Dealer wins back horses
April 12th, 2008 by adminThe RSPCA is fighting a decision to return 29 donkeys and horses to a dealer accused of killing animals through neglect.
Jamie Gray faces charges under animal welfare laws after dozens of dead or emaciated horses and donkeys were found on his property at Spindles Farm, near Amersham, Buckinghamshire.
Campaigners found 111 animals in Mr Gray’s field and stables in January. Fourteen needed emergency veterinary treatment. A further 31 were dead and three were put down.
The rescued animals are now being kept at secure stables owned by the RSPCA, the Horse Trust, the International League for the Protection of Horses and the Redwings Horse Sanctuary.
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Horses For Therapy
April 9th, 2008 by adminAnimals have long been used in therapy — dogs in retirement homes, for example.
But the staff at a local equestrian centre want to prove that horses can be used effectively in behaviour modification and for building self-esteem in people, particularly children and young adults.
Melanie Gray of Melody Acres, on Highway 6 and 10 between Rockford and Chatsworth, said she’s long been aware of the confidence that can be gained by working with horses. She’s proven that in her work with a local school for girls with emotional and substance abuse problems.
Now she wants to expand on that and open her facility to the community at large through Partners in Process, a program that employs “equine-assisted” psychotherapy and learning.
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31 Horses Found Dead
April 9th, 2008 by admin31 horses were found dead on a Rowan County farm Tuesday afternoon.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Rowan County Sheriff’s Department made the discovery at a farm on Kegley Ridge Road, not far from the Elliott County line.
Officials say they found 11 horses dead in a barn, and 21 others dead in a nearby pasture.
They also found around 20 horses alive, but very sick. Officials are now trying to nurse them back to health.
A veterinarian tells 27 NEWSFIRST the horses did not die because there wasn’t enough food on the farm, rather the hay and grain was not being placed where they could get it.
So far, no charges have been filed against the owner of the farm. The sheriff’s department is now investigating to see if charges are necessary.
Neighbors tell 27 NEWSFIRST that the owner of the farm, Don Miller has been very sick in the last year. They say it’s possible he was just not able to take care of all the horses.
Source: wkyt
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Starving Horses Seized in Houston
April 9th, 2008 by adminHOUSTON—A group of horses taken from their owner in Channelview were starving to death, officials say.
The Humane Society seized the nine horses and a foal from the property on Tuesday.
The animals reportedly had no source of food or water.
They are now about 150 to 200 pounds underweight.
A hearing will be held in about a week to determine what happens to the horses next.
Source: khou
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Four Horses Shot!
April 9th, 2008 by adminWILLIAMSBURG - One neighborhood annoyance may have led to the death of one horse in Callaway County, and one family is pointing the finger.
Patty Lupinski and her husband own a farm in the area, but they also spend a lot of time in St. Louis. Neighbors say that sometimes their horses get loose when they’re out of town, and that causes trouble. Those incidents may have led to the death of one of them.
“I know that the horses were shot, I’m not sure if it was Tuesday night or Wednesday morning,” said Kim Thomas, daughter of the horse’s owner. “I know my dad came out on Wednesday and found the horses. He got them in and found that they were shot.”
One of Supinski’s comments was that she simply couldn’t believe that any human being could do this to an animal.
The Callaway County Sheriff’s Department said that there is a suspect, and the case was given to the county prosecutor. But the family isn’t satisfied.
“The answer is not to shoot the horses, it’s not,” said Thomas. “I know there’s a better way. Call the sheriff’s department, have them hauled in whatever has to be done but you don’t shoot people’s horses no matter who they are, they’re an innocent animal.”
The final decision on the charges is in the hands of the prosecutor. The horse owners aren’t in town, and there’s no word if they plan to do anything differently with the rest of the horses they own.
Source: komu
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911 for horses
April 7th, 2008 by admin
People in crisis often dial 911. But who has a lifeline for horses?
Debbie Vienna hopes she has the answer. The Temecula-area woman recently formed the Rest A While Equine Rescue Foundation of America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding safe homes for unwanted, neglected or abused horses.
“We can unite this community of horse lovers in a comprehensive way,” said Vienna, 52, a naturopathic practitioner who started riding horses at age 5.
But while the need for organizations such as Vienna’s is there, the local horse-rescue movement is facing hard times.
The rising price of hay and a downturn in donations are leaving many horse sanctuaries struggling to continue. But there is no shortage of unwanted horses.
“You get a call every day, and you don’t want to turn these horses down,” said Casey O’Connor, who runs Golden Carrot Equine Retirement & Rescue in Anza. “It really wears you down.”
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Trainer Ray Hunt
April 7th, 2008 by admin
When a horse wants to run, don’t yank back on the reins. Just turn him into a circle.
“If he speeds up again, turn him around again,” Ray Hunt told a group of horse owners Friday at a clinic here.
It’s all part of Hunt’s philosophy of encouraging good behavior in horses instead of trying to fight the bad. “Make the wrong thing difficult, the right thing easy” is one of the most well-worn phrases of the 80-year-old trainer from Mountain Home, Idaho.
Hunt is one of the most well-known teachers of the gentle, coaxing approach to horsemanship that has become a standard practice among horse owners today. He has published videos and books and led clinics in Australia and Europe.
Though Hunt hates the term, he is one of the inspirations behind the 1995 Nicholas Evans novel “The Horse Whisperer.”
Hunt is hosting a three-day clinic at the reigning ranch of Dan Stark in Moxee. About 40 people paid $30 each to watch; 17 paid $600 to learn with their horses. It wraps up today.
The morning session involves colt starting — catching, saddling and mounting skittish young horses. The afternoon covers general horsemanship.
Friday afternoon, Hunt sat on a stool with a microphone and led 13 horses and riders through exercises inside Stark’s indoor arena. He bid them walk single file, back up, trot, turn and occasionally stop.
If horses wanted to go too fast, Hunt taught the riders to turn into a tight circle. That makes the horses do what they’re told. Pulling back on the reins and yelling “Whoa!” only makes them want to push through it.
Papa’s Boy, ridden by Dave Van Hoof, was one of the worst offenders. But every time Van Hoof circled him, the horse would settle down.
“It makes sense,” Van Hoof said at the end of the training. “I’ve seen it today.”
Van Hoof lives in Bonney Lake, Wash., but made the trip to Moxee when he heard Hunt would be in the area.
“He and Tom Dorrance are a couple of the originals,” Van Hoof said.
Hunt grew up around horses, using them on his family farm in Mountain Home to pull plows since he could hardly walk. He turned to ranching as a young adult.
When he was 30, he visited Dorrance’s Oregon ranch to learn some gentler skills. Since then, Hunt has helped his friend spread the word about how to use give, take and respect to make the horse want to obey rather than forcing it.
“I don’t want a slave,” Hunt said.
Source: Yakima Herald
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Black Stallion Literacy Program
April 7th, 2008 by adminWhen Jackelyn Sanz, 7, learned to read out loud, she had no idea her No. 1 fan would have four legs, a big, warm nose and answer to the name Smoke.
Sanz was among 300 children who gathered at the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds in Davie on Feb. 21 to share their new reading skills with horses, part of the Black Stallion Literacy Program, named after author Walter Farley’s famous children’s book, The Black Stallion. The students from Davie and Flamingo elementary schools were given Farley’s book, Little Black, A Pony, in December and were promised if they worked hard, they could come to the rodeo grounds and read to real horses — even brush one.
Jackelyn, whose reading appeared to captivate Smoke, was thrilled at the animal’s response.
”It’s really nice because there are a lot of horses here and you can read to them and learn things,” she said, giggling as Smoke nuzzled her straw cowboy hat.
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2 riders injured
April 7th, 2008 by adminTWO people have ended in hospital following separate accidents involving horses.
A woman crushed by her horse was airlifted to Hereford yesterday morning (Saturday) by County Air Ambulance.
She was riding through Sellack when her horse reared-up and landed on top of her.
The woman - in her 30s and from Whitchurch - was briefly knocked unconscious and woke with back and neck pains.
She was placed on a spinal board by ambulance crews, and airlifted to Hereford around midday.
During the treatment, another woman in the riding group was kicked by a horse.
She suffered injuries and was taken by ambulance to Hereford.
Source: Hereford Times
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Horses can teach us a lot
April 7th, 2008 by adminHorse trainers approach a young horse as a teacher would a student, but what about turning the tables and considering the horse as teacher?
If you have ever watched a stallion with a herd of mares, you will have observed a leader who is not only acutely aware of his environment, both the dangers (predators) and the opportunities (good grazing), but is also aware of the needs of each of the members of his herd.
An intelligent horse knows which members of the group can help him when danger threatens, which ones are the most vulnerable and need to be protected, and which ones need to be educated about herd etiquette. Imagine a manager with those skills.
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