In 2013, the Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado announced its intent to rid the park of wild horses that have roamed the public lands there for more than a century. The plan was delayed after the public — including thousands of AWHPC supporters — weighed in against it. Now the park has revived its proposal to remove these beautiful horses, who are not protected by federal law. The Mesa Verde horses desperately need our help! Please weigh in again in favor of humane management and against eradication of this historic herd! Take action today and be sure to share with friends and family!
Only five short weeks ago, Roll’s hooves were in good shape. When we brought him up to the tack barn today, he was not at all lame.
However, when our farrier Dean Geesen arrived this morning to do his hooves again we found that Roll had some fairly advanced symptoms of White Line Disease in his left hind foot. I am just happy that we were able to catch this fast-growing fungus as soon as we did.
Our other equines are not getting done as frequently as Roll was. We opted to do him every five weeks instead of every 6-8 weeks because of the severe founder he had before. We wanted to be sure to keep his feet balanced so that any hoof growth would not begin to offset that balance. There is no telling how far this fungus would have progressed in another 1-3 weeks!
I am so happy that I kept a copy of the article that appeared in the American Donkey & Mule Society’s Brayer magazine in the July/August 2007 edition about White Line Disease. I have kept all issues because here is a wealth of useful information in the Brayer Magazine that now serves as my Longears-Equine Encyclopedia! We called our veterinarian Greg Farrand and he was able to come to the ranch quickly to help assess the situation.
Roll’s left hind foot had a gap in it after Dean cleaned out the fungus of about 4” along the outside of the foot from back to front by ½” wide and almost 1 ½ inches deep. Dean said he had not seen a case of White Line in Colorado in 13 years. Typically it manifests itself in more humid climates, however Colorado has recently been unusually humid as we experienced with fungus in the hayfields earlier this year. It was a very acute and severe onset!
It was so wide and deep that my Ranch Manager Chad could get his finger into the cavernous space. It was a real concern that it had gotten this bad in such a short time.
We had shoes on Roll’s hind feet to keep him from dragging them and wearing down his toes. Keeping a shoe on the left hind foot was not going to be an option since there was nothing to nail the shoe to on one side of his hoof. We talked about whether or not to cut away the affected hoof wall. Since Roll is a draft mule and has such large feet, we decided that keeping the “cavern” clean would not be too difficult, so we opted NOT to cut away the hoof wall right away. He would need all the support left on that foot for as long as he could get it. A smaller foot would have to be pared away immediately to treat it effectively.
We wanted to salvage the hoof wall to keep his overall balance and the balance of his feet intact as much as we could. We decided that it would be better if we just didn’t put any shoes on the back again rather than causing an imbalance by shoeing the right foot only.
For the first five days, we planned to clean the “cavern” daily, rinsing it with iodine astringent, packing it with gauze dipped in the iodine and then well wrung-out to prevent too much moisture from collecting in the affected area. When dealing with astringents and the like, it is advisable to wear gloves! We took measurements of the hoof so we could accurately monitor his progress. Since this is to be a daily process, we are grateful for Roll’s impeccable manners and cooperation!
We talked about whether or not to use an “easy-boot” to hold the gauze in, but decided that duct tape could do the job nicely. It would be easy to replace daily and would not trap moisture like the “easy-boot” could because the duct tape would erode as he walked on it. This would allow the air get to it and keep it drier to promote healing.
We also decided that it might be prudent to be proactive and put shoes on his front feet since he will no doubt be throwing his weight forward if the White Line Disease begins to cause any pain. Right now, he is sound and not lame at all. That is definitely encouraging.
This process will need to be repeated every day for as long as it takes for the foot to be rid of this fungus, but instead of using the astringent iodine, soon after the initial four days, we will x-ray him to get a baseline and make sure we know what we are dealing with. Then going forward, we will use a more diluted form of iodine like Providone-Iodine, Betadine or a product called “White Lightning” that has been developed specifically for this purpose. According to our veterinarian Greg Farrand, these are all antiseptic rinses and any of them should work fine.
The prognosis is encouraging. We know we need to make sure the “cavern” is cleaned out thoroughly each day and the gauze and tape are kept clean upon application. This is a long-term therapy and will take 14-18 months to grow back out…if it can. Although White Line Disease is very similar to thrush, it is not a stable management issue like thrush. The onset is quick and there does not appear to be a consistent explanation as to exactly where it comes from. To be pro-active, we added a few more inches of pea gravel to his run so that when the snow melts and the mud mixes with the old pea gravel, we won’t have mud to pare out of the “cavern.” The pea gravel is less likely to mesh with the fungus and should be easier to clean. This is just the beginning of yet another challenge in Roll’s journey and we will do follow-up posts to keep you informed on Roll’s progress as we usually do. Roll would truly appreciate your thoughts and prayers!
The following update is from SYALER Long Ear Rescue.
Thank you to all who have sent not only generous donations, but kind notes as well. I am thrilled to announce that last week’s ‘featured’ donkeys, Elmo, George, and Madeline, have been adopted and will be going together to a wonderful new home for the holidays! And thanks to your donations, our “Hay-O-Meter” continues to rise closer to our fundraising goal of $15,000.
Your donations are invaluable. The cost of running an animal rescue never ceases to amaze (and scare) me. This week, Shiloh had dental work done. He had lost a bit of weight and his chewing looked off to me, so I asked Dr Warner to come out to take a look at him. She filed (or “floated”) some sharp points she found on a few of his teeth, and now he is doing much better. Sweet William is still here, putting away the groceries. His health has been good, and I’m happy to report that he’s put on a great deal of needed weight, but it hasn’t been cheap to beef this boy up to where he needs to be.
We have animals on supplements and some on needed medications. The farrier comes out every eight weeks or so to make sure all our equines’ feet are in good shape (or at least better shape). Our animals do not leave for their new homes without a current Coggins certificate along with rabies and tetanus vaccinations.
And while it’s all FOR the animals, it’s not always the animals that are the expense. There are things like truck and trailer maintenance – our tractor is going to need a new clutch before too long – and fencing and sheds that need occasional repair. We needed several loads of sure pack gravel this year to patch up muddy areas and for footing in the run-in sheds.
Every penny donated to Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue goes to the care and feeding of the animals and upkeep of their “home.” We have one paid, part-time employee who does a lot of the physical work I am unable to now do. Everything else is done by myself or volunteers.
If you have not yet donated, please do what you can. Every donation helps to better the lives of the animals in our care.
Our friends at the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign sent out a holiday greeting that we wanted to share. We are proud to support their work on behalf of the wild horses and burros.
Congress has passed a tax extender bill called the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 that includes several provisions important to the horse industry and supported by the American Horse Council.
At the end of 2014, a number of favorable tax provisions for horse owners, breeders and businesses expired. In all, over sixty tax provisions expired; some applied to all businesses, including the horse industry, and one was specifically applicable to owners of race horses. All of the provisions extended are retroactive for all of 2015.
Importantly, the bill would reinstate 3-year-depreciation for all race horses for two more years. From 2009 through 2014, race horses could be depreciated over three years, regardless of when they were placed in service. This change, which eliminated the 7-year depreciation period for race horses and made all race horses eligible for three-year depreciation, expired at the end of 2014. The just passed extender bill would reinstate 3-year-depreciation for race horses placed in service after December 31, 2014 through 2016.
The bill would also increase the so-called Section 179 business expense deduction back to $500,000 and make this provision permanent. It is currently set at $25,000. This would allow anyone in the horse business to immediately depreciate up to $500,000 of the cost of any investment in business assets, including horses, purchased and placed in service. The deduction would be reduced dollar-for-dollar once investment in all one’s business activities hit $2 million.
The bill would restore bonus depreciation for qualifying new property, including assets used in the horse business, such as horses and other equipment, purchased and placed in service during 2015 through 2019. The bonus depreciation percentage is 50 percent for property placed in service during 2015, 2016 and 2017 and phases down to 40 percent in 2018, and 30 percent in 2019. The first use of the horse or equipment must begin with the taxpayer.
The extender bill would also restore and make permanent favorable tax treatment for land donated for conservation purposes, particularly land donated by farmers and ranchers.
The AHC supported the tax extender bill and originally achieved the 3-year-depreciation of race horses provision in the 2008 Farm Bill and supported its inclusion in subsequent tax extension bills, including this one.
Congress has passed an omnibus appropriations bill, which will fund the government through September 30, 2016, was passed by Congress. This bill is a package that includes all 12 of the FY 2016 appropriations bills, and will fund government agencies and programs until the end of the fiscal year, September 30, 2016.
The omnibus bill contains several provisions that impact the horse industry, including reforms to the H-2B temporary guest worker program, the U.S. Department Agriculture (USDA) FY 2016 appropriations bill, defunding of horse slaughter, and reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
The bill includes several beneficial provisions relating to the H-2B temporary, non-agricultural worker program and would roll back some of the most onerous provisions of a 2015 H-2B rule. The AHC has been working to ensure these provisions were included in the omnibus bill. These provisions will make the H-2B program less burdensome for employers, including those in the horse industry to use. The bill will do the following:
Exempt H-2B returning workers from the 66,000 annual cap;
Require wages to be based on the job category and experience level required, rather than an artificially inflated median wage;
Clearly define seasonal as ten months, as opposed to the nine months in the 2015 H-2B rule;
Prevent the Department of Labor (DOL) from implementing the provisions of the 2015 H-2B rule related to corresponding employment and the ¾ guarantee of work days; and
Prevent DOL from implementing the new and burdensome DOL enforcement scheme in the 2015 H-2B rule related to audits and the Certifying Officer (CO) assisted recruitment.
These provisions will make the H-2B program easier to use and were supported by the AHC.
FY 2015 USDA Appropriations
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Equine Health
The bill appropriates $898 million for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). APHIS is the USDA agency responsible for protecting the U.S. equine industry and responding to contagious equine disease outbreaks. Funding for Equine, Cervid, and Small Rumiant health is set at $19.5 million, the same as FY 2015.
Horse Slaughter
The bill includes language that prohibits USDA from using any funds to provide inspectors at meat processing facilities that slaughter horses, continuing a block that begin in 2005, except for a brief period in 2012 and 2013
No horse slaughter facilities are operating in the U.S. and this bill would effectively prevent any such facility from opening until September 30, 2016.
The language was included in the omnibus bill because the Senate Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment that prohibited funding for inspectors at horse slaughter facilities when they debated and approved their respective version of the FY 2016 USDA appropriations bill. The Senate amendment was offered in committee by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and passed by a voice vote.
Horse Protection Act
The bill provides $697,000 for enforcement of the Horse Protection Act (HPA), the same as FY 2015. The HPA was enacted in 1970 to prevent the soring of horses, primarily Tennessee Walking Horses.
Because soring continues to be a problem in the “big lick” segment of the Walking Horse industry, the AHC has been working to pass the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act (PAST Act) (S.1121/ H.R.3268). The PAST act would strengthen the HPA and end this cruel practice.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund
The bill will also reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for three years with funding of $450 million for the coming FY 2016, a nearly 50 percent increase over the previous level.
The program, which expired on October 1, 2015, provides funds and matching grants to federal, state and local governments for the acquisition of land and water for recreation and the protection of natural resources. The LWCF program benefits recreational riders by providing increased recreational opportunities.
Wild Horses and Burros
The omnibus bill also includes a provision that would prohibit the Bureau of Land Management from euthanizing healthy wild horses in its care or from selling wild horses or burros that results in their being processed into commercial products.
The bill is expected to be signed by the President shortly.
It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing of Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick, a true pioneer in the field of humane wildlife management. Dr. Kirkpatrick, the founder of the Science and Conservation Center, passed away earlier this week from a brief but serious illness. He will be greatly missed.
His passing is a terrible loss for the wild horse community. Our deepest condolences go to his wife and his colleagues at the Science and Conservation Center who are like family to AWHPC, as Dr. Kirkpatrick was.
Jay was a rare “scientist with a heart” and he dedicated his life to reducing the suffering of wild animals by developing a humane alternative to lethal management practices. The PZP fertility control vaccine that he developed and perfected (as affirmed by 30 years of published science) has kept countless wild animals – from wild horses to deer to bison and even elephants – wild and free by protecting them from capture and killing.
“I’m not a bunny hugger, but I’ll never attend another gather as long as I live. They’re flat-out inhumane,” he told National Geographic in 2009 describing BLM wild horse roundups. “There are three reasons why these gathers are an unsatisfactory solution to the problem of numbers. Firstly, it’s genetically irresponsible to be constantly pulling off young horses whose genes will never get expressed; secondly, every time you pull horses out, the reproductive efficiency of the horses that remain increases. And thirdly, the behavioral consequences for the horses are profound.“
Jay was a visionary, a humanitarian and a shining example of what one person can accomplish in his lifetime. We are so proud to have called him a friend and a colleague. Measures have been taken by the Science and Conservation Center to prepare for this transition and the seamless continuation of the work that he was dedicated to for 45 years.
If you would like to express your gratitude for Dr. Kirkpatrick’s tremendous contributions to the fight to prevent suffering and keep wild horses and other wild animals wild and free, please visit our Facebook page below.
It’s going to be a very happy holiday for 21 Virginia Range mustangs who were captured by the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) and rescued under a cooperative agreement negotiated by AWHPC that allows us to purchase the horses before the NDA sends them to a slaughter auction! Very special thanks and gratitude goes to Madeleine Pickens and her Saving America’s Mustangs/Mustang Monument in Nevada, and to Wayne Guest and his Bright Starts Rescue and Horse Sanctuary in Georgia for stepping up to provide a permanent home to these beautiful horses. Best of all, the family groups get to stay together! Thank you to all the AWHPC donors who provided the resources necessary to purchase these horses from the state and transport them to their new homes.
Our fight to hold the Bureau of Land Management accountable for its illegal rounding up of 1,263 wild horses from the Wyoming Checkerboard in the fall of 2014 continues. We recently filed our opening briefwith the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. We are challenging the lower court’s decision to allow the BLM to subvert the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act by using a request from a landowner to remove horses from private lands as an excuse to permanently remove them from over two million acres of public lands as well. If allowed to stand, this ruling could place wild horses and burros across the West at the mercy of a few local property owners who want them gone. The legal issues at stake are so important that a group of distinguished environmental law professors has filed an Amicus briefin support of our position.
Meanwhile, the BLM is still accepting public comments on an Environmental Assessment (EA) the agency produced to correct previous legal violations related to the Checkerboard roundup. If you have not yet done so, please submit your comments today. Let’s take this opportunity to weigh in against the agency’s audacious trouncing of federal law and in favor of an alternative that would return some of the captured Checkerboard horses to their rightful homes back on the range.
More great holiday news for America’s horses! The Omnibus spending bill that is making its way through Congress (with an expected final vote within the week) includes two important provisions for the protection of America’s horses.
A ban on federal funding for USDA inspections of horse slaughter plants, which prevents slaughter plants from reopening on U.S. soil (p. 108), and
A prohibition on the BLM’s destruction of healthy unadopted wild horses and burros and on the sale of captured wild horses and burros for slaughter (p. 714).
Thank you to our coalition partner the ASPCAfor this excellent news and congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to protect America’s horses from the cruelest of fates – slaughter. Much work remains to be done to prevent the export of horses to slaughter plants in Canada and Mexico, but preventing the predatory horse slaughter industry from re-establishing in the U.S. is an important first step to stopping this horrific practice permanently.
Just a quick update to share some good news and a tiny bit of sad. The good news is that thanks to the beautiful and generous folks who are making it possible for these horses to stay safe, we were able to purchase some much needed groceries for the month of December.
What a beautiful Christmas present to be able to care for and feed God’s Creatures.
We were able to purchase another $600+ load of supplement buckets for the horses. These have protein and the extra nutrients these horses so desperately need in the winter weather.
We also were able to purchase a load of the most gorgeous hay we have ever seen from Oregon and we got a wonderful price on it.
We were also able to vet the 6 babies (3 coming to my place for gentling, training and adoption), and 3 heading to their new home in California. This was to the tune of $778 which included shots, worming, Coggins, health and brand certs etc. These are legal requirements for crossing the border and although a bit expensive, simply part of the cost of rescue and “saving horses from slaughter “.
So we just wanted to share the good news for December and let you know where the funds are going.
We had a bit of sad news. A beautiful old bay who was nicknamed “53” was really struggling to keep her weight on. We were unable to corral her, as she was old and very wise and not “falling for that”. We were so very pleased because with the last set of supplement buckets she had started to gain weight and appeared to be doing much better.
Unfortunately, she laid down the other day and was struggling to get up. Luckily John noticed right away and a vet was summoned. Due to her age and the fact that she had too many other health issues, the vet felt it was the kindest thing to let her go. So the guys stayed with her and she left this world peacefully, surrounded by her band.
This was another case of God knowing what was best for her. Instead of us catching her and taking her away from her family to “help her”, she was able to feel better from the supplement buckets and when it was her time, she was surrounded by her family and had not dealt with the stress of being moved. She was approximately 25 and that is a great life for a wild one.
Of course it still is heartbreaking, and you can’t help but cry, but it is more for us than for her. If every one of our wild horses could live for 24 years out on the range before being rounded up and then leave this earth so peacefully, I could certainly rest better at night. I am not sure what her vet bill was yet, but it is definitely one that is worth it.
So as always, we share the whole story. Those of you who were able to help made December a great month for these horse kids. THANK YOU!!
We so appreciate the love and support for these horse kids and are doing everything we can to keep costs down and find their forever homes. We will be keeping you posted on the progress of the little ones we are bringing here and it is always fun to see the little bits of progress being made.
We need prayers for Cowboy’s mama who is just a touch away from “hands on”. She has a sore front leg and I really need her to be comfy enough so we can check it out. She is doing very well but unfortunately time is something we lack.
The U.S. Forest Service announced that it has withdrawn its notice to round up and impound the wonderful Salt River wild horses who live in the Tonto National Forest near Phoenix, Arizona. This is a direct result of public pressure and a great example of how our government and elected officials can and should listen to the will of the people!
Since August, we have worked with our coalition partner the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG) toward the cancellation of the impound notice in order to allow time to negotiate an agreement for the long-term protection of the horses on Salt River.
Just last week, U.S. Congressman Matt Salmon and seven of his House colleagues sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who oversees the Forest Service, asking the agency to listen to public, which wants these horses preserved. Previously, Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake and Governor Doug Ducey expressed their strong support on behalf of their constituents for protection of these horses.
Huge congratulations go to the SRWHMG and its president Simone Netherlands for their tireless work to protect these horses. They have organized tremendous public support and have spent years doing critically-important, boots-on-the-ground work as stewards and documentarians of this very special herd.
Today, the House of Representatives passed the final version of a multi-year national highway bill known as the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or the FAST Act. The Senate is expected to pass the bill Friday and the President has said he will sign it. The bill reauthorizes the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program (RTP) for the next five years and provides $85 million annually for the program.
The bill has been working its way through Congress for most of this year. During the Congressional process several attempts were made to eliminate the RTP Program from the bill. These attempts were defeated because of strong support from Congressional champions of the program and grassroots support from recreational trail users, including many equestrians. Grassroots support played a very important role in making sure RTP was included in the final bill. The AHC appreciates all the individual horsemen and organizations that contacted their Members of Congress in support of RTP.
Since its inception RTP has provided money for thousands of state and local trail projects across the country, including many that benefit equestrians. RTP provides funding directly to the states for recreational trails and trail-related facilities for all recreational trail users. It is funded with a portion of the gas taxes paid into the Highway Trust Fund by recreational off-highway vehicle users.
It is a victory for all recreational trail users that RTP was reauthorized and will be available to fund trail projects around the country for the next 5 years.
If you have any questions, please contact the AHC.
The following except is from an article by James McWilliams for the Pacific Standard
Any company that sells tuna—one of the most popular foods eaten globally—has the option of including a “dolphin safe” label on its product. Monitored by Earth Island International, the label ensures that your tuna was harvested without the use of drift gill nets, which often accidentally trap dolphin. The general idea behind this specialized labeling initiative is simple enough: Consumers should know if one animal species was killed in order for us to harvest another one.
Of course, the concept is necessarily discriminatory. An incalculable number of non-food animals die to bring food animals to our plates. Billions of rodents perish to grow corn and soy for animal feed; billions more are killed when rainforests are cleared for grazing cattle; and—if we want to throw insects into the mix—a nearly infinite number of them are exterminated as a sort of by-catch to accommodate humanity’s steady diet of meat, eggs, and dairy.
But—justifiably or not—dolphins are in a special category. Not only are dolphins unusually intelligent creatures, but they are non-threatening to humans, threatening to sharks, beloved performers at SeaWorld, popular stuffed animals, and frequently anthropomorphized for the purposes of television entertainment. For these reasons, humans (in Western cultures at least) have invested dolphins with a special status. Whatever the precise nature of that status, it’s enough to make dolphin protection a priority on a can of tuna fish.
Many Americans share the view that there’s something sort of majestically sacred about mustangs, at least sacred enough to prevent welfare-ranchers from selling us subsidized beef at the supermarket.
To accept this preferential logic compels us to lend other iconic animals special status as well. The most notably comparable case might be the wild horse—or mustang. Western ranchers holding permits from the Bureau of Land Management to graze cattle on public land compete with mustangs for access to forage within designated wild horse habitats. While 2014 year-end grazing receipts show the equivalent of at least 37 cattle for every wild horse on grazing lands managed by the BLM, mustangs aren’t in any way privileged beyond the soft protections offered by the 1971 Wild Horse and Burros Act. As a result, public-land ranchers routinely call on the BLM to round-up wild horses and remove them from federal land, preserving the forage for cattle. The BLM pens the captured mustangs in a holding facility, from which few are adopted and most die in captivity. Thousands, as revealed by a recent investigative report from the Department of the Interior, have been sold to “kill buyers” and shipped to Mexico for slaughter.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is accepting public comments on an Environmental Assessment (EA) issued to correct legal violations in the way it conducted the massive 2014 Wyoming Checkerboard roundup, which permanently removed 1,263 federally-protected wild horses from the range. By using a request from ranchers to remove wild horses from private lands as an excuse to eradicate horses from public lands, the BLM has set a dangerous precedent that puts wild horses at the mercy of private landowners who want them gone. We continue to fight this legal travesty in the courts, and we must take a strong stand as well during this public comment period. Please take action for wild horses.
Approximate costs to set up pens, round up, separate and safely move 18 horses to new location. $ 1191.00
(7 of the folks involved (including us) donated all their time and effort and as usual, did not get paid a penny) Matt gave up two days on a job in NV to help us get this done, as weather was a huge factor and time had run out to move these horses.
Some really great news is that 6 babies will be going to new facility and home in CA.
Two of Shirley Allen’s and my Little Cicero and 3 of the babies from Waylon & Rojo’s band are heading out to a new home.
Three babies will be coming to our rescue which gives us a total of 5 of the wild ones at Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang. These babies are untouched and will be gentled and halter trained so they can find their forever homes. The following are the expected fees for each baby.
$ 40.00 for coggins test
$ 45.00 for shots (5-way and West Nile)
$ 5.00 for wormer
$ 65.00 for Health Certs
$ 17.00 for Brand Inspections
Total Cost Per Baby to Prep for Transport $172.00
Cost for Prep 9 babies = $ 1,548.00
Plus Farm Call of $75.00
$1548.00 + $75 = $1623.00
This does not include gelding. There are at least 5, including Cowboy, little boys who need to be gelded prior to transport to their new homes.
This will be another $750 for gelding.
So the total for the horse to be moved, the babies prepped for transport and the little guys gelded is already up to approximately $ 3,564.00
This is not including any feed, or even the costs to transport the 6 babies going to Elk Grove, CA.
However, the good news is that these costs are not just a band aid, the 6 babies are going to a new home and we are no longer responsible for their feed and care.
We also have the possibility of 5-10 going to a wonderful sanctuary in Texas. We will be incurring roughly the same costs, although it will be a bit more as they are full size and will cost $17 each to be able to use the prison facilities to safely vet them, and do their hoofers etc.
Their is very little funds left in the coffer for these wild ones. We so appreciate the continued love and support folks are showing to help us get all of these beautiful creatures placed. We really need your help. If you want to help – there are many ways. You can share this with other folks who may not be aware of what is happening. If you want to donate you can go to the following:
The American Horse Council is the national association representing all segments of the horse industry in Washington DC. They are a valuable association that works to protect all breeds, disciplines and interests by communicating with Congress, federal agencies and the media plus the industry itself. Their latest Tax Bulletin has been released and covers:
Expired Tax Provisions under Consideration as Congress Approaches Year End
The Return of Reason in Treatment of “Past Losses” in Section 183 “Hobby Loss” Cases
AWHPC is working with local partners to implement real solutions to Keep Wild Horses Wild and Free. Under a first-of-its-kind cooperative agreement, we’re partnering with the State of Nevada to humanely manage an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 wild horses in the Virginia Range, which spans over 430 square miles in the Reno area. By next year, we expect this effort to be the largest humane wild horse management program in the world!
Your contribution, no matter the size, will help us achieve this goal and have tangible results for wild horses:
$10 will buy 10 yards of raw materials for fencing to keep wild horses out of harm’s way.
$20 will help keep a small family of wild horses safe on the range for a week through a diversionary feeding program aimed to keep horses out of neighborhoods and roadways.
$40 will fund a diversionary feeding effort to keep a medium-sized family band of horses, such as King’s family, out of harm’s way for a week!
A recent article at the Chronicle of the Horse had us excited to share the story of Buckeye, an 8 year-old Appaloosa mule who has been showing off the versatility of mules with his skills in the arena.
When Buckeye first came to owner Christina Gregory, he was a little green under the saddle after being mostly used as a driving mule for an Amish family. After some initial work with Christina, he began training with 22 year-old Samantha (Sammi) Majors.
Sammi began him with dressage and earlier in the year he was impressing judges and scoring consistently in the high 60 and low 70 percents in recognized shows. This fall she decided to add jumping in preparation for a show. “He loves jumping. For a long time we would work on dressage stuff and school him over cavalletti, and he always loved it. We’d be doing a 20-meter circle, and if we went anywhere near the cavalletti he would try to pull me to it,” said Majors. “As soon as we started jumping he took an immediate liking to it. That’s all he seems to want to do now is jump, jump, jump!”
He recently returned home from the North Carolina State Fair Mule and Donkey show with plenty of ribbons, winning Most Colorful Mule class, Hunter Hack class, Coon Jumping, Pleasure Driving-Single Mule, reserve champion Pleasure Driving, the Turnout Class and Reinsmanship.