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Stolen Horse International and Flower Power are Teaming Up to Help Owners of Lost and Stolen Horses
NetPosse Flower Fundraiser runs through April 29th!

4H 2011 Animal Crackers Program - Goats and Horses  

Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament Canceled  -  National Horse Show moving to Kentucky Horse Park   read   read more

New York State Horse Health Assurance Program (NYSHHAP) cut  

 Trails/Parks News

Trails Are At Risk!
Federal budget cuts will affect trails! If they are important to you, let your Representative know now!  

Cockaigne Equestrian Trail Map Completed  www.cockaigne.com

Equestrian Trail Manuals Released 

 Horse[wo]men Speak Up!

Tell govt reps to protect equine rights: NYS Assembly
NYS Senator
Governor
  Or E-Lobby through the Farm Bureau

  Reference Room

American HorsCouncil Newsroom  

Unwanted Horse Coalition:
Best Practices Handbook 

National Welfare Code of Practice  

Congressional Cavalry:
mobilizing horse industry  

Equine Minimum Standards of Care  

NYS Center for Equine Business Development Estab

House Passes Restore Our American Mustangs Act 

Horse Farm Education Program expanding in NY

Budweiser Clydesdales added to Madison Ave Advertising Walk of Fame in Manhattan 

Kentucky Horse Council Publishes Equine Minimum Standards of Care

Lexington, KY, July 21, 2009
   In an effort to provide a basic guideline for minimum horse care requirements, the Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) recently developed an eight page educational guide called Minimum Standards for Equine Care in Kentucky. The guide is a free resource offered for educational purposes to horse owners, potential horse owners, law enforcement officials, and all horse interested individuals.
   Featuring photographs which depict healthy horses receiving good care Minimum Standards for Equine Care in Kentucky is appropriate for all horse owners. It includes information on minimum food, drink, space, and health care requirements for equines. In addition, the document encourages the practice of body condition scoring of horses using the Henneke Scale as a basis for the development of a feeding program regiment tailored to the unique needs of each individual horse.
    “Over the past few years, through our extensive work with neglected horses, we recognized the need for an educational resource detailing the basics of horse care. Minimum Standards for Equine Care in Kentucky is a great tool for investigators to provide education to horse owners who lack an understanding of the rudimentary needs of their horses,” emphasized Madelyn Millard, KHC Board President.
   Developed by the Kentucky Horse Council Health and Welfare Committee, the standards include information approved by equine veterinarians and humane officers.
   The color guide has been provided to all animal control and law enforcement officials who have successfully completed Equine Abuse Investigation Training offered by the Kentucky Horse Council. All future attendees will also be provided a printed copy. “This document is just one of the many ways the Kentucky Horse Council works to educate horse owners and law enforcement officials on the unique needs of horses,” Millard continued.
   Minimum Standards for Equine Care in Kentucky is free and available online by visiting www.kentuckyhorse.org. For more information or to download a copy visit www.kentuckyhorse.org or contact the Kentucky Horse Council at 859-367-0509 or email info@kentuckyhorse.org.

Benefits for Horse Industry in “Mini” Jobs Bill Just Passed  March 18,2010

Congress has passed a second jobs bill, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE Act), which includes an extension of the expensing allowance through 2010 and other provisions to stimulate employment.  President Obama is expected to sign it as soon as he receives it.

Last year Congress passed the Stimulus Bill that included bigger write-offs for horses and other property purchased and placed in service during 2009.  But these provisions expired at the end of 2009.  The new HIRE Act extends one of the benefits, the so-called Section 179 expense deduction for assets, including horses, purchased and placed in service through 2010.  The bill does not extend bonus depreciation, which expired at the end of 2009. 

The HIRE Act also includes a few other provisions that may impact horse owners. 

Expensing Allowance
The Section 179 expense deduction allows an owner who purchases a horse or other business property and places it in service in 2010 to expense up to $250,000 of the cost.  This applies to horses, farm equipment and any depreciable property used in a business.  Once total purchases of horses and other eligible property reach $800,000, the expense allowance goes down one dollar for each dollar spent over $800,000.

To illustrate the expensing allowance, assume a horse business purchases $750,000 of depreciable property in 2010, including $650,000 for horses.  That business can write off $250,000 on its 2009 tax return and depreciate the balance.  If instead, purchases were $900,000, the expense allowance would go down by $100,000.

This provision would benefit any business involved in the horse industry that purchases and places depreciable property in service in 2010.

Other Provisions
The new legislation also includes provisions to forgive payroll taxes for hiring unemployed workers and gives a business tax credit of $1,000 for every new employee retained for 52 weeks to be taken on the employer’s 2011 tax return.  These provisions are designed to boost employment.

Please call the AHC if you have any questions. 202-296-4031 http://horsecouncil.org/

Unwanted Horse Coalition Releases Best Practices Handbook

Washington , DC – January 4, 2010

The Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) has published a handbook entitled Best Practices: How Your Organization Can Help Unwanted Horses.  The handbook is part of the UHC’s continuing effort to get the horse community more involved in solving the problem of unwanted horses.  If the horse community is to succeed in lessening the problem of unwanted horses, more organizations and more events, large and small, regardless of their breed or discipline, must institute activities and programs to deal with their horses after their active lives are over or when their owners are no longer able to care for them. 

Many equine organizations, events and service providers have already instituted programs to help ensure that no horse becomes unwanted.  The Best Practices Handbook lists many of these activities and other initiatives that those in the horse industry can undertake.  The handbook includes sections on administration, continuing education, fundraising, support of equine care facilities, matchmaking, direct assistance, breeding control, and euthanasia.

The Best Practices Handbook outlines various examples of successful programs and activities already in place with other organizations.  There are thousands of associations, events, activities, service providers, commercial suppliers, meetings, trail rides, etc. in the horse community.  Regardless of whether you are involved with a large organization, a small show, a racetrack, or a veterinary clinic, there are ideas in this booklet that can be adopted and put into place.  If each gets involved in some fashion, the industry can go a long way toward solving the problem of excess horses.

“The more educated our industry becomes in regard to unwanted horses and the more effort that we put into it, the more we can do to help our horses,” said UHC Chairman, Dr. Tom Lenz. “We hope the Best Practices Handbook will give everyone some ideas to pursue.  If each organization gets involved, even with a single activity, the industry can go a long way toward solving this problem.”

The UHC is distributing its Best Practices Handbook to organizations and facilities around the country. The handbook is also available for download on the UHC’s website: www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org.

For more information about the UHC or the Best Practices Handbook please contact Ericka Caslin, UHC Director, at ecaslin@horsecouncil.org or by calling 202-296-4031.

The Unwanted Horse Coalition
The mission of the Unwanted Horse Coalition is to reduce the number of unwanted horses and improve their welfare through education and the efforts of organizations committed to the health, safety and responsible care and disposition of these horses. The UHC grew out of the Unwanted Horse Summit, which was organized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and held in conjunction with the American Horse Council’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in April 2005. The summit was held to bring key stakeholders together to start a dialogue on the unwanted horse in America . Its purpose was to develop consensus on the most effective way to work together to address the issue. In June 2006, the UHC was folded into the AHC and now operates under its auspices.

"Establishment of the New York State Center for Equine Business Development"
Cazenovia College, Equine Education Center, Woodfield Road , Cazenovia, NY

August 25, 2009
   Cazenovia College welcomes NYS Senator David J. Valesky (D-Oneida) and U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer to its Equine Education Center (Woodfield Road in Cazenovia) tomorrow, Tuesday, August 25, 2009 . At a scheduled 9 A.M. press announcement , Cazenovia College President Mark J. Tierno will formally pronounce the establishment of the New York State Center for Equine Business Development at Cazenovia College.
   President Tierno will elaborate on the new initiative that will have a statewide economic impact of $184 million over the next five years, and one that will spearhead a coordinated statewide approach to strengthening and sustaining the equine sector of the State's economy.
   Senators Valesky and Schumer, as well as John Madden, founder of the Syracuse International Sporthorse Tournament , will speak on their support of the Center, which will serve as a clearinghouse for equine business-related solutions, explore state-of-the-art management methods, and foster job and entrepreneurial growth throughout New York State. Olympic Champion Beezie Madden will also be present to show her support for the new Center.
   Cazenovia College, Senators Valesky and Schumer, and John and Beezie Madden invite you to join us for this announcement as we collectively celebrate a coordinated statewide approach to a sustainable equine industry.

The mutant gene that makes horses white
Scientists have discovered the defective DNA that causes fast ageing
from The Sunday Times, Abul Taher, July 20, 2008
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4364169.ece

White horses, such as racing’s Desert Orchid or the Lone Ranger’s Silver, are actually mutants whose defective DNA carries a gene that accelerates ageing and rapidly turns their coats grey, scientist have discovered.

Such horses would probably never have survived in the wild but for one particular white horse, born thousands of years ago, which so caught the eye of ancient humans that they protected it and did their best to breed more, according to a new study.

They were so successful that the same horse became the ancestor of almost all white horses born since. It means that Silver and Desert Orchid, which won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1989 and the King George IV Chase four times, were probably related.

The key finding of the researchers, at Uppsala University in Sweden, is that almost all white horses seem to carry an identical gene, implying that it originated in a single common ancestor.

White horses are unlikely to have survived in the wild. The white colouring makes them easy prey for predators, while the gene sharply raises the risk of such horses getting skin cancer. This implies that humans probably intervened to make sure they flourished.

“It is a fascinating thought that once upon a time a horse was born that turned grey and then white and the people that observed it were so fascinated that they used the horse for breeding so that the mutation could be transmitted from generation to generation,” said Leif Andersson, who led the study. The research will be published in Nature Genetics today.

Today about one horse in 10 carries the mutation, dubbed the “greying with age” gene. Such horses are brown, chestnut or black when they are born but their coats turn white within about six years.

They are distinct, however, from the rarer albino horses, which are white at birth.

Samantha Brooks, a geneticist and equine expert at Cornell University, New York, said the mutation in the “greying with age” gene meant that the pigment cells – or melanocytes – in the hair follicles in effect “dried up” early in life. The hairs keep growing but without any pigment they become white.

The absence of the pigment means the skin is less protected from sunlight and so is at greater risk of skin cancers.

“About 75% of grey horses aged over 15 years have a benign form of melanoma that may develop into a malignant melanoma,” said Andersson.

The discovery could shed light on ageing and cancer development in humans, too. White horses appear to be going through an ultrafast version of what happens in people.

Historians believe wild horses were first tamed by humans about 10,000 years ago on the steppes of central Asia. It was probably there that the first white horse was born. Since then, white horses have become associated with legend and kingship. Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek myth, is usually depicted as a grey.

King Arthur is said to have ridden a white horse, as is William the Conqueror at the battle of Hastings in 1066.

“They have this mythical image of purity and sanctity about them,” said Brooks. “They have this innocent trait about them.”

Sonya Webster, who keeps a grey mare and a stallion at End House stud farm near Clitheroe, Lancashire, said she liked them because they stood out from the crowd. There were, however, drawbacks: “They are difficult to keep clean and more likely to get sunburnt.”

HORSES: $39 BILLION IMPACT ON THE U.S. ECONOMY

Excerpt from The Economic Impact of the Horse Industry in the United States (2006)
For complete information the report is available for a fee by contacting the AHCF at www.HorseCouncil.org

The horse industry is a vital contributor to the U.S. economy, “operates in every corner of the country (45 of 50 states have at least 20,000 horses) and contributes mightily to the American economy and culture,” supporting 1.4 million jobs on a full-time basis. When indirect and induced spending are included, the industry’s economic impact reaches $102 billion.Some of the key industry statistics and economic indicators reflected in the study include:

Estimated number of horses in the U.S.     9.2 million

Estimated number of horse Owners in the U.S.     2 million

Estimated number of horses by Breed
Quarter Horse, 3,288,203     Thoroughbred, 1,291,807     Other Horses, 4,642,739

Estimated number of horses by Activity
Recreation, 3,906,923     Showing, 2,718,954     Racing, 844,531     Other, 1,752,439

Estimated generated by Segment
Recreation, $32.0 billion     Showing, $28.8 billion     Racing, $26.1 billion

American Horse Council Study Finds Equestrian Recreation Industry Has Significant Economic Impact

April10, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC - The term “backyard horse” does not necessarily spark images of high spending and thousands of jobs. But a closer look reveals that the recreational segment of the horse industry, including the average pleasure rider on their “backyard horse,” generates quite a bit of economic impact and employment opportunities.

The American Horse Council’s Economic Impact of the Horse Industry on the United States study includes some impressive statistics that confirm the size and significant impact of the recreational horse industry.

The number of horses used primarily for recreational purposes is by far the largest segment of the horse population by more than one million. According to the Economic Impact Study, there are more than 1.4 million Quarter Horses being used specifically for recreational activities. Another 228,290 Thoroughbreds and an astounding 2.3 million horses listed under “other breeds” are involved in equestrian recreation.

The resulting effect on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the recreation industry is equally impressive at $32 million - $11.9 million in direct effects and $20 million are indirect and induced effects.

We can break this information on the recreation industry down even further by specifying the effect by horse breed. Thoroughbreds have a $1.3 million direct effect and a $3.4 million total effect (including indirect and induced effects) on the GDP. Quarter Horses have an even larger impact with a $4 million direct effect and $10.6 million total effect. The rest of the breeds – classified in the “other” category – have a $6.6 million direct effect and $18 million total effect.

While recreational events and activities may not always be as flashy as their racing and competition counterparts, recreation events require thousands of employees to keep all of the money flowing and these events running. The Economic Impact Study converts part-time and seasonal employees into a full-time equivalent basis to accurately determine the number of jobs generated by the horse industry. The recreational horse industry generates 128,324 full-time equivalent positions. Jobs associated with recreational Thoroughbreds equal 10,121, Quarter Horses 37,437 and “other” breeds 80,766.

When you add the number of jobs generated directly by the industry and add indirect and induced employment, those numbers go even higher. Indirect employment represents jobs provided as a result of spending by industry providers and induced employment represents jobs provided as a result of spending by industry employees. The recreation industry has a total effect on full-time equivalent employment of 435,082 jobs – the largest of any segment of the horse industry.

The American Horse Council’s Economic Impact of the Horse Industry on the United States study contains all of these statistics and more. The comprehensive study also analyzes the racing and showing industries, as well as breaking down all of these numbers by state for the 15 states that participated in breakout studies.

The national and each individual state study are available for purchase from the American Horse Council at www.horsecouncil.org or by phone at 202-296-4031.