Winter's Coming: How Full Is Your Hay Loft...and Grain Room and Bank Account?

Reports from around the country forecast a chilling winter's tale for horsekeeping budgets. Hay prices are rising exponentially and supplies are unstable.

First we had the drought in so many states. Drought affects hay supplies because farmers and horse owners feed hay during the summer when animals would normally be on grass. This puts strain on supplies.

At the same time, drought-affected fields yield less hay, fewer cuttings, or possibly hay of poorer quality, decreasing the supply available of hay good enough for horses and dairy farms.

In the Midwest, many farmers turned hay fields to corn fields this year, to cash in on the ethanol boom. (Corn is distilled to make ethanol, which is added to gasoline.)

Competition with dairy farmers for horse-quality hay is another concern.

Strain on supply means the price goes up, whether because the supply is low or because the demand is abnormally high. (Remember Economics 101?)

Ellensburg, Washington hay farms report high prices in spite of rain. The Daily Record newspaper reports: Local hay exporters say the higher prices per ton — at least $20 a ton more for dairy and cattle-grade hay to a high of an additional $40 for horse grade — is due to a combination of factors: more aggressive buyers concerned about tight hay supplies, as was the case in 2006, reduced forage inventories worldwide and a continuing, strong overseas demand, namely from Japan and South Korea.

In Anderson, Indiana, hay supplier Matthew Chapman predicts that hay prices will be three times higher this year. He has one-third the supply he had at this time last year.

The New York Times has an excellent article today about the ethanol boom. Because ethanol plants are taking so much corn, there is less left for the grain mills. While most horse grain is not corn-based, you can bet that any instability in the grain market will show up in your per-bag cost of horse feed, or the availability of grain.

The Times suggests that there is a glut of ethanol from this year's corn crop in the Midwest and that the price is dropping but the livestock market can't correct until next year's harvest.

In Tennessee, the outlook is grim, according to a report in the Knox News: Jack Bowden, a farmer near Lenoir City, would normally be cutting his second crop of hay about this time, but there’s nothing to cut. His spring cutting yielded only about half a normal crop.

His pastures have disappeared, forcing him to dip into his winter hay supply and buy feed to supplement his cows’ diet. If farmers can find hay on the open market, Bowden said, it’s selling for about triple the average price.

“When that hay’s gone, I guess I’ll just have to sell the cows,” Bowden said. “There’s just nothing to feed them.”

Gilbert, Arizona is a few miles outside Scottsdale and calls itself the “hay capital of the world”. Even the hay capital is running short of hay.

An article in the Arizona Republic this week quotes Nate LeSueur, manager of The Hay Barn in Gilbert: “LeSueur said some customers are telling him they don't have as many horses because they're getting too expensive to feed.

“The Hay Barn is selling alfalfa at $9 a bale and Bermuda grass hay, which is harder to farm, for $10. Prices were at $8 last year, LeSueur said.”

The article also says that boarding barns in the area are increasing stall prices to help with the increase.

Horse owners are especially vulnerable to hay prices because so many people do not have storage capacity for much hay and buy it weekly or monthly.

Stay tuned for more news from the equine economy!

Beautiful Baby!

Keyo, a rare Grevy's zebra foal, was born on Saturday at the Denver Zoo in Colorado. Keyo was on his feet within an hour. Only about 2,000 Grevy's zebras are left in the wild in Africa. As the largest wild equine species, Grevy's can be distinguished from plains or mountain zebras by their longer legs, more narrow stripes, white, stripeless underbelly and large rounded ears. Keyo is the first zebra born in Denver in ten years. (Denver Zoo photo)

AQHA Foundation's "Refrigerator Fund" Will Support Research on Head Trauma Injuries in Horses

(via press release)

September 27, 2007 - The American Quarter Horse Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of the Refrigerator Fund to the equine research program. This fund to support research for critically injured horses is in honor of American Quarter Horse racing’s all-time leading money earner and multiple world champion Refrigerator.

The fund was graciously created by Jim and Marilyn Helzer of Arlington, Texas, in memory of their beloved champion.

“Refrigerator was a horse that touched the heart of every American Quarter Horse owner, trainer, jockey and fan; he was America’s Quarter Horse,” said Jim Helzer. “A research program for head trauma will once again raise the bar to a new level that will assist veterinarians worldwide in treating all horses that suffer from a severe head injury.”

The Foundation will award funding for research in the areas of trauma prevention, treatment, diagnostics, hospitalization and prognosis. Funding decisions will be based on scientific merit, clinical application and potential benefit to the horse and horse industry.

“It is our hope that this comprehensive effort will provide horses with critical injuries a new hope for recovery and a possible return to function,” said Gary Carpenter, executive director of the Foundation.

Since 1960, the American Quarter Horse Foundation has awarded more than $6 million to benefit the health, welfare and utility of the American Quarter Horse. Grants for this specialized head trauma research are in addition to current funding available. Funding will be awarded beginning October 2008.

For more information on the equine research program, visit www.aqha.com/foundation.

Deadline for submission of research proposals is December 1, 2007. To obtain an application, contact Laura Owens with the Foundation at (806) 378-5034 or lowens@aqha.org.

Packable Horses? Mini Found Among Baggage at Atlanta Airport

(Blogger's Note: I think this will go on record as one of the most unusual horse health news stories of the year. I'm not sure whether the owner of this horse is a criminal mastermind or terribly naive...)

Baggage handlers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport made an interesting discovery one day last week: among the bags offloaded from a flight from Germany was a large dog crate. It was labeled for transfer to a flight to Guatemala.

There's nothing unusual so far. Pets ship through Atlanta all the time and handlers don't raise an eyebrow.

But this crate whinnied.

Inside, airport security found a miniature horse.

International health regulations are quite different for horses, who are considered livestock, than for dogs and cats and parakeets so a major news story was born.

The outcome? Get the horse out of the USA! They gave her some hay and water, sterilized the dog crate and Virkon, and she was on the conveyor belt again. The filly was shipped on to her destination. FoxNews reports that the owner and the airline will be charged with animal cruelty.

Nowhere in any of the reports is there any mention of the airline check-in person in Germany who accepted the crate. He or she either didn't know international shipping regulations...or didn't look inside. No one else in the entire chain of getting the horse into the terminal and onto and off the plane noticed that it wasn't a dog, either.

Meanwhile, no reports have said in what sort of container the horse was shipped forward. Do you think they put her back in the dog crate?

I can't get my contact lens fluid onto a plane but someone can get a horse through? Airport "security" really inspires confidence! Too bad an innocent animal was caught in the middle. I would have thought they'd sent it into quarantine, but I guess it was just passing through...It's easy to see how an animal infected with microbes could be a bioterrorist's dream.

Salmonella Suspected in Death of 130 Mustangs in Nevada

The dreaded salmonella bacteria is believed to be the cause of the death of 130 horses this week at the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) National Wild Horse and Burro Center at Palomino Valley near Reno, Nevada, according to newspapers in the area.

This brings to mind the memory of the death of four Mustangs--reported at length by the New York Times--at a BLM adoption sale at the New Jersey Horse Park in 1993. Five Mustangs died at a similar sale held in Ithaca, New York that year. Salmonella was believed to have been the cause of those deaths. Speculation was that transport stress was the trigger for the illness.

Salmonella is highly contagious and difficult to control. Infected horses "shed" it when they become stressed or ill. Stress and illness also make horses more susceptible. It sometimes breaks out at veterinary hospitals and a massive sanitizing is needed to eradicate it. Most healthy horses tolerate some level of salmonella. Sick horses with salmonella may possibly infect humans working around them.

An interesting study in the 1970s showed that a surprisingly high percentage of horse meat at US slaughter houses was contaminated with salmonella, perhaps due to stress levels in the horses and subsequent exposure to salmonella during transport or auction or holding pens. However, human workers at the slaughterhouses who handled horses or the meat had a low infection rate.

Over 1600 horses are usually warehoused at Palomino Valley; the facility will be closed for 30 days, when it will be re-tested for contamination. The horses who died are believed to have been a recently added group off the range who were in poor condition and would have been susceptible to infection and stress.

In January 2006, horses at the University of Nevada Equestrian Center in Reno tested positive for salmonella.

Photo links to Bureau of Land Management site.

AAEP Publishes White Paper on Colic Research

The American Association of Equine Practitioners' Equine Research Coordination Group has published a white paper report on the status of equine colic research and education in the United States.

I have converted the paper to a downloadable pdf file for you to read in its entirety, as it is too long to post here. If you click on the link below, you should be able to have your own copy of the file.

Thanks to the AAEP for sharing this with us.
equinecolicresearch.pdf

AERC Will Investigate Horse Deaths at Endurance Race

AUBURN, CALIFORNIA - The American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) will investigate the deaths of two horses that were hit by a car after crossing the finish line on day seven of the Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Ride.

AERC President Mike Maul announced that his organization's independent investigation will be conducted outside the insurance investigation into the incident.

"An incident such as this during the ride or at the finish has never happened before in the 35-year history of AERC," said Maul. "All incidents, whether large or small, are investigated by the AERC with the purpose of making the sport safer for both riders and the horses participating in the event."

According to Maul, the AERC sanctions almost 800 rides in the United States each year, with more than 23,000 total entries. "AERC sanctioning provides a uniform standard for those rides, which are put on by members of the AERC as ride managers," said Maul. "The ride itself is supervised by the ride manager and is not under the supervision of the AERC."

Rider Teresa Wilcox suffered bruises and scrapes. Rider Sandy Olson suffered a dislocated hip and broken thumb. Both riders were released from the hospital and returned to the ride site.

The Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race is an 800-mile endurance ride completed over a 13-day period. The ride started in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on September 3 and ended in Missouri on September 15. One of the main objectives of the race was to educate the public not only on the national historic Santa Fe Trail, but also to introduce the sport of endurance riding to thousands, said Maul.

Designer Mustangs Show Off in New Roles...and in the Sales Ring

One of the Makeover Mustangs "before" the 100-day training competition. (BLM Photo)

A three-year-old American Mustang named "Hail Yeah" was adopted for $50,000 at Sunday's Extreme Mustang Makeover event in Fort Worth, Texas. The sale set the record for the highest price paid for a Mustang in the history of the Bureau of Land Management's adoption program.

The horse had performed a reining pattern, pulled a cart, and given a mounted shooting demonstration to show off his 100-day "makeover" in the hands of trainer Ray Ariss.

Hail Yeah's purchase was a partnering between the City of Norco, California, represented by Mayor Harvey Sullivan, and the Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF).

"When I return to Norco, we will be naming Hail Yeah the official mascot of the city and he will represent our message as Horsetown USA," said the mayor.

Norco registered "Horsetown USA" as a trademark to introduce and encourage specific types of businesses and vendors to the city that in turn will support and compliment the community's animal-keeping lifestyle and values.

Seventy-five Mustangs were adopted for a total of $233,100 for a sale average of $3,108.

The Extreme Mustang Makeover will also become a six-episode series on RFD Television's Wide World of Horses through December 2007. The show will share the stories of the mustangs and trainers as they learn to trust in one another and gain competitive confidence.

What's the Treatment for the Australian Horses Sick with Equine Influenza?

The other day a blog visitor asked what drugs would be given to a sick horse in the midst of the Australian Equine Influenza (EI) outbreak. The answer is not simple but I went looking for an official answer.

Serendipitously, the New South Wales state government issued new guidelines for treatment yesterday. Here's a link to download a pdf (Adobe Acrobat) file about EI treatment: caring-ei-horses-1.pdf

The following broad points are for suggestion only; each sick horse should be treated as an individual with a treatment plan specific to its needs and environmental limitations.

--It is important to match treatment for equine influenza with the severity of the infection.

--A veterinarian may recommend anti-inflammatory drugs for stallions or pregnant mares with a very high fever, to avoid testicular problems in stallions or abortion in mares.

--Supportive treatments such as cough suppressants can help reduce complications.

--Antibiotics may be an appropriate treatment of secondary bacterial infections, particularly if fever persists for longer than four to five days and is accompanied by abundant and thick nasal discharge.

--There is currently no specific antiviral treatment registered for use for treatment of equine influenza.

GPS Keeps Endurance Horses On Track at European Championship

A new technical development premiered on the world stage at the 2007 European Championships, held last week in Portugal. Horses taking part were fitted with a GPS chip on their bridles to keep track of their progress.

"This is the first time that a GPS system has been used in a major endurance championship and this has been done at the initiative of the Portuguese Equestrian Federation," said Hallvard Sommerseth, the Foreign Technical Delegate for the championship.

The Norwegian official said that the GPS had been used to help keep track of the horses and riders at various stages of the competition. The move aimed to ensure the welfare of the horses as well as it will give organisers insight into how the competitors were faring.

The results were unanimously well received. Appeal committee president Bo Kjellgren of Sweden said: “The use of transponders for the time-keeping for the first time worked perfectly.”

Kjellgren was less convinced by the use of a display system showing the pulse rates of horses in the vet gates which he said would need fine-tuning after certain “technical difficulties”.

So who won? France proved invincible over the coastal plains of Portugal and won both the European team and individual championships. UAE rider Mubarak Khalifa Al Shafya became the new Open European Champion; he crossed the line on the 11-year-old gelding Zakah Zahara one minute ahead of Jean Phillipe Frances, who won the European title with Hanaba Du Bois.

Spain’s Jaume Punti Dachs and Maria Alverez Ponton created a unique milestsone: they are the first husband and wife team to stand on the same medal podium. Jaume won the European silver medal and Maria won the bronze.

Thanks to the FEI for assistance with this post; photo is by Jacques Toffi.

Rags to Riches Suffered Hairline Fracture during Yesterday's Race at Belmont Park

Rags to Riches in her stall at Saratoga in August.
Photo © Fran Jurga/www.hoofcare.com

Belmont Stakes winner Rags To Riches suffered a hairline fracture to her right front pastern during the running of the Grade 1, $250,000 Gazelle Stakes at Belmont Park yesterday. The filly finished second to Lear's Princess.

Here's the statement from trainer Todd Pletcher:

“The injury is not career ending, and she is expected to make a full recovery. It appears as though she sustained the injury during the stretch run. When she switched to the right lead, she came off the bridle and lugged in a bit. Though she cooled out fine following the race she appeared to be slightly off this morning. Subsequent x-rays discovered the hairline fracture. She is resting comfortably and will ship to Ashford Stud tomorrow where she will receive six weeks of stall rest to give the fracture time to heal. At the conclusion of her convalescence she will be re-x-rayed to determine when she will resume training. She will not race again until 2008."

Yesterday’s running of the Gazelle was the filly’s first race since her historic win over Preakness winner Curlin in the Belmont Stakes, June 9. That win catapulted her into the history books, as she became one of only three fillies to win the coveted “Test of the Champion” and the first to do so in 102 years.

Thanks to the NTRA and Kelly Wietsma of Todd Pletcher Racing for help with this post.

Equine Influenza in Oz: Dr. Pollitt Shares Symptoms by Video

Dr. Chris Pollitt of the School of Veterinary Science at the University of Queensland took a video camera with him when he went to Warwick to the "lockdown" encampment where 265 event horses are quarantined. All the horses have become ill, and will remain in quarantine at the showgrounds until 30 days after the last horse became sick. Among the horses is Washington, Dr. Pollitt's daughter's event horse.

This is an "exclusive" in the USA and also an experiment: the first video uploaded to The Jurga Report! I hope I have found a way to bring you more video posts.

Dr. Pollitt's normal specialty is researching laminitis at the University of Queensland's Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit. In a few weeks, he will be headed to the USA for a lecture tour, culminating in the Fourth International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot in West Palm Beach, Florida on November 2-4. See you there!

To activate the video, click on the horizontal arrow at lower left or on the large arrow in the center of the screen, when/if it appears. Adjust the audio with the slider to the left of the Blogger icon. This is a large file, even if it is brief, so allow time for buffering.

Please click on the "comments" type at the bottom of this post to leave feedback on what you think of the video, the influenza epidemic, or the addition of video to The Jurga Report.

Equine Flu Causes Cancellation of Equitana Asia Pacific in Australia

November's Equitana Asia Pacific in Melbourne, Australia has been canceled for 2007 amidst fears that the Australian horse flu crisis might impact the event...or that the event might adversely effect efforts to stem the outbreak. Show managers plan to reschedule the event until November 2008, while the effects of the Equine Influenza threat are managed.

Melbourne is in the state of Victoria in southeastern Australia. Strict measures banning movement of horses have, so far, kept the equine influenza outbreak out of Victoria. The Royal Melbourne Show went on recently, without the traditional horse show and parade horses.

“We believe that postponing this year’s event is in the best interest of the horse industry and supports the ongoing endeavors to prevent the virus entering the Victorian horse population,” said Daryl Herbert, CEO of show-producer Definitive Events in an announcement posted on the show's web site.

“The unique environment that embodies Equitana Asia Pacific--horse and public one on one--is what makes it special and brings together the Australian equine industry. With the restriction on interstate horse movement, the recommended bio-security precautions and exclusion zone restrictions, it is clear that we could not deliver the standard of Equitana Asia Pacific that the equine community has come to expect,” said Daryl.

Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Hugh Millar expressed his understanding and support of the decision. “The risks associated with the assembly and interaction with the people and horses, the logistical difficulties in implementing bio-security procedures and the consequence of a suspected outbreak, all point towards a decision that is in the best interest of the equine industry,” he said.

Franz Venhaus, Chief Executive Officer of the Equestrian Federation of Australia, fully supports the decision to postpone the event in these difficult times for the equine industry. “This decision is in the best interest of our industry and we will work with event organizers in the presentation of outstanding competitions in 2008”, said Franz.

Zara on the Hot Seat: European Eventing Champion Blogs from Competition Site

Ok: the tendons are tight, no sign of the old injury. The ground is (hopefully) neither too hard or too soft. It was a wise decision to fly out to Italy from England instead of driving, especially since a new outbreak of foot and mouth disease is stopping livestock movements in the UK.

Eventing superstar Zara Phillips is ready to ride Toytown and defend their title in the European Eventing Championships, which begin today at the Federal Equestian Center of Pratoni del Vivaro in Rocca di Papa (Rome) in Italy. She'll have to face Bettina Hoy and Ingrid Klimke and four other Germans, plus the finesse of the French and the dark horses of the Swedes...and all the rest.

The news today: all the horses passed the first vet check. Today is the first day of dressage. The Germans are expected to rule today; Zara rides on Friday.

Photo links to the Telegraph.

Foot and Mouth Disease Surfaces Again in UK; Horse Shows Cancelled

The highly-contagious foot and mouth disease has been confirmed in a herd of cattle in the southern English county of Surrey. A perimeter quarantine zone has been set up in the area, but transport of livestock and livestock products is halted nationwide. A second farm, in the eastern county of Norfolk, has a suspected outbreak. Activities like sheep shearing must cease. The driving competition at Windsor Castle has been cancelled along with other shows.

Horses are not susceptible to infection by foot-and-mouth disease, and they cannot carry the virus in the same way as susceptible animals, such as sheep and cattle. However, in common with other non-susceptible animals (such as dogs and cats), people and inanimate objects (such as cars), they can be involved in physically spreading infection.

Material from an infected animal (manure, hair etc.) can be carried on hooves, bodies and tack of horses and by the rider. It could be carried from areas containing infected animals to previously ‘clean’ areas.

The risk of horses carrying the virus is increased because horses are often kept on the same premises as susceptible animals, transported in vehicles used for moving susceptible animals, have contact with susceptible animals on neighboring farms, or are handled by persons who also have contact with susceptible animals.

There's even a limit on dog walking, and foot paths are closed to hikers.

Luckily, the British eventing team is already on location in Italy for the European championships, which begin tomorrow.

Australian Horse Breeders Launch Lawsuit Against Government for Mishandling of Equine Flu Epidemic

"Who let the flu out?"

That is horse breeders in the Australian state of New South Wales want to know.

In spite of the federal government's offer of a US$110 Million compensation package, the horse breeders announced today that they would launch a class action suit. Doomsayers in the horse industry predict that the horse industry in eastern Australia has been crushed by the outbreak and cannot recover.

This is breeding season in the Southern Hemisphere, and mares are not being allowed to travel to the stallions.

At the heart of the matter is the finger of blame which is currently pointed squarely at the government for mismanagement of quarantine facilities that allowed a sick horse to mingle with others, and allowed workers to possibly carry the disease to off-premises horses.

Meanwhile, the government is losing millions of dollars in revenue each day, as the racetracks remain shuttered. In Australia, horse and dog racing are the legal forms of gambling.

On Monday, the first horse in Australia died of the disease, which is usually not fatal.

It is still illegal to transport horses, and yes, the eventers are still in lockdown in Queensland. They will stay there until 30 days after the last horse of the 265 horses becomes ill, regardless of when transport bans are lifted.

Today is World Rabies Day

Today, September 8, is World Rabies Day.

DID YOU KNOW...?
Approximately 55,000 people die worldwide from rabies each year!

Despite being 100% preventable, rabies kills approximately one person every ten minutes.

The World Rabies Day initiative is a global rabies awareness campaign being spearheaded by the UK charity Alliance for Rabies Control and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In the U.S., raccoons are the most common animals found to be rabid, followed by skunks and bats. However, the type of terrestrial mammals that carry rabies varies across geographic areas of the U.S.

Horses can have rabies. A high-profile case happened in 2006, when a horse at the Walking Horse Celebration in Tennessee tested positive for rabies. The Centers for Disease Control made a nationwide appeal to the 150,000 spectators at the show who might have come into contact with the infected horse.

To learn more about the impact of rabies on people and animals around the world, visit worldrabiesday.org.

Ciao, Maestro: Farewell to the Horse-Loving Tenor

One of the world's greatest sounds--the tenor notes of Pavarotti--has been silenced. The world's most popular opera singer--and perhaps most popular musician of any genre--died of pancreatic cancer yesterday. He singlehandedly re-introduced opera to a new generation of fans all over the world...but did you know about his connections to the horse world?

Luciano Pavarotti's love of horse sports began in 1960 when he was 25. That year, the Olympic Games had taken place in Rome and the D'’Inzeo brothers had won the gold medal for Italy in show jumping.

"“My general love of the horse became a particular one –for jumpers,"” Pavarotti said.

He bought his first horse in Ireland, and started riding himself. – “

"Donkeys, cats and dogs are small, but horses are big, even bigger than me. Horses are a challenge,”" he said– and enrolled his three daughters and other household members in the renowned Irish Kellet Riding School.

His love of the animal and sport grew. "“I became a nut, a nut of the horse. One day [Mr. D'’Inzeo] suggested I should have my own show and I became even more of a nut," Pavarotti recalled.

And so from 1992 to 2001, a CSIO in Modena, at Pavarotti’'s own equestrian center, would be held over four days in June, directly after the Pavarotti and Friends Concert, which featured, of course, The Three Tenors, but also Sting, Mariah Carey, U2, Lionel Richie, B.B. King, The Spice Girls and Ricky Martin. These concerts were held in support of Warchild, for the benefit of children in war-torn places like Tibet and Bosnia.

Although there were external sponsors involved, the event--the Grand Prix of which boasted the largest prize pot in Europe--was funded and underwritten by Pavarotti himself.

Upon hearing the sad news of the Maestro'’s death, German show jumping star Ludger Beerbaum said, "“It is an enormous blow for all of us riders whom he welcomed so warmly every year at his show, and concert. We are all in shock, and extend our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to his family and loved ones in these hard times. He will leave a huge gap in our lives and we will miss him terribly. He was a gift to the world of music, but also a true friend to the show jumping family.”"

(Thanks to Malina Gueorguiev and the FEI for help with this post)

I remember vividly Pavarotti's role as ambassador to the press at the 1996 World Equestrian Games in Rome. I still have a photo of him, with the signature scarf around his neck.

Architect's plan of Pavarotti's equestrian center/concert field near Modena, Italy.

Rehabbed Police Horse Wins Medal for British at Euro Vaulting Championships

The European Championships (think: the Euro equivalent of our PanAm Games) were star-studded this year. But beneath the Ankys and Isabels and Beerbaums and Whitakers are some footnotes that are sure to warm your heart.

The first came in dressage, when the Russian ex-circus, ex-police horse Balabar brought down the house with a perfect 10 for his piaffe. (I posted that story over the weekend.)

The second came in vaulting.

A trip to the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) farm in England can often be a one-way journey for a horse but for one ex-police horse, the trip to the ILPH was a ticket to a new life--and a European Medal.

Here's the story of ILPH Islay, from our friend Hannah Rowley at ILPH, who wrote:

ILPH Islay is a 17.3hh, 12-year-old black gelding on loan from the ILPH to a vaulting group in Scotland. He won a bronze medal for Great Britain at the FEI European Vaulting Championships, held in Kaposvar, Hungary in August. Islay and his vaulter, 17-year- old Victoria McLaren, competed in the Junior Female Individual CVI*.

ILPH Islay arrived at ILPH Belwade Farm in 2002 as a donation from the Strathclyde (Scotland) Police Mounted Branch. Islay didn’t take to life on the beat; he found loud noises scary and wouldn’t stand still at football matches. He was signed over to the ILPH and began an extensive year long rehabilitation program under the guidance of Eileen Gillen, ILPH Belwade Farm Centre Manager.

“When Islay arrived at ILPH Belwade Farm, he was a young horse that hadn’t really grown into his massive body,” said Eileen.

“Upon investigation, we discovered he had a hind limb lameness and was suffering from painful back spasms. His rehabilitation was extensive and we did lots of physiotherapy treatment with him. After a year he had progressed so well and had such an excellent temperament that we asked to try him for vaulting. The rest is history!”

Hannah added that ILPH Islay took the economy route to the championships; he traveled by himself in a van, all the way from Scotland, with five overnight stops along the way to Hungary.

FEI Vet Reports from Aussie Equine Quarantine Camp

FEI Vet Julian Willmore reports from the eventing lockdown site in Queensland:

"As of the end of Wednesday (August 29) here at Morgan Park, Warwick, over 90 percent of the 250 plus horses are showing the typical dry cough and the elevated temperature which is so characteristic of this disease. Overall, the horses are all doing quite well, no horses have died, none have collapsed, none are in intensive care. All horses are eating and in fact have never stopped eating throughout this past week. Most horses have the opportunity to spend time out of their stables for several hours daily, grazing and walking on the lead with their grooms.

"The vets on site have been monitoring the horses’ temperatures twice daily, providing any medication where necessary. The working hours have been long for the vets. The horse owners are obviously quite distressed about their confinement and the likelihood of missing upcoming competitions, (and are) hoping that their horses will all make an uneventful recovery.

In the meantime, the Queensland state government has pulled out all stops to assist with the situation and under State emergency legislation has turned the site into a self-contained mini-city with portable classrooms for the school children there, paying for all feed, veterinary and other horse care, employing the vets on site, providing three meals a day and couselling services to those in need, and setting up an emergency fund of $20,000, which is managed by the local council.

The town itself has rallied to provide additional food and other items and is raising more money to assist.

Thanks to Franz Venhaus of the Equestrian Federation of Australia for assistance with this report. Photo by Franz.

(Please note: Equine Influenza (EI) has spread throughout Queensland and New South Wales and has jumped from sport horses to Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. The Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC) estimates that there are about 2000 horses sick with the flu in Australia at this time. EI was not known in Australia until last week and the disease spread like wildfire. Horses there are not vaccinated for the disease, which has many strains.)

Australian Vet Students on the Front Lines at Epidemic's Epi-Center (and so are their horses)

There's nothing like firsthand experience and four University of Queensland are receiving an immersion course in equine infectious disease management. They've been locked down at an FEI World Cup-qualifier three-day event in Warwick, QLD for the past week or so.

Left to right: Paula Thomas, Jane Pollitt, Chelsea Salisbury, and Jessica Peters study disease control and epidemiology at college, but their weekend competition blurred the lines between study and sport.

Equine Influenza (EI) swept through Australia last week, following an outbreak first recorded at this competition. The government of Australia banned movement of horses in the entire nation to attempt to stem the outbreak. Horses at shows and sales and rodeos stayed right where they were. So did the people.

According to the official web site for the event, 90 percent of the 300 horses entered in the event are now infected and, with just a few to go, there is a sense that they can soon start the countdown to ending the time in lockdown. The current belief is that the horses will be released 30 days from the last infection.

Thankfully the horses are not too bad with the illness and most are responding to anti-inflammatories with very few developing secondary infection at this stage.

Jane Pollitt, daughter of well-known laminitis researcher Dr. Chris Pollitt, is holding her Australian stock horse "Wistari Washington". At the time the photo was taken, Washington had not developed clinical signs of the flu but was expected to the following day.

Thanks to Dr Pollitt for the photo. Learn more about his research at www.laminitisresearch.org.

USDA and Walking Horse Trainers Bury the Hoof Testers and Show Goes On

What a difference a year makes. One year ago I was posting about a near-riot at the Walking Horse Celebration in Shelbyville, Tennessee when horses failed federally-mandated "soring" inspections. It sounds like this year there was a love-in between USDA officials and the trainers and 97 percent of horses passed inspections.

I highly recommend a summary article about the show, posted on the web site of the Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, to which the above photo of one of the amateur classes is linked. The paper notes that 24,000 people were at the show.

A Great Horse Whose Name You May Never Know

Spin the globe to Turin (Torino), in the Italian Alps, today for news from the European Dressage Championships and the musical freestyle.

Of course it is no surprise that the freestyle was won by Hollan's Anky Van Gruvsnen and her Keltec Salinero, who tallied a score so high it needs oxygen: 85.8%.

I'll be watching youtube.com for someone to post a video of the most emotional performance of the championships: the Russian combination of Alexandra Korelova and former-abused-circus-horse-turned-police-horse-turned-dressage-champion, Balagur. I have been following this horse's career since he hit the global dressage scene in Athens in 2004.

The best piaffe of the entire championship combined with excellent passage and smooth transitions put the pair in sixth place with 78.2%. The crowd started a standing ovation before the test was actually over.

The FEI press reports usually don't gush with emotion but they certainly did today on behalf of Balagur's performance. Get out your horse breed i.d. book: Balagur is an Orlov Trotter and he is 19 years old! (Will dressage trainers start scouting missions to circuses now?)

I think this horse's life story would rival that of Black Beauty, and I hope someone somewhere is at work writing that book!

One rider had a tragedy: she completed her test and gave her horse an enthusiastic pat on the neck. The horse bucked, dumped her, and leapt out of the area. I guess no one in the audience was injured, but the rider was disqualified, even though the test was complete.