Just for Fun: Sharing the Bandwidth of Fame with Anky

Photos from readers add a personal touch (and some humor) on Anky van Grunsven's web site

There's probably only one way in the world that my name and Anky van Grunsven's will ever be spoken in the same sentence. And I'm letting you in on the secret.

The ultimate dressage queen/empress/diva--whatever you'd like to call her--has a great web site at http://www.anky.nl/. There's plenty of news, updated daily. There's wallpaper for your computer to download. Horses to meet. Videos to watch. Music from her kurs to delight your ears.

But she also has something else: an upload link. You can upload photos of your horse or you or whatever you like, or videos, up to a certain size and within parameters. Each week, the Anky crew posts favorites on the web site. You have your week of fame at the top of the web page, then you move down the next week, but you're always there. You always have the web URL to your photo sitting amongst Salinero, Bonfire and all the Anky activity.

Here's the link for uploading:
http://www.anky.nl/index.asp?page=upload

Some of the stuff is goofy and makes you laugh (like the horse and human facemakers shown here, posted a few weeks ago): some is serious, but most photos show ordinary people from all over the world having fun with their horses.

This is somewhat akin to uploading your best singing-in-the-shower to Barbra Streisand's site (you can't). Good for you, Anky!

Madeleine Pickens Withdraws Vet School Donation, Cites Barbaric Live Animal Use As Reason

Wild horse benefactor Madeleine Pickens used her blog today to announce that she is withdrawing a $5 Million donation from the Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. Pickens became incensed when she learned that the university, which happens to be her husband's alma mater, uses live animals, especially dogs, for surgical and medical procedural education purposes.

Pickens was allegedly tipped off by a student; the allegations include that OSU purchases animals from so-called Class B breeders. She called the practice of using live animals for practice "barbaric" and that she would move her donation elsewhere.

The School of Geology at Oklahoma State is named for her husband, oil man and energy magnate Boone T. Pickens.

Ms. Pickens' announcement has nothing to do directly with horses, to be sure, although horses might have benefited at Oklahoma State, but it may be a foreshadowing of things to come as Ms. Pickens works toward her ultra-ambitious wild horse sanctuary program. Institutions, companies, and individuals who hope to help Ms. Pickens spend her horse money will surely need to be in alignment with her principles.

Just for the record: Veterinary colleges have different policies about using live animals in educational exercises and all must comply with the Animal Welfare Act.

(Image credit: Madelieine Pickens and Oklahoma State's The Daily O’Collegian)

Bi-Partisan Caucus for Animal Protection Formed in US Congress While Western States Move Toward Autonomous Horse Slaughter Regulations

By Fran Jurga | 19 February 2009 | The Jurga Report

Has the nationwide obsession with the economy (Just how poor am I? I dunno...how poor are you?) pushed some other close-to-the-heart issues to the back burner?

A press release published today in Washington informs us that US Representatives Jim Moran (D-VA) and Elton Gallegly (R-CA) will co-chair the newly formed “Congressional Animal Protection Caucus (CAPC),” a bipartisan organization committed to raising awareness of animal welfare issues in Congress. CAPC replaces the Friends of Animals Caucus that existed in previous Congresses.

The press release says that, through non-partisan forums and briefings, CAPC will seek to highlight important issues affecting animals and upcoming animal welfare legislation. CAPC will also track the progress of relevant legislation, provide members of Congress with dependable information, and attempt to build broad coalitions in support of common-sense, humane animal welfare laws.

In the 110th Congress, the old caucus was instrumental in the passing tougher animal fighting legislation, and tightening animal welfare regulations in the 2008 Farm Bill. Priorities for the 111th Congress include beefing up legislation banning the slaughter of horses.

Meanwhile, west of the Beltway, some states--make that quite a few states--are initiating states-rights or "home rule" resolutions that could possibly lead to legalized horse slaughter in certain states. Whether the slaughter they would like to usher in is for meat export purposes is not clear; much of the legislation in Washington has been specific to slaughtering horses for meat, so rendering-type slaughterhouses might find some loopholes.

Another loophole that may be open is "on the hook" export of horse carcasses, as is done in England, where export of horse meat, per se, was stopped by law.

According to an article in Monday's Salt Lake Tribune, Utah is leading the pack of the "horse slaughter resolve" states, while action is already in process in the states of Arizona, Kansas, Minnesota, Wyoming, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Montana.

Utah's HJR7 voices the state's approval of the export of horses for slaughter and has passed the House and Senate; the nonbinding position statement will be sent to the White House, the U.S. Senate and House and Utah's congressional delegation.

Blogger's note: To refresh your memory, President Obama was one of the sponsors of anti-horse slaughter legislation in the Senate that led to the closing of foreign-owned US horse meat processing plants. And the recently impeached governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, was hailed as a hero when he signed the order to close the DeKalb slaughter complex in that state in 2007. Blagojevich's role in anti-horse slaughter legislation was generally overlooked in the controversy over his impeachment.

Now that Obama and Blagojevich have moved on (or up, or out, as the case may be), slaughter advcates are obviously losing no time reversing things in that state.

An upcoming vote by the American Quarter Horse Association on March 9 adds to the slaughter story: slaughterhouse by-products include uteruses from slaughtered mares that required for cloning cultures. A plentiful supply of viable uteruses is critical to the cloning industry and adds to the complexity of both the horse slaughter and cloning debates, much as does the medical use of human stem cells from warehoused embryos in the abortion debate.

If I had a crystal ball, I think I would be able to see the stately columns of the US Supreme Court shining in its depths when I ask it where the horse slaughter debate is headed.

AAEP Vets Inspect Mexican Horse Slaughter Plants, Give Thumbs Up for Horse Welfare Conditions

by Fran Jurga | 19 February 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

A report in the March 1 edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) chronicles the work of a group of representatives of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). The group inspected two Mexican horse slaughter plants and judged the welfare conditions experienced by American horses shipped there to be processed into meat.

The article, which is now available online, documents the process of the horses' arrival from the border in sealed trailers, through the captive bolt slaughter process, and describes the plant, the staff, and how the horses were treated during the inspection.

A key quote from Dr. Tom Lenz: "If you look at it from the hard perspective of the meat industry, they're in the business to produce meat. They don't want an injured or down or stressed horse any more than they have to, because it affects the meat quality."

Click here to read an article about the report.

As stated in the article, both the AVMA and AAEP are working actively in Washington to derail or defeat passage of HR 503, the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on January 14, 2009. HR 503 would prohibit the transport of horses to slaughter. Slaughter itself has been effectively banned within the United States, so horse must be trucked to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. The meat is largely consumed in Japan and Europe.

If it sounds counter-intuitive for the two main veterinary groups in the country to be opposing a bill with the words "prevention of equine cruelty" in it, it is because so many words in our world have twisted meanings when it comes to politics. "Humane", for instance, has become a very subjective word and is highly charged with potential votes and influence when used in the political context.

But for some people, the word "humane" has become another word for "animal rights", and it's all wrapped up in a perception of PETA's plot to take over the world. And, they believe, if PETA succeeds with horse slaughter, cattle and hogs and chickens will be next.

For others, humane means reforming the conditions that horses endure during shipment to slaughter, or not allowing any slaughter at all, under any circumstances.

The US vets did not travel in the trucks with the horses, but did mention that the severely injured horses were humanely euthanized when the trucks were opened in central Mexico, and they were there to witness that.

This battle is far from over.

Barbaro's Feet Won't Touch the Ground in New Memorial Sculpture at Churchill Downs

This 2006 Churchill Downs photo suggests the pose captured by sculptress Alexa King for Barbaro's memorial statue, which will be unveiled this spring at the Louisville, Kentucky racetrack.

The public unveiling of a larger-than-life bronze statue to celebrate the life of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro will take place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on the morning of Sunday, April 26, as the 2009 Derby Week begins in the city.

Production of the bronze statue is nearing its final stages under the direction of sculptor Alexa King. Her design captures Barbaro and jockey Edgar Prado in mid-flight between strides nearing the finish line, on their way to a dramatic victory in the 2006 Kentucky Derby.

The unique statue will be mounted on a horizontal bronze rail that will support the 1,500-pound artwork, creating the impression that Barbaro and his rider are suspended in air. It is the first time that an equine statue of this size and scope has been presented with all four of the horse’s feet off the ground.

The statue will become the focal point of Barbaro’s official memorial and burial site at Churchill Downs. It will be placed outside Churchill Downs’ Gate 1 and near the entrance to the Kentucky Derby Museum along with Barbaro’s ashes, which will be interred beneath the bronze. Currently, a bronze marker, featuring Barbaro’s likeness, marks the location of the future memorial site beneath a large magnolia tree.

The 135th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands is scheduled for Saturday, May 2.

Shedding Season: Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and the End of the Midnight Horse Laundry Caper

Champion show jumper Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum wants the horse world to know that she and Markus use Miele industrial-strength washing machines. But do international show jumpers even get a chance to get as dirty as a backyard horse? (Miele photo)

When I drive by my local laundromat, the sign "NO HORSE BLANKETS" is written in such huge letters that I can read it without slowing down. Before you even get inside, you have been warned that you will be prosecuted if you put horse-related items in any washer or dryer.

Shrunken heads or scalps of offending grooms and stablehands may as well hang from the ceiling. "Horse" is a four-letter word in America's laundromats.

Of course, that doesn't stop a lot of people, especially for small items like leg wraps and saddlecloths...Not to mention their own clothes, which usually have more horse hair on them than the horses' clothes do. And they usually sneak in at midnight, when no one's around.

So when I received two press announcements almost simultaneously about horse-product laundering, I was sure that the Horse-Hating Laundromat Owners of America were really cracking down. But it turned out that these are two product announcements that prove my theory about how challenged rank-and-file horse owners are with keeping all those horse clothes clean.

Manufacturer's claim: saddle pads and horse blankets will no longer get wet or dirty. (Nanotechnology photo)

Nanotechnology is a dog-products manufacturer ready to break into the horse market. They will soon be offering dirt-proof turnout and stable blankets, sheets, and saddle pads. I'd love to be the public relations firm for these blankets and challenge horses to get them dirty. Testing these products would be fun and I am sure that my local laundromat owner is really hoping that they catch on!

Learn more at www.doggonesmartbed.com. Maybe I should have my house and car (and self) upholstered in their fabric!

Horseowner's Ancient Wisdom: Buy a horse a new turnout blanket and rolling becomes compulsory, regardless of the weather...or how much you paid for the blanket

The second news had some star-quality intrigue. Miele, makers of industrial-strength and oh-so-Euro-designed washing machines, offered a behind-the-scenes photo tour of Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum's lovely home in Germany. This promo is testament to the celebrity status of riders in Europe compared to America. The tour ends in the stable, where we see that she and Markus have two industrial-strength washers ready to launder the endless supply of coolers they keep winning.

Click here for a mini slide-show tour of Meredith's farm in Germany; click here to download the Miele horse laundry brochure.

Hats off to Meredith for endorsing a company that makes a product we'd all like to own (and no doubt, some lucky readers already do). I hope Miele keeps a presence in the horse world and helps us all clean up our act!

WEG Stadium Shapes Up at Kentucky Horse Park

The main stadium for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games is under construction at the Kentucky Horse Park outside Lexington, with an opening scheduled for this April's Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.

A firm (but not too firm) foundation is being laid with mat-based footing from German consultants OTTO Sportund Reitplatz GmbH.

News today from Kentucky tells us that work is progressing on the main outdoor stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park, which will be the center stage for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) next year in Lexington.

The almost 130,000 square-foot arena and an attached warm-up area of 40,000 square feet are the focus of construction for the German firm of OTTO Sportund Reitplatz GmbH. The work is likely to be finished this month, and the official inauguration will be during the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day-Event at the end of April 2008.

The arena design is based on OTTO Riding Arena Mats which were also used in the arena at Aachen, Germany for the 2006 WEG. The mats are covered by 2,800 tons of a special riding sand mixture. The combination of silica sand, synthetic fiber and mats is designed to give horses a more secure and less stressful stride, and the mix even has a moisture control system to prevent dust. Proper drainage is another aspect that has been researched by the consultants.

Once the OTTO group finishes the main arena, they won't be able to relax; there are more arenas to be built in time for WEG at the Horse Park, but having the main arena available for Rolex is a schedule priority.

Champion Dressage Horse Brentina Treated for Colic

by Fran Jurga | 11 February 2009 | The Jurga Report

Debbie McDonald and Brentina, from the USET Athlete Portrait Campaign Project fundraiser

Yes, the Internet reports are true: America's sweetheart dressage champion Brentina was treated for colic yesterday. Equisearch.com's Nancy Jaffer has an exclusive report on the surgery and its outcome; click here to read all the details.

The 16-year-old Hanoverian mare, ridden in the Pan Am Games, World Cup, World Equestrian Games, and Olympics by Idaho's Debbie McDonald, will be formally retired from competition on April 17 in a special ceremony at the World Cup Finals in Las Vegas. Brentina is owned by Peggy and Parry Thomas.

Aim a prayer at Hailey, Idaho tonight, as Brentina begins her recovery.

Send in the Clones: Forum on American Quarter Horse Clone Registration Rule Change Will Be Available via Webcast

One of the biggest changes in the history of American horse breeding has been set in motion, but you don't have to travel to San Antonio, Texas on March 6 to be part of it.

American Quarter Horse Association members who can’t make it to the equine cloning forum at the 2009 AQHA Annual Convention will be able to watch the event online in the members section of www.aqha.com. The forum Webcast will begin at 2 p.m. March 6.

You must be an AQHA member and have a Personal Identification Number to log in at the site and access the Webcast.

Under Rule 227(a) of the AQHA official handbook, a rule that became effective in 2004, American Quarter Horses produced by any cloning process are not eligible for registration. Clones are currently not being bred for performance use, but rather for breeding, so the offspring of a clone would not be able to registered.

All that may change in March.

The AQHA Stud Book and Registration Committee (SBRC) first considered a proposed change to Rule 227(a) at the 2008 AQHA Convention. That proposed change would allow a live foal produced via a particular type of cloning to be registered if its DNA matches that of a registered American Quarter Horse. Voting on that rule change was postponed to 2009 while more information was gathered.

The proposed change to Rule 227(a) will again be on the SBRC agenda at the 2009 AQHA Convention but only after a public forum where members will be able to learn more about cloning and to express their opinions. This forum is open to all interested AQHA members.

Confirmed forum panelists include Katrin Hinrichs, a veterinarian involved in equine cloning at Texas A&M University; Sharon Spier, an epidemiologist at the University of California-Davis; George Seidel, a professor specializing in biomedical sciences at Colorado State University; and Blake Russell of ViaGen, a commercial cloning lab.

Following the forum, AQHA members watching the webcast will have the opportunity to leave online comments on the information presented. Comments will be limited to 100 words and need to be related to the topics presented during the forum.

For more information on cloning, see the February issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal, the March issue of The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal and the March-April issue of America’s Horse.

Blogger's Note: My copy of the Journal came in the mail today and contained an eight-page article called "Pure Genetics", which covers many aspects of the cloning issue.

In 2008, the National Cutting Horse Association passed a rule allowing clones to compete. Champion cutting horse Smart Little Lena was cloned five times in 2006 by Texas A&M University, according to the AQHA article. Offspring sired by any of the five would currently not be eligible for registration with the AQHA, but would be able to compete in NCHA events. Might clones become part of a distinct new breed association?

After the AQHA convention in March, they might be welcome in the AQHA for the first time. Other breed associations would then need to decide whether to follow the AQHA's lead; currenty no breed associations register clones.

Equine Herpesvirus Confirmed in Oklahoma; Biosecurity Stressed For Horse Owners

(public service announcement for horse owners)

Oklahoma City—State Veterinarian, Becky Brewer, confirmed today that a state horse has tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) and has been placed under quarantine. Further tests are being conducted to determine if this is a relatively new strain of virus.

“EHV is a very common equine virus and until recently was more easily controlled with biosecurity measures and a good vaccination program,” Brewer said. “The virus has undergone a genetic mutation that can infect even vaccinated horses.”

The new strain has a high mortality rate as opposed to the more common forms of EHV, she adds.

“We must stress that we don’t yet know if this is in fact the new EHV-1 virus,” Brewer said. “Samples have been sent to a laboratory in California for final confirmation and we will have the results some time next week.”

EHV-1 is a respiratory disease and may be spread through the air, on tack, horse trailers and other forms of direct or indirect contact. Anyone contacting horses should change clothes, disinfect boots or shoes and wash their hands with soap and water before having contact with horses at another facility.

“Vaccination and biosecurity are our best methods of dealing with this disease and we are urging horse owners to take this issue seriously,” Brewer said.

An EHV fact sheet is available on the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry website at http://www.oda.state.ok.us/ais.htm. Updates will also be posted on the agency’s blog at www.agblog.ok.gov.

ODAFF policy prevents the location of quarantined animals or the identification of their owners to be released unless necessary to protect the public.

Forensic Veterinary Medicine? UFlorida Launches New “CSI: Animal Edition” Program for Animal Abuse Investigation

by Fran Jurga 18 January 2009 The Jurga Report on Equisearch.com


CSI: Vet Edition? This isn’t television. And it's certainly not "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective".

In this real-life drama, you'll find necropsies, assessment of skeletal remains for abuse and trauma, and crime scene analysis of hair, fibers and bloodstains. But this forensic evidence will be used to solve cases of cruelty to animals, not humans.

University of Florida officials announced recently that they are partnering with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to form the first Veterinary Forensic Sciences Program dedicated to the teaching, research and application of forensic science in the investigation and prosecution of crimes against animals. The program will handle cases from around the country — possibly up to 200 within the first two years — and provide consultancy and training.

The collaboration between the university and the ASPCA started a year ago, when the two institutions organized a conference on the use of forensic science to investigate animal cruelty. Coordinators expected only a few dozen attendees, but instead were met by nearly 200 people from across the United States and nine other countries. That unanticipated interest helped fuel the development of the new program.

Over the last few years, the number and stringency of laws relating to animal cruelty has increased. Penalties can include extended prison time, such as in the high-profile dog fighting case involving professional football player Michael Vick.

There is no national tracking of animal cruelty cases — the new Veterinary Forensics Sciences Program will allow for better collection of such data. Each year the ASPCA investigates more than 5,000 cruelty cases and arrests or issues summonses to more than 300 people. Scenarios include simple neglect, abandonment, animal hoarding and blood sports such as dog fighting. On the basis of media accounts, the animal advocacy Web site pet-abuse.com reports 1,620 high profile cases in 2008.

The new program at University of Florida will offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses and continuing education for veterinarians, law enforcement personnel, animal control officers and others. Courses include forensic entomology, buried-remains excavation, bloodstain pattern analysis, bite-mark analysis and animal crime scene processing. Trainings will be done in classroom settings, online and through the just-formed International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association. Real prosecutors and media professionals will take part to enhance the learning experience.

Often, veterinarians presented with cases of animal abuse or neglect are not sure what to look for to establish cause and manner of death, or to prove that a crime was committed. But that's about to change, thanks to this new program.

This blog post is based on an article supplied by the University of Florida.

Video: Everyone Is Talking About...The Sliding Diva!

by Fran Jurga | 2 February 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com



Plenty of prize money and international prestige were at stake at this weekend's Exquis World Dressage Masters Weekend series in Wellington, Florida. Congratulations to winners Stefan Peters, Anky van Grunsven, and Michael Barisone, winners of the Grand Prix, Freestyle, and Grand Prix Special, respectively.

But if it was a dressage show, why is that everyone is talking about Anky's exhibition of western riding?

That's right! The Olympic gold medalist came from Europe to compete in dressage but wowed the American crowd with an exhibition of her new skills in reining.

Rumor has it that Anky may try to make the Dutch reining team for the Alltech World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky in 2010.

The video from Dutch television gives you an idea of what Anky's demo may have been like. This demo was at Jumping Amsterdam in Holland recently. Anky is riding her American Quarter horse, Hilda's Smart Chic.

Anky rode Hilda's Smart Chic in a demo at Jumping Amsterdam recently.

Still photo courtesy of Anky van Grunsven.

Super Sunday Commercial Lovers: Go Behind the Scenes to Meet the Budweiser Clydesdales' Trainer

by Fran Jurga | 1 February 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

How do they do it? Let's go behind the scenes on the set of filming a very special Super Bowl commercial commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Budweiser Clydesdales. Meet Robin Wiltshire, the Australian-born trainer who has trained the Clydesdales for the special Super Bowl commercials for several years now.