetition. The quote Stange sites is from the Las Vegas Review Journal, but it is not "200 of the horses in the Virginia Range". The quote, attributed to Nevada's Agriculture Director Tony Lesperance, read, "although people refer to the 200 horses in the Virginia Range as wild horses, they technically are strays -- horses that may have been set free by their owners." The Nevada Department of Agriculture has long contended that all 1200 (not 200) Virginia Range horses are "strays" and that is undoubtedly what Lesperance said or meant to say. This does not mean any of them were recently abandoned. They have been there for a very long time. The NVDA calls the horses "strays" because they do not belong to the original Spanish horse bloodlines (Ironically, the Spanish horses were also "strays", but that is another story). The importance of this distinction is that the Virginia Range horses are not protected under law as "mustangs", thus freeing the hands of the NVDA to dispose of the horses as they please. Craig Downer, a wild horse expert who monitors the Virginia Range horses, says that no recently abandoned or stray horses have been detected in the herds. He adds that far from starving from overpopulation, the Virginia Range horses are thriving. In a single paragraph, Stange both proves Moynihan's observation about mistakes only a PhD can make and creates a new entry in the lexicon of journalism that I predict will forever be known as Stange Whisper Syndrome. So why do writers like Stange, Dorell and many others keep pumping out these fallacious attempts to defend horse slaughter? The horse slaughter proxy war One has only to read the animal agriculture trade journals and magazines to understand what is really going on. The assault on the anti-horse slaughter legislation is nothing more than a proxy war against animal welfare organizations and the so called "animal rights" movement. The motivation for this assault is the belief that such a law would be a victory for the welfare groups and a step onto a slippery slope that might lead to other animal protection legislation. As in all wars, the innocent (in this case the horses) are the victims. The paranoia runs far deeper than the horse issue. Cattlemen at a recent Texas A&M seminar were told that recent video documentation of the incredibly inhumane treatment of "downer" (non-ambulatory) cattle at a California slaughterhouse was just the first step toward stopping the slaughter of cows, pigs, sheep and goats. And why might Dr. Stange, the author of Woman Hunter, coauthor of Gun Women and author of the pending book Sister Predators be motivated to join a proxy war against animal welfare organizations? One can only ponder such mysteries, but we might have expected that with fifty years of experience as a Montana hunter and journalist, Stange would have thought to bring some ammunition to this war. Obviously, the writers of this propaganda cannot simply say, "we think you are after our cattle and pigs, so we are not going to let you protect the horses." Instead, they make up tales about a plague of abandoned and unwanted horses and pretend to care about the horses as they drive their fiction home in article after article. So why should the average American care about this dirty little proxy war? The answer is as simple as it is profound. If we cannot trust publications like the USA Today to tell us the truth on this subject, how can we trust them on any other? Dr. Stange chose to open her article with a scene from Lonely are the Brave in which the Kirk Douglas character pays dearly for the decision not to abandon his beloved mare Whiskey. Perhaps it would have worked better if she had chosen to paraphrase Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles; Facts? Facts? We don't need no stinking facts! John Holland is a freelance writer and the author of three books. He frequently writes on the subject of horse slaughter from his small farm in the mountains of Virginia, where he lives with his wife, Sheilah, and their 12 equines. Holland serves as senior analyst for Americans Against Horse Slaughter, an organization composed entirely of volunteers.

John Holland is a freelance writer and the author of three books. He frequently writes on the subject of horse slaughter from his small farm in the mountains of Virginia, where he lives with his wife, Sheilah, and their 12 equines. Holland serves as senior analyst for Americans Against Horse Slaughter, an organization composed entirely of volunteers.

As always, Texas Horse Talk welcomes dissenting opinions. Send your comments to news@texashorsetalk.com.


Click title for original article

NY Track Workers Robbed by Employers

Racetrack Workers Aren’t Paid Minimum Wage, State Agency Finds

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Published: August 27, 2008
With its stately beau monde setting, the Saratoga Race Course is the place to be in August for highbrow horse lovers. But a State Labor Department investigation has found a far less attractive picture for the track’s 1,200 backstretch workers.

The state labor commissioner, M. Patricia Smith, announced on Wednesday that 80 percent of the 110 backstretch workers investigators interviewed — grooms, hot walkers and night watchmen — were not paid minimum wage or time and a half for overtime.

The backstretch workers are employed by individual trainers, who typically train horses for several thoroughbred owners. Some workers told investigators that they were paid just $5.06 an hour, far less than the state minimum wage of $7.15 an hour, Ms. Smith said.

In addition, workers told of being bitten by bedbugs in the racetrack’s dormitories and of eating at soup kitchens because they could not afford the restaurants in Saratoga Springs.

“The violations we uncovered were extensive and significant,” Commissioner Smith said in a telephone interview. “With many workers forced to go to soup kitchens, one can only conclude that the work at the backstretch at Saratoga is a bad bet.”

She estimated that the 1,200 backstretch workers were cheated out of $70,000 in pay each week because of wage violations. Some workers said their pay had not risen in a decade.

Beginning in late July, when the track opened for the season and Saratoga Springs swelled with racetrack fans, 10 state investigators descended on the historic track and interviewed workers in the dorms and horse stalls, where track visitors rarely go.

The investigators found that most of the workers — more than 95 percent of whom are Hispanic — were required to work seven days a week, and often more than 360 days a year when their work included time at the two New York City-area tracks, Aqueduct and Belmont, the Labor Department said.

The hot walkers walk the horses to cool them down after they exercise, while the grooms brush and bathe the horses, rub them down and muck out their stalls.

Lauro Ventura, 61, a groom for 15 years, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday that living conditions at the track were bad. “Three or four of us sleep in a room that’s 10 by 10,” he said in Spanish. “Some guys sleep on air mattresses, some buy little cots, and some just sleep on the floor.”

Bedbugs are a big problem in the dorms, he added. “A lot of the workers bring their sleeping bags from Belmont, where the bedbug problems are much worse,” he said.

Ms. Smith said her department would hold seminars on labor laws for all horse trainers doing business in New York. She said she also wanted to work with the State Racing and Wagering Board to see whether labor law violations should be taken into account in licensing trainers.

Charles Hayward, chief executive of the New York Racing Association, which runs Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct, the state’s largest thoroughbred tracks, said the association was concerned about the findings of the investigation.

“N.Y.R.A. shares Commissioner Smith’s concern that workers who are employed by independent trainers on the backstretch are treated fairly and with dignity,” Mr. Hayward said, “both in respect to their living conditions and their ability to earn a living wage.”

The investigators interviewed 88 of the Saratoga track’s 115 trainers, and concluded that 77 of them had failed to keep legally required time and payroll records, Ms. Smith said. The trainers interviewed did not dispute the wage and hour figures that investigators found, she said.

The Labor Department computed that the hot walkers were underpaid by an average of $71.65 each week and the grooms by $82.31.

Mr. Ventura said he was paid $475 a week for about 55 hours of work, which comes to slightly more than $7.15 an hour when overtime is included. But he said that some friends who worked the same schedule were paid only $300 a week.

Jose Ramon Rivera, a hot walker, said in a telephone interview, “We’re fighting for all the grooms, hot walkers and night watchmen to get paid the minimum wage of $7.15 an hour, and overtime after they work 40 hours.”

Ms. Smith said the Labor Department would continue the investigation at Aqueduct and Belmont when the workers moved back there.

The racetrack investigation is part of a stepped-up effort by the department to uncover wage violations in low-wage industries. Two weeks ago, Ms. Smith announced that labor investigators had visited 84 carwashes across the state and found $6.5 million in wage violations involving 1,380 workers.

Mr. Ventura, the groom, discussed another issue that investigators found troubling: the conditions under which the backstretch workers travel when they accompany horses from track to track.

“The trainers want us to be inside the trailer with the horse because sometimes the horse goes crazy,” Mr. Ventura said. “They want us to calm him. The trailer is so small there is no chair for us to sit on. Sometimes we just sit on the floor and risk getting stepped on.”

On one trip, the driver slammed on the brakes, Mr. Ventura said, and he went flying under the horse. His hand and back were stepped on, and his eye was gashed open. He said a track doctor told him he should take a few days off from work, but when the trainer said he would not pay him for missed days, Mr. Ventura decided to work anyway.

“If we don’t work the days we’re injured, we don’t get paid,” he said.

Click on title for original article






http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/nyregion/28saratoga.html?_r=2&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Thursday, August 28, 2008

"Benny the Bull" Retired Due 2 Bonechips

Ivarone owned. Better keep our eye on this one. Click on title to read more from Paul Moran.

An Open Letter to Mr. James L. Hickey

QUARTER-ACRE RESCUE RANCH & EQUINE ADVOCACY CENTER
"Because We Care"

To: Mr. James J. Hickey, Jr. President,

American Horse Council

1616 H St. NW, 7th Fl.

Washington, DC 20006

Dear Sir;

I am writing to you as a member of the AHC, a horse-lover and founder of "Quarter-Acre Rescue Ranch & Equine Advocacy Center, and out of concern for the "un-wanted" horse problem in our country today. For whatever reasons, it seems everywhere we turn these days there are stories of unwanted horses and over-burdened rescues. Of course, in addition to the underlying causes, the "unwanted" horse problem in America today is most certainly made worse by our deteriorating economy.

Studies show that most horsemen in the country make under $50,000 per year. Even at that "modest" rate of income, most people these days are just plain out "hard-put" to keep house & home together let alone support a large and expensive animal like a horse. Simply put, it is getting to the point where only the rich or wealthier Americans are able to afford to keep or breed horses.

While we are glad to see that the recently passed Farm Bill & Economic Stimulus Act provide new lucrative tax breaks and breeding incentives for the equine industry, we are a little more than disappointed to see that there is no provisions in either acts that give any care or mention to the "unwanted" horse problem we are alleged to be suffering in this country today. As you well know, "unwanted" healthy horses are being sent off to slaughter by the thousands each year in America today, simply because no one in the EQUINE INDUSTRY wants to be responsible for their care anymore and the industrialists are too cheap to pay to have them humanely euthanized.

If the authors of these bills only realized what a problem "industry cast-off" horses have become for the industry and the horse-loving community in general, , perhaps they would have written into the act(s) a stipulation that would require the breeder of each new horse bred under these acts to contribute a certain percentage of the breeders or owners overall profits to a fund earmarked for the safe retirement of each new horse so bred .Omitting a safety-net provision for the care of the industry "by-products" is foolhardy government oversight in view of the existing problem in the country with unwanted horses. By ignoring this problem and promoting more breeding, these acts, as written, do a dis-service to the species in general and adds to the burden placed upon the "too-few" rescues already struggling to survive against all odds to care for the industry's' "unwanted" horses.

We are writing in hopes that we might be able to interest the American Horse Council to support an amendment to the Farm Bill & Economic Stimulus Act that would provide some sort of a "safety-net" provision for the industry's' "unwanted" horses so bred under the acts, that would protect them and insure them a safe retirement or a painless euthanasia to spare them from going to needless, senseless, brutal slaughter.

We propose to mandate that, for entitlement to any claims or exemptions under these acts, the owners and/or breeders of every new horse bred would be required to contribute a certain percentage of his OVERALL business profits to a fund for the safe retirement of that specific horse.. The owners and/or breeders could put the funds into a "trust" or "rescue/sanctuary " of their own or give to an already existing one of their choice. Requiring such a contribution as a pre-requisite to enjoying the tax benefits of these acts would not only insure a safe future for every new horse bred, but would also act as a deterrent to over breeding.

Once owners are held responsible for the safe retirement or euthanasia of every new or "unwanted" horse they bring into this world, they will think twice about how many horses they want to breed each year.

We are hoping that the AHC will support us in our efforts to amend these acts, or, in the very least, that the Executive Officers and/or Board of Directors will at least put the proposition up for a vote by all members.

Thanking you in advance for any consideration you may give this matter. We anxiously await your reply.

Yours, etc.,

Christine A Jubic, Founder,

Quarter-Acre Rescue Ranch & Equine Advocacy Center

"http://www.freewebs.com/mulekist"

MoreOn Mel

A Horsekillers "secret pact" with racehorse owners;

Friends of Equines has recently discovered through reliable sources that MEL HOOVER of "Mels' Stables & Auction Barn" at 834 Wallace Rd, New Holland, Pa, has a "secret pact" with certain racehorse owners who want to "get rid" of their unwanted horses without having to fear they might be sold elsewhere or rescued by rescuers or anybody else who "might" discover things about those horses such as lame horses that were being raced, as was the case of "Heavenly Perfect," a racehorse fresh off the track that rescuers discovered was seriously lame and had been made to run at least three races in that condition, the mare was so lame the rescuers had to put her down. You can read all about her story and sign her petition here;
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/trainer-of-the-year-runs-horse-to-death

Well NO WONDER some racehorse owners & trainers INSIST on bringing their horses to Mel Hoovers Place , as he guarantees them to "destroy the evidence" of running lame horses!

Rescuers offered Mel more money for these horses than he could ever get from the slaughter-houses, but Mel said "no." The rescuers then asked Mel if trainers ever brought their horses to him and mandated that the Thoroughbreds go directly to slaughter and he said yes. Mel was then asked if there was any circumstance in which he would sell a horse privately that had been earmarked for slaughter and he said no. Mel was very clear that if an individual brought a horse to Mel Hoovers to be shipped directly to slaughter, that is what would happen - no matter what!

So thoroughbred owners who want to dispose of their unwanted horses to slaughter without "interference" have only to bring them to Mels Stables where they are assured that their "unwanteds" will be destroyed. Mel is having a BIG horse auction at his place on September 6th 2008, and then another one on Oct. 4th, 2006. We think he will be his own best customer at this auction as Mel is a hoarder of horses. Once he gets 30 or 40 standing in his killpens he gives a call to the Canadian Slaughterhouse he works for and they send a truck to his place to pick them up. Mels stables and auction or sale barn is a "direct to slaughter" operation and he caters MOSTLY to the racing industry when it comes to destroying their race horses that are no longer profitable to them..

We are writing this petition to the Thoroughbred Owners & Trainers Association as well as the National Thoroughbred Racing Assocaition in hopes that they will issue a warning to all their members that they ARE NOT to "dispose of" any of their off-track racing horses through Mels Stables where the horses are sure of going to slaughter, or to any other "meat-market" auction house where they stand a good chance of going to slaughter.

We are hoping our signers will contact them also to let them know how they feel about Mel Hoovers "secret pact" with certain racehorse owners and Mels promice to them of "destroying the evidence" of lame and / or drugged horses being made to race, as was the case with Jerry Hollendorfer running Heavenly Perfect to death.

Below are links to their respective sites. Please tell them to tell their people NOT to have any dealings with Mel Hoover, New Holland or Sugarcreek or any other "meat-market" auction-house;

Thoroughbred Owners & Trainers Association;
http://www.toba.org/

National Thoroughbred Racing Association;
http://www.ntra.com/default.aspx

Then visit our website to see what else you can do to help end horse-slaughter;

http://www.freewebs.com/friendsofequines/

Thanks for caring

CLICK TITLE AT TOP TO SIGN PETITION

Sunday, August 24, 2008

BLM Postpones Euthansia Plan for 30,000 Wild Horses

Wild Horse Euthanasia Decision Postponed by BLM

by: Pat Raia
August 23 2008, Article # 12555
Print Email Republish Link RSS ShareThis

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) isn't likely to make a decision
regarding the use of euthanasia in wild horse herd management until
the end of the year, a spokesman said. The euthanasia option decision
was originally expected to come shortly after the fall meeting of the
Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Council.

Spokesman Tom Gorey said the agency will reserve its decision until
after the Advisory Council meets in Reno, Nev., in October, and until
the U.S. General Accounting Office presents its yearlong audit of BLM
operations to the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources
Committee in December.

"We won't make a decision until those two things happen," Gorey
said. "And there is no concrete date for announcing a decision about
the euthanasia option."

"We've received thousands of responses, and they're running 2-1
against exercising the euthanasia option. We recognize that is an
unpopular option to consider."
--BLM Spokesman Tom GoreyBLM Deputy Director Henri Bisson presented
the euthanasia option during the June 30 meeting of the Wild Horse
and Burro Advisory Council as a way to cope with increasing herd
sizes and a shrinking budget. The agency has long had the legal
option to euthanize for management purposes, but it has been
reluctant to exercise it.
The announcement raised the ire of horse welfare advocates and the
general public, who submitted 11,000 e-mails on the issue after BLM
solicited public comments via a link on its Web site. According to
Sally Spencer, supervising Wild Horse and Burro program marketing
manager, 25% of those respondents supported wild horse euthanasia
and/or sale, 50% were vehemently opposed to both options, and 25%
were opposed euthanasia and sale, but offered alternative solutions
such as fertility control.

"I can say we've received thousands of responses, and they're running
2-1 against exercising the euthanasia option," Gorey said. "We
recognize that is an unpopular option to consider."

According to Gorey, there are currently 33,000 wild horses on the
range. Range managers say an acceptable level would be 27,300.
Meanwhile, 22,000 horses age 5 years and older reside in long-term
holding facilities, where they will live out their lives. Another
8,000 potentially adoptable horses reside in short-term facilities
where they are maintained until they can be placed in private homes.

Last year, the BLM spent $22 million of its $39 million budget on
holding facilities. Next year's costs are projected to account for
$26 million of the agency's total $37 million budget.

While the BLM ponders its options, some equine welfare advocates have
established a relief fund to help defray herd management costs via
private sector donations.

According to co-founder Karen Mayfield, the fund will be held in a
pair of trust funds for BLM use. The fundraising project is among
several proposals her group has presented to the BLM.

Mel Hoover Hiding Evidence 4 Racing Industry

Well NO WONDER some racehorse owners & trainers INSIST on bringing their horses to Mel Hoovers Place in PA; He guarantees them to "destroy the evidence" of running lame horses!

I then asked him if we offered him more money than the meat price could we buy any of the Thoroughbreds destined for slaughter and he said no. I asked him if trainers ever brought their horses here and mandated that the Thoroughbreds go directly to slaughter and he said yes. I asked him was there any circumstance in which he would sell a horse privately that had been earmarked for slaughter and he said no. He was very clear that if an individual brought a horse to Mel Hoovers to be shipped directly to slaughter, that is what would happen.

PA Law Prohibits Sale of Lame Horses

I am sooo sick of hearing about the lame horses being sold at New
Holland. There is a law against it and anyone taking part in the transportation or sale of an injured or suffering horse is to blame, including the auction
house owner. The people that are eyewitness to this kind of cruelty need to report ALL PARTIES involved, INCLUDING the auction house owner;

PA Title 18, Section 5511(d)

Selling or using disabled horse.--A person commits a summary offense if
he offers for sale or sells any horse, which by reason of debility,
disease or lameness, or for other cause, could not be worked or used
without violating the laws against cruelty to animals, or leads, rides,
drives or transports any such horse for any purpose, except that of
conveying the horse to the nearest available appropriate facility for
its humane keeping or destruction or for medical or surgical treatment.

Heavenly Perfect Raced Lame & Sent 2 Slaughter

A "Heavenly Perfect" Melody Played So Terribly Wrong!

"North Americas' Best" Owner / Trainer
Jerry Hollendorfer Races Foundered Horse Near to Death -
Then Sends Her Off To Slaughter!
Story by Jennifer Swanson of Pure Thoughts Rescue

Heavenly Perfect, a descendent of War Admiral was just a number
to the racing industry - The heart of a racehorse can be their demise.
To the people of the rescue world Heavenly Perfect, known to those
who loved her as Melody, was a beautiful loving mare who lured you
into her stall with her low loving nickers and then when you went into
her stall she was there to wrap her head around you and give you a big
horsy hug. To other horses Melody was nice mare that was the peace-
keeper of her small herd. She got along with everyone and made sure
no one was picked on.

But, to the racing industry Melody was a number..
she was tattoo number G24671. Heavenly perfect was born in 2003 and
bred by Magali Ventures LLC. She was sold at Barretts Equine Limited
October 2004 Sale of Preferred Yearlings for $33,000. She had what they
wanted, a potential earner and the heart of a racehorse.

Life does not always end as it begins. For many racehorses there
is a cruel twist that changes their life and not for the better. Melody
was rescued from going to the slaughterhouse in Mexico on May 23,
2008. She had run her last physical race 10 days prior and this time
the only wagering going on was between the killbuyers and the rescuers.
It was a claiming race taking place at a cold dark kill auction in Sugarcreek,
Ohio and if Melody lost, the price would be her life. That day, Melody and
the other horses won their race. ... They were rescued.

Sometimes in rescue the most you can do is give the horses a last chapter that is filled with love and kindness and a dignified ending.

On June 7th Melody was brought into the hospital because of a bout with
colic, which she was able to get through. What was discovered at the
hospital was disgraceful. Melody not only had laminitis but it was evident
from the x-rays that this rotation began over 5 months ago, by the time she
came to us her coffin bone was nearly coming through her sole on both
front feet. Melody had 3 chips in her knees, one in the 4th Carpel bone and
2 in her joints, the x-rays also showed that she had at least 2 fractures,
one in her second carpel bone and one in her radial carpel bone. .
These injuries were not new. On a scale of 1 to 10, ten being the worst,
Melody´s arthritis was an 8.

One would think that months ago Melody would have quit racing, but no, her
trainers would get everything they could out of this mare. Her last race was
May 13th, 2008, where the only comment about her was " a steady fade."
What would you expect with her condition? Her trainer and owner was
Jerry Hollendorfer.

Jerry Hollendorfer is not new to the racing industry nor was he
new to Heavenly Perfect. According to Equineline Database he and
his partner George Todaro obtained her in a claiming race in October
of 2006. Hollendorfer developed a reputation as a claiming trainer,
but in a career turning point, Hollendorfer turned $16,000 claimer
Novel Sprite into a $467,586 multiple stakes winner, to receive the
Horsemen's Benevolent and Protection Association's 1986 Claimer
of the Year award. Selected as California Thoroughbred Breeders
Association Trainer of the Year in 1995. With over 5,000 training
victories, his horses have earned more than $91 million. Hollendorfer
is touted these days as "One of North Americas Best" Owners & Trainers.

AS of May 13th, Holledorfer was still her owner and trainer of recordand on May 13th Hollendorfer raced Heavenly Perfect at River Downs
Racetrack in Ohio in the condition she was in, the only comment on her
chart said "steady fade." We called Hollendorfer´s facility to get a
comment but did not receive a return phone call. On May 23, 2008,
10 days after her last race, she was sent to the kill auction in Sugarcreek,
Ohio. On May 23, 2008 with the combined efforts of the Victoria McCullough
Founder of the Triumph Project through the Davis/McCullough Foundation
and Pure Thoughts, Heavenly Perfect was safe.

The Triumph Project was formed in November 2007 to assist in raising
awareness about horse slaughter and horse welfare. It is the hope of the
"Triumph Project" that enlightenment of the senseless cruelty that lurks
within the shadows be brought forward and the horses have an ally and
are given a voice.

On July 8th, Melody was laid to rest, no longer would she endure
the pain. Victoria McCullough promised this mare she would soon
be in greener pastures. The realization of the cruelty to the horses
was said eloquently by Victoria "For myself and the "Davis McCullough
Foundation we are learning everyday that it is not enough to save the
horses from needless slaughter, there is yet another abuse that rests
in silence, it is unspeakable that any horse endure this painful road to
a premature death thankfully given in dignity instead of at the hand of
an inhuman and callous worker with a knife to sever her spine as a reward
for her gallant heart."

This brave mare touched the heart of many in her short time with us,
Dr. Robert Smith somberly stated, "Melody was an exceptional horse,
I am very sorry that a mare with such a heart had to be put down." It
was not the slaughterhouse that killed Melody.... it was
her heart.... the heart of a racehorse. They give their heart and soul to
their passion... the race. They give their heart and soul to their
trainers/owners. These racehorses give their heart and soul to the
racing industry... who in turn.... chew it up, spit it out and send the horses
to a tortuous end. If only, 6 months ago, the people in charge of Heavenly
Perfect´s well being had given back to her what she had given to them,
she would be alive today. A change must be made.

Here is a vid of one of Heavenly Perfects last races, run on March 23, 2008, you can see that this gallant mare she gave it her,.. all leading all the way....remember she was suffering from laminitis and bone chips in her knees at the time, though probably heavily drugged as they do when running horses lame and in pain; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZl7gyB-cBY


Here is a vid of Heavenlys last race, run on May 13, 2008, where she simply was not up to the race. Her run was listed in the owners record books as "steady fade." She was sent to slaughterhouse / meat-market auction a mere ten days after this un-impressive run; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thzyC6bqqas

PLEASE NOTE: Click on title (above) to see and sign the petition

Falcon Fury Breaks a Knee & is Sold 2 Slaughter

The Story of Falcon Fury:

A Report From New Holland Livestock Auction

By: Anne Russek

On Monday, July 21, 2008 Diana M. and I went to the New Holland livestock auction. We went there to gather information and documentation that Thoroughbreds from off the track were being pipelined to slaughter. We were not intending to rescue any horses as we had no funds and no trailer. We wanted to see for ourselves whether the HBO documentary had changed anything within the racing industry. We arrived at the auction around 5.30 AM. There were several large and small trailers in the parking lot and we proceeded to record DOT numbers. We were aware that some of the trucks would have been used to transport sheep, goats cows and pigs. We knew not all the trucks were the kill buyers rigs. That being said, we identified several known buyers. We also saw the truck and trailer of the Camelot Auction in New Jersey, another auction that sells for slaughter. We went into the horse area and saw that the horses were tied to a post and rail iron fence. The horses had fresh shavings to stand on and they had access to water and hay. Some of the horses were tied very short, movement was limited. Other horses were tied loose enough they could lie down, one horse was loose and standing in the aisle-way. The first group of horses were obviously grade , and a few ponies. At the end of the long aisle, we saw our first Thoroughbred. He was a chestnut gelding with two hind socks. His yellow auction tag was #613. The first thing you noticed was that his right front leg was three times its normal size and his knee was very swollen. It appeared fractured. He was pointing that leg and incapable of holding it straight. He also had two wounds under his jowl where his halter had rubbed through the skin. He was thin, but not emaciated. Diana flipped his lip and we recorded his tattoo number. Diana put in a call to a friend who could ID the horse for us. We moved some hay in the trough closer to him so he could eat and we talked about how unbelievable it was that anyone could have brought a horse in this condition to the auction. None of the New Holland employees who were working seemed to have any concern about the horse or his compromised condition. Within five minutes we received a phone call with the ID information, the horse was a three year old by Mr. Greeley named Falcon Fury. He had last run at Delaware Park on July 2, 2008. He had finished 6th beaten 12 lengths, the comment said 'lacked rally'.

Diana asked who the last trainer and owner had been. We were told the last owner was Florence Patitucci and the trainer was Juan Vazquez. We were told that Vazquez had only had him for his last two starts. When Diana inquired who had trained him before Juan had claimed him, she was told Mike Pino was the trainer. Diana went pale before my eyes. She got off the phone and told me that one of Falcon’s former owners was one of her clients and that he would want to know that a horse he used to own was at this auction. Diana called Pino and the former owner and the reaction was the same. They were furious and distressed that Falcon was injured and at an auction that sold to slaughter. Without a moments hesitation Diana had been given the orders to buy the horse and get him the hell out of there. Diana assured both men that we would not leave New Holland without Falcon. Unknown to us at this time, Delaware Park officials had already begun to investigate how Falcon Fury ended up at New Holland. It was still hours before the start of the auction and so I called Gail Vacca to tell her what was going on. Gail insisted that I get the New Holland vet to look at the horse. I told her there was no vet there at that time. I then asked an Amish employee about Falcon and he had no response or suggestion. Someone listening in on the conversation very politely told me that as long as the horse was standing up, the auction would not do anything about him. I expressed the opinion that Falcon was probably full of bute and banamine, and the response from the stranger was that although that was probably true, the fact remained the horse was standing. Left with no alternative but to wait for the auction to start, we adjusted Falcons rope so that he could shift his weight more comfortably, and we went to find more Thoroughbreds. We walked to an area where the horses were in corrals instead of tied. Some were colts, one was a mare and foal, several were sick and snotty. None were Thoroughbreds. Diana checked a few more horses, they were Standardbreds. It was still very early with few people and we walked outside of the building. We turned a corner and walked right into a pile of dead pigs and a dead calf. They were in the area where the trailers can clean out their manure. Sometime before the auction started, the dead animals were removed. We found our way to the unloading area and soon a trailer arrived. The man unloaded a chestnut mare first who looked like a Thoroughbred. She was. We didn't need to get her tattoo because he told us who she was. Her name was Torchspector's Song, and she was by Allen’s Prospect. He told us she was his neighbors horse and she could be ridden. He put a western saddle on her and led her to the pens to tie her up. Her hip # was 659.

The next trailer that arrived was quite large. First he backed up to the chute and offloaded a small herd of cows. After the cows were off, he opened a gate and started unloading horses. I noticed that he did not unload all his horses, he left five or six on the trailer and drove away. The next trailer arrived and unloaded five or six horses and ponies and while Diana followed them to look for Thoroughbreds, I stayed with the trailer. Once again, some of the horses were left on the trailer. This time curiosity got the best of me and I asked the driver why he wasn't taking them all off. He told me that the remaining horses belonged to a man in New York and he was taking them there. An Amish employee was sitting on a bench not far from where I stood. I sat down at the end of the bench and I mentioned to him that it seemed awfully expensive to drive all the way to New York with such a big rig carrying only five horses. As I suspected, the Amish man said that the truck was not going to New York, the truck was going to an auction three miles down the road called Mel Hoovers. He said that dealers would take their horses there to be picked up by the man from New York. I did not need further explanation because I already knew that Mel Hoovers is a direct to slaughter pick up point for the Bouvry slaughterhouse in Canada. I presumed that the man from New York was likely Don Nickerson, who is a well known kill buyer with a large feedlot. I regretted that I had not looked closer inside the trailer to see what type and condition those horses had been. I then called Diana and told her to follow the trailer to see where it was going. Diana wasted not time and was able to catch up with the trailer. Within ten minutes Diana called me and said, sure enough the trailer was at Mel Hoovers and they were offloading the horses. I also noticed about this time that there seemed to be more empty trailers than full trailers pulling into the parking lot. I commented to several of the obvious regulars and they said "yes" the auction seems to be slower today, you should have been here last week, we were packed." I then stopped by the USDA vet office again, but still saw no one there. I met back up with Diana and she told me that the assistant trainer for Mike Pino, Syd, had called her back and told her that Delaware Park was outraged that Falcon Fury was at the auction in an injured state. She told Diana word was spreading around the backstretch. We were very encouraged that the officials at Delaware were getting involved. Diana and I split up and continued our search. I positioned myself at the unloading area, she walked the pens. We both took turns checking on Falcon. While waiting, a livestock trailer backed into the chute next to the horse chute. More cows were unloaded, this time it was dairy cows with udders that looked as if they were ready to burst. It was actually awkward for some of them to walk they were so engorged. I thought the trailer was empty until I saw an Amish man and the truck driver enter into the trailer carrying thin whips. The next thing I saw was five or six baby calves, some with dried blood hanging from their umbilical cords. They were only days old! They were so lost, so confused...they could barely walk and keep their balance on the cement floor. The two met kept swatting them with the whips and the little calves would bellow very weakly. I do not think they were crying from any pain, they just wanted their mothers. They had absolutely no idea which way to turn or what to do. The men kept swatting, the calves kept crying, and the group slowly was pushed and swatted down an aisle into a corral. It was pathetic to watch. Another trailer arrived , more horses and ponies, but this time the driver put two or three horses into a long corral very close to the unloading ramp. No sales number stickers were put on these horses, yet they were tied like the others. I asked the driver if these horses were for sale, he told me no. I asked him why not and he did not respond. I walked into this aisle-way and flipped a few lips, no tattoos. About this time a man was watching me and when I came out of the pen he asked me if I was a rescue person. I told him I was not with a specific rescue, but I was interested in finding any Thoroughbreds that might be at the auction. He told me he had not seen too many today, but he said some weeks, the pens are full of them. I asked him if it had anything to do with the time of year, and he said no, today was just slow. I then let him know that my concern was the number of Thoroughbreds that go to slaughter. He made no comment, just nodded his head, and then muttered that was where most of them went. He said they were usually so crippled up and full of drugs, not many people wanted to mess with them. ( He was referring to the fact they were usually not bid on by anyone but meat men'. I kept pushing the envelope and told him I had been to Sugarcreek , where there were many Thoroughbreds, and had heard New Holland often had more than Sugarcreek. He told me he did not know about that, but if I really wanted to find Thoroughbreds, I needed to go to Bruce Rotz's farm in Shippensburg Pennsylvania. He told me "Rotz will take any kind of horse, he don't care what shape their in." I asked him why. He said because he has a contract with the Canadian slaughterhouse. He told me that Rotz ships three to five loads a week to Canada. I asked him how many horses in a load and he told me thirty. I asked him how long does it take him to get to Canada and he told me "Rotz can go straight up 81 and cross over at the Alexandria port of entry. He can get there in six or seven hours." I asked him do you think I could go to his farm and buy Thoroughbreds? He told me it was hard to say, but that Rotz or his son came to New Holland and I might see them here today. I thanked him and we went our separate ways. Not long after that exchange, I saw a man sitting at the table where dealers got the hip numbers put on their horses. He was wearing a baseball cap that said Rotz Livestock. I asked him if he was Bruce Rotz and he snarled back "No." I have no idea if it was him or not. By this time Diana had found a few more Thoroughbreds but she told me she had met a rescue group and they had indicated they were going to buy as many as they could and they were recording the tattoos. We went back to Falcon Fury and soon Falcons former owner called us. He was anxious to know if we had purchased him yet. Diana told him the sale had not started but we would call as soon as he was safe. The sale was about to begin and a lady came over to us and asked" are you going to rescue the horse with the broken leg?' We told her we were, and she said "you need to make sure he runs through the ring early, he will be cheaper then. Especially with his injury." I asked, will they really make him walk over to the ring and then up and down that aisle? She indicated he would sell through the ring because he could walk.

The auction started and horses that could be ridden were lining up to be auctioned. The noise was deafening, it was very difficult to follow the bidding. Anytime you heard a horse go over the $600.00 bid you could breathe a sigh of relief. I was becoming concerned about Falcon having to go through the ring, and I thought that possibly I could lead him in myself which would prevent anyone from trying to make him jog or move too quickly. I went over to the in-gate and asked two dealers how I could bring the horse in soon. The one dealer asked me which horse is it? I told him #613, a chestnut Thoroughbred. He asked me if it was my horse, and I told him, 'No, I want to buy him'.

He then told me that only the owner of the horse could move him, and he further indicated he knew which horse I was speaking of because he also said that I could definitely not move that horse because he was already lame and if he injured himself further, I would be responsible. I then asked him how I could find the owner, and he told me to go upstairs to the office and they would tell me. As suggested, I went to the office and told the lady at the desk what I wanted. She looked on her computer and found #613, and told me he was owned by David Farrell. She said I should go back downstairs and one of the Amish would tell me where and who he was. I did as she instructed, but the Amish man I spoke to indicated he did not know Farrell, nor did anyone he asked know who he was. The Amish man sent me back upstairs and said I should have him paged. Back upstairs I went. The same lady looked at her computer again and this time she said, "you need to speak to Ron Harker, he brought the horse here." I returned to the same Amish man and asked for Harker. This time he began to scan the crowd of spectators and dealers and pointed to a man on the other side of the auction ring. He called out "'Ron Harker! Over here!" I could hardly believe the same man who had sent me upstairs the first time was Ron Harker. As Harker approached me I told him thanks for sending me on the wild goose chase. He smiled and laughed, and I asked if he could have Falcon brought up because I wanted to get him out of the auction and to a safe place. (note: David Farrell never had Falcon Fury in his possession. Ron Harker apparently uses Farrell’s Pennsylvania address when he brings horses to New Holland so that he will not have to have coggins papers. This is a violation of Pennsylvania coggins regulations since Ron Harker lives in Tabernacle, NJ). N Harker then asked me if I wanted to buy him privately. I said I thought you could not do that, once they had an auction sticker, they had to run through the ring. Harker told me, "Oh no, I can sell him privately, we just have to let them process the paperwork through the office here". He then asked me what the horse was worth to me. I responded that the horse had a broken knee, and Harker nodded his head in agreement. I said that I shouldn't have to pay you anything, but rather than see him sent to slaughter, I would give him $250.00. (Harker never indicated that Falcon would not be slaughtered.) Harker said okay and we went upstairs and he signed him over to Diana. Diana and I went back downstairs and moved Falcon to another spot because he was now tied next to a horse that kept trying to kick him. We began to make calls to Mr. Ryan and a vet to see what our options were for transport. We all concurred that Falcon was full of pain killers, and since he had already been cruelly transported to New Holland, we would just have to get him to Diana's farm as quickly as possible. Diana went to broker a ride while I stayed with Falcon. Within minutes, a man waving foal papers in his hand came walking very quickly towards me. He was very excited and started talking to me in broken Spanish, asking me if I had just rescued a racehorse. I told him yes, and he looked past me and saw Falcon and declared ,"that's my horse." I corrected him and said, no, that's our horse. Who are you?. ‘I'm Juan Vasquez, I train him". Juan continued in an avalanche of information relating the story that Falcon had broken his knee in his last race, and that Juan had 'given' him to a man named Steve that had told Juan he was going to rehab Falcon for a therapeutic riding program. Juan insisted he had no idea the horse was here. Juan said the Stewards at Delaware Park had called him and told him they were going to evict him from Delaware for sending a horse to a kill auction. By now Diana had returned and she told Juan in no uncertain terms that we considered his story to be full of holes. Juan then offered to let me talk to Steve Hryckowian, the man who Juan said had picked Falcon up at the track on July 6. I called Steve and he told me that Juan had never told him Falcon had a broken knee, but he did not want to get Juan in trouble. I asked Steve if he had picked Falcon up and he said no, that Juan had brought the horse to him.(the sign out sheet at Delaware Park shows Juan Vazquez to be the person who removed Falcon from the grounds). Steve told me that he had kept Falcon for ten to twelve days. Steve said that when he realized how 'broken' Falcon was, he gave him to a man whose name he could not remember. I told him the horse was at New Holland, he said he had not known what the 'unknown ' man was going to do with him. When I got off the phone, I told Diana that Juan's story did not match with Steve's. Juan pulled a big wad of money out of his pocket and said he wanted to give us back our money, pay for the shipping, and anything else we wanted. Juan was desperate for us to call Delaware Park and tell them that Juan was blameless. Diana told him 'no can do', but we did take $450.00 to cover the purchase and the shipping. We gave Juan a piece of paper saying that he had given us $450.00, but we made him give us ownership of Falcon. We told him this matter was far from over. Diana made arrangements with a shipper and we told him we would meet him at her farm. On the way home, we stopped at Mel Hoovers. Mel was not there, but his son was. We explained to him we were both trainers, and we were gathering information to share with the different racetracks regarding the number of Thoroughbreds that are going to slaughter. We told him that recently Charlestown Racetrack had banned Peter Preston and Charlie De Hart (two kill buyers) from picking up horses at the track to take to auction or to kill pens. We told him we had heard they both brought horses to Hoovers. The son neither admitted or denied the claim. He did say that horses did go to Canada directly from this auction, but it was all types of horses, not just Thoroughbreds. I asked about the horses that had been brought here this morning from New Holland but he said that his Dad already had enough horses and they didn't get any from New Holland. (Based on what we had witnessed earlier that morning, we did not believe him.) I then asked him if we offered him more money than the meat price could we buy any of the Thoroughbreds destined for slaughter and he said no. I asked him if trainers ever brought their horses here and mandated that the Thoroughbreds go directly to slaughter and he said yes. I asked him was there any circumstance in which he would sell a horse privately that had been earmarked for slaughter and he said no. He was very clear that if an individual brought a horse to Mel Hoovers to be shipped directly to slaughter, that is what would happen. Whenever Hoover has a load of thirty horses, the Canadian slaughterhouse will send a truck to pick them up. We thanked the son for his time and we left. Once Falcon Fury was safely home at Diana's, he was x-rayed. He has a severe slab fracture of his knee. Falcon has a displaced slab fracture of his third metacarpal, that the vet indicated was about as bad as he’d ever seen. Additional radiographs will be taken tomorrow to determine if surgery is an option. Our vet is concerned as to whether or not the fracture can now be surgically repaired due to the amount of time that has elapsed since the initial injury occurred. A skyline view of the knee will allow him to determine if surgery is option. We are currently working with the Pennsylvania and Delaware SPCA to initiate charges against all three men who knowingly transported this horse across state lines with a broken knee, never seeking veterinary care at any time.

Article: http://www.justsaywhoa.org/FalconFury.asp

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Floridian Friends of Equines / Demos

FLORIDA ACTIONS
FLORIDIANS!

Something for YOU to work on!

Florida Demos - Sept 29 - Oct 1st., 2008


FLORIDA SIMULCASTING CONVENTION

http://www.tra-online.com/conference.html

Here is why:

Account Wagering Companies / Simulcasting
http://www.freewebs.com/horseracinghallofshame/accountwageringcompanys.htm

Simulcasting makes BIG BUCKS for Industry, and you can BET the racing industry BIG-WHIGS wil be there!
Tell Them to Put Some $$$ Aside for Racehorse Retirement, (and more than just the usual 1/3 of 1%!)

Read More About it Account Wagering Companies here;
http://www.freewebs.com/horseracinghallofshame/accountwageringcompanys.htm

Get busy then.... Light many fires. Make much heat!

Here is the number of the St. Petersburg Police where you can call to see about permits for pickiting this event;

(727) 893 - 7780

and a link to their site; http://www.stpete.org/police/

http://www.freewebs.com/friendsofequines/floridaactions.htm

Nurse-Mare Farms: The Industrys "Other" Dirty Little Secret



Nurse Mare Farms - The Equine Industrys "Other" Dirty Little Secret

Much the same as PMU farms where mares are kept pregnant for the high hormore content of their urine during pregnancy for use in hormore replacement therapy, where the babies thusly produced are unwanted / disposable by-products, Nurse Mare Farms keep their mares pregant for the colostrum-Rich mothers milk for use on foals other than their own. The unwanted babies are byproducts deprived of their much need first taste of colostrum rich mother milk, and are usually immediately killed and discarded "or otherwise" disposed of. See Vid:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/253770/horse_slaughter_and_nurse_mare_foals/


The colostrum-rich first milk of the mother is reserved for the "better," more important foals the industry deems "more worthy" of attention. The colostrum is "banked" or the mares are used as surrogate mothers for the "privlidged foals" whos mothers cant be with them because they are being bred back right away or need to continue on in her career and not have to be burdned with the raising of a baby. Someone astutely observed that the whole nasty business could be avoided if the Jockey Club would just make a rule that the baby horses stay with their moms until weaned, as it should be! Such a rule would help cut down on over-breeding too! So ah,....we think this is definately a subject that needs more exploration & exposure, as seems there are some simple solitions to this problem of "needing to kill" baby horses, but here is some info which you can use for a start. Hoping we can all contribute here and learn together on this subject at hand, in hopes of "seperating the wheat from the chaffe" in acertaining the good guys from the bad in the busniess of producing unwanted babies, and also as to those compassionate souls who are trying to save them, well, at least some of them, anyway. But Friends of Equines is about saving them all. . Who of these "NurseMare Farms" producing so many unwanted babies is willing to work with the rescues, and who is not,... and if not, why not? And if so, how far are they willing to go to to help us save all the babies? These things we must know.

Be sure to see and sign the petition to help expose and stop this practice;

The Petition:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/21/stop-the-killing-of-newborn-baby-horses


Also you can join our Yahoo Group created also to expose and stop this practice:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/StopTheKillingOfNurseMareFoals/


Be sure and page all the way down to see an International Nurse Mare Farm Directory;

What is a Nurse Mare Farm?
http://p3_acres.tripod.com/id51.htm



Got Milk? Central Kentucky Colostrum Bank in Need
by: Erin Ryder, TheHorse.com News Editor
May 21 2008, Article # 11912

Veterinarians with Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., have put out a call for colostrum donations as their supply has dwindled in the midst of foaling season. Colostrum is a sticky, high-protein milk secreted during the first 24 hours following birth and is characterized by a high content of antibodies. These antibodies are a foal's first line of defense against potential infection. If a foal is unable to nurse, or the mare does ...

Full Article:
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=11912&nID=5&src=RA


Colostrum Banks / Banking on the Future
http://www.babsonarabians.com/Readers_Corner/Colostrum.htm


More On Collecting Colostrum / But No Mention of What Becomes of the Foals who were supposed to get the "collected" colostrum

http://www.hagyardpharmacy.com/colostrum.html


Nurse Mare Bulleten Board
(All things Nurse-Mare)
http://www.ctba.com/nursemarenbank.htm


Colostrum Banks / NurseMare Farms Listings
http://www.whinny.org/nursemares.htm


DeGaff Stables / NurseMare Foaling Farm
http://www.degraffstables.com/foaling_services.asp


NurseMare Foal Rescues;



and here are some of our targets below, in the directory of Foal-Killing Farms. DISCLAIMER: Not all NurseMare farms kill their foals, but we dont know who is or who aint. Only they know and we are waiting for them to TELL US their "official" positions! Whoa, we say unto them, and ask, "Who goes there, FRIEND or FOE of Equines?"

Nurse Mare Farm Directory

Alabama

Magnolia Farms
Christi Parsons
P.O. Box 33
Odenville, Al 35120
MrsCPParsons@gateway.net

Florida

Cedar Hill Farm
Bill Johnson
2850 S.E. 160 Ave.
Morriston, Fl. 32668
352/528-2056
Fax 352/529-2045
bj98@mfi.net

Indiana

Fairview Equine Center
Thomas W. Arens
PO Box 745
Westfield, IN 46074-0745
800/246-2413; 317/877-0338,
fax 317/848-8854
tarens@mibor.net
www.fairviewequinecenter.com

Kentucky

Circle Creek Farm
Archie and Robin Barnes
2048 East Hickman Rd.
Nicholasville, KY 40356
859/272-1835; mobile 859/229-1750;
fax 859/245-5970
barnesccf@aol.com

Horse Play Farm
Emmett Davis
PO Box 52,
Paris, KY 40361
859/987-3399

Legacy Land
Gail Curtsinger
1820 Clintonville Rd.
Winchester, KY 40391
859/745-6122, 859/299-3077

Mountain View Farms
Paul E. Stamper
PO Box 127
Ezel, KY 41425
606/725-5635; pager 606/482-6206; mobile 606/875-7679
paul@mrtc.com

Roseberry's Nurse Mares
Tammy or Don Roseberry
PO Box 162
Butler, KY 41006
859/472-5421; fax 859/472-5421
tmare1@aol.com

Maryland

Pouska Farm
Kathleen (Dolly) Pouska
2720 Biggs Highway
North East, MD 21901
410/658-5062;
fax 410/658-5062

Michigan

Goose Creek Ranch
995 61st St.
Pullman, MI 49450-9778
616/236-5918, phone and fax
gcreek@accn.org

Missouri

Box LT Morab & Cattle Ranch
RR3, Box 235
Ava, MO 65608-9553
417/683-4426
tluedke@morab.com
www.morab.com/boxlt.html

New York

The Nursemare Farm
Debra Pease
P.O. Box 60
Claverack, N.Y. 12513
518/799-6874 or 518/755-6350
ber02368@berk.com

Sandy Kistner Nurse Mare Service
Sandy Kistner
Warwick, NY 10990
845/988-5265; fax 845/988-5265
rentsiklensan@webtv.net

Texas

herwood's Farm & Equine Nursery
345 Woelke Rd.
Seguin, TX 78155
830/303-5444; fax 210/824-7562

ashington

Puget Sound Equine Reproduction Center
17028 Trombley Rd.
Snohomish, WA 98290
360/568-7455, 360/568-3111; fax 360/568-7037
info@pilchuckvet.com
www.pilchuckvet.com

Canada

AA Arabians
Sheila Clarkson
rr#4 orangeville ont l9w 2z1
519/941-4387
sheila@inetsonic.com

Carson Farms
R.R.#3 Listowel,
Ontario, Canada N4W 3G8.
519/291-2049; fax 519/291-5065
sales@davidcarson.on.ca
www.davidcarson.on.ca

Cyberfoal 2000
Peter Hurst
Site 30, Box 11, RR8
Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2J 2T9
403/931-3840
hurstt@cadvision.com
www.cyberfoal.com

Read more about Nurse-mare farms here:

http://www.freewebs.com/friendsofequines/babyhorsekillers.htm

2yr Old Filly Gives Birth at Track

2YO Filly Gives Birth at Louisiana Downs

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by Gary McMillen
Date Posted: August 22, 2008
Last Updated: August 22, 2008

Tiger Eyed and her foal.
Photo: Courtesy Louisiana Downs
Owners are seldom at a loss for words but when Marvin and Joel Cunningham were informed that their 2-year-old homebred filly Tiger Eyed had given birth they were speechless.

The bizarre incident happened Aug. 20 on the backstretch at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs racetrack near Bossier City, La. At 5 a.m., trainer Patrick Mouton pulled up to Barn 33-C in his truck and was concerned at the large crowd assembled.

“I parked my truck and saw there was a lot of people down at the end of the shed row,” Mouton said. “In this business, when you see something like that it usually means somebody got hurt.”

What looked like by-standers around a car wreck was actually an assembly of astonished grooms, trainers, exercise riders and jockeys that had come to witness the wild story20that was circulating. Tiger Eyed (a 2-year-old Louisiana-bred filly by Ide—Loveswept Cat, by Tactical Cat, that had just worked three furlongs in 36 2/5 earlier in the week) had a foal by her side.

“She was just in the early stages of beginning training and starting to breeze,” Mouton explained. “I was completely flabbergasted.”

It is a story that definitely has more questions than answers. Mouton went on to describe the surprise and displeasure of the owners.

“Do the math,” the veteran trainer said. “This had to happen in some pasture. There must have been a colt in the mix somewhere or somebody jumped the fence.”

Tiger Eyed and her foal have been shipped to a local farm near Benton where a surrogate nurse mare will provide nourishment for the newborn.

“Obviously the track is not a good environment plus the mother is still a baby herself,” Mouton said of the decision.

According to Mouton, plans for Tiger Eyed are to resume training at the racetrack in early September.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Economic Stimulus Act Gives Breeding Incentives

EQUINE INDUSTRY TO BENEFIT FROM THE ECONOMIC STIMULUS ACT

Act Passes and Creates MORE Breeding Incentives

Benefits in the Economic Stimulus Act for Horse Industry

Washington, DC -February 14, 2008 - President Bush signed into law the Economic Stimulus Act on February 13. The bill is intended to provide a jump-start to the lagging U.S. economy.

“The new law includes two tax incentives that would allow a much bigger write-off for horses and other depreciable property purchased and placed in service during 2008,” said Jay Hickey, President of the American Horse Council. “This should provide an additional incentive for people to invest in more horses for racing, showing and breeding as part of their business activities.”

The first incentive would increase the so-called Section 179 expensing allowance for horses purchased and placed into service in 2008 from $128,000 to $250,000. This expensing allowance also applies to farm equipment and most other depreciable property. Once total purchases of horses, and other eligible depreciable property, during 2008 reach $800,000, the expense allowance goes down one dollar for each dollar spent on eligible property over $800,000.

“The horse industry almost lost the Section 179 expense deduction in 1996. The House of Representatives passed legislation taking this deduction away from the horse industry,” said Hickey. “But we were able to convince the Senate to remove this restriction before passing the final bill and the deduction was preserved. It was worth $17,500 then. Over the years it has been increased and will now go up to $250,000 for 2008. That is a real benefit to horse owners.”

To illustrate the expensing allowance, assume a horse business purchases $750,000 of depreciable property in 2008, including $650,000 for horses. That business can write off $250,000 on its 2008 tax return and depreciate the balance. If instead, purchases were $900,000, the expense allowance would go down by $100,000. In either case, the amount of the purchases not expensed may also be eligible for bonus depreciation, which is reinstated for 2008 in the new tax stimulus package.

The second incentive brings back 50% first-year bonus depreciation for horses and most other depreciable property purchased and placed in service during 2008. “Bonus depreciation was first passed in 2002 as a way to stimulate the economy. It phased out at the end of 2004,” noted Hickey. “It was a benefit for the industry then and it should be again.” It does not apply to property that has a depreciation life of over 20 years.

Also, as was the case when bonus depreciation was available in 2003 and 2004, the property must be new, meaning that the original use of the horse or other property must begin with the purchaser for the property to be eligible. “Original use” means the first use to which the property is put, whether or not that use corresponds to the use of the property by the purchaser. “There is no limit on the amount of bonus depreciation that can be taken, as there is with the expense deduction,” noted Hickey.

To illustrate bonus depreciation, assume that in 2008 a business pays $500,000 for a colt to be used for racing and $50,000 for other depreciable property, bringing total purchases to $550,000. The young colt had never been raced or used for any other purpose before the purchase. The business would be able to expense $250,000, deduct another $150,000 of bonus depreciation (50% of the $300,000 remaining balance), and take regular depreciation on the $150,000 balance.

***

AHC president Jay Hickey "approves and applauds" the provisions of the act that will benefit the equine industry. Hickey says it will, " provide additional incentives for people to invest in more horses for racing, showing and breeding as a part of their business activities." Friends of Equines says, "woah, what about all the "unwanted" horses? Shouldnt we be working on a way to solve that particular problem before creating any more breeding incentive programs? What is wrong with this picture? Something is definately not right here. Do we really need or even want more breeding incentives, at least without a safety-net provision for the industry cast-offs? Now our governemnt is in the "horse-breeding incentive" business also, without a care to the industry "unwanteds." Perhaps our government wants to increase the number of "unwanted" horses, as they are well aware now of their marketability. You just got to know that the USDA would love nothing more than to be the authority for the horse-slaughter business in America...and people we are heading toward that "goal" if we dont get the Equine "Industrymen" to take the "unwanted" horse problem seriously. IF there is an "unwanted" horse problem it is they who created it and it is they who should fix it. Everyone who profits off the industry should be made to pay into a mandatory Equine Re-Homeing or Retirement Fund. The problem is, according to those "in the know" like Marsha Naify, chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California , owners and breeders "just dont want" to give. (See article, "CHRB Supports Owners Plan for Retired Racehorses," by Jack Shinar, pub. in Bloodhorse News, July 20, 2007) Sound a bit like the Big-Oil Barons or the World Bank and/or Federal Reserve? Not one dime of their billion dollar profits do they want to give to help correct a problem that they mostly created. Why dont they want to give, even just a little? George Soros, http://www.soros.org/about/bios/a_soros global financier, economists & philanthropist said it all when asked during a House Sub-Committe Meeting on economics, last spring,.....the question was put to him as to why the World Bank and the Federal Reserve refuse to help out our Nations ailing economy,....his answer was shocking but true; He answered,.."We all are addicted to money,...we are like drug addicts and money is our fix. We never have enough and what we do have we want to keep." Guess nobody ever told Ole George that addiction is a disease, and a "less then desirable" human "character flaw" and that there is TREATMENT and a CURE for it. Maybe its time for some rehab for the greedy sobs'.

Farm Bill Gives Equine Industry 129M in Tax Breaks

FARM BILL PASSES - FAVORS EQUINE INDUSTRY - GIVES 129 M IN TAX BREAKS



Introduction

Federal tax law treats the equine industry differently than others in several respects. Horses must be held longer than other business assets to be subject to capital gains. Race horse owners are required to make a decision regarding when to begin depreciating their race horses that is not based on the expected racing life of the animals. Legislation has been introduced in prior Congresses to correct these discrepancies.

Legislation Enacted

On May 22, 2008 Congress overrode Presidents Bush’s veto of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, commonly known as the Farm Bill, and enacted it into law. The new law amends the cost recovery schedules to place all race horses in the three-year category for depreciation purposes. Effective January 1, 2009 all race horses will be depreciated over three years, regardless of their age when placed in service. Prior to then, race horses will be depreciated over seven years if placed in service before they turn two. If placed in service after two (24 months from foaling date), they will be depreciated over three years. This change to the tax code will “sunset” after five years at the end of 2013, unless extended.


Reduction of Capital Gains Holding Period

Under the federal tax code, gains from sales by individuals of property used in a trade or business, including horses, qualify for long-term capital gains and are subject to the maximum capital gains tax rate of 15%. Since the individual tax rate can go as high as 35%, the lower rate is a real advantage.

Unfortunately, horses held for breeding, racing, showing or draft purposes generally qualify for the 15% capital gains rate only if they are held for 24 months. All other business assets (except cattle) qualify if held for 12 months. Passage of this legislation would end this discriminatory treatment of horses under the tax code and allow horse owners to enjoy the reduced rate upon sale after holding the horse for 12 months, rather than twenty-four.

In order to qualify for long-term capital gain treatment, a horse cannot be held “primarily” for sale to customers. For example, a commercial breeder, whose principal activity is breeding horses and selling the foals or yearlings, is not eligible for capital gains treatment now on the sale of the horses because they are held for sale. In addition, a “pinhooker,” who buys yearlings and re-sells them as two-year-olds-in- training, does not realize capital gains on any gain now.

But for most breeders, who breed to race or show (even if they cull some foals/yearling), or who race or show horses and sell them, or who race or show horses and syndicate them and sell shares, shortening the capital gains holding period to twelve months should be a benefit.

Reducing the holding period by half would give these horse owners and breeders more flexibility to sell and market their horses. It would mean that every sale of a horse which is held for at least twelve months will qualify as a capital gain or loss unless that horse is held primarily for sale.

Making All Racehorses Eligible for Depreciation over Three Years

Presently race horses are depreciated over either three or seven years, depending on their age when “placed in service.” A horse is generally deemed to be placed in service when it begins training, which is usually at the end of its yearling year. Race horses over two when placed in service are depreciated over three years; if under two, they are depreciated over seven years. (A horse is deemed to be “over two” for tax purposes twenty-four months and a day after it is foaled.)

Depreciation is a means of recovering the cost of property, including horses, used in a business through deductions of portions of the horse’s cost over a period of years. Generally, the recovery period approximates the estimated useful life or economic life of the property. Current law provides that racehorses that begin training at the end of their yearling year are depreciated over seven-years, even though most will not actually race for seven years.

The legislation introduced by Senators McConnell, Bunning and Lincoln recognized the unreality of this requirement by changing the tax code to allow owners to depreciate all their race horses over three years, rather than seven, regardless of when they are placed in service. The change provides a more equitable depreciation schedule for race horses, one that better matches the realities of the situation. Under the new law, owners will no longer be required to depreciate their horses over seven years simply because they are placed in service at the end of their yearling year.

The following chart, which shows what portion of the cost of a race horse is depreciated annually depending on the recovery period, illustrates the advantages of this change.

3-Year Property 7-Year Property
Year One 25.0% 10.71%
Year Two 37.5% 19.13%
Year Three 25.0% 15.03%
Year Four 12.5% 12.25%
Year Five 100% 12.25%
Year Six 12.25%
Year Seven 12.25%
Year Eight 6.13%
100%

Obviously, this change would allow an owner to depreciate 62.5% over the first two years a horse is in training or races, rather than 29.85%. More importantly, this allows an owner to more accurately recover his/her costs over the period that the horse is likely to race.

President Bush vetoed the Farm Bill because of the overall cost, but Congress overrode his veto. The change to the recovery schedule for race horses is now law, effective January 1, 2009.

Big Oil & Horses

What does BIG OIL and the Equine Industry / American Horse Council have in common?

www.horsecouncil.org

Millions of dollars in tax breaks and business incentives, thats
what. Now here is a novel idea;

What if there was a vote to decide if $13.5 billion in tax breaks
for oil companies (or $129 Mil + for AHC) should go into oil
alternatives, (or TB rehome and or retirement funds?) What would you
want your Senator to do?

Well, as you probably guessed, there was such a vote (re: Big Oil) . We needed 60
votes to prevail, and 59 of them were in. But John McCain ducked the
vote.1

As a result, instead of powering millions of homes with clean energy
and building next-generation solar technology, we're giving
ExxonMobil and other companies billions in tax breaks at a time when
they're already making record profits.

This vote is political dynamite. And if we all pitch in, we can make
sure voters know about McCain's give-away to big oil. And it's a
twofer—we'll run the ad in the battleground state of North Carolina
to help remind voters that Senator Elizabeth Dole, who's up for re-
election, voted for big oil tax breaks, too.

Check out the ad here:

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/dolead.html?id=13514-9070569-R984_Ex&t=3

The ad links Republican support for oil tax breaks with the campaign
contributions they're taking from the oil companies.

Exposing their favors for big oil can puncture Republican promises to
help people hurting from high gas prices.

Our ad can help defeat McCain, win a filibuster-proof majority in the
Senate, and promote real solutions to the energy crisis. Can you help
put this ad on the air?


https://pol.moveon.org/donate/dolead.html?id=13514-9070569-R984_Ex&t=4

Thank you for all you do.

–Noah, Justin, Nita, Anna and the rest of the team

Source:
1. "Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act
of 2007," U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote, December 13, 2007
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_c
fm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00425&long=1


Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 3.2 million
members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our
tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in
here.



Friends of Equines FOES of Equine Slaughter thinks its about time for a bill like that for the "Millionaire Clubbers'" of the Equine Industries. We propose a new bill entitled "Alternatives to Slaughter of Americas Equine Atheletes" Bill." (ASAEA) or some such thing as that. Do you think a bill like that would get much support? If not, why not? Only one answer: greed.

http://www.freewebs.com/friendsofequines/bigoilhorses.htm

USA Today ProSlaughter Crap (again)

Homeless on the range
Horses are being abandoned by the thousands across the USA. Some are strays, others a result of overbreeding or a sour economy. How should we humanely lessen their numbers?

By Mary Zeiss Stange


It's a climactic scene in the 1962 Kirk Douglas film, Lonely Are the Brave. The cowboy, Jack Burns — fugitive both from the law and the civilization overtaking the open range — confronts a choice: He can scale a steep rock face and escape to Mexico. But to do so, he must leave his palomino mare, Whiskey, to either be recovered by the posse pursuing him, or to run wild in the New Mexico desert.

It takes him but a moment to decide: Whatever the outcome, he and his horse are in this together. It is a noble sentiment and an ultimately tragic decision. In the end, the horse is literally dead and her rider at least metaphorically so.

No one who owns and loves horses, as I do, can fail to note the counterpoint the film provides to what is happening to horses in America today. There is a national epidemic of "surplus" or "unwanted" horses. Domestic horses are being abandoned as never before. Some are being released as "strays" on public lands. Others are being left to starve in pastures denuded of grass. The reasons are various and excruciatingly complex.

Overpopulation problem

There are, to begin with, too many horses in the USA: 9.2 million as recently as 2005, up from 5.3 million in 1999. Indiscriminate breeding leads not just to too many horses, but also to too many with physical or behavioral faults that render them unsuitable for domestic uses.

Then there's the economy. Horses are not cheap to keep. Factor in training, vet care, tack and feed, and the expense averages $1,800 to $2,400 per animal, per year — and rising, as grain and fuel costs increase. According to the American Horse Council, a third of horse owners have household incomes less than $50,000 a year. When it comes to feeding your horses or putting gas in the car, the choice is simple, if painful.

But the single overriding cause of "surplus" horses is the movement to ban the sale of horses or their meat for human consumption. Activism forced the last three horse slaughter plants in the U.S. to close last year. They had hitherto processed about 100,000 horses annually, mostly for meat sales to France and Japan, where horse meat is considered a delicacy.

On its face, the closings would seem to be a victory for horse lovers. Former New York representative John Sweeney, who sponsored a bill in 2006 to curtail horse slaughter, told Fox News that slaughter is a "brutal, shady practice" because horses such as Mr. Ed, Secretariat and Silver are American icons.

Julie Caramante of Habitat for Horses, a rescue operation in Houston, told USA TODAY in March that horses are pets, and that "we wouldn't even dream of selling our pets" for food.

Supporters of the horse slaughter ban include the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, as well as such major animal rights groups as the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. But most major veterinary medical groups oppose it, as does the American Quarter Horse Association.

Why would advocates of horse health and welfare oppose a ban on the slaughter? Mostly because humane slaughter is preferable to neglect or abuse. But there is an additional irony: Horses bound for auction, even if that means eventual slaughter, are better cared for than those that have little economic value. Auction prices have plummeted since the slaughter ban went into effect. And so, too often, has the level of care afforded many unwanted horses.

Bought for slaughter

An increasing number of these horses are now bought to be shipped to slaughtering facilities in Canada or, more likely, Mexico. In the latter case, their treatment is liable to be nothing short of barbaric, compared with the methods employed by the now-shuttered U.S. slaughterhouses, which had conformed to the standards of the Humane Slaughter Act. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reports that horse slaughter exports to Mexico have in a single year increased by 312%, to more than 44,000 horses in 2007.

In response, animal rights activists are pushing the extension of the ban to include the transport of horses to other countries for slaughter. Federal legislation to this effect — the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 — was introduced in the House just ahead of Congress' summer recess. The AVMA calls the situation a horse welfare crisis. It attributes the cause primarily to the coalition of slaughter-ban activists spearheaded by the Humane Society, and its failure to suggest viable alternatives.

The way to the current crisis was, of course, paved with good intentions. But the options available, for dealing with 100,000 unwanted steeds, are unfortunately limited, and largely unfeasible:


Euthanasia is a possibility. But it is costly, $100 to $600 per horse. The cost of burial or cremation could add several hundred dollars.

Rescue facilities are an option; many already exist. But their capacity is about 6,000 horses, and we are looking at a surplus of roughly 100,000 horses every year. At $1,800 to $2,400 to keep each animal, that comes to $180 million to $240 million annually. Because many of these horses will live several years until their natural deaths, the cost could balloon exponentially. Who will bear it?

A limited number of suitable horses can be donated to schools and therapeutic facilities, and for veterinary research.
In the longer range, the breeding of horses must be sharply curtailed. In the meantime, the resumption of humane slaughter in this country should be seriously considered.

The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, should it eventually become law, does not mandate funding for the support of surplus horses. And opponents have failed to raise the funding for rescue facilities, adoption programs and so forth.

Meanwhile, ever-increasing numbers of unwanted horses are languishing in grassless pastures, dazedly roaming desiccated public lands, and living with disease and chronic pain. Whatever you might think about the relative merits of horse meat, this is a hell of a way to treat an "American icon." The cowboy Jack Burns wouldn't have stood for it.

Mary Zeiss Stange, a professor at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is a member of USA TODAY's board of contributors. She rides a Peruvian named Amante.

Overpopulated, emaciated, overwhelmed
Most states do not record exact numbers on abandoned horses. In 2007, the Unwanted Horse Coalition estimated that 170,000 abandoned horses lived in the U.S. Abandonment takes various forms, as recent news reports illustrate:

It is estimated that 200 of 1,200 wild horses overpopulating the Virginia Range near Reno, are actually "strays." Many won't survive in the wild, and the mustangs could be at risk of disease from domestic horses.

In January, 48 emaciated thoroughbred horses — some believed to be descendents of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew — were rescued from a farm in Loudoun County, Va.

In March, 70 Tennessee Walking horses were removed from a farm in Jessamine County, Ky. Officials said that on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst condition, most of the horses rated a 1.5.

In May, 120 starving horses were rescued from a ranch in Central Florida when, according to reports, their owner "had become overwhelmed by the demand of caring" for them.

Posted at 12:16 AM/ET, August 14, 2008 in Animals - Forum, Forum commentary, Stange | Permalink
USA TODAY welcomes your views and encourages lively -- but civil -- discussions. Comments are unedited, but submissions reported as abusive may be removed. By posting a comment, you affirm that you are 13 years of age or older.



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Comments: (95)Showing: Newest first Oldest first

horsedrag wrote: 8/14/2008 8:37:29 AM
Dogs, cats, horses, children all can be "unwanted" the price shouldn't be the burden of the unwanted but one to all of society to keep all life precious. When exicution, war, and slaughter are common place then so is the number of unwanted. Animals seem to be beter suited to regulate themselves then we do and would be beter off without our intervention. We are the problem.


Recommend8 | Report Abuse

drsoos wrote: 8/14/2008 10:20:33 AM
Resuming horse slaughter does seem like the thing to do in the short term. It sounds terrible but their doesn't seem like a real alternative out their.


Recommend1 | Report Abuse

Lacey Matthews wrote: 8/14/2008 11:23:25 AM
Would Mary Zeiss Strange be willing to send Amante, her Peruvian mare, to slaughter? Presumably not. So why is that horrific fate acceptable for other horses?

Irresponsible people have been neglecting their horses ever since the beginning of the horse/human relationship, both when slaughter was legal and when it wasn't. Legalizing abuse (slaughter) doesn't make other forms of abuse go away.

This is illustrated by the rampant abuse and neglect of dogs and cats, despite the fact that they can easily be taken to animal shelters if their guardians no longer can or want to care for them. Just as people commonly dump their dogs on deserted roads to "save" them from euthanasia at a shelter, people will rationalize letting their horses wither away because they are "saving" them from slaughter.

Legalizing slaughter is not any kind of viable solution, humane or otherwise.


Recommend8 | Report Abuse

horsesaverlb wrote: 8/14/2008 1:49:26 PM
First let me remind the author that our American horses are still sent to slaughter in Canada and Mexico every single day. That every horse owner in this country still has the option of sending their horses to slaughter. Nothing has changed for American horses.
Horses that have been found starving this year were do to neglect and the illegal actions of their owners, plain and simple. Any one of the owners of the farms that were used here as examples could have called numerous kill buyers, brokers, or traders who would have come to their farm and paid them for the horses, which they would have shipped legally over the border to be slaughtered for a PROFIT. Why is it that this fact is always ignored?
People who leave their horses to starve or release them have no intention of shipping their horses to auction or calling someone to come get them. They were to lazy, have mental illnesses, or simply no ethics to even bother throwing some hay out or put grain in a bucket, do you really think they ever were worried about the welfare of their animals? No. People who leave their animals to starve as these owners did, made a choice to not feed or provide proper care for the animals they had under their supervision. After they were caught they claimed it was because they couldn't afford it or cried foul because the slaughter plants closed. Pro-Slaughter Propaganda that has been shoved down our throats now for years and those without the real facts or experience eat it up as the whole truth.
Secondly, Horse Slaughter for human consumption is not only horrifically inhumane but may be causing long term health problems for consumers overseas. American horse meat is loaded with carcinogens from chemicals, drugs, and feed. Quarter horses and thoroughbreds go to slaughter more than any other breed, off track thoroughbreds are loaded with drugs and steroids and that is what people are eating. Consumers in Europe and Japan do NOT know this. The companies selling the horse meat are perpetuating the belief that the meat being consumed is coming from horses kept out on the range like cattle.
Americans were screaming from the rafters when China was sending us goods that were contaminated with harmful chemicals. The hypocrisy is unbelievable. Our government is looking the other way while foreign companies are lying to their countrymen. Any horse that is fed a name brand horse feed or grain has levels of carcinogens. On the side of a bag of grain it clearly states that it should not be fed to animals that are going to be slaughtered for human consumption.
Wake Up America, this is not just about ending an inhumane practice but about protecting fellow World citizens from greedy Big Business.
Let's not forget that according to the USDA that 90% of horses sent to slaughter are healthy, serviceable animals. They are of good weight under 7 years old and are not lame or sick. It's actually illegal to ship sick(such as cancer), blind, or "three legged" horses to slaughter.
Laura Boothby
www.astand4thehorses.blogspot.com


Sincerely,
Laura Boothby
Pure Thoughts, Inc
www.pthr.org
http://astand4thehorses.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/4thehorses


Recommend9 | Report Abuse

L Matte wrote: 8/14/2008 2:03:53 PM
People who starve their horses would NEVER let their horse go to slaughter under any circumstances. How is a horse abandoned in their own back yard? Where did the UHC get the data to come up with 170,000 abandoned horses? This is all rubbish. Horses are being slaughtered at the same rate as they were before. Horse slaughter is NOT illegal. Can you Ms. Strange spell ECONOMY??? Didn't think so. While the pro slaughter camp spews their lies that horses are being abandoned because of slaughter houses being closed in the US, horses are still being slaughtered? None of you make a lick of sense and your twisted lies are pathetic.

Americans do NOT eat horse meat. Horse slaughter is horrifying, brutal and the worst abuse that any horse could suffer. This is the USA not China for crying out loud.

Why doesn't the AVMA, AQHA. UHC. AHC and other horse organizations with their deep pockets do something to help people that are having a hard time because of the ECONOMY? Instead they pump 100's of thousands of dollars annually into lobbyist pockets to lobby against a ban on horse slaughter. They spend all their time with their underhanded scare tactics trying to convince the American public that torturing a horse and then butchering it alive is good for the horse. They could care less about the horse all they care about is putting more money in their bank accounts.

America do your research Google horse slaughter. Then call your legislators and tell them horse slaughter is un-American and to pass HR 6598 the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act. The horses are a victim of these organizations and their deep dirty bloody pockets. Don't let them victimize you.


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knaug60 wrote: 8/14/2008 2:05:06 PM
Well, I disagree that horse slaughter for the purpose of animal food or even human consumption is "horrifically inhumane ". I think Congress erred in passing a law banning such practice in the United States. Now, horse owners who can no longer care for their animals (yes they are not people) have little option but to abandon them. Either way, inhumane is inhumane, but horses now die more slowly and painfully than before this silly law.


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knaug60 wrote: 8/14/2008 2:06:22 PM
Another thing, have you ever considered just how difficult it is to dispose of a horse carcas? These animals can weigh 1000+ pounds!?


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PolishBear wrote: 8/14/2008 2:10:40 PM
I know a lot of people will consider me a barbarian for saying this, but I honestly don't know what all the fuss is about over eating horse meat. It is my understanding that the older the horse is, the more tender and flavorful the meat. So it makes sense that when horses near the end of their lives, the meat ought to be put to good use. We eat lots of other hooved animals without giving a second thought to how they were slaughtered. Why should horses be considered somehow "special" when we think nothing of biting into a juicy double cheeseburger? I would love to be able to purchase some horse meat and experiment with different recipes, but apparently I can't do that anymore here in the United States.


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DLN wrote: 8/14/2008 2:13:49 PM
Please check your facts - people still can sell their horses to feedlots, auction and kill buyers - no one is stopping them If they are determined to have their horses butchered - no one is stopping them. At least for now. People who abandon, abuse and starve horses are going to do it whether slaughter houses are open or not - they are called criminals and it's against the law to do these things.


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MCStinson wrote: 8/14/2008 3:02:06 PM
Yet another example of Congress rushing into something that sounded all warm and fuzzy, only to leave us with a result that is worse than the original problem. Just wait until next year when Congress decides its time to save us from the economic "crisis" (in actuality a slowdown, but folks have been too spoiled for too many years to recognize the difference). They should be able to obliterate the market economy, guarantee full employment for trial lawyers, and restrict many of our basic rights in no time - all in the name of saving us from ourselves.


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