The Humane Society of the United States Rescues Horse Injured During Inaugural Parade

(this story is provided by the Humane Society of the United States)

WASHINGTON (Jan. 20, 2009) -- Just before Tuesday’s presidential inaugural parade was set to begin in the nation’s capitol, alarming news came over The Humane Society of the United States radio: “Horse hit by truck at 4th and Pennsylvania.”

The HSUS Emergency Services team swung into action.

With approximately two million people on hand in the nation’s capital to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama, The HSUS had been asked by the D.C. Department of Health to provide animal welfare services for this historic event. HSUS staff and volunteers were spread out across the National Mall to assist with animal emergencies, and The HSUS’ mobile command vehicle was situated inside the perimeter of the staging zone to provide support for the police horses and dogs on site.

When the emergency report of an injured horse was sounded, HSUS and Health Department staff immediately alerted Lt. Col. John Stott of the U.S. Army Veterinary Services and the Days End Horse Farm Rescue equine ambulance which was on call with HSUS. The group rushed to the aid of Mouse, a10-year-old appaloosa horse who had suffered a visibly mangled leg and multiple lacerations.

When responders arrived on site they found a bloody scene: Mouse was lying on the ground with his hindquarters suspended in the air and his rear leg caught in the front grill of a heavy-duty truck. Incredibly, Dr. Stott was able to stabilize the horse before he was loaded onto the ambulance and transported to the Prince George’s County Equestrian Center.

“When The HSUS first came upon the scene, things were looking dire for Mouse. I did not think he would survive,” said Scotlund Haisley, senior director of Emergency Services at The HSUS. “Twelve men and women labored for nearly two hours to untangle Mouse’s leg so that he could be transported for further treatment. It is an immense relief to know that this horse is expected to recover from his life-threatening injuries.”

Another happy ending played out earlier in the day for Showtime, a palomino appaloosa cross from the Michigan Multi Jurisdictional Drill Team and Color Guard. A mayday for help was called into the HSUS mobile command unit, stating that Showtime had fallen ill and needed immediate medical attention. HSUS staff and Dr. Stott of the U.S. Army Veterinary Services rushed to the horse’s side. After receiving medical attention, Showtime recovered from his gastric distress and was able to participate in the parade.

“Showtime is 23, and is the only surviving horse from the 1993 inaugural parade,” said his handler, Fran Veal II. “He is quite a special animal, and I am glad that the Department of Health, The HSUS and Dr. Stott were on site to take care of him.”

Although pets were not allowed inside the inaugural festivities, The HSUS was on site to respond to any emergencies, and the HSUS headquarters in downtown Washington was set aside as a temporary shelter for dogs. For the most part, however, attendees heeded warnings to leave their pets at home. HSUS staff and volunteers were prepared for the worst, but thankfully did not face any emergency situations with ‘civilian’ animals in the inauguration parade – although the mobile command center served as a warming station for resting police dogs.

The HSUS was joined by a number of volunteers from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, United Animal Nations, the ASPCA, and Noah’s Wish.

Congratulations to Horse Groups Riding in the Obama Inaugural Parade

by Fran Jurga | 12 January 2009 | The Jurga Report at equisearch.com


Colorado's Freedom Riders are saddling up for the trip to Washington DC next week.

Lots of horse groups are checking in and announcing that they have been invited to be part of the Obama inaugural parade in Washington DC next week. This is very exciting and here's a list of some of the horses you'll be able to see:

• Four Lipizzan horses from Tempel Farms in Wadsworth, Illinois;
• Southern Ohio Ladies Aside, a women's sidesaddle riding club, will be turned out in capes, caps and skirts modeled after what a Civil War era officer's wife might have worn. At least one will be sidesaddle on Bud the Clydesdale!
• Colorado's Freedom Riders is a group of women who formed a color guard to honor US servicemen and -women.
• Governor Barry Schweitzer of Montana will ride in the parade, as will the entire congressional delegation from Montana (I want to see this!) and 20 Crow mounted horsemen.
• Fourteen troopers from the Mounted Color Guard from Fort Riley in Kansas, dressed in Civil War military clothes, will be riding horses on the parade route.
• Culver Academies in Indiana is sending 100 student riders and their horses.
• Ten Border Patrol agents from Washington State will ride their American Mustangs, obtained from BLM stock.

Let me know if I have left out a group so I can add them and their link to the list!

You can keep up with details on the parade and the inauguration ceremony at the official web site, which features a great blog.

And, PS: don't even think about trying to go to the parade. It's sold out!

Good News? Bad News? States Consider Tax Changes That May Affect Horses

Local news from across the USA is filled with budget cuts and new proposed revenue streams for state and local governments.

As horse owners struggle with increases in line by line expenses--fuel, feed, hay, vet services--the possibility of new taxes is another cause for concern.

Here are a few examples:

WASHINGTON: Back in September, the state caused confusion by saying that horse boarding facilities were not farms and were not eligible for agricultural tax status. Recently, the state agreed to re-consider.

According to the News Tribune in Tacoma, Ken and Jan Culliton, who own KCJ Farms in Tacoma, are among those who were recently asked to pay more. They said they received a notice in September that unless they start engaging in a legitimate agricultural activity, they’ll owe the King County Assessor’s Office $135,000 in current and back taxes. And that's just for this year.

Washington's Open Space Taxation Act was designed to help farmers keep their land and limit development. Now the state will decide if horse boarding conforms with the intent of that act. And the Cullitons are holding their breath.

Click here for more information from the state's Department of Revenue; a hearing is scheduled next week.

CALIFORNIA: Holy vet bills! The state of California has singled out veterinarians--along with furniture restoration and golfing--as a service that should be subject to state sales tax. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposes a whopping 10.25% sales tax on vet services. Professional services are not normally taxed in California.

One horse professional I interviewed this week on this subject confided that this new tax would be a disaster to horse welfare in the state. "People are already cutting back on vaccinations," he said. "What the state might make on sales tax would be a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of managing an epidemic of one horse diseases or another."

The California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) said that their lobbyist in Sacramento would "hit the ground running" the morning after this tax was proposed. A similar proposal in Minnesota was defeated, according to the CVMA.

The California Veterinary Medical Association is the largest state veterinary medical association in the United States, with more than 6,200 members.

Not much can be done when states raise sales tax across the board to raise revenue, but when changes like these are proposed on specific items or service providers, horse owners can unite and protest the changes. News items like these are reminders of why state horse councils, local horseowner groups, and communication networks between horse owners and agriculture and pet interests are so important.

Heinz Hitch Moves to Funeral Duty at Arlington National Cemetery

A quick note: the next time you see a state funeral on television, look closely at the horses pulling the bier. Do they look familiar? Have you perhaps seen them somewhere before?

For years, the H.J. Heinz Company in Pittsburgh (the ketchup/pickle/condiment people) promoted their company with an impressive hitch of black Percheron horses. They toured the country and appeared at countless parades and fairs and special events and were highly respected in the upper echelon of heavy horse hitches. The company discontinued the hitch in 2006.

The news this week is that the horses will be able to stay together and receive the best of care. Heinz has donated them to Arlington National Cemetery, outside Washington DC, where the horses will be used for graveside services.

If the famous cemetery seems like an unusual retirement home, consider this: company heiress Theresa Heinz is married to US Senator John Kerry, so Heinz does have some political as well as equine "pull" in Washington.