I noticed this stripey girl at Heaven Can Wait equine rescue. Not much is known about her except that she’s a Standardbred cross, 1.5 years old and in need of some TLC. (“But Defrost, what’s a brindle horse?”)
Related posts:
Recent breakthroughs in colour genetics
Starving horses were part of an unusual breeding program
Horse colour demystified: the basics
Horse colour demystified: the cream gene
Quiz: what colour horse would you be?
Horse colour demystified: the dun gene
A woman accused of starving her horses faces further charges of mistreating wildlife on her Lara property.
RSPCA inspector Jason Nichols said Julie Tilbrook, 56, of Lara, had been charged with 21 new counts of animal cruelty relating to a python, two goannas, a skink and three sugar gliders. The RSPCA has charged Ms Tilbrook, who holds a wildlife permit, with failing to house the reptiles properly and with confining her animals in circumstances likely to cause suffering.
Mr Nichols said Ms Tilbrook had also been charged with failing to provide veterinary attention to a dog.
The charges are in addition to 17 counts of animal cruelty laid against Ms Tilbrook in March.
Ms Tilbrook, who has not yet entered a plea to the charges, did not appear in Geelong Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
Magistrate Ian von Einem adjourned the hearing until May 29. Story link
Related posts:
Starving horses were part of an unusual breeding program
Four more equine organizations have joined the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC), bringing the total number of members to 16. The mission of the UHC is to educate the public on the issue of unwanted horses and to remind people to “Own Responsibly.”
“The UHC is pleased to welcome new group members the Maryland Horse Breeders Association, the Mustang Heritage Foundation, the Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America, and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association,” said UHC Chairman Dr. Tom Lenz.
The resources and support that UHC member organizations offer will be invaluable as the coalition works towards the ultimate goal of reducing the number of unwanted horses and improving the welfare of these horses.
The new organizations join current members of the coalition, which include the American Association of Equine Practitioners, American Paint Horse Association, American Quarter Horse Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, The Jockey Club, National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Professional Rodeo Stock Contractors, AHC State Horse Council Committee, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, United States Equestrian Federation, and U.S. Trotting Association.
“It is very encouraging to see so many organizations recognizing the plight of unwanted horses as an important issue and stepping up to the plate to help make a difference,” said Jay Hickey, president of the American Horse Council, under whose auspices the UHC operates.
To learn more about the UHC and this issue and your responsibilities, visit the UHC Web site at www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org. (Story link)
Related posts:
Barbaro update, and a challenge to those who say they love horses
Oh yes, you know what I’m talkin’ about! Here are some ladies you should meet.
1. Ruffian
Foaled in 1972, this niece of Secretariat is considered by many to be the greatest racing filly of the modern era, if not all time. She won all ten starts against fillies, but in a televised match race with Foolish Pleasure on July 6, 1975, both sesamoid bones in her right foreleg snapped. Her jockey, Jacinto Vasquez, tried to pull her up, but she ran on for another 50 yards, unwilling to give up the race. Attempts were made to save her but after waking from anesthesia Ruffian fractured the new cast causing greater damage and she was euthanized. Ruffian is buried near the finish line in the infield at Belmont Park. It has been said of her “The only race she ever lost was the race to save her life.” Read more | The Ruffian Breyer
The Unwanted Horse Council (UHC) announced has launched a new website and announced the release of an awareness brochure.
“The Unwanted Horse Coalition includes equine organizations that are concerned with the number of unwanted horses in the United States,” said Dr. Tom Lenz, Coalition Chairman.
“The website and brochure are our first steps in educating current and future owners, breeders, traders, and others involved with horses about the issue of the unwanted horse. Our goal is to make the coalition unnecessary.”
Both the website and brochure explain the UHC and its mission, which is to reduce the number of unwanted horses and to improve their welfare. It will do that through educational outreach and the efforts of various organizations committed to the health, safety, and responsible care and disposition of unwanted horses.
The UHC was created following the Unwanted Horse Summit that was organized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and held in conjunction with the American Horse Council’s annual meeting in April 2005. In June 2006, the group was folded into the American Horse Council and now operates under its auspices.
In addition to information about the UHC, the website provides resources and links for retiring and rescuing horses, methods for handling the loss of a horse, and suggestions to help people “Own Responsibly,” which is the motto of the UHC.
“We want people to learn how to own responsibly,” Jay Hickey, President of the American Horse Council, said. “If they buy, sell, and treat horses responsibly, there will be fewer unwanted horses.”
The website will be updated regularly with news releases and publications describing the progress of the UHC and the plight of the unwanted horse. Both the website and the brochure provide information on how to become a member of the UHC and how to contribute to the UHC. (Via HorseTalkNZ)
Related posts:
Barbaro update, and a challenge to those who say they love horses
A young Welsh Cob stallion named Triple Five required fourteen firemen, a vet and some cutting equipment when he got stuck in a caravan (similar to a North American camper van) after smelling hay inside and climbing in to chow down. Triple Five was unharmed after his hour-long ordeal. (Say that last sentence in Kent Brockman’s voice) Link
Last November I told y’all about a dispute over retired NYPD police horses; it was felt that the animals were not getting proper care, a charge the caretakers denied. The Gothamist is now reporting that twenty of the horses have been adopted out, and the remainder sent to other farms: “The health of the horses, who range in age from 3 to nearly 30, has improved dramatically since the move, according to the police mounted unit.”
Hat tip to Meggan for alerting me to this site:
Searching for the right horse or trying to find the perfect home for one? Look no further! All Heart Inc., a Barrington, Illinois company is launching a extraordinary new concept – DonateMyHorse.com – the perfect website for prospective adopters to view photos and information on horses needing good homes.
DonateMyHorse.com offers listings from across the nation with advanced search options that facilitate the match of donor and adopter. All text ads are free and packages are available for different viewing options.
All Heart Inc. wants to make the adoption of horses needing good homes both easy and successful for donors and adopters alike. DonateMyHorse.com is the first and only website specifically designed for such a purpose.
Too bad the ads aren’t free.
From today’s Globe and Mail. While I think horse slaughter is despicable, I agree heartily about the overbreeding. People need to start thinking in terms of what their breed needs, and what their discipline demands, instead of just throwing horses together because they can. (And get your damn dogs and cats fixed while you’re at it) We also need tougher animal cruelty laws in Canada and elsewhere.
An Ontario animal-welfare agency was thrown on the defensive yesterday after an auction notice listed for sale four animals in its care. Horse lovers had feared the animals might be sold for slaughter.
On the weekend, word spread on a horse fanciers’ discussion board that the Claremont Horse Auction, which takes place in a town just north of Toronto, included four animals from the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in its website’s description of lots for a March 15 auction.
The OSPCA is empowered to seize neglected or maltreated animals, which are cared for until they can be adopted or found a place in one of dozens of operations that care for abandoned animals.
Representatives for the OSPCA, which acknowledged before a legislative committee last year that it is having difficulty matching donations to expenses, insisted yesterday that there was never any question of auctioned animals being sent to a slaughterhouse.
This is just weird, not to mention sad and infuriating. An Australian vet, Jilie Tilbrook, has been accused of starving her horses, although she blames the ongoing Aussie drought for the horses’ condition. Apparently she was trying to breed for the brindle pattern using progeny of the unusual Thoroughbred stallion Catch A Bird. Although she will likely lose her vet credentials and may be facing jail time, her main worry is that the horses will be dispersed to rescue homes and the breeding program lost. Link
(Aside: what’s weird genetically is that Catch A Bird’s progeny look like true roans [scroll down–not all the horses on that page are his, btw], a gene heretofore undetected in Thoroughbreds, and some have odd coat textures…)
Catch A Bird (Noble Bijou x Showy Countess)
Update: Apparently this neglect had been going on for quite a while, with many people trying to get the authorities involved to no avail. Once people started bringing hay for them, the RSPC of Australia couldn’t get involved because now they were being fed. UNBELIEVABLE.
Saddlebred Rescue is asking for help in identifying some of their charges, most of whom came from auctions. The more information they have about these horses and their history, the easier it will be to rehab them for new homes. See if there’s a new friend there for you while you’re at it. (Link via HorsesDiary)
Rodney needs a sponsor, and I’d say he deserves one, considering he’s 43 years old. Meet Rodney and his friends at Horse Rescue Ramblings.
Stablegirl has an urgent message for horse lovers:
Many, many PMU mares are in danger of slaughter if they are not rescued by the end of THIS MONTH. Even if you don’t have the means to adopt one of these wonderful animals, you can still help by sponsoring a mare.
Sponsoring means that you pay a $550 fee to save the mare from the slaughterhouse, plus $75 per month to cover her board, feed, shots, hoof care, etc. She’ll be kept safe on a farm in Canada, and you can even visit her if you’re ever up that way!
This is a wonderful way to save a life. Please consider it if you possibly can.
To sponsor a mare, please call United Pegasus at 626-279-1306 as soon as possible!
You can read more about Stablegirl (Melissa) and her PMU mare Rhona at her blog.
Andrea at Mustang Saga is trying to help Columbia Basin Equine Rescue save some horses from slaughter, including George, pictured above. If you’d like to help out, please visit her blog.
In honour of National Homeless Animal Day, here is our Rooney, adopted from the Kingston Humane Society in January 2005. He’s easily the most sweet-natured cat I’ve ever known.
(Rooney and candles don’t mix, so I’m improvising)
To keep this on topic, here is an international list of horse rescue organizations; you can also find a few in my blogroll.
Bridlepath
Bridlepath 