Horses / Caballos / Chevaux

Horse racing (global)

December 25, 2009

causes many joint & bone injuries, speed-enhancing drugs given, 1,000 horses die each year on American race tracks. Horses no longer able to race are sold for slaughter. A few may be kept for breeding, a dubious honor as they may be lame and kept indoors in barns until unable to breed; then they, too are slaughtered.

Who’s fighting it: IDA, AAPN (Asian Animal Protection Network), Fund4horses, CHAI (Concern for Helping Animals in Israel), PETA, LCA (Last Chance for Animals), Animal Aid (UK), Animals Australia, DawnWatch, DownBound, AnimalsAustralia, SHARK, All-Creatures.org, Live Export Shame, horseracingkills.com, WAF (World Animal Foundation), FAACE (Fight Against Animal Cruelty in Europe), Animals Australia, The New York Times, NY Daily News.

An Inappropriate “Sport”

Horses begin training or are already racing when their skeletal system is still growing and unprepared to handle the pressures of running on a hard track at high speeds. Improved medical treatment and technological advancements have done little to remedy the plight of the racehorse. One study on injuries at racetracks concluded that one horse in every 22 races suffered an injury that prevented him or her from finishing a race, while another estimates that 800 thoroughbreds die a year in North America because of injuries. Strained tendons or hairline fractures can be tough for veterinarians to diagnose and the damage may go from minor to irrevocable at the next race or workout. Horses do not handle surgery well, as they tend to be disoriented when coming out of anesthesia and may fight casts or slings, possibly causing further injury. Many are euthanized in order to save the owners further veterinary fees and other expenses on a horse who can’’t race again. Given the huge investment in a horse, reported one Kentucky paper, “simply sending one to pasture, injured or not, is not an option all owners are willing to consider.” Care for a single racehorse can cost as much as $50,000 per year. Magic Man stepped into an uneven section of a track and broke both front legs during a race at Saratoga Race Course; his owner had bought him for $900,000 dollars, yet the horse hadn’t earned any money yet and, unproven on the track, wasn’t worth much as a stud, so he was euthanized.

Trainers may take calculated risks by running a horse they know is injured. War Emblem, the racehorse who won the first two legs of the Triple Crown in 2001, suffered from bone chips in one ankle and both knees. In spite of veterinary recommendations for surgery, which would have taken away from training and racing time, trainer Bob Baffert said, “Let the chips fall where they may,” and continued to race the horse. War Emblem lost the Belmont Stakes, changed hands twice, and was sent to Japan for breeding. Alone, painful and halfway arount the world from everything he ever knew and loved, he was diagnosed with “unwillingness to cover mares” at a breeding barn. He was slaughtered there for food, unthanked and unmarked, by people who view animals only as meat.

Bone chips, which occur in up to 50 percent of racehorses by some veterinary estimates, are “like taking two pieces of rock, rubbing them together and seeing pieces of sand rubbing off,” explains one veterinary orthopedic surgeon. The same trainer continued to race a 3-year-old thoroughbred after knee surgery; the horse had to be euthanized after breaking his shoulder during a workout.

December 22, 2009

Drugs and deception

“Finding an American racehorse trained on the traditional hay, oats, and water probably would be impossible,” commented one racing reporter. Many racehorses are turned into junkies by their trainers and sometimes by veterinarians, who provide drugs to keep horses on the track when they shouldn’t be racing. Which drugs are legal and which are not varies from state to state, with Kentucky holding the reputation as most lenient. According to The Washington Post, every horse at the 2003 Kentucky Derby was given a shot of Lasix (which controls bleeding in the lungs), and most were probably given phenylbutazone (an anti-inflammatory). Those drugs, although legal, can also mask pain or make a horse run faster. Labs cannot detect all of the illegal drugs out there, of which there “could be thousands,” says the executive director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium. Morphine, which can keep a horse from feeling any pain from an injury, was suspected in the case of Be My Royal, who won a race limping. Baffert has also been suspended for using morphine on a horse. One trainer was suspended for using an Ecstasy-type drug on five horses, and another has been kicked off of racetracks for using clenbuterol and, in one case, for having the leg of a euthanized horse cut off “for research.”

Sally Jenkins wrote in the Washington Post: “There is no turning away from this fact: Eight Belles killed herself finishing second. She ran with the heart of a locomotive, on champagne-glass ankles for the pleasure of the crowd, the sheiks, oilmen, entrepreneurs, old money from the thousand-acre farms, the handicappers, men in bad sport coats with crumpled sheets full of betting hieroglyphics, the julep-swillers and the ladies in hats the size of boats, and the rest of the people who make up thoroughbred racing. “But thoroughbred racing is in a moral crisis, and everyone now knows it. Twice since 2006, magnificent animals have suffered catastrophic injuries on live television in Triple Crown races, and there is no explaining that away. Horses are being over-bred and over-raced, until their bodies cannot support their own ambitions, or those of the humans who race them. Barbaro and Eight Belles merely are the most famous horses who have fatally injured themselves.

“According to several estimates, there are 1.5 career-ending breakdowns for every 1,000 racing starts in the United States. That’s an average of two per day.” Animal Planet, a television station ostensibly promoting the welfare of nonhumans, has a show called “Jockeys”, glamorizing the horse-racing industry, which goes to show that they care more about viewer numbers and ratings than the animals they tell about. Recent progress: the widespread use of steroids in race horses is finally becoming banned in some U.S. states, but this is just the tip of the iceberg, and doubtless steroid and other drug use will continue illegally behind the scenes. Also an Australian group is trying to ban the use of whips.

April 02, 2010

Thanks for helping horses who are slaughtered in Japan

Many people who watch horse races, like the third race of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, where Charismatic broke his leg 10 years ago, don't know that stars of the track may end up in slaughterhouses or as dog food. The best way for you to help these animals is by sharing this information with your friends and by pledging never to go to the races.

If you haven't already, please forward this important investigation to everyone you know and ask them to join you by not supporting the horse-racing industry.

http://www2.peta.org/site/Advocacy?page=OnScreenThanks&id=2103

Thank you for all that you do for animals.

October 23, 2009

Speak Up To Stop Pres. Obama's BAD Wild Horse Plan
IDA opposes the Obama Administration's proposal to manage the nation's wild horses and burros, as announced by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on October 7. The plan is cloaked in the language of helping horses, but, if approved by Congress, it would destroy the fabric of wild horse society, devastate wild horse populations and lead to the elimination of more western herds.
Read more here, then contact President Obama and your U.S. Senators.


Perfect Timing - October 25, New Wild Horse Documentary On PBS
Watch Cloud: Challenge of the Stallions, the newest installment of Emmy award winning filmmaker Ginger Kathren's marvelous documentary series about America's wild horses, airing on PBS Nature Sunday October 25 at 8 p.m. Click here for a sneak preview!

World Go Vegan Week Starts October 25!
IDA is making it easy to try a vegan diet. Here are some great recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and of course, dessert, plus tips on how to "veganize" any recipe.
Choose from delicious beginnings like fabulous French toast, scones and muffins, a nutritious lunch of fajitas or mock-chicken salad, and a delicious dinner of mushroom pecan burgers, mac-n-cheese casserole or pasta with peanut sauce. And don’t forget about dessert - try pecan pie, lemon cake, strawberry “teesecake,” and, for the chocoholics, chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate peanut butter cups!
While we are celebrating World Go Vegan Week, there is some good news for animals on farms. California, the nation’s largest dairy state, became the first state to ban tail-docking of dairy cows. Tail-docking is cutting off the tails of dairy cows for the convenience of the workers. It can cause life-long pain to the cows. Let’s hope that other states follow California's lead.
Also, Michigan enacted a new law that will phase out battery cages, veal crates and gestation crates for pigs, similar to Prop. 2 in California. This makes Michigan the 2nd state to ban battery cages, the 5th to ban veal crates and the 7th to ban gestation crates.
Click the "Events" button at the WGVW web site to find a WGVW event in your town. If you can't attend an event, you can still participate through our Adopt An Activist program!

IDA Protests Michael Vick And Asks NFL To Ban Animal Fighting
IDA was a powerful and peaceful presence at the Oakland Coliseum for the October 18 game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Oakland Raiders. Click here to see demo photos and some great media coverage. Help convince the NFL to take the lead in steering players away from dogfighting and cockfighting.

Ask TV Network TLC To Cancel "My Monkey Baby"
On Sunday October 4, cable network TLC premiered "My Monkey Baby." The show featured a couple who held captive a capuchin monkey as their "daughter," dressing poor "Jessica Marie" in designer clothes, treating her as a human child and doing everything short of enrolling her in soccer camp.
Monkeys do not make good "pets" and it is unnatural and dangerous to treat them as human children. There are about 15,000 non-human primates in private hands in the U.S., and TV programs that appear to promote this are acting irresponsibly. Click here to ask TLC to cancel "My Monkey Baby."

November 10, 2009

Please Take Action NOW and Pass on to Friends & Family - every comment counts.
The Obama Administration is continuing the Bureau of Land Management's war on wild horses by proposing to round up an astounding 2,500 wild horses -- fully 80 percent of the wild horses in the Calico Complex in northwestern Nevada -- and stockpile them in long-term government holding facilities. The roundups, which are set to begin December and last three months, will break horse families apart and permanently shatter complex horse society. To learn more about wild horse social and family bonds, see the wild horse series on PBS Nature, "Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies."The U.S. General Accounting Office has found that "BLM’s decisions on how many wild horses to remove from federal rangelands were not based on direct evidence that wild horse populations exceeded what the range could support and that removals were often not accompanied by reductions in livestock grazing levels or range management to increase the land’s capacity."
The Calico Complex roundup plan continues BLM policy of removing wild horses, who are supposed to be protected by an act of Congress, for the benefit of private ranchers who graze their livestock on our public lands at bargain basement rates. The plan is an example of BLM's gross mismanagement of our wild horses and public lands.
While the BLM intends to massively round up and remove thousands of horses purportedly over concerns about the health of the range, it refuses to even consider removing any of the more than 2,000 head of cattle currently grazing in the same area. A more cost-effective and long-term solution to preserving range health must include buying back cattle leases on public lands like the Calico Complex, which have been designated to be for the primary benefit of wild horses.
The BLM is accepting public comments on an Environmental Assessment of this devastating plan until Thursday, November 12. Please act today to stop this latest BLM atrocity. More information on the proposed Calico roundup is here.


In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 85,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA's efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi, Mumbai, India, and Cameroon, Africa.
In Defense of Animals is a registered 5013 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible.

December 22, 2009

Lawsuit to Protect Wild Horses Continues Despite Denial of Injunction Against Massive Roundup
Wednesday, December 23, 2009, 15:35
Breaking News, Horses1,393 views
Advocates Call on President Obama to Give America's Wild Horses a Christmas Reprieve

Washington, DC (December 23, 2009). . . . Wild horse advocates today celebrated a partial victory as U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman ordered a lawsuit challenging a Bureau of Land Management roundup of thousands of wild horses in Nevada forward, but denied a preliminary injunction to stop the removal of horses, which is scheduled to begin December 28.

Judge Friedman’s 25-page decision indicates that he found merit in IDA’s argument that the BLM’s practice of stockpiling tens of thousands of horses in long-term holding facilities in the Midwest is not authorized by law, and invited both parties to expedite briefing on that issue. Based on that preliminary finding regarding long-term holding facilities, Judge Friedman stated that “the agency’s [BLM] best option may be to postpone the [Calico] gather,” but he said that was for the BLM to decide while also noting potential harms in such a delay.

The decision is available at https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2009cv2222-25

Advocates are now calling on President Obama to give the horses a holiday reprieve after filing complaints with the Department of Interior and White House Office of Environmental Quality (CEQ) alleging multiple violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

“The President should order a halt to this roundup until the legality of the long-term holding facilities is determined. The BLM itself says this is not an emergency roundup, so there would be no harm in waiting for adjudication of this enormously important issue,” said William J. Spriggs, of Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, which filed the case on behalf of IDA, ecologist Craig Downer and noted children’s author Terri Farley.

“We are on strong ground in charging that the BLM’s policy of stockpiling tens of thousands of horses in the Midwest, off their rightful Western ranges, is contrary to law, the intent of Congress and the will of the American people,” Mr. Spriggs concluded.

Meanwhile, IDA is turning to the Administration in an effort to save the wild horses living in the Calico Mountains Complex which is comprised of more than 500 thousand acres in northwestern Nevada. Beginning December 28, the BLM intends to wipe out 80-90 percent of the estimated 3,000 horses there by stampeding them with helicopters over dangerous winter terrain into capture pens, then loading them on to trucks bound for government holding facilities in Kansas, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Just four years ago, the BLM rounded up more than two thousand wild horses in Calico in the winter of 2004-2005 and shipped 1,623 horses to short- and long-term holding.

“This is a Christmastime appeal to President Obama on behalf of America’s wild horses,” said Elliot M. Katz, DVM, IDA President. “While the President is enjoying the holidays with his lovely family, In Defense of Animals asks him to think of the horse families who are about to be torn apart forever in the BLM roundup. With the stroke of a pen, he can stop the terror that is about to befall the majestic wild horses of the Calico Mountains in Nevada.”

IDA is asking the Administration to halt the roundup, charging that the BLM violated NEPA by failing to adequately assess the environmental impacts of its massive wild horse capture plan. Over 10,000 public comments were submitted in opposition to the Calico roundup, which the BLM has stated will cost taxpayers $1.7 million.

Despite promising to deliver change, the Obama Administration has continued the Bush Administration’s policy of removing tens of thousands of wild horses from their rightful Western ranges, often to make room for increased grazing of privately-owned livestock on public lands. The BLM currently warehouses 33,000 wild horses in government holding facilities – the legality of which Judge Friedman has just questioned – yet intends to round up and remove 12,000 more horses a year from the West for the next three years. After that time, the number of wild horses held captive in zoo-like conditions will far exceed those left in the wild.

December 28, 2009

BLM to Begin Secret Calico Roundup on Private Land - No Public Observers Allowed
Please join IDA and Sheryl Crow in calling on President Obama to halt the Christmas-week roundup of thousands of Nevada horses.
IDA continues to work diligently to stop the pending Bureau of Land Management roundup of 2,700 horses in the Calico Mountain Complex in northwestern Nevada. Despite our efforts, the roundup is set to start today, but there is still time to save most of the horses! We won’t stop fighting – but we need your help to stop this massive assault on America’s wild horses.


Please take these THREE essential steps today! Only a huge public outcry will save these horses from the trauma of being stampeded with helicopters over treacherous winter terrain into capture pens, where they will be torn from their family members before being loaded onto trucks destined for possibly illegal BLM wild horse warehouses in the Midwest.
1. Paste the letter below to President Obama in the web form found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/.
2. Follow your email with a phone call to the White House to appeal to the President to halt the BLM’s cruel Calico wild horse roundup. See letter below for details on what we are asking of the President.
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
3. Forward this message to five friends and family and ask that they take a couple of minutes to help the horses – every public comment and phone call counts. You can help us increase the number of active wild horse advocates.
For more information, see the most recent Associated Press story and IDA’s statement on the recent federal court ruling in our lawsuit to stop the Calico roundup.
LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA to President Obama in the web form found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/>:
December 28, 2009
Dear President Obama,
I urge you to stop the largest scheduled roundup of wild horses in years – those living in the Calico Mountains in Nevada. Please halt the Interior Department - Bureau of Land Management’s pending cruel round up of over 2,500 horses who are living peacefully in more than 500,000 acre public land complex.
Last week, a federal court judge ruled that the BLM’s stockpiling of western wild horses in mid-western holding facilities may be illegal and consequently suggested that BLM postpone the Calico roundup. In addition, several appeals are pending with the Interior Board of Land Appeals – including a formal Motion to Stay the roundup – and your White House Council on Environmental Quality charging that the BLM has flagrantly violated the National Environmental Policy Act in its failure to assess the impacts of its massive capture and removal plan.
Over the weekend, the BLM made public its plan to begin the roundup in secret on private land from which the public will be barred, thus violating a BLM pledge made just three weeks ago at a packed public meeting in Reno to conduct these roundups with full public transparency.
Wild horse society is complex and consists of tightly knit family bands. President Obama, as you enjoy the holidays with your lovely family, I urge you to take a moment to remember the wild horse families in Nevada’s Calico Mountains that are about to be shattered forever by the BLM's cruel round up plans.
With a simple phone call, you Mr. President can stop the terror that is about to befall the majestic wild horses of northwest Nevada. Please act today.
Thank you for your consideration.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

http://www.idanews.org/ida-breaking-news/lawsuit-to-protect-wild-horses-continues-despite-denial-of-injunction-against-massive-roundup/

December 28, 2009

Lawsuit to Protect Wild Horses Continues Despite Denial of Injunction Against Massive Roundup
Wednesday, December 23, 2009, 15:35
Breaking News, Horses1,394 views
Advocates Call on President Obama to Give America's Wild Horses a Christmas Reprieve

Washington, DC (December 23, 2009). . . . Wild horse advocates today celebrated a partial victory as U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman ordered a lawsuit challenging a Bureau of Land Management roundup of thousands of wild horses in Nevada forward, but denied a preliminary injunction to stop the removal of horses, which is scheduled to begin December 28.

Judge Friedman’s 25-page decision indicates that he found merit in IDA’s argument that the BLM’s practice of stockpiling tens of thousands of horses in long-term holding facilities in the Midwest is not authorized by law, and invited both parties to expedite briefing on that issue. Based on that preliminary finding regarding long-term holding facilities, Judge Friedman stated that “the agency’s [BLM] best option may be to postpone the [Calico] gather,” but he said that was for the BLM to decide while also noting potential harms in such a delay.

The decision is available at https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2009cv2222-25

Advocates are now calling on President Obama to give the horses a holiday reprieve after filing complaints with the Department of Interior and White House Office of Environmental Quality (CEQ) alleging multiple violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

“The President should order a halt to this roundup until the legality of the long-term holding facilities is determined. The BLM itself says this is not an emergency roundup, so there would be no harm in waiting for adjudication of this enormously important issue,” said William J. Spriggs, of Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, which filed the case on behalf of IDA, ecologist Craig Downer and noted children’s author Terri Farley.

“We are on strong ground in charging that the BLM’s policy of stockpiling tens of thousands of horses in the Midwest, off their rightful Western ranges, is contrary to law, the intent of Congress and the will of the American people,” Mr. Spriggs concluded.

Meanwhile, IDA is turning to the Administration in an effort to save the wild horses living in the Calico Mountains Complex which is comprised of more than 500 thousand acres in northwestern Nevada. Beginning December 28, the BLM intends to wipe out 80-90 percent of the estimated 3,000 horses there by stampeding them with helicopters over dangerous winter terrain into capture pens, then loading them on to trucks bound for government holding facilities in Kansas, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Just four years ago, the BLM rounded up more than two thousand wild horses in Calico in the winter of 2004-2005 and shipped 1,623 horses to short- and long-term holding.

“This is a Christmastime appeal to President Obama on behalf of America’s wild horses,” said Elliot M. Katz, DVM, IDA President. “While the President is enjoying the holidays with his lovely family, In Defense of Animals asks him to think of the horse families who are about to be torn apart forever in the BLM roundup. With the stroke of a pen, he can stop the terror that is about to befall the majestic wild horses of the Calico Mountains in Nevada.”

IDA is asking the Administration to halt the roundup, charging that the BLM violated NEPA by failing to adequately assess the environmental impacts of its massive wild horse capture plan. Over 10,000 public comments were submitted in opposition to the Calico roundup, which the BLM has stated will cost taxpayers $1.7 million.

Despite promising to deliver change, the Obama Administration has continued the Bush Administration’s policy of removing tens of thousands of wild horses from their rightful Western ranges, often to make room for increased grazing of privately-owned livestock on public lands. The BLM currently warehouses 33,000 wild horses in government holding facilities – the legality of which Judge Friedman has just questioned – yet intends to round up and remove 12,000 more horses a year from the West for the next three years. After that time, the number of wild horses held captive in zoo-like conditions will far exceed those left in the wild.

Contacts: William J. Spriggs, Esq., 202-452-6051; Eric Kleiman, 717-939-3231

January 18, 2010

Another BLM Wild Horse Roundup: Submit Comments Today!
Comments Must Be Received By Jan. 27
Removal of 550 horses in eastern Nevada set to begin next month
Just When We Thought It Couldn’t Get Worse – Government Claims More Than 670,000 Acres Can Only Support 100 to 200 Horses
Dear IDA Members:
We told you this was going to be a long, hard fight – thank you for sticking with us to take action on each and every unacceptable assault by the Obama Administration on our wild horses. We are up against the deeply entrenched special interests who want wild horses removed from public lands so they can conduct business as usual. That means cheap usage of our public land for their private profits at the horses’ and taxpayers’ expense.
It’s time to get public comments in on another large removal of wild horses which is planned by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management . This time the BLM intends to remove over 500 of the estimated 645 horses living in or near the “Eagle Herd Management Area” in eastern Nevada outside of Ely. While 500 individuals is fewer than the 2,500 horses currently being rounded up and removed from the Calico Complex in northwest Nevada <click here for Calico update>, the Eagle roundup is even more ludicrous because it is 125,000 acres larger than Calico, but the government will only allow 100 horses to remain! In Calico, by contrast, 500-900 horses will be left behind in the approximately 500,000-acre public land complex.
The proposed Eagle HMA plan puts these wild horses at great risk because the BLM is reducing the number of horses to dangerously low numbers, which could threaten the viability of the herd. Many horse advocates believe this is the BLM’s method of systematically dwindling horse population numbers down to untenable levels in order to ultimately eradicate these American living legends from public lands.
The Obama Administration is continuing the Bush Administration policy of targeting wild horses in order to serve special cattle and other industry interests. Under President Obama's oversight, the BLM is actually accelerating the pace of wild horse removals, with 12,000 horses targeted for capture from our public lands in Fiscal Year 2010 alone. The majority of these horses will be sent to government holding facilities, where they will join the 35,000 wild horses already stockpiled at taxpayer expense.
For more information on the government's plans, the Preliminary Environmental Assessment for this roundup is available here.


Please fill out this form, and send it with one click to all the relevant decision-makers. Take the time today to submit your comments and protest against another massive Obama Administration wild horse roundup. And after you fill out the form, please use the "tell-a-friend" link you will be automatically directed to, to ask your friends and family to submit comments as well. We need to let the government know that Americans oppose these unnecessary and cruel roundups.

http://www.idablog.org/featured/another-fatality-at-calico/

Another Fatality at Calico
January 13th, 2010 | Author: Suzanne Roy

Steam escaping from sweaty horses run in the cold at Calico. Photo Credit : BLM

The BLM is reporting that a mare was found dead over the weekend in the holding pens at the Fallon facility. The veterinarian is attributing the death of the horse, who was from the Black Rock East HMA to “dietary feed change.”

Meanwhile weather grounded the capture helicopter on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Calico capture stats as of Monday: 547 gathered, 518 shipped to Fallon, 24 at gather corrals, 4 deaths, 1 escaped back to freedom.

UPDATE FROM BLM

Tuesday,
Jan. 12, 2010 Begin gathering at the Warm Springs HMA. The contractor gathered 99 horses (43 studs, 35 mares, 21 weanlings/foals) today before windy conditions shut down operations in the early afternoon. No animals were shipped to Fallon today.

Totals: 646 gathered, 519 transferred to Fallon, 123 at gather corrals, 4 deaths, 1 back to HMA

December 24, 2010


World’s Smartest Horse Wins Award
posted by Jake Richardson Dec 23, 2010 7:00 am
filed under: On The Go, Pets & Animals, horse

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I saw this on Care2 and thought you'd like it as well.

Care2 is the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world.Care2.com send We hate spam. We do not sell or share the email addresses you provide.44 comments Lukas the thoroughbred horse has been given a certificate of appreciation by California State Assemblyman Curt Hagman for his successes. (The award is also shared by the horse’s trainer Karen Murdock.) Lukas has been documented as the world record holder for most random numbers identified in one minute by a horse. He identified nineteen numbers when tested officially. Murdock said, “This is the fastest we’ve ever done this. Guinness has very rigid specifications, so I couldn’t praise him and that was difficult!” (Source: pr.com)

Some of the conditions required for making the record valid by official Guinness Book standards were:

•No equipment whatsoever to be used by the handler
•No touching or pointing by the handler or any other person
•The horse must return toward center after each number and make a conclusive selection
Lukas is seventeen years old and a former race horse who was abandoned because he didn’t do as well as expected on the race track. He was found starving in a yard when he was nine years old. Murdock was actually told to get rid of him when he was doing some things that people considered difficult, but she wouldn’t part with him. She taught him various activities like recognizing numbers, letters, colors, and shapes. He also does the Spanish Walk, Passage, curtsey, bow, rear, sit, jambette and other movements, without being forced. (Murdock does not use a whip.) He performs at non-profit benefits to raise awareness and funds.

Murdock said, “So many people have been curious about Lukas’ training that I’m very excited to be able to share him with other trainers, and hopefully influence methods on a broader scale. This is a system that I’ve spent a lifetime developing, incorporating elements from a wide variety of areas. I also draw heavily from my background as a psychiatric nurse employing scientific and systematic steps that produce maximum results.” (Discoverhorses.com)

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/worlds-smartest-horse-wins-award.html#ixzz19sxfdJpu

Dcember 31, 2010

Horse Trapped in Mud is Rescued
posted by: Megan Drake 2 days ago

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sender info:your name: your email: recipient info:recipient's address(es): Separate multiple e-mail addresses by a comma. You can send up to 100 recipients. personal messageHorse Trapped in Mud is Rescued Hello,
I saw this on Care2 and thought you'd like it as well.

Care2 is the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world.Care2.com send We hate spam. We do not sell or share the email addresses you provide.119 commentsOn Monday of this week, a German shepherd puppy named Rebel got his head stuck in a brick wall. Riverside County Department of Animal Services (RCDAS) came to his rescue.

Rebel’s rescue was dramatic enough, but then on Tuesday, RCDAS received a call about a quarter horse gelding named Mack that was stuck in some serious mud.
Mack and his owner were riding, but the owner did not realize the area had received such massive storms two days before. The area the horse got stuck in had actually been a makeshift lake due to the heavy rains.

Mack was stuck in the mud up to his torso. This rescue required about six officers and more members from the Norco Animal Rescue Team – a large animal emergency rescue -- with the city of Norco’s fire department.

The report came in about 3:30 p.m., an hour after the owners tried unsuccessfully to liberate Mack from the deep mud hole. The team effort finally got Mack freed from the mud by 7:30 p.m. They stepped in the mud themselves to wrap straps around Mack.

RCDAS’ Officer Tiffany Fuller and Lt. Chris Mayer attended to Mack. Mayer was almost waist deep in the mud. "Everyone was calling him the Mud Guy," Officer Fuller said. "It was really thick. We had to be careful people would not get stuck. The more we dug, the more the water would seep in. It was crazy."

By sunset Mack had started to give up. "The horse gave up. It was completely on its side” said Fuller. "I really didn't think that horse was going to make it."

After the mud release, Mack was placed in a trailer and returned to his owners. The report is Mack will be fine with no injuries other than his pride!

It’s nice to know who to call for animal emergencies. Great job, RCDAS!

December 10, 2010

SIGN PETITION : http://www.thepetitionsite.com/287/justice-for-Senior-suspiciousely-killed-at-thefmvBucharest/

A very souspicious death of a national champion horse, 18 years old SENIOR at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest....A very DARK and TRAGIC end for this wonderful animals
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Posted By: Mira Iordanescu
To: Members in STOP THE MASSACRE OF ANIMALS IN ROMANIA
A very souspicious death of a national champion horse, 18 years old SENIOR at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest....A very DARK and TRAGIC end for this wonderful animals
This petition is intended to the highest ranked authorities in Romania, because allegations about suspicious activities regarding the way animals are "donated" to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest have started to surface in the Romanian Media. Even more, allegations about cruelty, neglect and suspicious "sacrifices" of animals in the name of science have also started to surface.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/287/justice-for-Senior-suspiciousely-killed-at-thefmvBucharest/
This is a tragic story, the story of a wonderful 18 years old former national champion horse SENIOR who was "donated" to the FMV by a person who is not his owner, but used this horse in his school for back-horse riding lessons, for a few years...Apparently the owner reclaimed the horse but the FMV did not want to give him back ( Quote from the Dean Mr.G.Predoi : no horse will ever live the FMV alive ")
This great horse had also some requests for adoption on the dean's desk...people wanted to save him and to let him live the rest of his life in dignity, after all those years when he served the way he did. The dean replied that he could not give for adoption a horse whom they did not own...
Monday Dec.the 6th, this horse was killed....in secret...there are conflicting testimonies, witnesses afraid to tell the truth...and it is alleged that SENIOR had the jugular slashed without sedation...
We ask for a thorough and harsh investigation not only about the death of this horse but also about the practices at the FMV regarding the animals they use for "teaching purposes"...it appears that CRUELTY to animals is alto part of the curriculum...
The letter to the target contains the links to the Romanian media, about this case and some videos from the FMV "laboratories where they study anatomy on locally killed animals...they look like slaughter houses...
Please help us change for the better the lives of animals in Romania and bring to justice all the perpetrators...ALL

French

Nous demandons une investigation sans precedent dans les activites un peu "obscure" a la Faculte de Medicine Veterinaire de Bucharest , parceque de tres graves accusation sont apparues dans la media de Roumania. Il parrait qu'il y ait un sort de camouflage surtout concernant les animaux "donnes" pour enseignement.

Il y a aussi des accusation tres graves de cruaute envers les animaux...
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/287/justice-for-Senior-suspiciousely-killed-at-thefmvBucharest/

L'histoire tragique de ce beau cheval a declanche une reaction sans precedant et nous sommes determines de trouver la verite. SENIOR a eu 18 ans quand il a ete TUE , Lundi le 6 Dec....ce cheval a ete champion national, a ete cheval d'ecole d'equitation...Le proprietaire de l'ecole d'equitation a "donne" Senior a la FMV sans informer son proprietaire ...Senior etait a l'ecole d'equitation pour etre utilise pour les lecons....Apparament la faculte a refuse de retourner le cheval a son proprietaire et a refuse aussi les demandes d'adopion qui ont ete faites pour le sauver et le placer dans un refuge, santuaire...Personne de tous ces gens qui etaient interesses a sauver Senior, n'a pas ete informee de la descision prise en grande hate par la FMV de le "sacrifier" au nom de la sceance...
Sa mort est encore plus etrange car les temoins ont peur de temoigner, ils is a des rumeurres qu'il ait eu un infarctus, puis des problemes avec les intestins, puis qu'ils lui ont couppee la jugulaire sans anesthesie et l'ont laisse mourir ...
Nous voulons une investigation complete, severe et nous voulons que tous les gesn impliques dans des activite hors la lois de cette institution soient deferes en justice et punis selon leur degree de culpabilite.
Quand le Doyen d'une institution d'enseignement superieur commence a camufler la verite, et lui meme ne veut pas dire la VERITE....quand les condition de vie des animaux d'etude ne correspondent pas a un minimum imposes par les lois du pays...ca ne peut plus etre toleree
Le text de la petition est en anglais..il y a aussi des liens au articles parrues en Roumanie
merci







No one should be above the LAW....Those found guilty of trespassing the LAWS if the land, should be first FIRED and in this special case banned from teaching and/or practicing medicine...PERIOD...and if found guilty of crimes against animals....they should go to JAIL....This school is not supposed to teach HOW TO TORTURE animals, how to starve them, how to kill them...this crimes can be committed without such high education....what is the difference between a veterinarian who ILLEGALLY KILLS thousands of healthy animals ( because the mayor of the city ordered ) and an illiterate person who just poison them... ?

Please sign and share our petition
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/287/justice-for-Senior-suspiciousely-killed-at-thefmvBucharest/

JANUARY 4, 2011

BLM Director Speaks At Horse Slaughter Conference
posted by: Sharon Seltzer 16 hours ago

Tell a FriendSharePrint.DiggRedditCare2StumbleUponmore Select a service:StumbleUponRedditDiggBuzz UpFacebookTwitterMySpaceMixxDel.icio.usGoogle BookmarksFavoritesCare2
sender info:your name: your email: recipient info:recipient's address(es): Separate multiple e-mail addresses by a comma. You can send up to 100 recipients. personal messageBLM Director Speaks At Horse Slaughter Conference Hello,
I saw this on Care2 and thought you'd like it as well.

Care2 is the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world.Care2.com send We hate spam. We do not sell or share the email addresses you provide.95 commentsWild horse advocates are furious with U.S. Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey for the keynote address he will give this week at a controversial conference sponsored by a group that promotes euthanasia and “humane slaughter” as a way of controlling mustang herds.



United Horsemen is the organization behind the “Summit of the Horse” conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wyoming-based nonprofit group is currently lobbying for a slaughterhouse in their state where horses could be killed for human consumption.



Sue Wallis who is a rancher and founder of United Horsemen said the purpose of the summit is to find solutions to deal with the excess numbers of horses on federal land.



But the group’s website clearly states United Horsemen was formed for two key issues:

•To restore humane and regulated horse slaughter in the U.S. and
•To control the overpopulation of wild and feral horses on federal, state, tribal, and private lands.
The list of speakers also points to a conference with an agenda.



The BLM chief will be talking alongside the USDA Slaughter Horse Transport Program, a Livestock Roundup Company that captures wild horses and burros, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and several representatives from Canada’s horse slaughter program.



The agenda even includes a lecture from a self-proclaimed “internationally renowned expert on the radical agenda and tactics of animal rights organizations worldwide.”



Ginger Kathrens, director of the horse advocacy group Cloud Foundation said, “The BLM’s significant participation in this slaughter summit is truly troubling.”



“The BLM needs to change course and begin listening to the American people who are calling for the protection and preservation of our wild herds, not to those who would profit from their flesh,” continued Kathrens.



BLM spokesperson Celia Boddington said Abbey is going to the summit because he has “an obligation to talk to all sides of the issue.”



“Since he has become BLM Director, Bob has emphasized outreach to all different groups on this issue,” she told the Associated Press. “It’s simply inappropriate for one side to say whom the BLM should be talking to. Everybody has a place at the table,” continued Boddington.



Boddington added that Abbey and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar remain firmly opposed to euthanasia for wild horses and burros.



The summit is expected to draw government officials, sportsmen, wildlife advocates, tribal officials, ranchers and experts in horse management.



United Horsemen admit they want to change Abbey’s policy.



Wallis summed it up this way, “What the federal government is doing is settling up a welfare entitlement program for horses, and we think it’s ridiculous. We want horse processing to come back to the U.S. so we can oversee it and ensure it’s done properly.”

october 3, 2O10

Posted By: Michael-Mehrdod Khajeh-Noori Zand Prince
To: Members in SAVE the HORSES of the Horse Refuge, Kent!
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE HORSE REFUGE - WORRYING DEVELOPMENT AS OWNER SEEMS TO BE PUTTING HORSES LIVES IN DANGER.
"Sara is a special sort of person. It would be criminal if her vision and dedication are scuppered by the selfishness of a less generous spirit and the horses loose their home and possibly their lives. She gives her all ,Now it is our turn."Geoff Francis - Bonobo.tv - Where is Sara? No news. Husband said she would call. Still no calls. no replies to emails. All we know is that they are illegally staying at Tenterden - putting the lives of all the animals at risk.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE HORSE REFUGE - WORRYING DEVELOPMENT AS OWNER SEEMS TO BE PUTTING HORSES LIVES IN DANGER.
Posted by Michael-Mehrdod Khajeh-Noori Zand Prince El 03 de octubre de 2010 a las 14:38
"Sara is a special sort of person. It would be criminal if her vision and dedication are scuppered by the selfishness of a less generous spirit and the horses loose their home and possibly their lives. She gives her all ,Now it is our turn."Geoff Francis - Bonobo.tv - Where is Sara? No news. Husband said she would call. Still no calls. no replies to emails. All we know is that they are illegally staying at Tenterden - putting the lives of all the animals at risk.

DECEMBER 18, 2010

Members in SAVE the HORSES of the Horse Refuge, Kent!
Update - homeless and hungry - dependent on the kindness of strangers
The horse of the Horse Refuge are safe but the eviction has taken place.

A 'nearby' farmer has lent his land to Sara Ross, the 50 rescue horses and some of the other animals rescues. In order to ensure that the animals get the 24/7 attention that they need Sara has to be nearby - so this means she is in a shed with no heating!

How you can help: The horses need haylage, vet fees are high, farrier fees must be paid. Do you have a mobile home you could lend Sara?

Can you help with fund raising? We have raffle tickets for anyone that wants to sell some.

See further www.zandrhr.org.

DECEMBER 20, 2010

Members in SAVE the HORSES of the Horse Refuge, Kent!
Update on the horses
An interesting article.

From sitting in the House of Lords...to sleeping in a shed: how Sara Ross sacrificed it all for the animals she loves
By Natasha Courtenay-Smith
Last updated at 11:15 AM on 20th December 2010

Comments (124) Add to My Stories

As the trusted personal assistant to life peer Lord Houghton of Sowerby, Sara Ross led a charmed life. In and out of the House of Lords on a daily basis, she rubbed shoulders with politicians, dined in London’s finest ­restaurants and shopped for designer dresses on the King’s Road in Chelsea, West London.
Private dinner parties and drinks at Downing Street were regular fixtures in her busy diary, and among her acquaintances were Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair.
In the circles in which she moved, Sara made quite a name for herself. For 15 years, she worked alongside Lord Houghton on legislation to improve animal welfare, and their efforts formed the bedrock of the ­Animal Welfare Act. Then, in 1994, Sara, 50, set up The Horse Refuge, a sanctuary for abused and abandoned animals that has gained the support of celebrities including Leona Lewis, Joanna Lumley and Simon Cowell.
Riches to rags: Sara Ross lives in a freezing outbuilding with no central heating or hot water


But Sara’s devotion to her work has come at a high price. While it’s easy to imagine such a woman must be living in comfort in a large country property, in fact she and her husband Alan are virtually homeless, and living in a draughty outbuilding on a farm in Kent, having sold their £200,000 home and everything they own for the sake of their project.
To say it is a basic set-up would be an understatement. Sara and Alan share their outbuilding with 20 animals, including dogs, several feral cats, five parrots and a tawny owl called Wol, all of whom she has ­rescued.
'What she now calls ‘home’ has no ­central heating and hot water, and she cooks on a camping stove in a tiny kitchen that also houses the loo'
What she now calls ‘home’ has no ­central heating and hot water, and she cooks on a camping stove in a tiny kitchen that also houses the loo.

Whereas Sara once had ­regular hair appointments with the hairdresser Philip Kingsley, she hasn’t had a bath in weeks. She goes to sleep each night wearing a woolly hat, a pair of gloves and two pairs of thick socks. She used to eat at establishments such as ­Ronnie Scott’s, Madam Jojo’s, ­Bluebird and The Ivy. Now she survives on tinned food and Cup-a-Soups.
Each morning she wakes at 5.30am to tend to the 49 horses and dozens of other animals and, with little respite from the biting cold, she is suffering from painful frostbite on her fingers and toes.
So why did this privately educated daughter of a former Army officer and a ballet dancer turn her back on her gilded life?

Sanctuary: Sara shares her outbuilding with 20 animals - including tawny owl Wol - which she has rescued
‘Whereas I’d once spend £300 on a dress on the King’s Road, now I don’t spend that in a year,’ says Sara. ‘These animals are everything to me.
‘If you could see the state of some of them when they come in — it’s just so shocking. We’ve had a horse tied up to the gatepost who had been beaten so badly she was almost dead, and a ­basset hound who was covered in cigarette burns inflicted by his owners.
‘It’s impossible to re-home a lot of the animals — some are too old or infirm to be moved while others have suffered such terrible abuse that they’re terrified of human contact. I would never refuse to take in an animal. Seeing them get better and learn to trust again is the most incredible thing.’
Ever since she was a little girl, when she set up her own ‘field hospital’ for injured pigeons in her parents’ kitchen, Sara has loved animals.
After leaving school, she went on to attend secretarial college before ­taking a job in Parliament. It was working with Lord Houghton, whom she cared for until his death in 1996 at the age of 97, on animal welfare that led her to set up The Horse Refuge.
‘When I set up the refuge in 1994, I was still working in Parliament and working for Douggie (Lord Houghton), but eventually I realised I couldn’t do both,’ she says.

Animal lover: Sara set up the sanctuary The Horse Refuse in 1994 when she worked in the House Of Lords
‘After he died, I stayed on in Parliament for a bit, but I started working with the writer Carla Lane, who’d set up her own sanctuary. And, in 1998, I took six months out to help her out while rescuing animals for my own refuge. I just never went back to work — there was too much to do.’
Today, The Horse Refuge is home to more than 100 animals, including 49 horses, four dogs, eight cats, eight chickens, two pigs, three ­peacocks, five geese, three ducks, two deer, a cow, a goat, five parrots, two blackbirds and an owl.
'Christmas Day, too, will be like any other day. ‘I’ll be out in the yard all day and dinner will probably be beans on toast at 10 o’clock,’ says Sara. ‘That’s just the way things are'
Over the past decade, Sara has moved the refuge around various locations in the Home Counties, ­renting farm space as it became ­available, the entire operation funded largely by donations.
Ten years ago, she met Alan, now 57, a session guitarist and songwriter who has worked with stars including Natasha Bedingfield and George Michael, and the couple married in 2002.
‘Alan bought into the dream as much as I did,’ says Sara. ‘He understands my need to look after any animals that come our way.’
In 2007, however, the couple were forced to sell their £200,000 home in Tatsfield, Surrey, to cover the spiralling costs of running their project. They also sold personal possessions including furniture and jewellery.
‘I was devastated when we had to sell our house,’ admits Sara. ‘But we didn’t have any choice. I would never refuse an animal and if I have to sell my possessions because of that, then so be it.’
They moved into a rented farm in Tenterden, Kent, but found themselves facing eviction — unless they could stump up the £600,000 needed to buy the farm.

Tough life: Ross admits the last few months of living in a freezing outbuilding have been "absolutely horrific"
They just didn’t have the money and, in October, hounded by bailiffs, and with their beloved horses just hours away from being slaughtered by order of a judge following an eviction hearing, they managed to find another farm that would house the animals, which is where they now live. ‘We were saved at the 11th hour,’ says Sara. ‘The owners of another farm said they had space for the animals, but there was nowhere for us to live, so that’s why we’re living in this outhouse.’
Sara admits sleeping in a shed with no central heating or hot water is ­taking its toll. ‘We have a bed, a kettle and a small camping stove to cook on, but it’s hard,’ she says.
‘Thankfully there’s a loo in the shed, but there’s no hot water, so I wash with boiled water and a flannel in the basin. But our clothes are filthy.’
Her meagre wardrobe mainly ­consists of dirty farm clothes and threadbare old jumpers, although an expensive Nicole Farhi coat hanging at the back of the shed is a remnant of the life she once led.
The experience has also taken its toll on Sara’s health. ‘I have frostbite on my fingers and toes — my feet are purple,’ she says. ‘Friends have said they’re worried I’ll catch hypothermia, but I try not to think about it.’
Around 100 animals, including 49 horses, currently live in the Horse Refuge, which has moved to several locations in the past decade
Meanwhile, the financial strain shows no sign of letting up.
‘Some people aren’t in a position to donate money because of the recession and we appreciate that,’ she says. ‘But we rely entirely on donations and running a sanctuary this big is incredibly costly. Having to move has almost destroyed us. Everything I’d squirrelled away for hay to get us through the winter was used up by the move, which cost £15,000.’
The refuge’s outgoings — around £2,500 a week in winter on rent, food and bedding — greatly outweigh the amount that trickles in through donations. Sara and Alan spend every last penny they have on the animals, but they are crippled by debt and believe the refuge could run out of money in a matter of weeks.
‘I’m not going to lie. The last few months have been absolutely ­horrific and there have been times where I’ve just sat there and cried and cried because I’m such a wreck.'
The couple’s only hope is finding a permanent home for the refuge, but they admit that finding someone to buy a property for them, or raising enough through donations to buy their own farm, especially in the current economic climate, is not going to be easy. Meanwhile, Sara says she will continue to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
‘The last time I went on holiday was in May 2004 when I went to the South of France for two days,’ she recalls. ‘It was lovely, but I can’t imagine having another holiday for a long, long time.
‘Friends have offered to put us up in a B&B so we can escape the cold for one night but for me that would be torture, having to come back to our freezing shed afterwards.’
Christmas Day, too, will be like any other day. ‘I’ll be out in the yard all day and dinner will probably be beans on toast at 10 o’clock,’ says Sara. ‘That’s just the way things are.
‘At the moment, I’m just about coping, but I can’t even allow myself to contemplate what would happen if we don’t find somewhere. We can’t live in a shed for ever, but closing the refuge isn’t an option. When I thought the horses were going to be killed I was prepared to throw myself over them to stop it happening. The slaughtermen would have to physically drag me away.
‘I’m not going to lie. The last few months have been absolutely ­horrific and there have been times where I’ve just sat there and cried and cried because I’m such a wreck.
‘Of course I think back wistfully to those days and wish I was in a better position. But I’m a very steely woman and I believe in what I’m doing. I’m determined to get through it. All I can do is hope that one day things will start to turn around for us.’
To make a donation, please visit www.thehorserefuge.org




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1340047/How-Sara-Ross-sacrificed-charmed-life-animals-loves.html#ixzz1A77oxhp7

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

Comments Needed for Carriage Horses
During a multi-day heat wave, Balatore, a 23-year old horse-for-hire, collapsed and died in downtown Portland last Summer while struggling to pull a wedding party in a carriage. Since then, In Defense of Animals (IDA) has been working to educate city leaders about the inherent cruelty and safety concerns of mixing horse drawn carriages and city traffic, advocating for an outright ban of horse carriages in Portland.
Despite a consensus among city officials in a early meeting where all participants agreed that regulations would be difficult to enforce and be unable to prevent further horse and human accidents, Mayor Sam Adams is rejecting the idea of banning the carriage horse industry. Instead he has recently released his proposed regulations for the carriage industry after gathering input over the past year from a committee that included IDA, other advocates, city representatives, and carriage operators and company owners.

The mayor needs to hear from you. Please review the regulations and then send a polite message and emphasize that horse drawn carriages and city traffic are a bad mix. Ask Mayor Adams to reconsider a prohibition of carriage horses instead of these proposed regulations. To add your comments, please get in touch with Frank Dufay, of the Private for Hire Transportation Program in the Revenue Bureau at: frank.dufay[at]portlandoregon[dot]gov.
Here are some talking points you may want to include in your own words:
•Tragedies like the public dramatic death of Balatore, can not be prevented with regulations.
•Examples abound across the country where horses routinely get spooked and run amock, with serious and sometimes fatal injuries to both people and animals.
•Regulations will be little more than window dressing because they will be difficult to enforce and are, by and large, relying on the carriage companies to police themselves.
•Carriage companies operating in Portland are all from out of town, bringing considerable risk and liabilty to the city, but taking revenues back to their outlying rural communities.
•The tragic death of Balatore is a wake up call to Portland.
•A prohibition ordinance is a humane, reasonable and prudent response to this tragic accident, preventing animal and human harm and will put Portland in good company with many other progressive cities like Santa Fe, New Mexico, Biloxi, Mississippi, Camden, New Jersey, Reno, Nevada, Paris and London, to name a few which have enacted similar bans.

January 6, 2011

Glee's Lea Michele Speaks Out Against Horse-Drawn Carriages (VIDEO)
posted by: Desirai Thompson 14 hours ago

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sender info:your name: your email: recipient info:recipient's address(es): Separate multiple e-mail addresses by a comma. You can send up to 100 recipients. personal messageGlee's Lea Michele Speaks Out Against Horse-Drawn Carriages (VIDEO) Hello,
I saw this on Care2 and thought you'd like it as well.

Care2 is the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world.Care2.com send We hate spam. We do not sell or share the email addresses you provide.20 commentsLea Michele, vegan actress and star of the hit TV show Glee, speaks up for the horses that are confined to the carriage industry of New York City. The media portrays this practice as a fun family experience, but the truth is much less innocuous.

These horses are forced to pull heavy loads through traffic and breathe dangerous exhaust fumes during the hottest days and coldest nights. They spend their off-hours in cramped, feces-infested stalls where they are often tied to their troughs and have little room to turn around or even stretch out.

These rides can be found year-round, not only in New York City, but cities and towns across the country. Please boycott this harsh practice.

WATCH VIDEO : http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/lea-michele-speaks-out-against-horse-drawn-carriages-video/

December 20, 2010

WY Resident Files Complaint Against Horse Slaughter Proponent, Rep. Sue Wallis
A Wy resident has asked the WY state attorney general, state House of Representatives and secretary of state to investigate possible ethics and securities law violations by Wy. state Rep. Sue Wallis. The complaint charges Wallis, an avid proponent of horse slaughter, has abused her position as a state legislator to advocate for laws that would further her personal financial interests including her plans to open a horse slaughter facility in Wyoming.

Pro-Horse Slaughter Rep Subject of Fraud, Ethics InquiryPosted Dec 24, 2010 by lauraallen Horse SlaughterCHICAGO - Wyoming resident, Patricia Fazio, Ph.D. has filed a complaint with state officials, requesting an investigation of alleged violations of ethics laws and securities fraud by Wyoming State Rep. Sue Wallis (R-Campbell).

Animal Law Coalition (ALC), Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and Habitat for Horses Advisory Council (HfHAC) applaud Dr. Fazio and join in the call for authorities to investigate Wallis' activities.

The complaint alleges Rep. Wallis is improperly and even fraudulently abusing her position as a Wyoming legislator. The complaint further alleges that Rep. Wallis not only neglected to recuse herself or disclose her personal financial interest in votes, but that she has actually "sponsored" bills that would materially benefit her or her family.

Wallis has publicly claimed to be forming a business under the name, Unified Equine LLC, which she says will slaughter horses and sell the meat within Wyoming. At the same time, in her capacity as a legislator, she is promoting legislation that would deregulate, promote and favor horse slaughter operations.

Wallis published a web page enticing people to invest in Unified Equine LLC which turned out to be a non-existent entity for months. Also according to the Complaint, the apparent solicitation for investors may have violated other federal and state securities laws.

The fraud on investors may go deeper: Not only is commercial horse slaughter for human consumption illegal in the U.S., as the complaint states, "there is no market in the U.S. for human consumption of horsemeat, nor is there a market for use of horsemeat in pet food". To be a viable business within Wyoming with its population of 544,270, such a facility "would have to ...sell approximately 10,000,000 pounds of horsemeat per year, or 18 pounds for every man, woman and child in the state".

Wallis has also sponsored the "Food Freedom Act", a bill that would eliminate all regulation of food sold directly to the consumer. The bill was dubbed by one health department official as a "fraud".

The bill could allow Wallis' slaughter business to sell contaminated horse meat directly to Wyoming consumers without any form of government oversight, testing or inspection. American horses are not raised for food and are typically administered drugs including carcinogens that, according to the FDA, are prohibited in horsemeat sold as human food.

The deceptively named Food Freedom Act would likely also benefit Wallis' family's business which sells homemade jellies and syrups, among other food goods.

The complaint further calls into question Wallis' use of 501(c)3 charitable designations to solicit funds for her promotion of horse slaughter. Wallis has a number of ever-changing, interrelated organizations and websites that solicit funds for allegedly "charitable" or "educational" purposes. But Wallis' efforts appear to be purely political, focused on passing laws from which she can benefit personally and financially.

It is not clear where donations are actually going, and Dr. Fazio requests an investigation into possible commingling of tax exempt and non-tax exempt funds. Wallis has also openly touted her position as a legislator to solicit funding for pro-horse slaughter interests.

Most recently, Wallis has announced she is holding a pro-horse slaughter "summit" in Las Vegas with a hefty price tag for attendees. She was to announce the winner of a raffle for a new pick-up truck. Then according to the complaint, Wallis announced she may not be able to buy the truck and asked raffle participants if she could just keep the money from ticket sales. According to the complaint, Wallis may be "running an unlicensed lottery, and at worst she has attempted to defraud those who bought the tickets at $100 apiece."

According to the Wyoming Minority Floor Leader Rep. W. Patrick Goggles, the complaint has been referred to the Legislative Service Office for review. Dr. Fazio also requested the Wyoming Attorney General as well as the Secretary of State's ethics disclosure and compliance offices to investigate these allegations.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Go here to send letters to state officials, calling on them to investigate Dr. Fazio's allegations.

http://media.causes.com/ribbon/969252

January 10, 2011

Attend Wild Horse Court Hearing
Tuesday, January 11, San Francisco
Dear Jaime:
Thank you for all your activism on behalf of wild horses in 2010!
You are cordially invited to a most important event on behalf of the wild horses and burros. We need a show of support in court as we (and the other plaintiffs) press on in the Twin Peaks litigation.
Please mark your calendars. Dress neatly and professionally.
What: Twin Peaks wild horses appellate hearing
When: January 11, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
Where: United States Courthouse (9th Circuit), 95 Seventh Street (Corner of 7th and Mission), Courtroom No. 1, San Francisco, CA 94103
More info: IDA's Twin Peaks litigation is pressing on, challenging the decision-making process that led to the removal of 1,639 wild horses and burros. This is vitally important litigation, and the our attorney feels that a strong show of support from the public is very important.
Important note: There are five cases calendared before the wild horse case, so this case will probably not be heard before 10:30 a.m. However the panel can rearrange the order of the cases if they choose, so if you are planning to come you should arrive a few minutes before 9:00 a.m. and plan to stay until 12:30.
We are informed that Courtroom 1 is large, so there should be plenty of room for everyone to grab a seat. It is important that as many supporters of the wild horses as possible attend.

13 mars 2014

Viande de cheval scandale

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Enquête en Amérique chez les fournisseurs des supermarchés français C'est la plus vaste investigation internationale jamais menée sur la viande de cheval en provenance des Amériques vendue dans les supermarchés français. Pendant 2 ans, nos enquêteurs ont suivi le calvaire des chevaux à travers les Etats-Unis, le Canada, le Mexique, l'Uruguay et l'Argentine. Le calvaire des chevaux en Amérique Un résumé de l'enquête en vidéo (25') Le constat est terrible : des chevaux émaciés, malades ou blessés s’échangent au prix de 9$ sur les marchés aux enchères américains. Des bétaillères bondées, parcourent des milliers de kilomètres au cours desquels les chevaux n'auront ni eau, ni nourriture. Des centres de rassemblement regroupent des milliers de chevaux exposés à la neige et au grand froid au nord tandis qu'au sud, le soleil est impitoyable pour ces chevaux laissés sans abri. Nous avons filmé de nombreux chevaux avec des plaies ouvertes, des yeux crevés, des membres déboités ou cassés, laissés sans soin ; d'autres morts, en décomposition, dans les feedlots. En plus du traitement inacceptable des chevaux, l'utilisation de phénylbutazone ou d'autres substances dangereuses interdites dans l'UE est courante. Dans plusieurs de ces pays, la phénylbutazone est en vente libre, les contrôles vétérinaires sporadiques, les registres inexistants ou non fiables. Plusieurs chevaux ayant reçu de la phénylbutazone ont été tracés jusque dans les abattoirs canadiens. « Nous demandons aux grandes surfaces de cesser de commercialiser de la viande de chevaux en provenance des Amériques. L’importation de viande de cheval contribue à maintenir le système en place et à faire subir aux animaux des traitements cruels, d'ailleurs illégaux en Europe. » déclare Brigitte Gothière, porte-parole de L214. → Télécharger le dossier complet → Voir la vidéo → Vidéo et photos en HD sur demande contact presse Enquête internationale au Far West Lasagnes à la viande de cheval, chevaux volés, chevaux issus de l’industrie pharmaceutique ou de centres équestres : plusieurs scandales ont fait la une des journaux l’an dernier sur la viande chevaline made in France. Or, en France, au moins 60% de la viande chevaline importée provient du continent américain, soit plus de 9000 tonnes. L214 s’est associée à Tierschutzbund Zürich (TSB/AWF), Animals Angels’ USA, GAIA, Eyes on Animals pour mener une vaste enquête en 2012 et 2013 aux États-Unis, au Canada, au Mexique, en Uruguay et en Argentine, principaux pays fournisseurs de viande de cheval des supermarchés français. Notre équipe internationale a mené ses investigations sur les marchés aux enchères, dans les stations de collecte, dans les enclos d’exportation, aux frontières, aux points de contrôles vétérinaires, dans les feedlots et les abattoirs. Circulez, y’a rien à voir ! Le marché est dominé par quelques compagnies d’importation. Leurs déclarations, relayées par les supermarchés, concernant le bien-être des animaux et la protection des consommateurs marquent un saisissant contraste avec la réalité : les chevaux vivraient en liberté et recevraient des soins appropriés. De plus la traçabilité serait garantie depuis la ferme d’origine, les conditions de transport seraient correctes, inférieures à 12h et l’abattage sans souffrance. Les preuves accumulées par nos équipes révèlent une toute autre réalité. → En pages 15 et 16 du dossier Du nord au sud, triste destin pour les chevaux Les chevaux en route pour les abattoirs sont des chevaux indésirables, devenus inutiles ou encombrants. Ces chevaux émaciés, malades ou blessés peuvent s’échanger au prix de 9$ sur les marchés aux enchères américains. Nous les avons vus malmenés, frappés à coups de bâtons ou de cordes, d’aiguillons électriques (interdits dans l'UE) et mordus par des chiens. Nous les avons filmés à terre dans les bétaillères, morts ou agonisants, piétinés par les autres. Nous les avons suivis pendant des dizaines d’heures par tous les temps, alors qu’ils étaient privés d’eau et de nourriture. Nous avons constaté les heures où ils sont restés exposés en plein soleil, sans eau ni nourriture, lors d’un passage de frontière par des températures de plus de 40°C, la bétaillère scellée empêchant le chauffeur de venir en aide à des chevaux tombés à terre. Nous les avons observés dans la neige, par grand froid, au milieu d’un feedlot sans endroit où s’abriter. Nous avons croisés des chevaux obèses au Canada, gavés de céréales, et d’autres émaciés, avec juste la peau sur les os. Nous avons vu des fractures ouvertes des pattes, des plaies infectées, des juments mortes en cours de mise bas en plein milieu de feedlots. Nous avons vu ces chevaux agonisants abandonnés à même le sol des abattoirs pendant que les autres paniquaient poussés vers le box d’abattage par des ouvriers brutaux. Nous les avons vu, le crâne percuté par un matador s’écrouler et mourir, après un éprouvant périple. → En pages 3 à 10 du dossier Des chevaux non destinés à la consommation humaine Dans la plupart de ces pays, les chevaux ne sont pas mangés, ne sont pas considérés comme de la nourriture potentielle. En Argentine, une loi en interdit même la commercialisation. Les propriétaires ne sont donc pas alertés sur le fait que les animaux dont ils ont la charge finiront dans des assiettes et il n’y a pas de législation qui impose un carnet de suivi. Les traitements médicamenteux sont adaptés aux pathologies du cheval : il n’est pas rare que ces traitements, souvent en vente libre et disponibles sans prescription, soient interdits en Europe pour les chevaux destinés à la boucherie : c’est le cas pour la phénylbutazone. Ces chevaux, qui finissent néanmoins à l’abattoir, sont des animaux en fin de carrière (sport, travail ou loisirs), vieux, malades ou blessés, considérés comme désormais inutiles ou encombrants. La traçabilité repose sur des déclarations, considérées comme non fiables par l’Office Alimentaire et Vétérinaire européen (OAV). Les chevaux nés en France ont un document d’identification qui les suit tout au long de leur vie. Ce document permet de savoir si le cheval peut être abattu pour la consommation humaine. → En pages 11 à 14 du dossier Des réglementations et des pratiques différentes Les standards en vigueur dans l'UE, notamment pendant le transport, ne sont pas exigés dans les pays tiers. Si, pour exporter, un abattoir doit être agréé et appliquer la réglementation européenne, il n’est rien exigé concernant le transport. En Europe, le transport des animaux est encadré par le règlement 1/2005. Les législations dans les pays tiers sont très différentes. Ainsi, les chevaux peuvent légalement être transportés jusqu’à 36h d’affilée en Argentine, en Uruguay et au Canada (contre 24h en Europe), dans des bétaillères sans ventilation, sans séparation voire sans toit. Il n’est alors pas rare de trouver des chevaux piétinés par les autres, des chevaux déshydratés et épuisés par ces transports très longs et éprouvants. Nous en avons rencontrés beaucoup au cours de notre enquête.