|
| |
|
Feb 2010 |
Humane Society of United States at it again
Remember this is not the humane society you think it is. This one is a left
leaning progressive environmental group that seeks to control how we raise
animals and grow food. It is NOT the ASPCA (American Society for the prevention
of cruelty to animals)
A recent Capital Press article (2/5/2010), states that the Humane Society of
United States wants to control chicken and hog farmers in Ohio by introducing
legislation banning cages.
If passed, this legislation will probably put many farmers out of business as
they will no longer be competitive.
Remember, they have already succeeded in California by introducing legislation
(that passed) that banned cages for chickens.
Just how long will it be before they propose legislation that affects us horse
owners?
It’s chickens and pigs now. Horses next? I am sure that their goal is to not
allow our horses to be kept in stalls or paddocks. That would be another way to
eliminate many horse owners and horse breeders.
Here’s an Ohio news article that goes into more depth:
MORE
Here is another OHIO news link:
MORE |
|
|
May 22, 2009 |
In 2006, Dr Halper from the University of Georgia, with the support of
our National Organization, released a News Bulletin to the entire equine
world. That press release sent to every vet clinic in the United States
claimed that Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis was actually a
“systematic disorder involving accumulation of proteoglycans” and
claimed that “it was most common in Peruvian Pasos” The claim was also
made that they had developed a test and that the since the disease
“tends to run in families” by simply cutting into the nuchal ligament of
horses and looking for proteoglycans. “Peruvian horse owners can choose
not to breed predisposed horses” Dr Halper even changed the name to
Equine Systemic Proteoglycans Accumulation…
ESPA
Every veterinary clinic in the country now has this information
The only problem with all of this is ……
none of it is true.
Simply by looking at Dr Halpers own charts it became obvious that the
data did not back up the conclusions and we stated this in the
Misdiagnosis Report in 2007.
Now six Doctors from across the country, in an independent abstract
study came to the exact same conclusion.
Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis is Not a Systemic Proteoglycan
Disease - April 2009,
J Gallante,
Orthopedic surgery Rush Medical College, Chicago Il. R Poole,
Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University D Schenkman,
Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin. A Armier,
Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota J Williams,
, Orthopedic surgery Rush Medical College, Chicago Il R Schultz
Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin.
Taken from their conclusion: “In contrast to the findings of a previous
study, proteoglycans deposition was not unique to DSLD horses, and
Proteoglycan deposition in aortas and nuchal ligaments of some control
horses exceeded levels of proteoglycans presents in similar DSLD horses.
We found no evidence that DSLD is a systemic proteoglycans deposition
disease.”
From the Misdiagnosis report 2007
“However, by simply looking at Dr Halper's own charts we can see that
the unaffected Peruvian control horse has this accumulation in as many
places as the affected horses and five of seven of the unaffected
control horses would test positive with a nuchal ligament biopsy”
The
fact remains that what people call DSLD is for the most part an
accumulation of small injuries that when left untreated become
chronic. To find out more about these injuries go to,
WWW.friendsoftheperuvianhorse.com
and click on healthy horses. To read the full “Misdiagnosis Report”
click on research.
Rich Ovenburg
|
|
|
March 18, 2009 |
Potomac Horse Fever Outbreak in the Pacific Northwest
From July to Dec. of 2008, 30 horses with enterocolitis tested
positive for PHF at the OSU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. Oregon's Lane and Jackson
counties lead with 5 positive cases each.
It is common especially for vector borne diseases to vary in
incidence in endemic areas. Northwest was particularly mild and caddisfly
and mayfly hatches were observed as late as mid Nov. Concurrent with the PHF
outbreak, horses here were also experiencing the worst Pigeon Fever epidemic in
recent memory. In summer and fall of 2009, it may become evident that our
region is endemic for these diseases once more.
Wes Violet, DVM
South Willamette Veterinary Clinic
255 Emerald Parkway
Creswell, OR 97426
(541) 895-5665
For the the complete article go
HERE: (pdf file) |
|
|
Jan 18, 2009 |
Update on Elijah Bristow
This weekend we rode EB and we noticed that many areas have been damaged due
to flooding. There were also trees down on some of the trails.
The park rangers will
be re-working and and re-routing some trails, due to flood damage, away from the
river because the bank on some trails are on the verge of sliding into the
water. The rangers are also trying to clean up the fallen trees.
As we all know,
winter is not over, so be careful. |
|
|
Nov 15, 2008 |
Springfield horse trailer maker ceases operations
By Joe Mosley
The Register-Guard
SPRINGFIELD — Silverado Trailers, a
Springfield business that has built horse and stock trailers since 1991,
has been put on hold by its owner pending the outcome of the nation’s
economic crisis.
“I’m just sitting back, waiting to see what
the hell’s happening with the world,” Silverado owner Major Defoe said
Friday when reached at his Oregon Horse Center, on Prairie Road between
Eugene and Junction City.
Defoe acknowledged that the trailer
manufacturing and sales operation at 632 Shelley St. in Springfield has
been closed since last month. It’s unclear whether the facility will
reopen.
“I’m just taking a good vacation, and we’ll
wait and see,” Defoe said. “I was disappointed in the elections, and I
don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t have a crystal ball.”
Silverado Trailers was operating from the
former site of Defoe’s Blue Water Boats, which manufactured Fiberglas
pleasure boats before closing in 1996.
The trailer company designed and produced
made-to-order horse and stock trailers for sale directly to its end
customers. Its models included everything from a two-stall horse trailer
called the “Cascade” to a combination horse trailer/fifth-wheel travel
trailer called the “Classic Coach.”
Prices ranged from under $10,000 to more
than $100,000, Defoe said.
The design, manufacturing and sales
operation employed more than 30 people at its peak, but was down to 11
employees prior to its closure, he said.
Defoe blamed the current economic downturn,
saying conditions began deteriorating late this summer and continued to
worsen into the fall.
“It pretty much parallels all the other
businesses (currently experiencing difficulties),” he said.
Attendance at horse shows at his Oregon
Horse Center have been off by 15 percent to 20 percent in recent months,
Defoe said. But he said he was encouraged that participation in the
National Mountain Trail Championships, held at his Prairie Road facility
last weekend, was only 6 percent below a year ago.
“And we are booked for next year,” Defoe
said.
“From January to October next year, I bet
we don’t have four free weekends, at the most.
“But we are the place in Oregon for horse
shows. That’s all we do.”
His 52,000-square-foot indoor arena is the largest privately owned
equestrian facility in the state. The 40-acre horse center also houses
boarding stables and the Eugene Pro Rodeo grounds.
|
|
|
Apr 9, 2008 |
Activists fight horse exports to Mexico
As slaughter drops off in U.S., attention shifts to live exports
The irony is that more horses are now being shipped to Mexico as the result of
horse slaughter bans in several U.S. states, said Tom Lenz, a veterinarian, past
president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and chair of the
Unwanted Horse Coalition.
"What's going on today is exactly what we predicted," he said.
Horse slaughter isn't banned at the federal level, but bans in Illinois and
Texas effectively shut down the last three remaining plants in the U.S. last
year. Since then, exports of horses for slaughter have surged, Lenz said.
About 10,900 horses have been sent to Mexico for slaughter so far in 2008, up
from about 4,900 at the time last year - more than a twofold increase, according
to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.
"Nobody is raising horses in this country to be processed. ... These are just
discarded horses," said Lenz. "If there were no longer horses being discarded,
there would be no horse slaughter in this country."
from a recent article in the Capital Press, Oregon edition
|
|
|
Aug 5, 2007 |
Weed Free Rule
The U.S. Forest Service is gearing up to require riders to feed only weed-free
hay to horses and mules used on national forests in Oregon and Washington.
The agency wants to put a stop to livestock consuming weed-infected hay at
campsites and then spreading the seeds in their droppings to public lands and
pristine wilderness areas.
The Forest Service regulation went into effect Jan 1 (2007) to require riders in
the federal wilderness areas of Oregon and Washington to feed only weed-free hay
and pellets to their animals.
But it won't be enforced until 2009, when it also will encompass the two states'
19 national forests, said Nancy Phelps, a Forest Service spoke-women in
Portland.
Paraphrased from an article in the Capital Press Aug 3, 2007
|
|
|
Jun 25, 2007 |
DSLD News
This letter was written in 2002. Alamo Pintado has once again given
permission to pass this letter on to the Peruvian horse world. They have treated
hundreds of Peruvian horses since 2002 and still feel the same today as they did
when they originally wrote and signed this letter.
Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center, Inc.
To: Peruvian Paso horse owners
Re: Suspensory Ligament Desmitis
Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center has been treating horses for over 30 years
in Los Olivos, California. We see horses of all breeds and of all equine
performance sports. We have always seen a large number of Peruvian Paso horses
because of our locale to many top Peruvian breeders and trainers in the Santa
Ynez Valley and California.
In the last six years we have diagnosed well over 1,000 suspensory ligament
injuries in horses associated with racing, jumping, dressage, cutting and
endurance events. We have diagnosed approximately 8 Peruvian Paso horses with
suspensory ligament injuries during the same time period. Of these 8 injuries in
the Peruvian Paso horses, six were determined to be typical overuse injuries and
were treated as such at APEMC. Of the other two Peruvian Paso horses that did
not fit the typical overuse injury, one was due to being extremely overweight
and poorly taken care of and the other horse may have had what has been called
degenerative suspensory ligament disease but it was not confirmed with any
histologic evidence.
The veterinarians at APEMC have always found it to be curious that this
condition of the Peruvian horse has not been described in any equine lameness or
surgery text and has not surfaced as a cause of unsoundness in the Peruvian Paso
horses that we have dealt with on a daily basis for the last 30 years. On the
contrary, we have found suspensory desmitis to be very rare in the Peruvian Paso
population that we treat compared to a relatively high incidence in the
racehorse, jumper and dressage horses. We feel that these high rates are a
factor of footing, training and shoeing problems. We do feel that some of these
injuries are related to abnormal conformation in some horses and are not just
occupational hazards. Some large breed broodmares that have had numerous foals
will often develop a chronic progressive suspensory ligament degeneration and
breakdown that is very difficult to treat as long as they remain heavy and
continue to carry heavy pregnancies. Once this degenerative process develops it
is not possible to reverse and return the suspensory branches to normal with
rest or treatment. Weight management in any breed of horse is critical to health
and soundness.
I am sure that this condition has been diagnosed and documented in a certain
number of Peruvian Paso horses on some farms in the United States, but I have
not heard of the numbers and the overall incidence as of yet. We have seen this
identical problem in Thoroughbreds and Quarter horses, but these are horses that
were poorly conformed and passed the predisposing conformation to their
offspring. The simple answer to this problem is to not breed bad-legged horses
to bad-legged horses, or to breed any horse with a severe inherited conformation
fault. Once that becomes obvious, the problem goes away.
In our experience, the Peruvian Paso, as a breed, is a very tough, durable and
sound breed of horse when compared to all the other breeds of horses we see at
APEMC. I hope that the excitement and confusion over a small group of isolated
horses does not continue to cast irresponsible unwarranted connotations on a
very strong and sound breed of horse.
Doug Herthel, DVM Mark Rick, DVM
Greg Parks, DVM Ed Hamer, DVM
Carter Judy, DVM DACV
|
|
|
Dec 8, 2006
|
Horses not likely to escape national ID
It’s inevitable that animal ID program will include equines
Dave Wilkins
Capital Press Staff Writer
Horses will probably get roped into the national animal identification system sooner or later.
That's the consensus anyway.
Exactly when horse owners will be corralled and what they'll have to do to comply is still very much up in the air, however.
While horses may not be the primary focus, there's little question that they'll be included right along with other species such as cattle, hogs and sheep, if animal ID becomes mandatory.
"It is highly unlikely that the horse industry will be given the opportunity to opt out," the Equine Species Working Group said in a paper published earlier this year.
Politically, it would be difficult to exclude horses.
"The federal and state authorities and the broader livestock community that first proposed a national ID system expect that horses will be included within any system that becomes mandatory," the group said.
The ESWG has been designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the group representing horse owners in animal ID discussions.
Many horse owners have probably wondered why equines are being included. After all, horses aren't part of the human food chain like beef, poultry and pork (at least in the United States).
But equine diseases can spread quickly with the movement of horses across state and national boundaries.
Jim Knight, head of the equine program at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, considers disease management to be the primary reason that horses belong in a national animal ID program.
"I think it's necessary for disease control," he said.
Horses have the potential to spread such infectious diseases as rabies, salmonella, ringworm, leptospirosis, brucellosis and anthrax to humans, although such equine-to-human transmission is rare in the United States.
Animal ID is probably going to happen whether horse owners want it or not, and the system will likely include some things that they don't like, Knight said.
"It's probably something that's going to be needed because of the changing world that we live in and how fast things move," he said. "I think eventually it will be something that's beneficial."
Initially, the program is expected to focus on premise identification, a move that could help authorities trace the origin of a disease outbreak.
Eventually, the system could also include identification of all equine animals.
That could be a huge undertaking. In fact, just getting an accurate head count may be difficult.
According to a study conducted for the American Horse Council, there were more than 9 million horses in the United States in 2005.
Idaho alone had 158,458 horses, according to the AHC study.
A 2005 survey by the University of Idaho pegged the total number of equine animals (horses, donkeys, mules, etc.) at more than 206,000, and that number is now probably closer to 250,000, state brand inspector Larry Hayhurst estimates.
Then there's the big question: How will individual horses be identified?
In August, the ESWG recommended that for national animal ID compliance, horses should be identified with a radio frequency microchip implanted in the animal's neck.
Standardization of identification practices in the horse industry is a major focus of the working group.
Existing methods of identification include breed registration numbers, DNA parentage, brands, lip tattoos and radio frequency identification devices.
Only a small percentage of the horses in Idaho - perhaps 10 to 15 percent - have brand marks, Hayhurst estimated. The same is likely true in other Western states, he said.
For more information about the ESWG, visit its website at www.equinespeciesworkinggroup.com
Dave Wilkins is based in Twin Falls, Idaho. His e-mail address is dwilkins@capitalpress.com
.
NOTE: This website does not endorse national horse identification
|
|
