African Horse sickness in E Cape
February 9th, 2008 by adminParts of the Eastern Cape are experiencing an outbreak of African horse sickness (AHS), which led to the death of 11 horses in the past six weeks, said the province’s department of agriculture on Friday.
“Fifteen cases have been reported to state veterinarians over the past six weeks alone, mainly in the Ndlambe (Port Alfred) and Makana (Grahamstown) areas.
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Stolen Horses Returned
February 9th, 2008 by adminSponge Bob, Sugar and Sissy have made it back home, but Red, 16 and the oldest, remains missing.
Each of the horses always have been considered “one of the family,” said Michelle Young of Jackson County.
She and her family share farm space in Madison County near Waco, which they have used to keep their pet horses for quite some time.
Police have determined that the horses were taken from the farm about two weeks ago between 2 and 6 p.m.
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Wild Horses Endangered
February 9th, 2008 by admin
Corolla — A group that monitors endangered species says that situation of the two wild horse herds on the Outer Banks is worsening.
The American Livestock Breed Conservancy, a Pittsboro-based nonprofit that promotes endangered livestock and poultry breeds, moved the Corolla and Shackleford herds from the threatened category into the critical category. The next category is extinction.
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Duncan Horses Doing Well
February 9th, 2008 by adminDUNCAN — A few months ago, eight horses walked a barren land, looking for anything to eat.
Not a single blade of grass could be found and water came only from a stagnated pond.
Two of them died, their bodies giving in to starvation. The remaining six waited for death to come as their organs began to shut down.
The outcome seemed hopeless.
While working on some lines in the area, a Cotton Electric worker saw the situation and the hopelessness turned into hope when it was reported to the Stephens County Sheriff’s Department on Nov. 30.
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Monty Roberts in Wales UK
February 9th, 2008 by admin
The “Horse Whisperer” Monty Roberts was visiting a riding scheme at Prestatyn, Denbighshire, which offers children the chance to ride for £5 a week.
The 73-year-old American is helping raise funds so the “Ride for Five” project can be extended to St Asaph.
“Anytime there’s a programme like this, they know that I’m keen to help,” said Mr Roberts.
The champion horse trainer shot to fame when he released his book on non-violent training methods for horses, called “The Man Who Listens to Horses” in 1996.
It is also believed that he was one of the inspirations for the novel “Horse Whisperer” which became a Hollywood blockbuster starring Robert Redford.
He was asked to help fundraise for the Ride for Five scheme by the British Horse Society on his latest visit to Britain.
Wendy Tobias-Jones, who runs the Bridelwood Riding Centre in Prestatyn described the offer of help from Mr Roberts as “unprecedented”.
“The man is just inspirational,” said Mrs Tobias-Jones.
“I’ve found out running this scheme that you can get beaten down. I will try for something and can’t get the money, or we do a fundraiser and put in an awful lot of effort and we don’t seem to make enough money.
“This man just gives me so much inspiration and he does it to the children as well.”
Mr Roberts, who also had a career as a film stunt double for stars such as Elizabeth Taylor in the film National Velvet, believes his peaceful training techniques work just as well on people as horses.
“For centuries, humans have said to horses, ‘You do what I tell you or I’ll hurt you’,” he explained.
“I’m convinced that my discoveries with horses have values in the workplace, in the educational and penal systems, and in raising children.
“I’m saying that no-one else has the right to say ‘you must’ to an animal, or another human being.”
Greeting dozens of children at the Prestatyn centre, he said his philosophy was simple: “I want to leave the world a better place than I found it for horses and for people too.”
Source: BBC News
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Bolting Horses Drag Coffin
February 9th, 2008 by adminA dignified entrance to a cemetery by the dearly departed aboard a horse-drawn carriage has turned horribly wrong.The two horses pulling the carriage into Lambeth Cemetery were apparently spooked and the funeral carriage overturned.
Horrified funeral-goers watched as the coffin was dragged nearly 100m, being tossed about with the flowers inside the hearse carriage.
The carriage driver required hospital treatment.
Angry friends and relatives of the deceased had to be calmed before proceedings could continue.
Source: HorseTalk
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Caroline man in jail for cruelty
February 9th, 2008 by adminA Caroline County man was convicted yesterday of four counts of animal cruelty and will spend two months behind bars.
Michael Wilkerson, 45, of Ruther Glen, was ordered to pay restitution for the emaciated horses’ care and never to own farm animals again. His full jail sentence was 12 months on each conviction, with all time suspended except for the two months.
Wilkerson originally was charged with five counts of animal cruelty, but Judge Frank L. Bener said in court yesterday that he found Wilkerson to be the cause of only four of the horses’ poor conditions, because one had been on the property for less than a month.
The others had been there between six months and 32 years, according to Wilkerson’s testimony.
While Commonwealth’s Attorney Tony Spencer put on evidence of the sickly condition of the horses, Wilkerson and his attorney, Ed Vaughan, contended that some of the horses had been recently rescued and were already in poor condition when Wilkerson got them. Vaughan also said Wilkerson had seven healthy horses on the farm.
But after hearing testimony from a veterinarian who checked the horses after animal control officers seized them, as well as Wilkerson’s testimony of how long he’d owned each horse, Bener ruled against him on four of the charges.
Wilkerson’s horses were first investigated by animal control officers for being extremely underweight Jan. 9, according to testimony yesterday.
At that time, Wilkerson was told to seek treatment for them from a veterinarian immediately. On Jan. 22, officers returned to find no evidence of food for the horses and no treatment, so the horses were seized, said officer J.C. Heffler.
“You had a responsibility to take care of these animals whether you were told to or not,” Bener told Wilkerson.
Veterinarian Michael Stanford, who saw the horses after they were seized, said all of them were suffering from malnutrition and parasites. He also said many of them had severe dental problems from a longtime lack of dental care.
Susan White, a cruelty investigator for the United States Equine Rescue League, who has been helping to care for the horses since they were seized, testified to the improvement the horses have made since they have been treated.
“Before, one of the yearlings, we had to pick up his feet to get him in the truck because he was so weak,” White said in court yesterday. “Now, he’s able to walk without shaking.
White’s organization has been caring for the yearling and the other horses for 17 days. Wilkerson testified in court yesterday that he had the yearling for about two years.
Other problems with the horses as noted by Heffler, Stanford and White included broken teeth; dark, thick urine; and ribs protruding from the horses’ sides.
Source: Fredricksburg
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Woman had to call the press
February 8th, 2008 by adminOVER 30 horses have been removed from a farm in Llandegla after a foal died in appaling conditions last week.
The removal of the animals was triggered by the Free Press who alerted the RSPCA and Denbighshire County Council to the dying foal after receiving a call from a concerned reader.
This comes just two weeks after a body of another horse was discovered at Ty Newydd Farm and only weeks after six horses and a number of dogs were removed by the county council under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
On Wednesday, January 30 a distressed Karen Hughes, from Ruthin, called the Free Press when she passed the Llandegla field and realised that the foal was unable to stand.
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Sickest Show on Earth!
February 7th, 2008 by admin
Just when it seemed that the Chinese had plumbed the depths of animal humiliation, along comes something even worse.
The country which gave you bears riding bikes now proudly presents … lions and tigers on horseback.
In one of the nation’s most notorious zoos, applauding spectators are treated to a bizarre display as a 30-stone lion leaps on to the horse’s back.
Then it rides around the ring while a trainer with a whip keeps it moving.
After that, a 35-stone tiger climbs up on the same terrified steed for its turn in the limelight.
The shocking pictures come from the animal park at Xiamen in Fujian, south-east China, where the public seem to delight in humiliating circus-style stunts and have no regard for animal cruelty.
Conditions are poor, with big cats including lions, tigers and leopards and other large animals including bears kept in solitary confinement in tiny cages.
Elsewhere in the country, bears ride bicycles at an “Animal Games” in Nanjing.
At the Xiogsen Bear and Tiger Mountain village in Guilin, live animals are fed to tigers as a show for tourists. Bears pulling cars in a race with a strong man caused anger after the bizarre stunt was shown in Jinan last year.
In a display in Changchun, a tiger is put in a cage with an ox while muzzled so it tries to attack its prey but cannot kill it, producing an agonising and long-drawn-out battle.
Save China’s Tigers, a charity which has a branch in the UK, campaigns to save animals trapped in the country’s zoos.
It carries out public education schemes in China to raise awareness .
And it aims to free tigers from their cages, set up breeding programmes and reintroduce the proud creatures to the wild after teaching them how to hunt for themselves.
Source: The Daily Mail
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Horses in search for missing girl in Reno
February 7th, 2008 by adminLynn Lloyd is an accomplished equestrian and hunt expert. It seemed a natural fit to her that she use her hounds to help locate Brianna Denison.
“Lynn your hounds can do this, and I said oh my gosh yes, and then wondered why I didn’t do this two weeks ago.”
This is day two for Lynn Lloyd, her horse Greta, fellow riders, and more than 60 Walker Hounds.
The task: Search the muddy, snowy, and hilly areas near UNR and locate 19-year old Brianna Denison.
Wende Crossley has come for a another day on her horse Baccus, for her, the Denison disappearance hits a little too close to home.
” I have a two year old and I would want the same thing. It is the right thing to do. We have the resources, we have the man power we have the incredible hounds. They would absolutely do their best. This is what they do.”
The hounds are used for hunts well north of here. While they are not following the scent of Brianna, Lynn says they will alert her to any scent out of the ordinary. Yesterday she says they came across an abandoned
couch and refrigerator.
“These hounds can cover territory, the horses can cover territory, and if she is out here we can find her. Hopefully alive.”
Riders say they are keeping their eyes open and examine anything out of the ordinary. Asked how long they be out here, Lloyd says as long as it takes.
If you’d like to help on the search on horseback call 1-775-969-3243.
Source: KOLO
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