EQUINE SCIENCE CENTER TAPS PATTY HOGAN

(received via press release from Rutgers)

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (January 27, 2008) – The Equine Science Center at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has named Patricia Hogan, DVM, ACVS, as the 2008 winner of the Center’s “Spirit of the Horse” award.

The presentation was made at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Breeders Awards Dinner by Sandy Denarski of Johnson and Johnson, chair of the Rutgers University Board for Equine Advancement, the Center’s advisory board. Ms. Denarski was winner of the award in 2006.

The “Spirit of the Horse” award recognizes individuals whose lives have been profoundly changed because of their involvement with horses and who have acknowledged the impact by giving back to horses or the horse industry. Dr. Hogan, a native of New Jersey, is well known and highly respected in the horse industry for her skill as a veterinary surgeon and her dedication to the advancement of horses’ well being and the horse industry.

Widely publicized as the veterinarian responsible for saving Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones, Dr. Hogan heads her own veterinary surgery clinic, Hogan Equine, LLC, at Fair Winds Farm in Cream Ridge, NJ.

At the presentation, Ms. Denarski recalled the Smarty Jones event: “The very promising colt smashed his skull in a starting gate accident. The prognosis was very bad – worst case, euthanization and best case, loss of an eye. Smarty’s owners sent him to Patty Hogan, who upon examination, saw indications that the eye could be saved and the eye socket repaired. She saved Smarty’s eye – and possibly his life – and the horse went on to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and several other major stakes races.”

Dr. Hogan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, and completed an internship at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, KY, followed by a surgical residency at Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She is board-certified with the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Equine Disease Alert: Delaware Farm Under Quarantine; Horse Dead

On January 23, 2008, Dr. Sara Busch, Delaware State Veterinarian, was informed that a horse in the Felton/Frederica area has tested positive for equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), a highly infectious viral disease of horses.

The horse showed signs of illness on January 17th. Nasal swabs were taken and sent to Cornell University for PCR tests. The horse was euthanized on January 17th. Clinical signs of the disease include high fever, neurological symptoms and nasal discharge. The virus can spread through the air, contaminated equipment, clothing and hands.

The State Veterinarian’s Office and the owners of the horse are implementing immediate biosecurity measures and protocols to prevent the spread of the disease into Delaware’s equine community.

The horse farm has been placed under quarantine.

(This information is provided by the state government agriculture office in Delaware; watch for more updates!)

Barbaro: Rest in Peace at Scene of Triumph, Not Tragedy

Churchill Downs has been selected as the final resting place for 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, who was euthanized one year ago after a lengthy battle with laminitis. The announcement was made Tuesday by Barbaro’s owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, at a Churchill Downs news conference.

Barbaro’s remains were cremated following his death on Jan. 29, 2007, and his ashes will be interred outside of Gate 1 at Churchill Downs, in a large elevated space enclosed by bricks that is currently used as a garden. The site, which will be open to the public, will include a larger-than-life-sized bronze statue of the Kentucky Derby 132 winner that will be commissioned by the Jacksons and loaned to Churchill Downs as part of Barbaro’s official memorial site.

“Gretchen and I are pleased to be collaborating with Churchill Downs in this wonderful project,” said Roy Jackson. “In the year that has just preceded, we have spent much time thinking about Barbaro’s memorial and where it would be best placed. Churchill Downs became the obvious site for us. It was here that he ran his best race. It was here where we spent our most memorable day as horse owners and breeders. It was here where his racing fans could visit daily, and it was here at Churchill Downs where he was cordially invited to rest. We look forward to working with Steve Sexton and his team.”

In the coming weeks, Churchill Downs will install a bronze marker in the garden outside Gate 1 to designate the area where Barbaro’s ashes and bronze statue will be located.

The Jacksons are currently considering a select group of artists for the project and plan to make a final decision on the artist and statue design in the next few months. The Jacksons and Churchill Downs anticipate the statue’s completion and the formal unveiling and dedication of the Barbaro memorial site sometime in 2009.

To date, Barbaro will become the only horse buried on the grounds of Churchill Downs. The adjacent Kentucky Derby Museum has the remains of four Kentucky Derby winners interred on its property -- Sunny’s Halo (1983), Carry Back (1961), Swaps (1955), and Broker’s Tip (1933).

Following today’s news conference, the Jacksons participated in an autograph signing session at the Kentucky Derby Museum, which was open to the public.

Make Space on the Shelf for Edgar Prado's Book on Barbaro

A tip of the hat today to the memory of Barbaro, the racehorse whose fight for survival filled this blog in its early days. Today is the one-year anniversary of his death.

And, fittingly, Barbaro is still making news!

HarperCollins Publishers has announced an April 1 publication date for My Guy Barbaro, jockey Edgar's Prado's memoir of his days as rider of the late, great Kentucky Derby winner.

Here's what Joe Drape had to say about the new book: "This inside look at how a racehorse and jockey communicate and care for each other is at once heartbreaking and harrowing; it chronicles the relationship of two of the sport’s most compelling figures -- Barbaro and Prado. Their tale is wonderfully told, and makes you understand why people love horses."

— Joe Drape, author of Black Maestro and The Race for the Triple Crown

You can pre-order a copy of My Guy Barbaro at your favorite local independently-owned bookshop. Official release date is April 1.

South Dakota Legislature Considers Funding for Horse Slaughter Plant to be Built

According to several web sites, a bill has been introduced in the South Dakota legislature that would make a state-funded loan of up to $1 million available to anyone wishing to construct and open a horse slaughtering facility in the state. Introduced by multiple members of the South Dakota State Senate and House Agriculture Committees, S.B. 170 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Agriculture Committee at 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

Not much information is available as to whether this is a meat-processing project or not.

You can check with the South Dakota state government's web site, here, which has a page on the bill.

Stay tuned.

Win, Place or Cell: Record-setting California Racehorse is Stem Cell Poster Colt

Greg’s Gold is back on track this winter. And after setting a new track record at California’s Hollywood Park on the new Cushion Track synthetic surface, handicappers’ eyes will be on him when he goes after the San Carlos Handicap at nearby Santa Anita on February 16.

Some scientific and veterinary eyes will be on Greg’s Gold too. The horse is running beautifully and setting track records with three normal legs. The fourth sports a near-bionic superficial flexor tendon that was repaired using stem cells harvested from a pouch of fat near the colt’s tail head according to the Vet-Stem procedure..

Greg’s Gold's story is told in today’s edition of The Scientist, posted online. The Vet-Stem procedure is being used on all types of sport horses, but the demands of racing at the stakes level are a punishing test for a mended tendon. The steeplechaser champion Hirapour also was treated with stem cells.

But the scientific community is not too fast to jump on the stem cell repair wagon. The article in The Scientist interviews Drs. Larry Bramlage at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Kentucky, and Lisa Fortier at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in New York.

Should he stay sound and continue to race successfully at the top tier of US racing, Greg’s Gold will not only be one for the record books—he’ll be one for the textbooks, too.

AAEP RELEASES UPDATED EQUINE VACCINATION GUIDELINES

The Infectious Disease Committee of the American Association of Equine Practitioners has issued revised guidelines for the vaccination of horses. The Committee, chaired by Mary Scollay, DVM, has made recommendations for the use of vaccines based on the age of the horse and its previous vaccination history. The guidelines are intended to serve as a reference for veterinarians as they employ vaccines in their respective practices.

Highlights of “Guidelines for the Vaccination of Horses” include:

· The identification of tetanus, Eastern/Western Equine Encephalomyelitis, West Nile virus and rabies as “core” vaccines. Core vaccines have clearly demonstrated efficacy and safety, and exhibit a high enough level of patient benefit and low enough level of risk to justify their use in the majority of patients.

· The addition of a vaccination protocol for anthrax.· Recommendations for the storage and handling of vaccines, as well as information on vaccine labeling and adverse reactions.

· Inclusion of the AAEP’s Infectious Disease Control Guidelines, which provide an action plan for the containment of infectious disease during an outbreak.

The Committee stresses that veterinarians, through an appropriate veterinarian-client-patient relationship, should use the vaccination guidelines coupled with available products to determine the best professional care for their patients. Horse owners should consult with a licensed veterinarian before initiating a vaccination program.

The Committee, comprised of researchers, vaccine manufacturers and private practitioners, updated guidelines that were established by the AAEP in 2001. The complete document, along with easy reference charts, is available on the AAEP Web site at http://www.aaep.org/vaccination_guidelines.htm.

Sure-to-be-Controversial Barbaro Memorial Statue Will Be Unveiled in New York

This information is from a press release. According to the Blood-Horse web site, Barbaro's owners have issued a statement saying they are not connected with this effort to memorialize (and politicize) their horse. To clarify the information below, I spoke with the gallery today and the unveiling of the near-lifesize sculpture will indeed take place at Central Park South and the piece can be viewed there for a period of time before it is moved to the gallery in the Meatpacking District. During Preakness week, the piece will be on display in Washington, DC.

This is the first of what will probably be several posts about the first anniversary of Barbaro's euthanasia.

New York (January 23, 2008) – Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro is the subject of a statue and namesake of a proposal urging mandatory disclosure of race-related horse fatalities and injuries. A proposal titled “Barbaro’s Law” will coincide with the unveiling of Barbaro’s statue at the Central Park South location where a carriage horse was tragically killed last year.

“The Barbaro Memorial” by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards, courtesy of Leo Kesting Gallery, will be unveiled April 30th, the same week as the 134th Kentucky Derby.”The Barbaro Memorial” depicts the thoroughbred champion in the winner’s circle on his back with his number 8 saddle cloth draping his belly, and represents his inability to stand on his feet due to the debilitating laminitis which followed the shattered ankle he suffered in the 2006 Preakness Stakes. Barbaro was put down for his injuries January 29th of last year.

Edwards’s past sculptures include a nude Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug, an interactive autopsy of Paris Hilton with removable organs, and a war dead Prince Harry clutching the cameo locket of his late mother Princess Diana.

"World's Greatest Rider of the 20th Century" Attempting a Comeback for 2008 Olympics: Will Mark Todd Quit Racehorses? Can He Make the Team?

Astounding news from New Zealand today! The winningest rider in Olympic eventing history is trying to make a comeback in the sport! New Zealander Mark Todd, 51, has been training racehorses in New Zealand for the past few years, but he has a sporty horse he likes. Todd is competing the lithe 10-year-old grey Gandalf at the local event level at home, in hopes of making the team to compete this summer at the Olympic three-day-event in Hong Kong.

Todd has a most unusual sponsor behind him, New Zealand Bloodstock, which is the Thoroughbred breeding interest. That's amazing cross-sport support; only a horsey country like New Zealand could have a fairy tale like that to tell!

Todd may have a chance: The 2007 FEI Regional Olympic Dressage Qualification Event, which was scheduled to take place in October in conjunction with the 2007 Australian Dressage Championships at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre (SIEC), was among the hundreds of equestrian events cancelled since August as a result of the equine influenza outbreak in Australia. While the disease did not affect New Zealand, the regional qualifying event means that some teams for Hong Kong have changed their team selection processes or dates.

Mark Todd is widely credited with building popularity for the sport of eventing, which he dominated on a global level for the last 20 years of the 20th century. Since retiring, he has been training Thoroughbred race horses.

Read all about it in the New Zealand newspaper!

Veterinary Meeting Announcement: International Colic Research Symposium Planned for June in Liverpool, England

The Ninth International Colic Research Symposium, “The Olympics of colic research,” will be hosted by the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) from 15th – 18th June 2008 at the new Liverpool Arena and Conference Centre in Liverpool, England.

The format of the meeting will be a mixture of 15 minute oral presentations and two poster sessions. This is a research-focussed meeting and is likely to include sessions on all aspects of equine gastroenterology including epidemiology, parasitology, intestinal motility, endotoxaemia, clinical practice and post-operative survival. A full program will be available at the end of February.

The meeting will coincide with publication of a Colic Special Issue of Equine Veterinary Journal. containing full papers of some of the studies presented at the meeting.

The waterfront venue for the Symposium, the Liverpool Arena and Conference Centre, has excellent conference facilities, good access to local hotels and is easily accessible by road, rail and from Liverpool and Manchester International Airports.

The International Colic Research Symposium is noted for providing both a high-quality scientific programme and a convivial ambience. Both will be recreated in Liverpool in 2008 at this unique meeting.

World's Tallest Horse?

The International League for the Protection of Horses' Belwades Farm in Scotland is temporarily home to a Clydesdale named Digger, who towers way above the measuring stick. He also towers above groom Lisa McFarlane, who is 5 foot 10 inches tall, and who may or may not get this saddle over the sky-high withers of the still-growing four-year-old. Read about this young giant--whose front hooves are 15 inches across in an article in Daily Mail.

No Dry Eyes Tonight: Extreme Makeover Home Edition Helps a Maryland Therapeutic Riding Center

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition really hit a home run tonight with a two-hour special on ABC-TV with a makeover of a home and barn for a therapeutic riding center in Port Deposit, Maryland. I hope you all saw the before and the after...and appreciate what groups like Freedom Hills and the Luther Family do for people every day. When owner Renee Sherrard-Luther, who recently lost her husband, saw that the TV show had built her an indoor arena, her first words were that her clients could ride in the winter.

Click this link to learn more. Look for the episode "Luther Family". I think you can watch the episode online this week at: http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing

Learn more about Freedom Hills Therapeutic Riding here. Delaware Online has a great article about the building of the new house and barn and the involvement of the local community as volunteers and contractors in the project. Photo above is from Delaware Online.

This show was some of the best publicity I've ever seen for the horse world and horse people. It showed real people and the dedication some people have to helping others...with horses as the link. Bravo!

Australian Officials Announce Equine Influenza Under Control

The equine influenza (horse flu or "EI") outbreak in Australia is currently contained and is on track for early eradication, government officials said today in an official announcement.

Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Andy Carroll said that due to successful control programs undertaken by New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland (QLD) veterinary authorities, the actions of Australian horse industries and individual horse owners, the disease is contained and large populations of horses have fully recovered.

"Since reaching a high of some 10,000 infected premises in October/November last year [2007], we now have less than 1000 infected premises indicating that our strategy in combating the disease has been highly successful," Dr. Carroll said.

The number of infected premises is continuing to rapidly decrease with no new detections of the disease reported since December 22nd.

"This success will increasingly allow non-risk horses to move more freely around Australia and combined with the use of vaccination, to participate more freely in horse sales and other events," Dr. Carroll said. "This is a great development in getting our horse industry and horse sports back on track."

Importantly, the Australian racing industry has announced that yearling sales will go ahead, offering a large selection of quality horses, as in previous years. Arrangements for the re-opening of Australia's export market are progressing with Biosecurity Australia and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service negotiating conditions with Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Iran, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

Macau has provided amended conditions for the importation of horses and the Philippines have agreed to conditions for horses purchased at the upcoming sales.

The United States, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and the Republic of Korea continue to import horses from Australia in accordance with conditions in place prior to the outbreak.

Dr. Carroll said that while the control of the outbreak is good news for all horse enthusiasts, adherence to biosecurity and movement restriction arrangements are still the keys to successfully eradicating the disease.

"We are winning the battle against the disease and we are increasingly optimistic that horse flu will be eradicated much earlier than previously expected. But, it only takes one person to do the wrong thing and we could face a major setback," Dr. Carroll said.

EquiSearch.com Wins USEF Pegasus Award for Best Website on Horses for Fifth Consecutive Year!

January 19, 2008 -- Source Interlink Media's Equine Network is proud to announce that Equisearch.com, the host website of The Jurga Report Blog, has won the United States Equestrian Federation's (USEF) 2007 Pegasus Award for Web Sites.

The award was one of three presented by USEF President David O'Connor to connections of the Equine Network during the USEF Awards for Media luncheon January 10 in Louisville, Ky.

EquiSearch.com received the top prize in the USEF's website category for the fifth consecutive year. Susan Harding, the vice president and group publishing director for the Equine Network, was on hand to accept both of her company's awards. "Once again, it was wonderful to see EquiSearch.com acknowledged as THE Internet resource for equestrians," she said.

Slip-Sliding Away: Keep Your Horse's Safety in Mind This Winter

For most of us, winter brings with it that delightful menu of snow, ice, and cold temperatures, all of which lead to unique horse management challenges. If you have plans for an active winter on horseback, especially with a horse that wears shoes year-round, you'll have to consider the footing around the stable, in the arenas, and on the trails in order to avoid a common winter mishap: the slip and fall.

One example: You're tacking up in the stable, getting ready for a lesson in the arena. Between you and the arena is an expanse of partially-cleared parking lot covered in snow that's packed to ice. Can you get from one place to another without injury? Even such a short journey can be treacherous, and a horse that slips and falls on ice can easily pull a stifle or even sustain a fracture—not to mention injure its rider or handler. It's unfortunately not uncommon to see mortality claims this time of year for horses that were euthanized due to injuries sustained in a slip and fall.

Or maybe you're hacking and your horse has difficulty coping with balled-up snow packing in his feet. What do you do?

There are some temporary quick-fixes. You can visit your stud kit for temporary traction help from the same screw-in collection that helps you on cross-country day. Hoof boots often aren't as slippery on snow (and prevent snow packing). Another option is to apply Vaseline, ski wax, or other products to the sole of the hoof to reduce snow packing. However, if you plan regular riding in winter conditions, you will want a more permanent solution.

There are many traction devices available to combat whatever Mother Nature might toss your way. Some people like drive-in caulks or shoes with permanent caulks attached. Many farriers use spots of borium or other composites on the toes and heels of the shoe to give your horse extra grip.

There are some drawbacks to adding permanent traction devices though. A horse's foot is designed to hit the ground and slide. The extra torque created with calks or other products can put more strain on the legs than you might expect, which could lead to injury, so it's important to weight the risks on both sides carefully.

To evade the snowball effect, there are a variety of rim pad options that have proven effective over the years. You should consult with a trusted farrier to discuss what products are the most practical and effective for the weather in your area.

When riding on ice or snow, take it slow and monitor whether you have good purchase on the footing. On hills, your horse will be better able to balance if you go straight up and down, rather than crabbing sideways. If you get off your horse to lead up and down hills, keep in mind that your own traction might not be so great. Keep well to the side of your horse so that a fall by one of you won't injure the other.

And if a slip and fall does cause an injury to your horse, be very glad that you have insurance coverage to help with the rehab and treatment expense.

This article was written by Candi Kline of Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency, the Official Equine Insurance Provider of the US Eventing Association. Located in Middleburg, Virginia, Candi reports that there was a snowstorm there a few days ago, followed by freezing rain.

Thanks to the USEA for allowing this good advice to be posted here.

For some step-by-step advice on winter shoeing, scroll down to find the December blog post with a link to Martha Stewart's blog, which shows step-by-step construction of borium-encrusted shoes and anti-snowball pads for her Friesians at her farm in upstate New York.

Obama Has Oprah; Anti-Slaughter Has Martha

Martha Stewart's show yesterday featured a six-minute interview with Susan Wagner, director of Equine Advocates, an anti-slaughter and rescue farm in upstate New York, near Martha's farm. Click on the play button to follow Martha's interview with Susan, touching on anti-slaughter and anti-PMU issues in the horse world.

Colorado State University Study Shows that Topical Cream Benefits Equine Osteoarthritis

(Original text was provided by Colorado State University)

FORT COLLINS - Colorado State University Equine Orthopaedic Research Center scientists have discovered that a topical cream may be the first cream available to both treat osteoarthritis and relieve pain.

The first scientifically controlled study in horses testing the benefit of a topical diclofenac liposomal cream on equine osteoarthritis, sponsored by IDEXX Pharmaceuticals Inc, was headed up by Dr. David Frisbie, a clinical sciences professor with expertise in joint disease, and a team of researchers at the Equine Orthopaedic Research Center. The center is part of the university's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

"These findings offer opportunities for a new approach to treating this debilitating disease that affects both humans and horses," said Frisbie. "Finding a drug that treats the pain in addition to the disease allows us to provide better comfort to equine athletes with osteoarthritis while helping them improve."

The topical cream, called Surpass, contains a 1 percent concentration of diclofenac sodium. The cream is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for direct application to sore joints in horses.

The study tested pain relief and disease modifying potential of the product on 24 horses with a similar level of osteoarthritis at the start of the treatment period. One-third of the horses were treated with Surpass, one-third were given oral phenylbutasone "bute," a drug known to treat osteoarthritis, and one-third were untreated.

The horses were given regular treadmill exercise five days a week for the course of the study. All horses were evaluated with regular lameness examinations, X-rays, MRIs, synovial fluid and serum tests to monitor their progress during of the 10 week study.

The study showed that both Surpass and the drug known to treat osteoarthritis decreased lameness. More significantly, the study showed that only Surpass had positive effects on the joint. MRIs of the horses in the Surpass group showed decreased bone sclerosis, decreased cartilage erosion and increased levels of a key component of cartilage. All of these results indicate an improvement in the condition.

Surpass is the first drug of in its classification, which is a drug classification that includes aspirin and other pain-fighting medications, to demonstrate dual action with both symptom modifying and a disease modifying properties.

Surpass is approved in the United States as a prescription product for the control of pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis in horses.

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Equine Practitioners in Orlando, Fla. in December of 2007.

Zara Phillips Comments on Olympics Health Risks for Her Horse After Swiss Team Quits

Reading the horse press from Europe this weekend makes it sound like someone finally got out a world map and saw where Hong Kong is. The equestrian part of the Olympics was moved from Beijing to Hong Kong out of concern for horse diseases and quarantine problems for foreign horses on the mainland.

Last week the Swiss announced that their dressage riders would not risk their horses’ health by making the long trip, which would be stressful, to the extreme heat and humidity of Hong Kong.

How hot is it in Hong Kong in August and September? So hot that they shut down racing for the health of the horses. And that's in a country where racing is a national sport obsession.

One person who is thinking a lot about the possibility of going to Hong Kong is former European champion eventer Zara Phillips of England. Phillips missed the Athens Olympics four years ago when her Toytown was sidelined by a tendon injury.

The Times (of London) caught up with Zara at Switzerland’s St. Moritz ski resort this week, where a winter festival of horse sports—including polo and show jumping, are played in the snow.

Here’s a clip from the article where Zara was asked if she shared the concerns of the Swiss riders:

“Yes, I do have concerns,” says Phillips. “But Toytown is my top horse and he is not going to get to another Olympics, and I might not myself. So what do you do? It’s difficult. I’ve racked my brains about it, but I know if Toytown was a person, he’d say, ‘Don’t be silly, let’s go’.

“We just need to get as much information as we can so that we can make the horses as comfortable as possible. You want them cool but not too cool, you’ve got to be careful about dehydration, but you don’t want to be pestering them all the time. It sounds a nightmare.”

"Teddy" the Eventing Pony Wins 2007 Farnam® / Platform® USEF Horse of the Year

Karen O’Connor’s popular pony “Theodore O’Connor” was selected from among horses representing all USEF breeds and disciplines as the nation's most exceptional horse for 2007.

Owned by The Theodore O’Connor Syndicate, LLC, the pony is one of the most successful horses in the history of U. S. Eventing. "If size truly does matter, Teddy has proven he is a giant and a huge champion in the hearts of all his fans," said Karen O'Connor, Theodore O'Connor's rider. "It is truly a privilege to be a part of his life."

At 12 years of age, Theodore O’Connor was the first pony in history to compete at the Pan American games. Known as “Teddy”, the 14.1-hand Thoroughbred/Arabian/Shetland cross led the U.S. Eventing team to a Gold medal and brought home an Individual Gold, as well. When the medals were presented, Theodore O‚Connor certainly wowed the crowd as he galloped around the arena, inches shorter than his Gold-medal teammates.

The chestnut gelding captured the heart of the eventing world last spring at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, where he placed third in the four-star eventing competition.

Other 2007 accomplishments for Theodore O‚Connor include: Reserve Champion of the USEF National CCI**** Championship, the first pony ever to compete at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day-Event, Winner of The Fork CIC*** and United States Eventing Association Horse of the Year.

USEF Members, media and the USEF Board of Directors voted to select Theodore O'Connor for the prestigious honor , which was presented at the Horse of the Year gala at the Louisville (Kentucky) Marriott Downtown Hotel last night.

Other finalists for the award were: Aequus+//, an Arabian owned by Hazelbank Investments; Esteban, a Friesian owned by Deb Goldmann; Free Willy, a Hackney owned by Blevins Farms; and Sapphire, a Jumper owned by McLain Ward and Blue Chip Bloodstock.

Farnam's line of Platform® horse feeds and equine health supplements sponsors the Horse of the Year program.

(Information from a supplied press release was used in this post. Thanks to Carrie Foote at Farnam for the photo of Teddy and Karen at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day-Event in April 2007.)

Could Your Horse Pass Monty Roberts' "Farrier Manners" Test? California Ranch Seminar Will Work with Farrier-Fearing Horses

Join-Up® With Your Farrier! Is the title of an interesting new clinic to be hosted later this month (January 19-20) by natural horsemanship maestro Monty Roberts at his Flag Is Up Farm in Solvang, California, near Santa Barbara.

In fact, Monty has “re-joined” up with his former farrier, Ada Gates Patton of Pasadena, and the two will offer expertise to both farriers and horse owners.

Both Ada and Monty are concerned about farriers being injured by frightened or untrained horses; they are also concerned about the safety of nervous horses who are often on cross-ties.

Here's what Monty has to say about people whose horses won't behave for the farrier:

"In every country I have visited, I have found that some people believe that the farrier can educate the horse himself when it comes to standing and behaving while the footwork is done. This is an unacceptable mind-set. A farrier is a professional and should be treated as such. His expertise is to care for your horse’s feet, not to train him.

"While it is true that some farriers are also good horsemen and quite capable of doing the training, most horse owners do not plan to pay the farrier for training services. The farrier often feels that he is being taken advantage of and should not be required to take the time necessary to train. This can result in short tempers, and horses dealt with in an inappropriate way.

"While farriers are generally physically fit, muscular and capable of administering harsh treatment, should something like this occur, the blame should rest with the people securing their services, and not the farrier."

In his book, Monty describes a mophead-like tool that he uses to get a horse accustomed to activity around its feet from a safe distance; he describes it on his web site, too.

Monty and Ada will work with farriers and horse owners to demonstrate simple training and handling techniques, with the aim of conquering the specific fears that some horses have of farriers and/or having their feet handled.

Ada will also demonstrate simple methods of hoof measuring that she uses to evaluate hoof balance and achieve a more level, balanced trim.

The fee is $150 per day, and the clinics will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

Please call Flag Is Up Farm at (805) 688-3483 for more information and to reserve space.

Swiss Dressage Team Opts Out of Hong Kong Olympic Test; Heat and Humidity Fears Cited

Europe is buzzing this morning. Switzerland has decided not to send their big Warmblood horses into the heat and humidity of Hong Kong for the Olympics Games equestrian sports this summer. Warmbloods have a more difficult experience in tropical heat than do lighter horses like Arabs or Thoroughbreds.

Read all about it in today's International Herald Tribune.

Walking Horse Concerns Spawn "Sound Horse" Conference in Ohio in April

"The End of Soring" is the goal of the first Sound Horse Conference to be held in Columbus, Ohio, later this year.

The event is set for April 11-12 at the Hilton Garden Inn and is sponsored by the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association, the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the American Horse Protection Association, Friends of Sound Horses and the Humane Society of the United States.

Described as two days of "stimulating conversation and action," the goal of the conference is to accelerate progress to end soring "by bringing all interested people together to share ideas, increase knowledge, resources and action plans."

Discussion will include the challenges to enforcement of the Horse Protection Act, technology for future enforcement, proposed research that is needed, detection of pressure shoeing, how to prevent soring and other related topics.

The Equine Affaire, an all-breed, all-sport horse expo, will also take place in Columbus during that week.

"Soring" refers to illegal methods used to exaggerate a Tennessee Walking Horse's natural high-stepping gait in the show ring. Under federal law, horses may be inspected for signs of soring prior to competition, and are disqualified if they are found to have been sored.

Disputes between trainers and federal officials over the inspection process plagued the industry during 2006, resulting in the cancellation of the World Grand Championship class at the Walking Horse Celebration, but the 2007 horse show season appeared to go much more smoothly

From more information about the conference, e-mail data@fosh.info or call (800) 651-7993.

Health Concerns Force Force Cancellation of 2008 USA Tour of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna

The planned 2008 tour of western United States cities by the famed Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria has been canceled. The stallions were to have performed in five western cities this fall to balance out their eastern cities tour in 2005.

Tour producer Gary Lashinsky told me today that he will head to Vienna later this month to see about re-scheduling the tour. He cited "health concerns of the Lipizzaner Horses...with EVA and CEM" as the reason for the cancellation.

Both the stables in Vienna and the farm in Piber were closed last year when contagious equine metritis (CEM), a highly contagious equine venereal disease, was discovered to have infected many of the stallions. The USA has very strict regulations about testing stallions for CEM and equine viral arteritis (EVA). Stallions carry CEM but do not show symptoms, so the Spanish Riding School was not aware that the stallions were carriers until a horse was exported to the USA.

ABC's "Nightline" Features Veterinary Stem Cell Applications by Vet Stem Tonight

Southern California's Vet Stem corporation will be the star of the show tonight on ABC News' Nightline news program, which will air a special segment on stem cell treatments for joint disease and arthritis in dogs.

While the show focuses on dogs, Vet Stem claims to have been involved in the treatment of more than 2000 cases of lameness in horses. Suspensory ligament injuries are the highest success rate for Vet Stem treatment, according to the equine portion of their web site.

The web site, by the way, has case studies of 20 or so different horses. You can download the documents as PDF files from this page.

On the news page, there is also a video about the sprinter Greg's Gold at California's Del Mar racetrack who was treated with Vet Stem technology, which consists of "harvesting" stem cells from fat deposits near the horse's tail head, culturing them so they multiply, and injecting them at the injury site. (That is a massive over-simplification!)

On the east coast, Nightline airs at 11:30 p.m.

Special Eclipse Award for Kentucky Horse Park

(received via press release; edited for blogging purposes)

LEXINGTON, KY (January 9, 2008) The Kentucky Horse Park will be honored with the 2007 Special Eclipse Award from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), National Turf Writers Association (NTWA), and the Daily Racing Form.

The Special Eclipse Award recognizes outstanding individual achievements in, or contributions to, the sport of Thoroughbred Racing. John Nicholson, executive director of the park stated, “This award represents an enormous effort by many people and horses at the park who played a role in the celebration of the special bond between horse and man. For 30 years, the Kentucky Horse Park has honored, cared for, chronicled and assisted horses of all breeds and disciplines, and we humbly and gratefully accept the honor being returned to us in this way.

“There has always been a deep, abiding, intangible something that binds the hearts of man and horse. This relationship is the soul of the Kentucky Horse Park,” continued Nicholson, who will accept the Special Eclipse Award on behalf of the Kentucky Horse Park by the NTRA on January 21 in Beverly Hills. (Last year’s recipients of the Special Eclipse Award were Roy and Gretchen Jackson and the New Bolton Center for their excellent care of Barbaro.)

“The Eclipse Award steering committee strongly believed that the Kentucky Horse Park was most deserving of the Special Award for its extraordinary contribution and dedication to the Thoroughbred industry and the wonderful experience that its millions of visitors have enjoyed over the years,” said Alex Waldrop, president and CEO of the NTRA. “The special care for the great racehorse John Henry in his retirement, and his most dignified passing in 2007, symbolizes the love and devotion of the men and women who work at the Kentucky Horse Park each day.”

The Kentucky Horse Park is a 1,200-acre equine "theme park" and competition complex. Nearly one million visitors come to the park each year to see, touch, learn about, and experience horses, and to compete in horse shows. The park includes the International Museum of the Horse – a Smithsonian Affiliate - and the American Saddlebred Museum. Perhaps most conspicuous is the Hall of Champions which has been (and is) home to a pantheon of elite champions of the racetrack and show ring, including Eclipse Award-winning Thoroughbred celebrities Cigar, Kona Gold and the late John Henry.

In 2010, the Kentucky Horse Park will host the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, which will be the largest equestrian sporting event ever held in the United States, and is expected to draw more than 600,000 spectators, be broadcast to more than 460 million worldwide television viewers, and draw nearly 2,000 media from around the world.

Nicholson concluded, “The 21st century is the golden age of the horse in America. They are our heroes, our partners and our friends, and as long as that relationship flourishes, the Kentucky Horse Park will be here to celebrate it.”

American Horse Council Supports Tightening of Slaughter Horse Regulations

(received via press release today and posted for your information)

WASHINGTON, DC - The American Horse Council (AHC) has told the U.S. Department of Agriculture that it supports the Department’'s proposal to amend the regulations governing the commercial transportation of equines for slaughter. The proposed changes would extend the regulatory protections provided by the Commercial Transport of Equines to Slaughter Act to horses bound for slaughter, but delivered first to an assembly point, feedlot, or stockyard.

The AHC was one of the principal organizations involved in passing the Commercial Transport of Horses to Slaughter Act. The AHC was also involved in working with USDA in drafting the rules adopted under the Act to regulate the transport of equines for slaughter in December, 2001,” said Jay Hickey, AHC President.

The rules presently require that shippers certify the fitness of these horses to travel and provide them with water, food, and rest for 6 hours prior to being loaded for transport. Horses cannot be shipped for more than 28 hours without being off-loaded for 6 hours and given the chance to rest, eat and drink. While in transport, horses must be checked at least every 6 hours to ensure that no horse has fallen or is in distress. Trucks used to transport horses to processing facilities must allow for the segregation of stallions and aggressive horses from others.

The rules prohibited the use of double-deck trailers to commercially transport horses to slaughter after December 7, 2006.

The current rules apply only to the transport of horses directly to the slaughter plant, not to any initial shipment to an assembly point, feedlot or stockyard during the shipping process,” said Hickey. “USDA felt that this was a gap in the protections of the Act and the AHC agrees.”

The proposed change would broaden the protections to include all horses “being transferred to a slaughter facility, including an assembly point, feedlot, or stockyard.” In effect, the proposed changes would move-up the point at which the regulations apply in the process of moving horses from sales, farms, and other points to a slaughter facility. This would provide horses delivered to intermediate points en route to slaughter with the same protections regarding food, water, hour limits, and the prohibition on double-decker trucks as those horses moved directly to plants.

The rules do not –and would not under the proposed changes – apply to the transport of horses for other purposes, such as breeding, racing, show or recreation.

Legendary Texas Horseman Matlock Rose Has Died

Sad news from Texas today. Quarter horse breeder, rider, showman, judge and cutting horse expert Matlock Rose died last night. He was the first trainer to win five NCHA open world championships, but that's just the tip of the iceberg of the man's accomplishments.

If the names San Peppy and Poco Bueno mean anything to you, you know something about this man.

My friend Sally Harrison wrote his biography and, today, his obituary. I highly recommend that you read it on her blog.

Read an excerpt from his biography here to see why the word "legend" fits this man.

Sally sums it up this way: "As a trainer, breeder, teacher, and judge, Rose helped make the American Quarter Horse."

(Sally Harrison photo)

Legal Expert: HYPP Disclosure Should Still Be a Concern for Buyers...and a Responsibility for Sellers

Attorney Rachel McCart of Equine Legal Solutions, a law firm in Oregon, is a blogger colleague who often has thought-provoking advice on her blog. Today she posts about the legal aspects of disclosure of a Quarter horse's test status for Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis, commonly called just HYPP. The disease should also be a concern to anyone buying or breeding Paints, Palominos, and Appaloosas, as well as Quarter horses.

HYPP may not be in the news every day anymore, but it is still a concern, and should be. The Quarter horse world has quieted the hysteria that developed when the disease was first discovered in certain Quarter horse bloodlines about fifteen years ago and the veterinary world assisted with reliable tests, dietary recommendations and genetic detective work.

Looking at today's horse economy, we hear a lot about two new aspects that weren't around even five years ago: 1) the decrease in value and, hence, sales prices of Quarter horses and 2) the burgeoning market in Internet sales of horses. At first, I didn't believe it, but people here in New England actually buy horses without seeing them and have them shipped here, usually from the western states. Some fly west to try (and see) the horses in person, but others do not.

Rachel McCart's post offers solid information on what is the responsibility of the buyer and what is the responsibility of the seller in HYPP disclosure. If you want to buy or sell a horse and stay out of the lawyer's office, her blog post is worth a read, although laws may vary in some states.

You're not just buying a horse, you're buying his or her DNA, too. With the glut of horses on the market, you should be able to find a seller who has tested a horse and is willing to disclose the results. Always discuss those results and other pre-purchase findings with your own veterinarians.

HYPP disclosure is probably comparable to Lyme's disease testing around here. If the flow of horses was reversed, and people here had to disclose a horse's Lyme's test, they would probably resist, since so many horses test positive but have no symptoms. I wonder what the courts say about that.

Presidential Candidates and the Politics of Horses

Helmetless Ann Romney schooling her 19-hand "Bentley".

According to Washington Wire, a blog from The Wall Street Journal's Capital Bureau, Republican Presidential candidate and Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee alienated anti-slaughter activists, including the United Animal Nation (UAN), when speaking with a group of reporters last month in Iowa. The blog entry suggested that Huckabee was perhaps pandering to the Dutch Iowan vote when he mentioned several of his favorite Dutch foods, including one made from horsemeat, which he described as tasting "like chicken".

Political commentator for the Humane Society Legislative Fund Mike Markarian listed some frightening animal abuse charges against the Arkansas governor on his blog and said, "Huckabee is the greatest threat to animal protection we’ve seen in the race to the White House in recent times."

Elsewhere on the horses-in-politics front, Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton and (to my surprise) John McCain are all co-sponsors of H.R. 503, the Senate bill to amend the Horse Protection Act "to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, and for other purposes." (Depending on how you read that, moving horses would be prohibited!)

Obama represents Illinois, one of the two states most impacted by the horse slaughter bill, in the U.S. Senate.

According to the Common Horse Sense web site, John Edwards is also an anti-slaughter sympathizer.

Private citizen Mitt Romney is probably the candidate most closely connected to horses; his wife, Ann, is an active dressage rider here in the Boston area and was featured in Dressage Today magazine. Ann blogs about her horse life and on her MySpace page lists herself as "Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Equestrian".

Does anyone have insights into Richardson or Guiliani?