Georgia Department of Agriculture officials spent much of Saturday removing malnourished horses from a Pike County farm, rounding up all but 27 of the 100 sick equines. State Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said Saturday that he was surprised all were still alive.

"So far, we haven't lost any, but many of them are in bad shape," Irvin said.

The horses were taken to a private location for security reasons, where they are receiving food, water and veterinary care. Those that are sick have been isolated so as not to infect the other horses.

Irvin said some of the horses appear to be suffering from "strangles," a contagious, upper respiratory tract infection that makes breathing difficult.

The farm, located about 50 miles south of Atlanta, is owned by Roger Prater and Bobbie Allison. Prater's attorney, Virgil Brown, said some of the horses had diseases but were otherwise in good condition.

"There's nothing wrong with the horses," he said.

Irvin said he thinks the couple should be charged with animal cruelty.

"We feel we have a good case," he said. "This is one of the worst incidents we've ever seen just because of the numbers involved."

Pike County officials have been investigating the couple and are in the process of gathering evidence for possible prosecution, Irvin said.

Most of the 50 or so dogs — many of whom appeared malnourished and poorly groomed — and 65 cattle have been removed from the property. Meanwhile, 65 goats remain and will be relocated soon, Irvin said.

"The good thing about the goats is they can fend for themselves," he said.

The Agriculture Department was assisted by the Humane Society of the United States emergency response team from Florida, animal control officials from DeKalb, Fayette and Madison counties and the Atlanta Humane Society.

Irvin said officials expect to round up all the animals by weekend's end.

Report: Majority of horses healthy on Albany County ranch

By PHIL WHITE
Star-Tribune correspondent
LARAMIE - A U.S. Bureau of Land Management report found the "vast majority" of horses kept at a wild horse sanctuary were in good health.

The report, released Friday and written by U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian Al Kane said the group of veterinarians and state livestock board officials viewed more than half of the 330 horses kept by Wild Horse Wyoming LLC at the Sheep Mountain Ranch and found that “the vast majority” were in good condition. The officials were able to view about 165 horses closely enough to assess body condition in some detail and another 50 horses at distances that only allowed assessment of overall condition. Kane estimated that the average body condition of the horses seen was between 4 ½ and 5 on the Henneke Scale, well within acceptable levels, according to the Idaho Humane Society.

Veterinarians who inspected the former wild horses west of Laramie January 11 found nine horses in below-average condition and one very thin horse which could not rise and was euthanized, according to the report.

The ranch covers about 23,000 acres “and has good native forage,” Kane’s report says.

Dr. Kane recommended that the horses be inspected again in 3-4 weeks, or sooner if severe weather occurs. He also recommended that supplemental feeding of hay continue, that the horses in worse condition be closely monitored and that water sources be kept open.

The horse which was put down was about 25 years of age and was euthanized because of her age, dental abnormalities and weather, not starvation due to lack of food, the Kane report says.

Three of the horses in below-average condition were feeding on hay near the headquarters of the ranch, the report states. Their body conditions were rated at 2.75 to 3 on the Humane Society scale -- numbers that are not acceptable.

Alan Shepherd, the BLM’s wild horse coordinator, stated in his “Adopter Compliance Report” that the owner of the horses, Sean Mater of Fort Collins, “is trying to provide the best care that he can for the horses on the ranch given the current weather conditions and overall age of his horses while striving to maintain the ranch’s goal of letting the horses live out their lives as wild horses.”

Shepherd’s report says the ranch adopted 100 geldings in 2005, ranging in age from four to 26 years, under a pilot program in which the ranch agreed to allow the horses to range freely on the ranch for the rest of their lives in exchange for a payment to the participant of $1,800 per horse. Between 92 to 94 of these horses are still present on the ranch, Shepherd said.

Subsequently, the ranch purchased 230 more mares and geldings which “are the private property of Wild Horses Wyoming and are no longer under BLM authority,” the report states.

Briton jailed for seeking help for his sick horses
03.02.07
Daniel Robinson
A British backpacker on a 3,000-mile trek across Tibetan China is languishing in a squalid jail, simply because he crossed the border into India to seek veterinary help for his horses.

Despite the fact that Daniel Robinson is asthmatic and has suffered pneumonia, bronchitis and a kidney infection while in jail, the UK Foreign Office has told his family it can do nothing to help free him.

Robinson was trekking high in the Himalayas at the onset of winter when his two pack-horses, one of which was pregnant, fell ill. Stranded in freezing weather and desperate for assistance, he entered a military zone in northern India without a visa and sought help at an army camp.

He was arrested and accused of spying, though Indian police now accept that he was not involved in espionage. But Robinson, 38, was jailed for a year for crossing the border illegally.

Speaking from Haridwar Prison in the northern Indian state of Uttaranchal, Robinson said: "I knew it wasn't an orthodox way of entering the country. But I thought the worst I could expect would be a fine and repatriation to England. Never did I expect to be thrown into prison.

"I nearly died on the Tibetan plateau. Coming over a freezing mountain pass at the end, I was suffering from altitude sickness, exhaustion and dehydration. I really thought it might be the end. But I just couldn't leave the horses to die up there. Those animals had been through hell with me and I'd developed a sort of spiritual bond with them."
 

 
Barbaro's legacy: saving other horses
Unprecedented medical effort for Kentucky Derby winner gives vets hope
By MARTIN FRANK, The News Journal

Posted Sunday, February 4, 2007

AP/CHRIS GARDNER
From the moment Barbaro's right hind leg crumpled at the Preakness last May, some said the horse should have been euthanized immediately, sparing him what proved to be a futile eight-month battle for survival.

But those in the equine veterinary field say, yes, absolutely, it was worth the effort to try to save him, if for no reason but to save other horses in the future. It also was worthwhile because now doctors can expand their research on laminitis, a centuries-old disease in horses that ultimately led to Barbaro being put down.

Barbaro's treatment at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa., likely cost owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson hundreds of thousands of dollars. That expense probably will prevent most owners from trying to save a horse suffering the same type of injury.

But it will help those who can afford it.

Dr. Dean Richardson, chief surgeon at New Bolton, fused the bones in Barbaro's leg, which some veterinarians compared to a "crushed bag of ice," by inserting 27 screws. That kind of surgery was unprecedented for a racehorse.

In the end, an all too common horse affliction, laminitis, caused Barbaro's demise.

"The amazing thing is that the fracture healed, and that's what everyone needs to remember," said Dr. Rick Arthur, equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board, who has done thousands of surgical procedures on thoroughbreds over the past three decades.

"But it's kind of like the first heart transplant recipient. That person lived for three or five days after the surgery. From that, doctors could see how they could make things better so other patients could live longer. That will happen from what took place with Barbaro.

"So, to those who think this whole thing was a waste of time, I would say that if you're afraid of failure, you're never going to accomplish anything."

Richardson admitted that he learned from his treatment of Barbaro, and that could help him save other horses in the future.

In the past, racehorses injured that badly were euthanized on the spot.

Richardson himself said he had never seen a horse injured so badly because such a horse "never gets to me."

"If I had a horse come in with the same injury tomorrow, I honestly believe I'd have a better chance of saving his life," Richardson said. "And that's because I probably wouldn't make the same mistakes. You have to believe that you're going to get better at what you do."

Laminitis: 'Cancer for horses'

Veterinarians are in agreement that there wasn't anything else Richardson could have done about the laminitis, which resulted when Barbaro compensated for his broken leg by putting too much weight on his other legs. Richardson tried to prevent it by fitting Barbaro's left hind hoof with a special shoe less than a week after his injury.

Laminitis is an often-fatal disease in horses caused by an inflammation of the tissue in the foot, which ultimately cuts off the blood supply to the foot.

Roy Jackson referred to laminitis as "the cancer for horses." Equine doctors don't know how to prevent laminitis. They can treat some cases, but severe cases almost always lead to a horse's death.

Last July, Richardson removed 80 percent of Barbaro's hoof wall in his left hind leg after a severe case of laminitis developed. The laminitis returned in Barbaro's final days and spread to his front legs.

That led to the decision to put Barbaro down.

"The entire strategy in [healing Barbaro's leg] was getting the horse to bear his weight evenly so he wouldn't develop laminitis," Arthur said. "That can be studied further by what was done with Barbaro."

The horse racing industry is trying to further that research. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced Thursday it has created the Barbaro Memorial Fund. The money raised will go to the Laminitis Fund, which was established by the University of Pennsylvania and the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.

The NTRA will raise funds at horse racing's Triple Crown races and other major races.

"I hope people don't get the impression that laminitis isn't a high priority, because it is, and it always has been," said Ed Bowen, president of the Grayson-Jockey Club. "Barbaro will give it an extra boost, he'll keep it on the minds of people, and he'll help generate new revenue streams for it.

"Barbaro is the poster child for the dangers of laminitis. Veterinarians will tell you that's the thing that they always fear the most."

Richardson warned about the possibility of laminitis when he first operated on Barbaro on May 21. He said the same thing last November, when Barbaro had progressed to the point where he was grazing outside. Back then, Barbaro was doing so well in his recovery that there was talk about sending him to a horse farm in Kentucky.

"That was the most frustrating part," Bowen said. "He had overcome an incredibly complicated and serious injury only to be done in by laminitis."

Not just about the money

Barbaro's owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, of West Grove, Pa., said all along they were motivated more by their love of the horse rather than the millions they could have earned had Barbaro recovered enough to serve as a stud.

Afleet Alex, who won the Preakness and Belmont in 2005, commands a $40,000 fee for each mare he covers. Most horses have about 100 such covers in a year.

Afleet Alex, therefore, can bring in $4 million a year for his owners. Most horses can reproduce well into their 20s.

Barbaro's sire, Dynaformer, commands $100,000 a cover. Barbaro's fee could have been even higher than that. Artificial insemination is not allowed in thoroughbred racing.

And if the Jacksons truly were in horse racing for the money, they would have sold Barbaro for the millions they were offered even before the Kentucky Derby.

Or, they could have collected a presumably large sum of money from the insurance policy they had on Barbaro had they euthanized him right after the Preakness.

The Jacksons said Barbaro was insured, but they wouldn't say for how much. Barbaro earned more than $2.2 million in his career.

The Jacksons had the money, and they had the desire to save Barbaro. Roy Jackson's grandfather, William Rockefeller, was president of Standard Oil. Jackson also owned a minor-league baseball team and served as a sports agent.

"It's a huge financial decision," said Kimberly May, a former equine surgeon and spokeswoman for the American Veterinary Medical Association. "I'm a horse owner and I wouldn't be able to do it because it's way beyond my means, and it would be the same for a lot of horse owners. If a horse at Arlington [in Illinois] breaks down, and he's a $5,000 claimer, he's going to be put down.

"It's just a bad business decision to try to save a horse like that."

That wasn't the case for Barbaro.

And it wasn't the case for the equine medical community, which stands to benefit like never before from a champion racehorse that galvanized race fans and nonfans alike.

"I just think when veterinarians from around the country sit down and see the gains that were made," May said, "they're going to be awed by what was accomplished."

Wild Horses Get Adopted
Sixteen former wild horses were up for adoption Saturday at a place you might not expect -- The Warm Springs Correctional Center in Carson City.

There, an auction was held to place the horses with new owners. The Bureau of Land Management said inmates at the correctional facility helped saddle-train the mustangs. According to BLM's Web site, inmates typically work with the horses for 60 to 120 days. Horses on average sell for $800 to $1,000, according to the site.

BLM said the horses in Saturday's auction were rounded up in Nevada. Too many wild horses in the state can make vegetation scarce for other animals, a BLM official said. BLM's site states there are more than 13,000 wild horses in Nevada.

The next adoption event at Warm Springs Correctional Center will be in early June.

Horses not built to take unlimited punishment
February 9, 2007 12:50 am
HORSES ARE the physical embodiment of Murphy's Law: If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. This is not a pessimistic attitude. Ask anybody who owns a horse. Barbaro's owners could certainly attest to this opinion.

Physically horses are not engineered to survive. They have thin bony legs with little feet to support and balance 1100 pounds or more. Their digestive systems are complicated and often malfunction. Their skin is thin, and they can't see directly in front of themselves because their eyes are placed too far apart .

However, they make up for their engineering problems with their intelligence; they seem able to read the human mind. They are graceful, elegant, powerful, fast and, well, magical.

Even with the best of care and training, horses break easily.

Michael Matz was the trainer of Barbaro. Matz's training methods were learned from hunter and jumper experience in which horses are carefully, slowly trained and nurtured to stay as sound as possible for as long as possible.

Matz trained Barbaro methodically for strength and longevity with cross training and scheduled rest periods. But still he broke down.

There's an old saying in the horse world: No Foot equals No Horse. It takes just one injured foot to render the horse unrideable.

Here's why and here's what happened to Barbaro:

After a horse injures one foot/leg he must support all his weight on the remaining three legs. The extra weight puts a burden on those legs and feet. Eventually, the opposite leg and foot become sore.

If more time passes, the next leg goes and then the next. A horse cannot lie down for very long at all because their bodies are too heavy to withstand their weight pressed down on their muscles, ribs, etc, so they must be able to stand.

In addition to not being able to relieve a horses' leg/foot pain through rest, a horse will often stop eating when he is in pain for a long time.

When a horse won't eat, his guts don't work. When his guts don't work, he colics. Colic is debilitating, extremely painful, life threatening and often requires surgery. Therefore, No Foot equals No Horse. It's Murphy's Law.

Copyright 2007 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company.

 

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Ala. woman on midnight horse ride charged with DUI after ramming police car, cops say

Associated Press

SYLVANIA, Ala. -- A woman used a horse to ram a police car during a midnight ride through town and was charged with driving under the influence, police said.

DUI charges can apply even if the vehicle has four legs instead of wheels, Chief Brad Gregg said Tuesday.

Police in the northeast Alabama town received a call around midnight Saturday about someone riding a horse on a street, Gregg said.

"Cars were passing by having to avoid it, and almost hitting the horse," he said.

An officer found Melissa Byrum York, 40, on horseback and tried to stop her, Gregg said.

"She wouldn't stop," he said. "She kept riding the horse and going on."

After ramming the police car with the horse and riding away, York tried to jump off but caught her foot in a stirrup, Gregg said. The officer took her into custody and found she had crystal methamphetamine, a small amount of marijuana, pills and a small pipe, the chief said.

The horse, which belonged to York, "wasn't in the best of health, but it's still alive," Gregg said.

York was charged with DUI on suspicion of riding the horse under the influence of a controlled substance; the nature of the substance was unclear Wednesday. She also was charged with drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest, assault, attempting to elude police and cruelty to animals.

York was released from the DeKalb County jail on a $4,000 bond and was transferred to a jail in another county on an unrelated charge, Gregg said.

It was unclear Wednesday whether York had a lawyer. A message was left with DeKalb sheriff's officials.