Not all Horses are Created Equal

This is one of the articles from my America’s Horse email newsletter from today……

I really think we should clone Jim Heird before it’s too late. This man just keeps writing things I agree with too much to pass up. I have been way too busy too write about what is on my mind so I’ll let Jim do the talking for today.

ALL PERFORMANCE HORSE BREEDERS NEED TO READ THIS ARTICLE. ALL PERFORMANCE HORSE RIDERS NEED TO READ THIS ARTICLE.

HELL, EVEN THOSE NITWIT NAHSC MOUTHPIECES NEED TO PAY ATTENTION HERE…..ALL HORSES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL.

RH1

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What’s Wrong With These Legs?

These mares have the same blemish, but for very different reasons.

Compare the buckskin's splints to the sorrel's.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal.

The buckskin and chestnut mares in these photos both have splints on the insides of their left front cannon bones, just below the knee. They are easy to see.

But a genuine judge of conformation sees those splints within the context of each mare’s bone structure.

Here is AQHA Judge Jim Heird’s evaluation.

Not All Splints Are Equal.

Don’t immediately eliminate a horse when you see a splint; instead, look for a structural reason for the horse to have a splint. When you look at a horse’s front limb structure from the front, you look for how straight the column of bone is from the point of the shoulder down through the knee, cannon bone and hoof.

Although we can’t see the buckskin mare’s chest in No. 1, we can see a very straight column of bone with the cannon bones coming directly out of the center of the knee and the foot sitting right under the knee and cannon bone.

There is a splint on her left front leg, but there’s no apparent structural deviation in her bone structure.

The same thing is true when we look at her hind legs. It looks like she has some puffiness in her ankles behind but nothing to be concerned about from this view. She stands very square.

On the other hand, when you look at the front end on the chestnut mare in No. 2, you immediately see that she is base narrow – the feet are closer together at the base than the forearms are at the chest.

We see tremendous openness and blemishes on both knees and the cannon bones come out of the sides of each knee. There’s an enlargement on the outside of the knee and a huge splint right under the left knee. The horse toes in considerably on the right, and toes in some on the left.

Instead of coming down with a straight column of bone, everything from the knee through the cannon into the fetlock is offset.

It’s the same with her hind legs. She is extremely base narrow: If you draw a line straight up from the foot it would not remotely go through the thigh.

We know from research done back in the ’60s and ’70s that approximately 80 percent of splints are caused by a blow from the opposite leg. That can happen in normal use, but it can also happen because a horse doesn’t move straight. Splints also occur when bones are stressed because of poor conformation.

From what we can see in No. 1, there’s no apparent structural reason for the buckskin mare to have this splint, so there could be all kinds of reasons why it’s there. If she’s a mare that’s being used, she could have hit herself coming out of a roping box or cutting a cow. But there’s no structural reason for that mare not to move straight.

On the other hand, when you look at the chestnut mare in No. 2, there are all kinds of reasons for her to have a splint. She probably interferes as she travels, and the puffiness in her knees indicates the tremendous stress her bones are under due to the offset column of bone in her entire front leg. Not only does she have the blemish, which is the splint, but she is severely structurally incorrect.

If we truly believe that balance, structural correctness and movement are the things we prioritize (according to the AQHA Handbook of Rules and Regulations), then we have to be extremely critical of the chestnut mare.

Dr. Jim Heird

http://americashorsedaily.com/what%E2%80%99s-wrong-with-these-legs/

America’s Horse Daily

This Is Why Things Cannot Change

This post is a little old ( I misplaced it in my "posted" file) but it's still worth the read. The forum thread being referred to is closed for posting....I guess some people can't handle the truth on that forum. I'm actually surprised the whole thing wasn't just deleted.

Sorry, RH2, for the delays in postings.

RM

http://forums.prospero.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=51248.1

I was all set to write an upbeat piece today, and came upon this. I think it bears reading, as it falls in line with the topics we've been posting the last few posts. There has been a pretty intense discussion going on over at ABR on how to help the horses that are being abused, neglected, starved, and sometimes killed at some of the "Rescues" housing them. Red Flags have been discussed, and there is growing concern over how to spot them. EPONA is one of those "Rescues" that seems to have rows of them waving on a daily basis. Questions are regularly asked of Lin, rarely answered truthfully, and at times, even fielded by her enablers. I won't even bother calling them supporters anymore. The mighty Alex Brown has even come to Lin's defense on quite a few occasions. The thread I have linked here is a thread dedicated to questions Lin has either neglected to answer, or has not answered truthfully. While her enablers field questions, and make excuses for her ignorance and avoidance, some startling facts are presented. Lin plans to euthanize 5 horses before Winter-on the advice of her Vet, of course! She has not given any details on the issues these horses present that require them to be put down, besides old age and physical condition. I suspect Lin may have aided them in getting to their physical condition, but that is just my humble opinion. A Rescue that actually worked with Lin trying to educate her and provide training and help to some of her horses weighs in on this thread, and yet, her enablers continue to blindly make excuses for her. Yet another of my favorites, Kathy Elm, also weighs in with her vast knowledge on horses. It appears that Lin is in possession of an elderly horse with an abscess that requires bandaging. Apparently, some feel that the bandage Lin has on the horse looks pretty worthless. Kathy weighs in to tell us how difficult it is to get a good bandage on a horse standing on 3 legs. For those of you who may need to do this on some future date-yes, it's not easy. I had a huge warmblood cross who required it. BUT, not only did I apply one successfully, I applied one by myself, and it held. I used a maxi pad, vet wrap, and duct tape. Of course, I also know a little bit about horses-that may have helped me out a bit. And for those who think an abscess breaks open immediately-we've had to soak in warm epsom salt water for a few days to get one to open up, and at times, have had to have the vet cut up into the hoof to drain it if it was deep. Again, it requires a bit of knowledge. But, back to Lin and her merry band of Ostriches. As long as you make excuses for every action she takes, and every half truth and outright lie she tells, she can continue on. She will at some future date, meet the same fate 3 Strikes, Winding Road, and HMER have. I don't imagine it will be a shock to see Tierra Madre in the same boat. Those of you who support her not only without question, but by aggressively advocating for her are just as guilty as she is. Lin is unique, I have said that before. She somehow has the ability to get more from people than others can. Lin has been given property, a truck, a trailer, gravel, and is constantly bringing in donations. Yet she does not seem able to successfully operate her "Rescue" She is unable to train her horses. She cannot answer simple questions. She does not update any information on the horses she "adopts" out. And she only seems to adopt out when the pressure is on. Then there are large numbers of horses placed. But no information on where they go. Phoenix Rising always comes to mind when I hear of Lin's "adoptions". Lin makes no effort to gain any basic Equine knowledge. If drama was the only requirement in Rescue, she'd be the best. When the questions get too tough, we can always count on Lin getting a horrible phone call or e-mail to bring in the pity factor. She is a master of manipulation. I understand that. But, as always, the facts are there for all to see. Those enabling her have the same information that we all do. They are the ones who will be instrumental in stopping her. The question is-will they ever?

By RH2

Dollars for Death

Should Funding "Rescues" Continue?

http://forums.prospero.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=51189.1

This is a very interesting discussion coming on the heels of two "Rescues" closing down. Horses starving and confiscated. A huge mess to clean up. The enablers doing the requisite crying, praying, wringing of hands, and wondering, what to do now???? The Internet has made it so easy for so many to make a quick buck without showing anything for it. If you can engage someone, tug at their heart strings, spin a nice tale, you're in. The cash flows, the compliments and support pile up, and you can continue on, feeling pretty good about yourself. Just don't look out the window at the horses that don't have enough land to walk around on. Or food to eat. Or water to drink. Just ignore the ones you don't have the time to train or handle on a daily basis-after all, YOU are blessed for saving these animals from a fate no one wants to dwell on. For those who already can't say no, and need the constant "high" of a new horse, or the praise of a job well done, Internet fundraising is a Godsend! But, they wouldn't be successful without those willing to turn a blind eye at the obvious, and send them the money. It was just a great twist of fate that my very favorite "Rescue", EPONA, chose to weigh in on this discussion. Here's one everyone should be closing their pocketbooks and wallets to. Why? Because by her own admission, Our Lady Of EPONA is overhorsed. She claims that after assessing her property and facilities, her vet has determined that she needs to get her Equine numbers down to 40, and she's working on it-HOWEVER, she DOES make exceptions, like the 8 horses she recently bought, many in foal, the two who were allegedly dropped off at their home, and she just couldn't turn away (or turn in the owners for neglect and abuse, despite the fact that she allegedly works with the Sheriff taking in these cases), and the mysterious horse in the corn field that she began fundraising for before she actually took possession of. All I can say is wow, those are quite a few exceptions in a few short months. Red flag anyone? How about the fact that a Vet would have to tell someone running a "Rescue" how many horses they should house? Shouldn't Lin already know that? And what Vet in their right mind tells 2 people they can handle 40 horses? Especially when they both work? Lin also admits she does not train, can't because of an accident, and does not have the budget to hire anyone. Which really makes me love the Corn Field Horse story even more. Sure, Lin, take in another horse that most likely needs training when you yourself can't even halter break. Red Flag? She also admits she does not handle each horse each day. Red Flag? Basically, EPONA is a warehouse, even though she does not wish to admit it. Horses come in, rarely leave, unless they die, and Lin sustains her place by asking for money. It's rare that Lin isn't asking for money for SOMETHING. Feed, hay, or her ongoing Vet bill. And people give it. I truly believe it's just a matter of time before we see Lin on the news-and not for being "Rescue of the Year". And then everyone will wonder how it happened. Jim is a little wiser than Lin, he tries to fly under the Radar during these discussions, you rarely hear from him. Red Flag? Yep! Some who continue to send their money in order to get that "feel good" payback being part of "Rescue" gives them feel that they have no blame in what happens to the horses in the care of these places. I disagree. The Internet also provides a wealth of information for those wishing to part with their hard earned income. Read up on what goes on with these places. Most fundraising online have ongoing updates. What are they? Are horses being trained, adopted out, cared for? Or is every day a new drama? Is there some new emergency preventing training, riding, adopting? Is daily life at the "Rescue" centered around getting the horse into a better situation? Or is the horse fodder for a new, sad story aimed at opening up the pocketbook? Are there ongoing Medical Issues? If so, are they issues the "Rescue" can cover, or is each one treated as an emergency that funds must be raised for? True emergencies DO happen, and on occasion, a good Rescue may have to ask for help. But if the base of a "Rescue's" operating expenses come from donations from others, that is a huge Red Flag. Post 96 offers a really good insight into enabling "Rescues", if you read nothing else, this is worth your time. Responsible behavior would be a good starting point, on the part of both Rescue, and donating party. I have no problem with donating to a good, well run Rescue. But those looking to give should act as responsible consumers. I wouldn't buy a car without doing my research. The fact that many of those operating "Rescue" today have the gift of telling a good tale doesn't convince me that what they say is true. ABR and Facebook have become prime targets for the those who have some sort of empty spot in their lives. "Saving" a horse and all of the accolades that accompany that fill that spot for many. Way back when I began writing for this Blog, I was corresponding with a very nice, but Ill informed woman who was donating to "sponsor" a horse at a "Wonderful" place called "Mustang Hearts", if I recall correctly. As long as her checks rolled in, she was loved by everyone, and told how wonderful she was. This was a woman who was a widow, living on a very fixed income. She began to send much more than she could afford in order to help, and told me part of that reason was for the feeling of belonging it gave her. She no longer felt lonely, she had new friends who really cared about her. Unfortunately, when Mustang Hearts went Belly up, and she was unable to take the horse she had sponsored, not only did she lose her friends, they turned on her viciously. She not only knew nothing about horses, but had no place to keep a horse. She had simply become caught up in all of it, and really hadn't considered the real, breathing animal who ultimately suffered in the end. Sadly, with Internet fundraising, I believe this happens on both the part of those donating, and those "Rescuing". When you continue to take in horses beyond your capacity to care for them, and have no emergency plans in place should you become unable to do so, you are in it for you. Call it selfishness, call it hoarding, call it what you want. Just don't donate to it when it's right there in front of you. There are plenty of legitimate Rescues in operation. The horses there will truly benefit from the money you donate.

by RH2

And Another One Bites The Dust...

53 Horses seized from Hidden Meadow Equine Rescue - story and video

http://your4state.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=134615

One horse in perfect health just a few months ago now has a Body score of 1. Another case on Red Flags all over the place, enablers refusing to believe what was going on, and as always-the horses paying the ultimate price. Here's my idea-how about stopping these people from providing "loving, safe places for the poor unwanted horses that would otherwise end up on that "Ugly Truck"? It looks like they continue to get the losing end of the deal each and every time. I know, I know, there are those of you who hate the fact that I refuse to stop pointing out these "Rescues" that Abuse, Neglect, and sometimes kill the horses in their care. Tough. I won't stop until they stop. And I've still got my eyes on my favorites. It's just a matter of time until they end up in the news-and it won't be because of the stellar care they are providing. To those who enable these places-you are just as much to blame as the "Rescues" who commit these horrific acts. I've said it before and I'll continue to say it. If a "Rescue " is constantly begging for feed, supplies, trucks, trailers, funding to BUY HORSES (which is crazy, by the way), and needs money to pay vet bills, yet continues to take in horses with issues, or horses period. there's a problem. If you send them money, you are part of the problem. When horses start dying, save your tears and prayers-it's your fault, too for closing your eyes to what is going on right in front of you. When is this going to end?????????

http://forums.prospero.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=51170.1

By RH2

EPONA... the Numbers Just Keep Going Up

http://forums.prospero.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=50552.1

Is there ANY way to stop this woman from taking in horses???? ANY WAY???? Suggestions are welcome!!!! This thread is beyond ridiculous, but the bottom line is that, yes, Lin ends up with yet another horse she seems incapable of dealing with to begin with. She had no idea how to catch him, spent days chasing him around. There was the required drama to make sure he HAD to end up with our Lady of EPONA, and finally, she got her hands on him! The enablers are God Blessing her all over the place, and personally, I feel sick. Here's the topper- Lin recently posted ANOTHER thread about two horses that were delivered to her door in STARVING condition. What did Lin do? 1) Refuse to take them because she is already past full, working, and understaffed? 2) CALL THE AUTHORITIES IMMEDIATELY, this is at the very least a neglect case, but more likely an abuse case, as Lin was stating the mare would most likely have to be put down ASAP, 3) not say one word to the people who brought these horses in starved condition to her house, not call the authorities, and simply take them in, and immediately begin posting about them. If you chose 3, you know Lin very well. I do think the mare was saved, as a more knowledgeable Rescue stepped in and pointed out that the mare was probably not in need of Euthanizing. WHY does someone so inept continue to take in horses????? WHY do people continue to support her???? I truly believe we need some sort of certification program in place to weed out the Lins and Jims in the Rescue world. They CANNOT say "NO" on their own-they seem completely incapable of it. So now, Lin adds 3 to her already too high numbers, and I believe she has one of her other horses coming back, so let's make it 4. Winter is coming, she has babies, no strong volunteer base, and as usual, her plan is to fundraise for these horses. We really need to stop these people. How can we do that? You don't have to worry about the "Ugly Truck" when we have places like these to dole out their own special kind of "love". I will continue to keep a close eye on EPONA, because it represents all that is wrong with Rescue to me. Actually, I have never considered her a Rescue, more a grifter and a hoarder. That she can talk people into donating property, vehicles, money, and just about anything else she needs, and STILL fail at Rescue is a true testament to her abilities. I wonder how many poor horses will end up there before Winter comes, and how many will make it through. Let's continue to enable her, though. When this whole thing falls apart, you can all cry and pray-that seems to be a big part of enabling, too, and it seems some have gotten very good at it. A side note to Careen-how many more of these "Rescues" will you associate yourself with, and more important-WHY ARE YOU?????

By RH2

Unemployment causes horse neglect...

John Holland attributes the rise in equine neglect to unemployment and says it has nothing to do with the lack of slaughter plants in the US ...

http://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/the-perfect-time-to-end-the-slaughter-of-american-horses/

I can’t help but wonder about the misspelling of the word defense in the website. Is it an honest (surely not) mistake? Is it a pun meaning John and Vicki are the horses’ only ‘fence’ between horror and rescue? Or is it meant to signify John has jumped the fence/border to find ways to torture more horses? Obviously I could have way too much fun with this so on to the subject at hand.

John apparently thinks all of his readers are either ignorant or just plain stupid. While many agree the lack of financial funds has a lot to do with the rise in equine neglect it is not the only reason. It’s slightly more complicated and we have tried to get the truth about the situation out where people can see it. The anti slaughter bloggers want people to believe we say the lack of slaughter houses increased neglect and abuse. That statement could be perceived in different ways. Mr. Holland would like all of you to think “we” said the lack of U.S. slaughter plants has increased the numbers of people who are abusive or neglectful. John attempts to make us pro horse folks look ignorant and all he succeeds in doing is making himself look lazy, dishonest, and foolish.

What is happening with horse prices or lack of them is a perfect storm. Closing the plants was just one part of the problem. We are in an economic slump and that does affect horse ownership. Less demand drops prices, obviously. There are plenty of us old enough to remember when this happened in the past. We even ran a blog not long ago to talk about that titled “41 Mustangs”.

In a nut shell, the lack of slaughter availability in the United States is not making people neglectful. The lack of money (unemployment) combined with the lack of base scale price is the problem. The closing of the US plants limited certain horses from going to slaughter which in turn limited the ability to sell, or even give away many of these horses. Therefore those unemployed owners have no way of getting out of horse ownership and no way to afford the feed and care these horses need. I know, many of you anti people will say well they should have the vet euthanize (that means kill) them. Call around the country to vets and carcass removal companies and price this endeavor. It isn‘t cheap. A person struggling with paying for the roof over their children's heads isn‘t going to be able to afford it. Also ask vets if they are willing to kill a healthy animal.

Another fact, horses can be had for cheap, sometimes free, by anyone who wants one. Yep anyone. The guy who has no idea what feed costs. The guy who hasn’t got a clue how to care for them properly. The guy who is a hoarder. The guy who is an abusive ass hole. The guy who__________, I’m sure many of you can fill in the blank with any number of other “guys” who shouldn’t have horses. Many of them wouldn’t have had horses had they not been so “affordable” ... And why are they so cheap? Lack of base value. No salvage value. No scale price... Use whatever term you wish but the bottom line is, some horses that would have gone to the US slaughter plants are now stuck where they are... The horses that would have been the lower grade carcass after slaughter were sold to zoos in the past. They weren’t worth exporting as a carcass then and they certainly aren’t worth exporting on the hoof now. Only FAT, healthy, sound animals make that long trip now and our zoos import horse meat from other countries now. Doesn’t that seem just a little bit ridiculous?

So, plain and simple, yes the correlation of unemployment and neglect is true but only because many of the unemployed have no where to sell/ re-home these horses.

I also love it (NOT) when people lacking any real horse knowledge rant on about stopping all breeding. If you want to have a horse of any quality (and John has no idea what quality is) you will stop chanting the anti breeding bull shit and support the responsible breeders of quality horses. Learn to know the difference and apply that knowledge. True horsemen who appreciate quality horses will not adopt a pigeon breasted, coon footed, ewe necked rescue no matter how scarce good horses get or how much they are ‘scolded‘. One more fact you can all take to the bank.

By RM & RH1

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A couple “food for thought” articles...

The Plight of the Unwanted Horse: Scopeof the Problem

Frequently Asked QuestionsAbout Unwanted Horses in the United States

Its that time of year again

Summer's coming to an end, and it's again Fair time. I love the Fairs. They give me hope. We watched some of the horse events, and plan to watch some more throughout the rest of the weekend. Throughout the year, I get so frustrated, and sometimes develop a case of tunnel vision. I think I actually get sucked into the belief that all we are as an Industry now is a giant "Rescue Machine", producing "Pasture Puffs" to exist on carrots and kisses. Or to die in the "loving care" of "Rescues". It makes me want to get out. But then, thank heavens, Fair season comes just in time. We walked in on Thursday and saw a Young Draft colt getting his shoes put on for his class. Guess what? he was standing quietly, although curiously looking around. No "crashing to the ground" from tranquilizers. No one dancing around to keep away from his thrashing feet. This was a young horse who had obviously been worked with. We walked through the barns. Healthy clean, well groomed horses, people sitting around enjoying each others' company, proud to hear all of the comments on the animals they own, care for, and very obviously love. The difference here? These horses have jobs, and certainly seem to be the better for that fact. In one of the Draft barns, there were even a few babies-yep, babies! You see, breeding HAS to go on, because there IS a market if you breed well, and if you breed wisely. True, there are much fewer babies, but the quality is there, and that's a positive sign. We attended the Miniature Horse show. There weren't as many entries as there have been in recent years, but more than last year. Another good sign. again, well trained, well kept horses. I'm looking forward to the open Western Show, as well as the Ultimate Ranch race. The Ranch race is fairly new, and I really love it! It's an obstacle course, but it really tests the trust between horse and rider. We saw it for the first time last year, and I was so impressed by the age range of both horses and participants. Everyone was encouraged, time didn't matter. Getting through the course with your horse, in your own time was the goal, and from the crowd participation, and the applause, I think we'll be seeing much more of this kind of event. As we were leaving, we were lucky enough to pass by that same young draft we saw upon entering. This time, he was getting a bath. Again, curious, calm, he was the picture of what a horse should be. He had a job, he was looking forward to doing it, and his owner obviously took great pride in what she had accomplished with this young guy. I'm looking forward to seeing him in the show. I'm looking forward to all of the coming events. They give me hope that I'm not the only one who still believes in the Equine Industry. I'm not the only one who knows there's more to the horse world than FOB's, Feedlot Saves, and Slaughter Trucks. We're still moving forward. It may just be one small "Fun Show" and County Fair at a time, but for now, if it keeps the hope of a better tomorrow alive for those of us who sometimes feel like just giving up, it's more than enough.

By RH2