Trainers get $2500 to train Mustangs
April 7th, 2008 by adminWhen Diamond first arrived in Livermore, she was clearly in the rough, “frightened out of her mind and body,” horse trainer Beverly Vreeland said.
The wild mustang bolted out of her trailer and raced along the corral rail. Straight out of a 115,000-acre preserve in northern Nevada, she was untouchable and filthy, dreadlocks in her mane and tail, with a liberal coating of dirt everywhere.
“It took 48 hours for her to calm down to the point where she was approachable,” Vreeland said. “Another day to touch her. She was so gross, I thought I wouldn’t get my hands clean ever again.”
Twelve days after that, Vreeland, 52, rode Diamond for the first time.
That’s a very impressive feat, said organizers of the Mustang Challenge, a program sponsored by the Mustang Heritage Foundation and the Bureau of Land Management that puts wild horses in the hands of trainers up for a tough task.
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Teaching in “Horses Language”
April 5th, 2008 by admin
CHRISTIANSBURG — It was a near-perfect day at Canterbury Farm.
The sun was shining, a slight breeze was moving across the Danyis’ 55 acres and a week-and-a-half-old filly was prancing in a nearby pen.
Gypsy, however, was not pleased.
Trotting around a round pen with Canterbury owner and trainer Paula Danyi, the 15-year-old mare was displaying her trademark obstinacy.
“She’s going to do anything but look at me,” Danyi shouted to Gypsy’s owner Ernie Rash. “She’s pretty headstrong.”
Luckily for Rash, however, headstrong horses are a Canterbury Farm specialty.
Within the hour, Danyi had coaxed Gypsy to turn toward her, walk into the middle of the pen and “join up.”
“What I want her to learn right now is that it’s much easier to be with me than to be running around like a fool,” Danyi said. “It’s easier to do the right thing and harder to do the wrong thing.”
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3 horses die, owner charged
April 5th, 2008 by adminMUSKEGON — The owner of three horses found dead March 13 at a Dalton Township residence will face criminal misdemeanor charges for failing to adequately care for the animals and improperly disposing of their remains.
Two of the horses were discovered lying on the ground in fenced enclosures at 4111 Beattie and a third was in a barn. A Dalton Township official driving by the house called authorities after he noticed a horse on the ground behind the residence.
“We feel the reason the horses died was that this person just didn’t know how to take care of them,” said Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler. “I know people with horses. It’s just like raising kids. It’s a 24-hour job.”
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Healing Horses
April 4th, 2008 by adminNancy Paschall knows firsthand the healing power of horses.
Nearly 13 years ago, she suffered an accident that left her in a wheelchair. The horses helped her heal, and now she wants others to benefit from what they have to offer.
Paschall puts in 60 hours a week as executive director at Dream Catchers, at the Cori Sikich Therapeutic Riding Center, and has been working there for a year. As executive director, Paschall is in charge of all operations, fundraising, administrative operations and special events. In addition, grant writing is an integral part of her job description.
Dream Catchers is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Virginia-based corporation founded in 1993. The programs at the facility are affiliated with the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. All the instructors are NARHA-certified, and trained volunteers assist in serving the students.
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Miniature Horses on Show
April 4th, 2008 by admin
People will be able to see and buy miniature horses at an open day in Dairy Flat on Sunday, April 13,
Two local studs are combining for the event at Philden Downs Miniature Horse Stud, 1248 State Highway 17, Dairy Flat, to celebrate their success and promote the breed.
Longwood Miniature Horse Stud in Silverdale won one of the supreme prizes out of more than 200 horses, plus other highly regarded trophies with their other bred horses.
The open day is from 10.30am to 2.30pm and features quality bred show horses as well as pets.
Yearlings and last year’s foals are included.
Information and advice is available from personnel on site on the day.
Source: Stuff nz - Photo Credit: Longwood Miniature Horse Stud
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Horses Can Count
April 4th, 2008 by admin
A study in Britain proves that horses have the same ability to count as 10-month-old infants.
Researchers allowed horses to watch plastic apples being placed out of sight in buckets. The horses were then found to opt for the bucket holding the most apples.
The researchers, from the University of Essex, used fake apples to ensure horses weren’t making the judgement through use of smell.
The findings indicated that not only were horses keeping some kind of measurement of how many apples were going into the buckets, but they were then able to make a call on which to select.
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Nearly 30 horses put down
April 3rd, 2008 by adminA cruelty case has left the SPCA appealing to owners to ask for help if they find they cannot cope with their animals.
In this case, officers have had to put down almost thirty horses which were found in appalling conditions.
Staff were called to a Pukekohe property a week ago, where they found 31 horses in what they called horrifying conditions.
Only three of the horses have the potential to recover, the rest were put down this afternoon.
In the past 18 months Auckland’s SPCA has been getting tough on animal cruelty.
The owner of a group of cows found on an island in the Waikato River face a fine of up to $25,000, or six months in jail when he appears in court later this month.
The owner at the centre of this latest case, an experienced horse breeder, has been out all day. But it is understood that he is elderly and frail and has recently been diagnosed with a serious illness. It is for that reason that he may escape prosecution.
“The owner obviously had dealt with horses for many, many years and probably should have called for help and didn’t,” Bob Keridge from Auckland SPCA said. “When people are in this sort of situation, they only need to ask for hep and it will be there. It’s too late now.”
An orphaned foal is in the care of the SPCA, but there is no guarantee it will make it through the night.
Source: TV3 News NZ
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Six horses seized in Enid
April 3rd, 2008 by adminSix horses suspected of being abused were seized Monday by members of the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office from a property west of Enid.
Deputy Shawna Cornish said a search warrant was obtained for the property and executed after the sheriff’s office and Garfield County District Attorney’s office had received “numerous complaints” concerning the condition of the horses.
During the execution of the search warrant, a local veterinarian was with deputies to assist in determining the condition of the horses, she said. Sixteen horses were on the property, six of which were seized.
“The horses were seized after it was determined that their conditions were the worst of all the other horses on the property,” Cornish said.
Charges of animal cruelty are pending.
The name of the horses’ owner was not released because charges have not been filed.
Source: Enid News
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Indiana horse 1 year later
April 3rd, 2008 by admin
Nearly a year after Indiana Horse Rescue (IHR) Southwest took over the care of more than 100 horses on a Gibson County, Ind., farm, the animals continue to improve, and many have been adopted into new homes.
Between seized animals and a large number of horses that were voluntarily surrendered, a total of 121 animals from the farm were placed in the care of IHR in May 2007. (For more information on this case, see Horses Impounded in Ongoing Indiana Neglect Case.)
“We had a lot of problems with a lot of the horses at first because of high parasite loads,” said Kelsey Cook, secretary of the Animal Protection Coalition, which operates IHR and several other animal rescue organizations. “We had a lot of mares foal that you wouldn’t even have thought could hold a foal, they were so skinny–but they had babies.”
Indiana Horse Rescue bought the property from Richard Stallings, 67, the horses’ former owner. The purchase enabled the organization’s volunteers to care for the horses without having to transport them anywhere.
About 45 horses are now housed there, including 40 from Stallings’ original herd.
As part of a plea agreement, Stallings pleaded guilty on Jan. 24, 2008, to eight felony torture charges and 42 misdemeanor neglect charges.
“He ended up receiving four months house detention and a year of probation, during which time he cannot own any animals or be around any animals,” Cook explained.
Gibson County Sheriff R. Allen Harmon weighed in, saying, “We were a little disappointed that (Stallings) didn’t get more of a penalty, but the horses are okay now, and that’s what matters.”
For more information on IHR Southwest and the horses still available for adoption.
Source: The Horse
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Interesting Horse Stories
April 2nd, 2008 by adminSome stories for thought,
A farmer sold his 10 year old mare to a friend that lived five miles away on the other side of an inlet. The friend brought the mare home in the morning, but at the end of the day she was gone. They searched for hours, but couldn´t find her. The next day, the farmer called his friend and told him the mare was there. She ran the five miles, swam the inlet and was back home. The mare was brought back to the farmers friend, but she would not accept being moved to a new home. She made her journey FOUR times, and finally the farmer and his friend agreed that she should be allowed to stay where she obviously wanted to be.
A few years ago, a friend of mine sold her mare “Musse”. Musse had always been a friendly and calm horse, easy to handle and ride. But in her new home, she changed completely, she would bite and kick and simply refuse to let anyone near her. The buyer decided to return Musse to her previous owner, and back home, the mare was as calm and friendly as she always had been.
Last year I sold a 2 year old gelding. I had had him since birth and apart from the fact that he could be a bit nervous, I never had any problems with him. He was very friendly with other horses and loved the company of people. A few days after he was brought to his new home, the owner called me and said she couldn´t handle him. He was viciously attacking the other horses, refusing to let anyone lead him on a rope, tearing himself loose and running away. At one point he had gotten himself tangled in a rope and had cut himself severely. I was very surprised, I did not recognise the horse she was talking about. She wanted me to buy him back, which I did, and the minute I took him out of the trailer, he was his old calm and friendly self. He has been calm and friendly ever since and I won´t consider selling him again.
Millian is back home!
So if you´re planning to sell your horse, maybe you should ask him or her first!
If you have an interesting horse story, please fell free to share it with me on this site.
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