FEI Meets CSI: Olympics Jumping Scandal Turned Over to Princess Diana Death Investigator

by Fran Jurga | 29 May 2009 | The Jurga Report

The popularity of horse sport in Germany is illustrated by the placement of this billboard in an inner city neighborhood. Flickr image courtesy of Fraencko.

The FEI, the world's governing body of equestrian sport, spoke today, after yesterday's shocking announcement that Germany was disbanding its national equestrian teams. Even as the European championships approach this summer and the World Equestrian Games (WEG) looms for 2010, a deepening scandal surrounding attitudes as well as actions by German riders, veterinarians and perhaps other officials in an attempt to deliver gold medals at Hong Kong during last summer's Olympics.

That's what was going on in Germany. Meanwhile, next door at the world headquarters of Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), in Switzerland, the case moved forwarded on legal and administrative legs that horse sports have never known before.

As some background: on Thursday, the FEI Headquarters filed a protest with the FEI Tribunal on the basis of widely reported admissions by German show jumper Marco Kutscher and veterinarian Björn Nolting concerning the undeclared treatment given to Marco Kutscher’s horse, Cornet Obolensky, at the 2008 Olympic Games and the circumstances surrounding this treatment including the collapse of the horse, which subsequently took part in competition.

If that is correct, after the horse collapsed from its medication, Kutscher still rode him in the Olympics. Compare that to the top British team horse, Portofino, that was scratched "to be safe" before the vet check because he seemed off but was fine on the competition day but, of course, not allowed to compete.

The FEI's protest requests the provisional suspension of these individuals from any FEI activities pending the results of its investigation. It also requests the provisional suspension of Hanfried Haring, FEI Bureau Member, judge and former Secretary General of the German NF, of his responsibilities on the FEI governing body, on the basis that he had knowledge of the relevant facts and did not report them to the relevant authorities.

The FEI had already appointed a three-member ethics panel to look into the German team doping scandal at the 2008 Olympics; the panel includes US Equestrian Federation President David O'Connor.

The panel is headed by London's former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens. If his name sounds familiar, he was oft quoted in the tabloids and on television as he was the head investigator of the death of Princess Diana. In 2006, Lord Stevens and his investigation/security firm, Quest, investigated player corruption in the Premier League of British football, among other things. Sports scandals seem to be one of his specialties.

Today's statement's key sentence may be: "The Panel has considered some preliminary information and is of the opinion that there may have been breaches of FEI rules by riders, team officials and National Federation representatives, and concludes that it should continue to carry out a detailed investigation in order to make specific recommendations to the FEI President on these matters."

The rather long and legalish statement of the FEI today states that the FEI is more or less removing itself from the scandal and Quest is taking over the investigation on behalf of the FEI. As you can imagine, the FEI wants to know who knew what, and when he or she knew it---not only on the German team and within the German federation, but within the FEI.

The statement reads: "In the interests of efficiency and speed, the Panel members considered that the gathering of further information and evidence should be carried out by expert professional investigators. Quest was chosen for this purpose. The Panel Chair is also the Chairman of Quest, and, therefore, the selection was made by the other members of the Panel, and without participation of the Chair."

In other words, ethics panel members O'Connor plus Ken Lalo, chairman of the FEI Tribunal, and John Roche, FEI Director of Jumping, have turned over the investigation to the chairman, but this was done without the involvement of the chair during that decision.

More intrigue filtered out of Germany today, including a clouding factor that the television contract for German showjumping is up for negotiation and that the embarrassment of Germans caught breaking doping rules at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics is not attractive to sponsors, no matter how popular the sport may be with viewers.

UPS sponsors show jumping in Germany and I checked today: they still have suspended show jumper Ludger Beerbaum on their web site. In one German newspaper, he was interviewed as saying that this would all blow over and he'd be back on the team soon.

This all sounds straight from one of those high-brow British detective mysteries on PBS that I love so much. It's just too bad it's the real world and the credibility of our horse sports is at stake.

German Equestrian Team Suspended as Olympic Doping Scandal Escalates in International Spotlight

by Fran Jurga | 28 May 2009 | The Jurga Report

Die Goldenen Reiter, a huge gilded statue in the city of Dresden, Germany became a symbol of Germany's drive for Olympic gold medals in 2008; Flickr photo by Lanchutt

Before you read this post, take a minute and watch this wonderful short video:
http://www.die-goldenen-reiter.com/film.html
Make it full screen; turn up the volume. All the way. Hit play.

You see, less than a year ago, I was preparing to blog the Olympics, and the German team sent me a link, so I could watch a terrific music video they had made to pump up the national spirit to get behind the Germans' push to come home with gold medals in all three sports at the Olympics equestrian games in Hong Kong.

I loved the video and its quick edits. I loved the idea of the team members singing along. Loved seeing some of my favorite horses and riders. Really loved the action closeups of the hooves with all those big studs digging into the grass. The song is really catchy. It was a big hit in the 1980s in Germany and the rock star who sang it is an icon--sort of a Billy Joel, German-style.

I watched the little video again after I spent Thursday tracking down the news from Germany and I saw something else, entirely. What do you see?


The international horse sport community will be reeling on Friday as the world wonders what is going on in Germany. And maybe in their own backyards. I wonder, too.

Thursday afternoon, the national equestrian federation of Germany, FN Verlag (FN), announced the suspension of all riders who represented Germany at the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong's equestrian events, where Germany won three gold medals. In effect, FN Verlag and the German national sport federation have dissolved, disbanded, and suspended its equestrian teams for FEI-level events. To use one of my favorite German words: "kaput!"

This story began back on May 11, when the FEI reported that German Olympic show jumper Marco Kutscher told German reporters that his horse had been illegally treated with arnica and lactanase during the Olympics at Hong Kong in August. Kutscher's confession and subsequent accusations initiated a cascade of events that will probably not end with Thursday's drastic action, which affects not just jumping but also dressage and eventing. Dressage superstar Isabell Werth even made a callous offhand remark that what she does to her horse is the concern of her and the owner and no one else, thank you very much.

What began as an investigation of a single rider and the team veterinarian is now affecting a dozen riders' careers and reputations.

My German is not the very best, but I think I know what the German press release is saying: each of the riders is going to be thoroughly investigated and must apply to be reinstated. Only after assurance that the rider will be a leader for a clean sport will that rider be allowed to represent Germany ever again. There is no indication of how long this process might take, nor how long the FEI's own investigation might take. There is a comment that time is not a concern.

All this with the World Equestrian Games coming up in just over a year. What more can the FEI do to police the barns and schooling rings? Are veterinarians the advocates of the horse and the rulebook or are they under too much pressure just as the riders are? And just where does that pressure originate?

Germany has been double-shocked by statements made by show jumping champion Ludger Beerbaum this weekend, including his assertion that he would do whatever it took to win and understood that he just was not supposed to get caught. The FN press release mentions Beerbaum--and only Beerbaum--by name.

The scandal reaches higher; FEI Bureau Member, judge and former Secretary General of FN Hanfried Haring has been associated with the scandal and may lose his position.

Be careful about what news sources you check on this story. HorseandHound.co.uk is usually tops for European news and you can follow their headlines via Twitter @horseandhound.

Come on, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and Sixty Minutes. You love a good scandal: do you have a reporter who speaks German? Here's your chance. What can the FEI say in its own defense, that these things have been going on in spite of rules and inspections and tests?

Equestrian sports woke up with two black eyes this morning. The elephant in the room got loose.

To refresh your memory about the Olympics in Hong Kong and the Germans' ups and downs there, please read my Olympic blog: The World Rides in Hong Kong. I feel like I should start the blog up again and write "The Rest of the Story".

Anky's Dressage Star Painted Black Injured in Holland

News from the Netherlands today: Dressage champion Anky van Grunsven reports that a stable accident has affected the competition plans for her stallion I.P.S. Painted Black, whom she rode to a third-place finish in the 2009 FEI World Cup in Las Vegas last month.

Painted Black injured his hip while being prepared for semen collection. The injury is certainly not the end of his career but it will keep him from performing both of his current jobs--competing in the international arena and breeding mares by artificial insemination.

Anky's statement about the accident said, "‘Although an injury is never good, I am satisfied that Painted will be okay again. I had plans to compete him at some important show but that’s impossible now. Of course I will give him all the time he needs to recover."

Anky will continue to compete with her 2008 Olympics mount, I.P.S. Salinero, with whom she is training for the Dutch National Championships the first week of June.

Thanks to my friend Claartje van Andel in Holland for sharing this news with me.

YouTube Video Contest Focuses on Thoroughbreds Rescued from Slaughter

Here's the winning video, by Laurie Tuozzolo for CANTER New England.

In this little lull before the third leg of racing's Triple Crown, I'd like to keep focusing on the great work being done by some of the people who may not be in the headlines with Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird as they train (or not, as we wait to hear) for the upcoming Belmont Stakes two weeks from now.

The Thoroughbred retirement/rehoming organization known as CANTER New England has won the Alex Brown Racing / You Tube video contest, which showcased more than two dozen short homemade videos on the very personal side of why horses should be spared from slaughter.

In true "social media" form, the contest was judged not by experts, but by the public. I was amazed at the videos that people put together.

Leading anti-slaughter advocate / exercise rider / journalist Alex Brown came up with the idea of using YouTube to encourage horse rescue organizations to express themselves through video and post their creations for the world to see. Amateur filmmakers and video editors had 60 days to post their creations on YouTube.com. Alex's popular website, Facebook page and articles encouraged the public to view the videos and vote by commenting on the videos they liked. A prize of $1000 went to the winning organization.

The rules were very specific--no gory graphics of horse slaughter could be used to shock viewers, and the length had to be under four minutes. Entrants first had to read an essay on why horse slaughter should be banned, written by Alex Brown, and base their productions as an extension or expression of that document. Brown offers that document as a resource document to anyone writing about horse slaughter.

Even though the contest has ended, the videos have garnered close to 31,000 page views to date and 1,800 comments. So far!

CANTER/New England helps re-home needy racehorses from Boston's Suffolk Downs and other racetracks. Laurie Tuozzolo of Johnston, Rhode Island made the video for CANTER about the ex-racehorse she adopted; Laurie is a big supporter of CANTER New England.

I'd call this project a success, all around. I am very familiar with CANTER New England's work and I know that the prize money will be put to good use. I hope there will be more contests like this so we can see how horsepeople express themselves through video, especially when there's a good cause at stake.

Kudos to CANTER and to Alex Brown Racing for a great idea!

Homestretch: No Better Time to Watch This Film

by Fran Jurga | 18 May 2009 | The Jurga Report



By now, everyone has heard about the wonderful finish of the 2009 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, when the flying filly, Rachel Alexandra, streaked over the finish line just ahead of the fast-closing gelding-from-outta-nowhere, Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.

Ratings are up, interest in racing is up, and yet the issues remain. Mine That Bird's trailer heading back to Kentucky from Maryland passed plenty of turnoffs for small tracks where there may be no tomorrow for some of the horses.

Bringing the public's attention to programs that help off-the-track Thoroughbreds is the favorite cause of a growing legion of non-profits, artists, writers, filmmakers, photographers, and anyone with a blog or website that has an audience.

Some speak to the people in their own communities, others speak to the entire nation. Some shout in anger, some whisper in poetry. Filmmaker Sheri Bylander projects her thoughts on the screen or, this month, on your television, as her terrific documentary, Homestretch, airs on stations across the country.

Homestretch advocates the rehoming of Thoroughbreds as therapeutic projects for inmates at state prisons around the country, and takes you to a point where you might stop and wonder, "Who's saving whom here?"

Click here to go the Homestretch web site, where you can download the air time schedule, order the DVD, and learn lots more.

Click here to read about the children's book Black Diamond and Blake, by Deborah Blumenthal, the fictionalized story of the bond between an ex-racehorse and a prisoner, published this spring by Knopf.

Mine That Bird's Hollywood Connection: Co-Owner Blach Hopes for Another Storybook Ending in Preakness

by Fran Jurga | 15 May 2009 | The Jurga Report

Leonard Blach, DVM: the name sounds like a veterinarian. When you look him up, he checks out. He's a Colorado State graduate, from a ranching family, owns a New Mexico clinic.

But the softspoken co-owner of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird is actually a veterinarian and race horse owner with Hollywood ties and a movie set past that make the Mine That Bird's story one level more surreal and storybook than they may already appear. This veterinarian has his union card and is ready for his close-up.

And he is fully versed in the world of storybook endings, so bring on the Preakness.

Before I interviewed Dr. Blach, I thought I should do my homework, so I sat down to watch the 1978 horse-racing family classic, Casey's Shadow. And as I watched, I wondered about the fairy tale story that was unfolding before me.

If you can believe this: Walter Matthau plays a washed up Cajun running horse trainer and grumpy single dad who ruins every chance he has to prove to his sons how much he loves them. For some reason, they stick together. Salvation comes along in the form of a lightning-fast colt, so the family heads to Ruidoso, New Mexico to run against the best in the country for the big bucks and maybe a pickup truck that starts.

Except the colt is iffy in the soundness department. And there's drama. Drama that reaches its zenith late one night when the vet's truck pulls up to the barn and Leonard Blach--yes! Mine That Bird's Dr. Leonard Blach!--gets out and feels the heat in the colt's foreleg.

Blach's warning to Matthau not to risk the colt's life in the American International falls on deaf ears. Matthau has waited all his life for a colt that fast. And he's doing it for his kids. They need the money. It's a gamble.

It's very interesting to note that this movie must have been written right after the Ruffian tragedy and I wonder how much that influenced the storyline. You know what's going to happen, and yet this is a family movie so there's a twist at the end, even if there isn't a new pickup.

The Cajun parts of the movie reminded me of the Calvin Borel interview on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno the other night; Leno showed a photo of Borel's childhood home and asked if they had electricity. That may be a good parallel for how much many people in mainstream racing understand about what goes on outside the spotlight of ESPN-level racing.

Blach was happy to reminisce with me about the fun days of filming Casey's Shadow, when Hollywood came to Ruidoso and Santa Fe. Apparently, there's work for veterinarians on movie sets, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. We were both surprised that the press hasn't drawn more parallels between the film and the real life story that unfolded right before us on May 2, 2009.

Horse racing is Dr. Blach's world, and racing in New Mexico is unique. The purses seem huge for a sprint, the atmosphere seems casual and the technology amassed to reproduce and refine the Quarter horse running machine in utero would amaze anyone who has been parked in the Thoroughbred world's breeding sheds for a while.

Case in point: Consider the recent application of technology to extend Storm Cat's career by retiring him from Thoroughbreds to reinventing him for artificial breeding for Quarter horses; a droplet of Storm Cat's sperm can be bioengineered or "extended" to insure his fertility in the Quarter horse world for a long time to come.

And if you live in that world where talk is not so much of foals but of embryos, you would know the name of Dr. Leonard Blach and his Buena Suerte Clinic. The equine hospital in Roswell has stood some of the leading money-winners in Quarter horse racing, including the greats Go Man Go and Easy Jet.

Dr. Blach thought that if there was something that could come of his group's colorful trek to Louisville and Mine That Bird's inspired romp under Calvin Borel's guidance, it would be to introduce America to The Other Racing. There is another way to race horses. There is another way to breed and raise horses. There is another way to dress and talk and look at the world.

If you rent Casey's Shadow, it looks hopelessly dated and hokey at first but there is still something authentic about it, no matter how bad Matthau's attempt at a Cajun accent. It's a good horse racing movie, filmed on location. They didn't try to make Santa Anita look like Ruidoso Downs: they went there, instead, and actors and cameramen alike ate the dust of those horses.

Right now, Dr. Blach and his group from New Mexico have our attention and have put New Mexico on the racing map for many people. But guess what? It was there all along. And thriving.

On Saturday afternoon, Americans will gather in front of television sets to watch the Preakness. My guess is more than a few will be wearing cowboy hats in support of the boys from New Mexico and their little horse.

I'll be hoping for another happy ending for Dr. Leonard Blach as the credits roll.

Video: A Foal Finds A Stand-in Mom at Vet College Hospital

by Fran Jurga | 14 May 2009 | The Jurga Report

Here's a quick out-take: a goat allows an abandoned foal to nurse at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Thanks to the Associated Press and our friends at the British social video site, TrotonTV.com for the heads-up on this clip.

Meet Cooper, Budweiser's Newest (and Youngest) Clydesdale

by Fran Jurga | May 2009 | The Jurga Report

I know I should be politically correct and I have been trying very hard this spring to tone down news about horse breeding, cute foals and anything that would encourage people to breed horses that they can't guarantee will have a safe and bankrolled home. For life.

And that's a tough thing to guarantee. We all read Black Beauty, didn't we? He wasn't supposed to end up where he did. But he did. Maybe we should encourage a nationwide re-reading of that book to encourage equine adoption.

I've just been trying to do my bit for the unwanted horse situation, Fugly Horse Nation, don't-breed-while-so-many-in-need, etc.

And I think I found one that's safe to show on the blog, just for fun.

Meet Cooper, the first foal born at the fabulous new farm built for the Budweiser Clydesdales outside St. Louis, Missouri. Is he cute enough for you? I fully expect to see him on a commercial on the 2010 Super Bowl.

Click here to read an article about the new farm and lots more about Cooper. This photo originally came from the St. Louis Dispatch and also appeared in the Charleston, West Virginia Gazette-Mail, where it was brought to my attention.

Double Video: Mustangs Before and After Rescue at Three Strikes Ranch in Nebraska

by Fran Jurga | 12 May 2009 | The Jurga Report

You've heard about it on the news, now you can see it with your own eyes. The Humane Society of the United States has put together two short newsreel videos showing the conditions at the Three Strikes Ranch in Nebraska, where 200 Mustangs were rescued last month. A second video is a bit more upbeat, chronicling the transport of over 100 of them to Cleveland Amory's Black Beauty Ranch in Texas, where they will have a chance to eat and rest and heal.

Warning, as they say: Graphic content!

Dutton's Baileywick Loses Life on XC at New Jersey Event

US Olympian Phillip Dutton lost his horse Baileywick while competing on cross-country yesterday at the Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event at the New Jersey Horse Park. The horse was apparently humanely destroyed on the course although no official announcement has been made.

In a statement on his web site posted after the fall, Dutton wrote,

"It is with great sadness that we report that Baileywick died today at the Jersey Fresh CCI***.

"Bailey and I fell at fence number 20, a straightforward oxer, after jumping up until then a perfect round. I take full responsibility for this fall.

"My deepest sympathies and gratitude go to his owners Jess and Sharon Sweely, who bred Bailey and brought him along as a young horse, Emily Basheer, who rode and competed him to preliminary level, and to my groom, Emma Ford who meticulously looked after Bailey as if he were her own child.

"I want to thank the officials, support crew, and veterinarians at Jersey Fresh and my fellow riders who have been so supportive."

I suppose there is a protocol that riders are advised to follow when this sort of thing happens, orchestrated as a template from PR people who Know What's Best for Eventing. I suppose that I am slipping to into a protocol as well.

Click here to read Nancy Jaffer's account from the scene; she states that Dutton did not request a necropsy so the cause of death will not be investigated beyond the assumption that he died of injuries suffered in a fall during jumping. Dutton continued competing other horses yesterday afternoon after the accident, according to Nancy.

I found out about this tragic event via a Twitter from the Chronicle of the Horse. (Thanks!)

I then had to dig to find information about this horse. No news from USEF. No news from USEA. No news from the FEI. No news on the event site. I guess it is the weekend...and Mothers' Day at that...so I started Googling and found that he had been ridden successfully at the upper levels by both Dutton and Boyd Martin, and the breeders Dutton mentioned are the owners of Acorn Hill Farm, the noted Irish Sport Horse breeders in Madison, Virginia, in case you know them by farm name rather than personal names. And in some places he is Bailey Wick and in others Baileywick; I went by Dutton's spelling.

Baileywick was by Pallas Digion out of the Thoroughbred mare Northern Axis, according to the Acorn Hill Farm web site, which chronicled his rise through the Advanced to CCI ranks. He would have been 10 years old, as best I can tell, and was on the way up.

A year ago, the O'Connor Event Team lost the wonderful Tigger Too at this event.

Sunday Humor: Land Rover Commercial From Britain

by Fran Jurga | 10 May 2009 | The Jurga Report



Watch the video before you read this text!

I loved this commercial when it came out last year; Land Rover could never show it over here because it's much too subtle and no one would get it. The young horsewoman is, of course, world champion event rider Zara Phillips and grand-daughter of Queen Elizabeth. I believe she is something like 11th or 12th in line for the throne.

And there are definite rules for how you talk to members of the royal family--remember when Michelle Obama touched the queen? And here's this guy, chatting up her grand-daughter as if he's about to ask her to come 'round the pub for a pint later. Obviously, he has no idea who she is. But he does admit that she "looks familiar".

Notice that this is a very clever ad agency: Zara never says a word at all. She lets her horse, Toytown, speak for her, and quite brilliantly at that.

I thought she was a good sport to make this commercial. Bravo, Land Rover!

What's your favorite horse-related commercial?

Badminton Gallops Into Its 60th Year

"Feet fail me not", originally uploaded by Jibbo.

Today was cross-county at the 60th Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials at the Duke of Beaufort's estate in Gloucestershire, west of London. And it didn't rain.

This wonderful photo of the World and European champion team of Zara Phillips and her Toytown by Jibbo really struck me. It's a great composition and captures them both well enough that we can see a lot of details, right down to the Flair-type nostril patch and that Zara has adopted the new super high-tech (and almost weightless) irons.

Yes, they look the part, but sadly had to retire shortly after this great photo was snapped. Thanks to Jibbo for sharing this photo, and let's hope Toytown and Zara have better luck next time.

The live webcast of Badminton today on the event's web site was excellent, and the best streaming I have seen. It even worked on my Mac! The showjumping starts Sunday morning (USA time) and we'll find out if Oli Townend holds onto his micro-lead over Lucy Wiegersma, William Fox-Pitt comes from behind or if the Dark Horse Italian first-timer Roberto Rotatori steals the show! Will they all make it through the vet check? Tune in at http://www.badminton-horse.co.uk for streaming scores, at least.

Maybe someone is Twittering from Badminton...(if so, let me know).

Guilty at Amersham! British Horse Dealer and Family All Found Guilty of "Worst Ever" Horse Abuse and Suffering

by Fran Jurga | 8 May 2009 | The Jurga Report



Big news from Britain today: Our friends at World Horse Welfare have notified us that a horse dealer named James Gray and his son James Gray, Junior have today been found guilty on all 11 counts of causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the welfare needs of a total of 125 horses. James Gray’s wife Julie and daughters Cordelia and Jodie were found guilty on two counts.

It was one of the worst cases of horse welfare abuse in United Kingdom history. In January 2008, 32 horses, ponies and donkeys were found dead and over 100 were removed from Gray's Spindles Farm. Sentencing will take place in four weeks.

The case has become known simply by the town where the farm was located: "Amersham". It's like the Jonestown of the horse world.

World Horse Welfare Field Officer Nick White, who was one of the first at the scene, recalled:

“After seeing the conditions in the fields, it wasn’t until I went into the yard that the enormity of it hit me: there were dead horses on the ground in front of me, and to the right. I looked across there was a dead horse in the stalls. It was like walking into another world.

“There were none of the normal noises I associate with a stable yard – horses moving about, eating, drinking, calling out to one another or the gentle noises that horses make when approached, expecting to be fed or cared for. They were totally silent. Even the horses that appeared in better bodily condition seemed to be depressed, almost as if they had lost their dignity.”

I have been reporting on this case on The Jurga Report and will see it through to the sentencing but I have to say that I will be glad when it is done; this case is rivaled only by the double-decker trailer wrecks in the USA for horrific horse horrors that have crossed my desk. Ever.

Polo Deaths Video: Did ESPN's Investigation Tell Us Anything We Didn't Already Know?

by Fran Jurga | 7 May 2009 | The Jurga Report



ESPN's E-60 investigation of the Palm Beach polo pony death debacle aired Tuesday night. In case you missed it, I've posted it for you to watch and share.

Maybe there's nothing new here, but at least it's more elegantly presented than what we have been seeing. I expected something much edgier but this comes across quite sympathetic to the polo community, as befitting a sports network production.

The trouble is, I don't think that this story is over yet. Far from it, is my prediction. You'll be seeing these faces again; this is a nice ending to chapter one.

Once again, ESPN has impressed me with their willingness to take on a horse-related story from a fringe, non-televised sport outside their for-profit realm; they have also made it possible to share the entire segment with The Jurga Report readers. Thank you!

Please check the April 2009 archives of The Jurga Report for additional posts on the tragic polo pony deaths.

What Do Martha Stewart and Fran Jurga Have In Common? More Than You Might Think...

by Fran Jurga | 5 May 2009 | The Jurga Report

For the past year or so, Martha Stewart has been blogging about her veterinarian, Dr. Elizabeth Kilgallon, and her progress in diagnosing and treating a degenerative hock issue found in Martyn, one of Stewart's Friesian horses. But is she after my job?

Martha Stewart and I have a lot in common, actually. Sure, there are the horses in common, but there's more than just that. She's the head of a media empire. I'm the head of a media empire, too, if you count all my readers who work for royal stables in places like Dubai and Oman.

Martha's on Twitter; I'm on Twitter. The only difference is that she has 557,627 more followers than I do. And she isn't following me.

I follow her, though. I have to keep an eye on this woman because she's obviously trying to take over my turf, and I'll tell you why.

Martha introduced her blog readers to her lay equine dentist, Brian Stuart, and didn't apologize for not using a vet to float her horse's teeth.

You see, Martha and I are both involved with horses. And we both are bloggers.

I wasn't worried at first, when I heard she was starting a blog...but did she have to do such a good job of it? I read her blog because I thought it would inspire me to be a better blogger.

And then, when she blogged about what goes on when her horseshoer, my friend Linda Friedman, stops by to pedicure the feet of her Friesians, I didn't feel threatened. I was thrilled that someone of Martha's stature was writing about farriers, and there's no farrier more deserving of a good write-up that Linda Friedman. Martha knows how to pick a farrier.

This spring, Stewart is updating us on Martyn's progress, including precise recommendations of the therapy regimens and equipment used...even the therapists!

But now that one of her horses is lame and she's blogging away on the minute details of its therapy, I'm having to stop and think about what this woman's real motives are. I think that Martha may be after my job.

Through Martha's blog, we're meeting the horse dentist, the saddle fitter (Kate Athanas-Wilson), the Game Ready cold therapy expert and I'm starting to wonder if there is a better cared for barn of horses in the Northeast. It's as if Martha has been reading every article I ever wrote in eveyr horse magazine ever printed in the last 20 years. "Advice to horse owners: hire the best professionals....start at the feet and work up...."

Martha seems genuinely interested in what each and every one of these professionals does for a living, she raves about their interesting tools, and she's keen to know what they are doing and how it will affect her horse.

We all know how difficult hock problems can be, but Martha is determined to get to the bottom of Martyn's problem and she has assembled a cadre of top-notch horse health professionals and state-of-the-art equipment to help her horse. Bravo!

Blog readers were treated to details of Martyn's Game Ready cold therapy treatments, provided by Jamie Miles.

Here are some links to horse health posts on the Martha Stewart Blog that you might enjoy:

Click here to read about Martyn's hock lameness diagnosis.

Click here to read about Martyn's massage therapy session.

Click here to read about Linda Friedman's winter shoes for the Friesians.

Click here to see a photo album of Martha riding her horses in the snow this winter.

I think the horse world has a great friend in Martha Stewart. She's blogging and Tweeting in our language, so check it out! Just remember to come back here to your own tribe.

You can also follow Martha on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MarthaStewart

Will Martha design a perfect interior for Linda Friedman's farrier rig? Linda's probably happy with it the way it is but Martha might have some ideas!

All photos on this post mirror from www.themarthablog.com.

Someone Remembered...The First Saturday in May Is Still Synonymous with Secretariat's Day For Many

Roses for a Kentucky Derby Winner, originally uploaded by Rock and Racehorses.

Sarah K. Andrew was on a photographer's odyssey through Kentucky last week, winding her way from the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event to the Kentucky Derby. Each step of the way, her camera captures stunning images that speak so much louder than my words ever could. From her glowing statue of Barbaro to the timely quiet shade of Secretariat's grave at Claiborne Farm, Sarah has been there, done that...for all of us who had to stay at home. Thanks so much, Sarah, for your great work and for sharing through this blog. Learn more and see more at www.rockandracehorses.com.

All Eyes Are on Kentucky, But Montana Is Stealing the Real Headlines

by Fran Jurga | 2 May 2009 | The Jurga Report



Didn't we fight the Civil War over this very issue?

States' rights is an amazing aspect of the US legal and legislative system. If you are old enough, you may remember when abortion was legal in some states and not in others. Roe v. Wade made it legal in all states but not everyone wanted to accept the Supreme Court decision. And they still don't. Ditto for any number of legal decisions that are morally or ethically based.

Including horse slaughter.

As celebrities and wealthy patrons of all stripes walk the rose-strewn carpets of Churchill Downs today, the focus might be more on the safety of racing and the tragic losses of Eight Belles and Barbaro than on horse slaughter because many people think that horse slaughter is an issue that has been ruled illegal in the United States. All that is left to do is clear up the nasty detail of shipping horses to Canada and Mexico.

Just a detail, right?

Hardly.

A testing of the waters began in North Dakota, Arkansas, Illinois and other states this winter to see if individual states could foster horse slaughter plants as favored ag industries within their borders. Along with the quiet work of agricultural industry sub-committees was relentless publicity about horse abandonment and neglect in record numbers.

Montana is the first state to technically allow horse "processing" and whether or not a horse plant is built remains to be seen but you have now seen lawmakers and lobbyists getting a job done. It will take a lot of anti-slaughter attorneys and a lot of anti-slaughter money to undo it, if indeed it can be undone.

Or, if the anti-slaughter movement has enough attorneys, enough sympathetic judges and enough money, I suppose it could end up eventually in Washington as some sort of a Supreme Court case.

I still don't believe that there is enough money in horse meat to warrant this action and that this is the larger meatpacking industry preserving its turf from intervention, and have been all along.

Now seems like a great time to start working on a compromise between the two sides to make sure that if slaughter is to be allowed in the USA again, the transport laws will have some teeth and will be enforced, and that the horses that are sent to slaughter are sent there with the knowledge and clear intent of their owners.

I'd love it if someone like Jeanine Edwards on ESPN/NBC today looked straight into the camera and said, "Here I am at Churchill Downs, America's most famous racetrack. Statistics show that a surprisingly large percentage of the horses racing here, as at all racetracks, will end their lives before the age of six, in the chute of a horse slaughter plant."

There just aren't enough roses to cover up the truth. Listen carefully: you will be able to hear the Montana legislators laughing in the distance over the two-minute roar of the Derby crowd.

Barbaro Is Now Eternally Flying Toward the Finish at Churchill Downs

by Fran Jurga | 1 May 2009 | The Jurga Report

Barbaro memorial statue at Churchill Downs, originally uploaded by Rock and Racehorses.

I'm sure you will see this on the telecast of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday but check this out: the new statue of Barbaro outside the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs features a larger than life sculpture of the 2006 winner...and not one of his feet touches the ground! The sculpture is somehow suspended from the rail so the horse flies. Thanks to lucky-to-be-there New York photographer Sarah K. Andrew for sharing this photo.

The Book for Derby Week: "Black Diamond & Blake" Tells Kids Where (Some) Horses Go After the Racetrack

by Fran Jurga | 1 May 2009 | The Jurga Report
We all deserve a second chance, right? If you believe that, give some thought to the horses whose races won't be televised on Saturday when the Kentucky Derby spectacular pulls Americans to their televisions for their annual dose of horse racing. Think about the horses who run on Tuesdays. In the second race. On tracks far from the freshly-painted twin towers of Churchill Downs.

Debbie Blumenthal was thinking of those horses when she wrote the story of Black Diamond and Blake. Black Diamond is a successful racehorse whose career starts to go downhill. While he could have been bound for a slaughterhouse, Black Diamond finds himself instead at a strange type of farm: a prison farm that is quite unlike the horse farm where he grew up.

Lucky for Black Diamond, he strikes up a friendship with a prisoner named Blake and he blossoms under Blake's care until the bittersweet day when Blake's sentence is served and he's set free.

What will happen to Black Diamond in the hands of the other prisoners once Blake is gone? And what will Blake do with his new skills in horsemanship in the outside world? This book is timely, with all the efforts going on in New York and elsewhere to help retired racehorses.

Black Diamond and Blake is written and (beautifully) illustrated as a children's book but this story carries a wallop of a message for anyone even peripherally involved with racing or horses of any kind.

The book was published by Knopf Books for Young Readers this spring. If author Debbie Blumenthal's name sounds familiar, it is because she has been the longtime beauty editor of the New York Times.

Debbie told me today via email that she had no previous relationship with Thoroughbred retirement until she wrote this book. "My inspiration for BLACK DIAMOND AND BLAKE was a New York Times article that ran in April of 2001 about the horse-care program at Kentucky's Blackburn Correctional Complex. The program was started, as you probably know, by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

"I'm a city-girl -- from Manhattan -- and before I read that story, I had no knowledge of the fate of many racehorses after their glory days at the track were over," she continued. "It just seemed like such a smart idea to have a program that both saved racehorses and saved men, offering both a second chance at a new and better life."

Debbie also brought my attention to the fact this this year is the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, and this book will certainly be a great building block in the celebration of their many accomplishments--the prison farm program is only one of many!

Consider this book for your gift-giving list or as a prize or award at shows and events. It would make a great fundraiser for your local horse rescue organization or racehorse retraining program. The list price is $16.99 and the book should be available through any independent bookstore if you supply the title, author and publisher name.