Kentucky Oaks

If you haven't seen the Kentucky Oaks, go! Why are you still here?? GO. WATCH. NOW.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0JbQWgLjVY

Wow. That is all I can say.

Rachel finished second to Unbridled Belle by a head. But let's not talk about that.

Keum H Lee Case Almost Over -- Verdict is In

*growls* I was going to wait until Monday to post this, but since I've got the results now, I'm going to share them.

http://www.1010wins.com/NY-Couple-Convicted-of-Neglect-in-Horse-Starving-C/6936976

An Orange County judge says a town of Wallkill couple neglected their two starving horses but didn't deliberately abuse the animals.

Judge Jeffrey Berry convicted Keum and Chong Lee Thursday of two misdemeanor cruelty charges but acquitted them of a felony charge of aggravated animal cruelty.

Animal welfare groups had pushed for the more serious felony charge.

Assistant District Attorney Jamie Ferrara admitted the felony was difficult to prove because of the way the law is written.

Aggravated animal cruelty is an unclassified felony, punishable by up to two years in jail. A bill pending in the state Legislature would make it a Class E felony, punishable by up to 4 years in state prison. There would be even stiffer penalties for repeat offenders.

The Lees will be sentenced on June 25 and face up to a year in jail on each charge. The horses are recovering at Equine Rescue in Bloomingburg.

Official Derby Field

Preps have been run, horses trained, post positions drawn. Three years have come down to this. Only one horse will emerge victorious.

It's the greatest two minutes in sports. THE KENTUCKY DERBY!!!

So who's going to the gate?

First let's go over which Top Twenty horses have been lost in the last few days.

On Monday, it was Eskendereya, the early Derby favorite, scratched because of swelling in his foreleg.

On Tuesday, it was Rule, pulled because his trainers felt he wasn't working well enough to warrant a trip to the post.

On Wednesday, it was Endorsement, who suffered a condylar fracture.

(Hopefully this isn't some kind of trend.)

So who IS going to the post on Saturday?

[Note: All odds are as of Wednesday night and according to bloodhorse.com]

1 --Lookin' at Lucky -- 3-1
Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Garret Gomez. By Smart Strike out of Private Feeling (Belong to Me). Never been out of the money with a record of 6-1-1 out of 8 starts. Seven of those starts were over synthetic, though he did win his one start on dirt. Last year, Lucky broke his maiden in July before going on to win the G2 Best Pal Stakes, G1 Del Mar Futurity, and G1 Norfolk. He finished out his two-year-old season with his first loss, a second to Vale of York in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile by a head, and a win in the G1 CashCall Futurity. Lookin' at Lucky has raced only twice this year. He won the G2 Rebel by a head before finishing third to Sidney's Candy and Setsuko in the Santa Anita Derby. He has never won a race over a mile and a sixteenth. The Santa Anita Derby was his longest race at a mile and an eighth.

2 -- Ice Box -- 10-1
Trained by Nick Zito and ridden by Jose Lezcano. By Pulpit out of Spice Island (Tabasco Cat). Has a record of 3-0-0 out of 7 starts. All of those were over dirt. All four of Ice Box's starts last year were maidens. He finished 7th going 6 furlongs, fifth going 7, fourth going a mile, and then finally won by a half length going a mile and 70 yards. He kicked off his three-year-old season with an allowance win, finished fifth in the G2 Fountain of Youth, and then pulled off a major upset in the G1 Florida Derby, winning by a nose over Pleasant Prince and Rule.

3 -- Noble's Promise -- 12-1
Trained by Ken McPeek and ridden by Willie Martinez. By Cuvee out of The Devil's Trick (Clever Trick). Record is 3-3-1 out of 8 starts. He has never won over conventional dirt. Two of his wins came over synthetic and the third was over turf. Noble's Promise kicked off his racing career with a second in a maiden over Keeneland's synthetic track. He switched to turf to break his maiden and then switched back to win the FDJ Memorial Juvenile and G1 Breeders' Futurity. His two-year-old season ended with a second to Lookin' at Lucky in the G1 CashCall Futurity. Promise has only raced twice this year, both starts on dirt. He finished second by a head to Lucky in the G2 Rebel Stakes and fifth in the G1 Arkansas Derby.

4 -- Super Saver -- 15-1
Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Calvin Borel. By Maria's Mon out of Supercharger (A.P. Indy). Record is 2-2-1 out of 6 starts, all over dirt. Super Saver was second to Discreetly Mine his first time out before coming back to break his maiden by 7 lengths. He finished fourth in the G1 Champagne after setting the pace. The colt does have a Churchill Downs win to his credit, having won the G2 Kentucky Jockey Cup as his last start of his two-year-old season. As a three-year-old, he finished third in the G3 Tampa Bay Derby to Odysseus and Schoolyard Dreams, and second to Line of David by a neck in the G1 Arkansas Derby.

5 -- Line of David -- 30-1
Trained by John Sadler and ridden by Rafael Bejarano. By Lion Heart out of Emma's Dilemma (Capote). Record is 3-0-1 out of 6 starts. He won his only start over dirt. Line of David finished ninth and third in his only two starts at two, both maidens over synthetic. At three, he finished seventh in another maiden over synthetic before switching to turf. He broke his maiden on the turf before going on to win an allowance over turf. He switched to dirt for the G1 Arkansas Derby and pulled an upset with his win by a neck.

6 -- Stately Victor -- 30-1
Trained by Mike Maker and ridden by Alan Garcia. By Ghostzapper out of Collect the Cash (Dynaformer). Record is 2-1-0 out of 8 starts. At two, Stately Victor finished second in his maiden race, broke his maiden over turf, finished sixth in the G1 Breeders' Futurity, and closed out the year with a seventh-place finish at Churchill Downs in an allowance. At three, Victor finished fifth, eighth, and fifth in three allowance races before going on to a four-length upset in the G1 Blue Grass Stakes over synthetic. The Blue Grass was the first time Garcia was up on the colt.

7 -- American Lion -- 30-1
Trained by Eoin Harty and ridden by David Flores. By Tiznow out of Storm Tide (Storm Cat). Record 3-1-1 out of 6 starts. Five of those starts were over synthetic, though he did win his one start over dirt. Lion finished second his first time out before leaving Richard Budge as his trainer and joining Eoin Harty's barn. Under his new trainer, he won his last two starts of last year: a maiden at Keeneland, and the G3 Hollywood Prevue. At three, Lion finished third in the G2 Robert B. Lewis, fourth in the G2 San Felipe, and won the G3 Illinois Derby. The last was his only start over dirt.

8 -- Dean's Kitten -- 50-1
Trained by Mike Maker and ridden by Robby Albarado. By Kitten's Joy out of Summer Theatre (Ide). Record is 3-1-2 out of 11 starts. He has never won over dirt. As a two-year-old, Dean's Kitten won only two starts. He finished third his first time out over turf before breaking his maiden. He went on to finish fourth in the G3 With Anticipation Stakes. He then tried dirt for the first -- and only -- time in the Pilgrim Stakes where he finished a well-beaten fifth. He switched back to the turf for his last three starts of the year: winning the Vision Stakes before finishing sixth in the G2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and Grand Canyon Handicap. Dean's Kitten returned at three on the turf once again to finish fourth in the Hallandale Beach Stakes and second in the Palm Beach Stakes. He then switched to synthetic for the first time and won the G2 Lane's End Stakes.

9 -- Make Music for Me -- 50-1
Trained by Alexis Barba and ridden by Joel Rosario. By Bernstein out of Miss Cheers (Carson City). Record is 1-2-1 out of 8 starts. He's never raced on dirt. Music started six times as a two-year-old and never won. He finished fourth in his maiden, second in the G2 Best Pal, second in the G1 Del Mar Futurity, fourth in the G1 Breeders' Futurity, sixth in a maiden, and third in the G1 CashCall Futurity. Make Music for Me returned at three and switched to the turf to win his first race: the Pasadena. He went on to finish sixth in the Blue Grass Stakes.

10 -- Paddy O'Prado -- 20-1
Trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Kent Desormeaux. By El Prado out of Fun House (Prized). Record is 1-2-2 out of 6 starts. He finished seventh in his only start on dirt, his first race. He then moved to turf where he finished second in a maiden and third in the With Anticipation. Paddy returned for his three-year-old season with a third in a maiden, first in the G3 Palm Beach, and second in the G1 Blue Grass, his first start on synthetic. He has raced once at Churchill Downs where he finished seventh in his maiden.

11 -- Devil May Care -- 10-1
This year's resident filly trying to make history! Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Valazquez. By Malibu Moon out of Kelli's Ransom (Red Ransom). Record is 3-0-0 out of 5 starts. Only one of those starts was not on dirt. She's never raced against colts before. She broke her maiden at two by nearly five lengths, won the G1 Frizette by a head, and finished eleventh in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies over synthetic for the first time. She returned the next year to finish fifth in the Silverbulletday before winning the G2 Bonnie Miss.

12 -- Conveyance -- 12-1
Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Martin Garcia. By Indian Charlie out of Emptythetill (Holy Bull). Record is 4-1-0 out of 5 starts. His last two starts were over dirt. Conveyance raced twice at two: breaking her maiden at Santa Anita, and destroying an allowance field by seven lengths. At three, Conveyance returned to win the G3 San Rafael, G3 Southwest, and finish second in the Sunland Derby to Endorsement. The Sunland Derby was his longest race at a mile and an eighth.

13 -- Jackson Bend -- 15-1
Trained by Nick Zito and ridden by Mike Smith. By Hear No Evil out of Sexy Stockings (Tabasco Cat). Record is 5-4-0 out of 9 starts. Jackson Bend kicked off his racing career with a second place in his maiden before going on to win five straight races: a maiden, the F Gomez Memorial, Dr Fager, Affirmed, and Reality Stakes. He switched from Stanley Gold's barn to Nick Zito's in October. At three, Jackson Bend returned for three straight places in the the G3 Holy Bull, G2 Fountain of Youth, and G1 Wood Memorial, the last two won by Eskendereya, and the first to Winslow Homer. All of his starts were on dirt.

14 -- Mission Impazible -- 20-1
Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Rajiv Maragh. By Unbridled's Song out of La Paz (Hold Your Peace). Record is 2-1-2 out of 5 starts. Only one of his wins came on dirt. He raced and finished third at Churchill Downs. Mission broke his maiden at two in his first race at Keeneland. He moved to Churchill where he finished third in the G3 Kentucky Juvenile. At three, Mission finished second by a head in an allowance. He went on to finish fourth in the G3 Southwest, but was awarded third place money when Cardiff Giant was disqualified, and came back to win the G2 Louisiana Derby.

15 -- Discreetly Mine -- 30-1
Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Javier Castellano. By Mineshaft out of Pretty Discreet (Private Account). Record is 2-3-0 out of 8 starts. All of his starts were on dirt. At two, Discreetly Mine only won one race. He finished second, fourth, and first in his first three races, all maidens. He then went on to finish second to D'Funnybone in the G2 Futurity and second to Homeboykris in the G1 Champagne. After the Champagne, he left Stanley Hough's stable for Pletcher's. Discreetly Mine returned at three to finish fourth in the Spectacular Bid, first in the G2 Risen Star, and fourth in the G2 Louisiana Derby.

16 -- Awesome Act -- 10-1
Trained by Jeremy Noseda and ridden by Julien Leparoux. By Awesome Again out of Houdini's Honey (Mr. Prospector). Record is 2-2-2 out of 8 starts. Five of those starts were on turf, one on synthetic, and two on dirt. Despite being bred in Kentucky, Awesome Act's first five starts were in Great Britain. He finished second in his first two starts, both maiden stakes on the turf. He finished third after switching to the polytrack. He switched back to turf for his next start and broke his maiden in a maiden stakes. He went on to finish ninth in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes. In November, Awesome Act came to the U.S. where he finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. At three, Awesome Act switched to dirt. He won the G3 Gotham and finished third in the Wood Memorial.

17 -- Dublin -- 12-1
Trained by D. Wayne Lukas and ridden by Terry Thompson. By Afleet Alex out of Classy Mirage (Storm Bird). Record is 2-1-2 out of 8 starts. All of those starts have been on dirt. Dublin debuted in June of last year at Churchill Downs where he finished fourth. He went on to break his maiden by three lengths at Saratoga, take the G1 Hopeful, finish fifth in the G1 Champagne, and return to Churchill for the G3 Iroquis where he finished a beaten seventh. At three, Dublin returned to finish second in the G3 Southwest, third in the G2 Rebel, and third in the G1 Arkansas Derby.

18 -- Backtalk -- 50-1
Trained by Tom Amoss and ridden by Miguel Mena. By Smarty Jones out of Apasionata Sonata (Affirmed). Record is 4-0-1 out of 7 starts. Only once has he raced off of dirt. Backtalk is two for two at Churchill Downs. Backtalk kicked off his career with a almost three-length victory in a Churchill Downs maiden before going on to win the Bashford Manor there by a length. He the moved to Saratoga where he took the G2 Sanford by a neck. While stretching out to seven furlongs, he finished fourth in the G1 Hopeful Stakes. In his only start on synthetic, he finished eighth in the G1 Breeders' Futurity. Backtalk returned for his three-year-old season with a win in the Sportmans Paradise and well-beaten third in G3 Illinois Derby.

19 -- Homeboykris -- 50-1
Trained by Richard Dutrow and ridden by Ramon Dominguez. By Roman Ruler out of One Last Salute (Salutely). Record is 2-1-0 out of 6 starts. All of his starts are on dirt. Homeboykris broke his maiden on the second try at Calder before switching out of Pablo Andrade's barn in July. He then went on to win the G1 Champagne Stakes before leaving Richard Dutrow's barn. Under his new trainer he finished a well-beaten fifth in the G2 Remsen. He switched trainers one last time, moving back to Richard Dutrow's barn from Juan Rodriguez. At three, he finished fifth in the G3 Holy Bull and second by three lengths in an allowance at Gulfstream.

20 -- Sidney's Candy -- 5-1
Trained by John Sadler and ridden by Joe Talamo. By Candy Ride out of Fair Exchange (Storm Cat). Record is 4-1-0 out of 6 starts. He's never been off of synthetic surface. Sidney's Candy broke his maiden by four lengths on the second try. He then went on to finish fourth in an allowance by seven lengths after stalking the pace throughout the race. At three, the colt dominated the G2 San Vicente by four and a quarter lengths, the G2 San Felipe, and the G1 Santa Anita Derby, all of which he led wire to wire.

And that's the field!!! I'm off to watch past performances and get an idea of who are going to be the horses to watch. I need to catch up. =D Don't worry, I'll be back to my normal mostly-non-horse-racing-related blog on Monday. In the meantime, it's all horse racing, all the time.

Horse Thieves Use Braids to Mark Horses

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8644044.stm

Following a warning from Fife Constabulary about 10 cases have been reported in the past couple of weeks.

Pc Ian Laing said: "It probably happens throughout all of Scotland. It is certainly a problem throughout England."

He urged horse owners to be on their guard and to report any braiding found on manes or other suspicious activity.

Officers said a variety of horses had been targeted in this way and it was not only expensive thoroughbreds which were coveted by the horse thieves.

Pc Laing also recommended that all horse owners register on the HorseWatch Scotland website for more local information about, and better local protection from, equine crime.

So, if your horse has braiding in his mane and you DIDN'T DO IT, then you should probably consider that something is not right.

Possible Recordbreaker for World's Smallest Foal Born

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/tiny-einstein-worlds-smallest-horse-at-35cm-high/story-e6frf7jx-1225858549814

Einstein, a pinto stallion, weighed in at just 2.7kg when he was born last week in the US.

Breeder Judy Smith, of Tiz A Miniature Horse Farm, in Barnstead, New Hampshire, told Sky News she thought he was dead when she first saw him.

"I have been at this for 20 years plus, but I have never seen one this tiny or even close to it.

"At first he didn't move very much. We started rubbing him with a towel and he started to move around. He was so small."

Breeders said that unlike the current record holder, Thumbelina, Einstein shows no signs of dwarfism.

"From the head to the legs - the length, width, height - everything is just beautiful about this little horse," said co-owner Charlie Cantrell.

Fellow owner Dr. Rachel Wagner said: "Most of the ones that are really tiny are what we call dwarves and they have some sort of dysmorphic features, or features that aren't really normal or healthy.

"This little guy is like all horses - he's almost all leg."

I wish they had pictures! I bet the little guy is a real darling.

Eskendereya Scratches from Derby

With the Kentucky Derby only five days away, I have some sad news. The early favorite, Eskendereya, was scratched from the race yesterday making this the second year in a row the early favorite has been scratched from the race. Last year, it was I Want Revenge scratched the very morning of.

He was withdrawn because of a slight swelling in his left front leg.

"He has a filling from his ankle to his knee," trainer Todd Pletcher said at a news conference at Churchill Downs. "The horse isn't lame. I wouldn't call it that. He's not uncomfortable; he's slightly off. His last couple of gallops have not been up to par. We're hopeful that this is not career threatening. We'll do further diagnostics and see."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/26/SP2O1D4PBP.DTL#ixzz0mDQ3yoEX

Really hoping this isn't career threatening and Eskendereya is back and better than ever soon.

Horse Processing Bills

Several states are trying to pass various bills related to the slaughter horses.

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=16148&src=VW

A bill that would allow horse processing plant development in Tennessee advanced yesterday when members of the state's House Finance Subcommittee passed it by a slim 7-6 margin. The measure now moves on for full Finance, Ways and Means and Budget Committee consideration.

HB 1428 directs the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to establish licensing, inspection, operational regulations, and fees for horse processing plants in that state. The bill also insulates prospective plant developers from permit and licensing challenges and awards attorney and court fees to plaintiffs in cases courts deem harassing or without merit.

Wait, WHAT?? "Insulates prospective plant developers from permit and licensing challenges and awards attorney and court fees to plaintiffs in cases courts deem harassing or without merit"?? What kind of challenges exactly? Does that mean you're basically going to hand anyone that wants to open a slaughter plant a permit and say, "Here you go?"

The Tennessee bill mirrors a measure (HB 418) that became law in Montana last year, said sponsor Rep. Frank Niceley.

A companion bill, SB 1898, remains in a state Senate committee.

Tennessee is one of several states where horse processing legislation is either pending or has passed.

Last week the Missouri House of Representatives passed HB 1747. That bill establishes horse processing plant operation and meat inspection regulations and requires plant operators to pay registration and processing fees to underwrite meat inspection costs.

Meanwhile, Florida lawmakers are considering twin bills SB 1708 and HB 0765 that would make it a felony to slaughter horses and sell their meat for human consumption.

YEAH FLORIDA!!!! Now go charge the Miami horse butchers with everything you can. I think I'll go look up an update on those cases...

A Wyoming bill HB 122 allowing state livestock to process abandoned horses and sell their meat to prisons and other state institutions was signed into law last month.

Charges Filed in Carriage Wreck

Remember that report from Tuesday? Good. I have news on that front.

The driver whose Lexus ran into a horse and carriage carrying four people has been charged with following too closely, driving on a suspended license and violating the open container law, Atlanta police said Sunday.

A female passenger in the carriage remains in critical condition after the wreck on Peachtree Street on Friday night.

Atlanta police arrested Odom Gerald, 28, who was driving the black Lexus that hit the slow-moving carriage.

"The carriage disintegrated, seriously injuring the occupants," said Sgt. Curtis Davenport, spokesman for Atlanta police.

Gerald was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital before being transferred to the Atlanta City Jail. He has since been released on bond.

Police identified three of the four carriage occupants as Donald Borchardt, Carol Knieriem and Andrea Rice. Knieriem and Rice are from Nebraska, police said.

Knieriem and Rice were in stable condition at Grady Memorial Hospital. Borchardt was treated and released. Police have not identified the woman who was critically injured.

The horse was captured as it ran from the scene, police said. Witnesses at the scene told the AJC that the animal appeared to be unharmed.

Atlanta police continue to investigate the crash, which happened near Andrew Young International Boulevard. The vehicle that struck the carriage may have been racing another vehicle, according to witnesses at the scene.

The incident caused traffic delays in the area. Peachtree Street, from Ellis to Harris streets, was temporarily blocked. The sidewalks in the area were also blocked to pedestrians.

New Tallest Living Horse

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hMsDjZACNw1LF2K-YE1SM-cJ5oRgD9F31DO80

When people tell Jerry Gilbert to get off his high horse, they will mean it — literally. His 9-year-old Belgian gelding named Big Jake is the Guinness World Record-holder for world's tallest living horse at 20 hands, 2.75 inches or one quarter inch short of 6-foot-11. That's 2.75 inches taller than the previous record-holder, a Clydesdale from Texas named Remington.

Gilbert is co-owner of Smokey Hollow Farm near Poynette. He said he received notification from the Guinness World Records in England in late March.

20.3 hands. =D Unfortunately, there are no pictures on the link.

Purina Recalls Horse and Poultry Feed

http://www.wsmv.com/news/23176611/detail.htm

A recall was announced Friday of some horse and poultry feed that's manufactured in Nashville.

Purina Mills LLC said metal fragments have been discovered in some of the bags. It's recalling 50 pound bags of Strategy Professional Formula GX Horse Feed and Layena Sunfresh Recipe Pellet Poultry Feed.

There have been five customer complaints but no animal health issues have been reported, the company said.

The products being recalled were manufactured in Nashville on March 24-25. They were shipped to retailers and dealers in Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri and Virginia.

And this is why we check our feed before feeding it.

Drag Racing Cars Strike Horse-Drawn Carriage

For the love of horses, people, how hard is it to NOT drag race in the city?? If you want to be stupid, go do it in the country where the only one you can hurt is yourself.

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/23179611/detail.html

Atlanta Police say a car ran a traffic light Friday and struck a horse drawn carriage in downtown Atlanta, seriously injuring several people.

The accident took place at around 7:30 p.m. on Peachtree and Harris Streets.

Witnesses said the cars were speeding as if on a highway and ran the red light at the intersection of Andrew Young International. One of the cars plowed into the back of a group of three people enjoying a horse-drawn carriage ride.

The carriage driver and his three passengers were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. Police said they had serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

The crash put a stop to the normal festive area of bars and restaurants.

Witness Melanie Stewart said, "It was unbelievable. It just happened so quickly out of the corner of your eye, you see the carriage up in the air, it was just seconds. The carriage was in the right-hand lane and the car was in the right-hand lane and just drove through it.”

The crash threw the carriage driver and his three passengers into the air. Two cars swerved to avoid them.

Witnesses said the horse, named Christian, ran down street and was later caught.

Phil Henderson, of Nottingham Horse and Carriage, said, "The horse is in good shape but will still have to be taken to the vet."

Witnesses said after the crash the driver of the car was walking around. Police held him in the back of a police car. He was later loaded into an ambulance.

Stewart said, "It's hard to comprehend and wrap your head around it and understand."

Pieces of the carriage were strewn across the street. Henderson said he knows the carriage driver.

He said, "When I looked at that (the scene), I was like, 'did anyone survive through this?' But, I hope and pray to God someone survives this."

Police are looking for the other driver who driving a black Camaro.

New York Carriage Horse Bill Passed

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/nyregion/15horse.html

The City Council passed a bill on Wednesday that increases the fare for horse-drawn carriage rides and improves some conditions for the horses.

Speaker Christine C. Quinn, who called the bill a “huge step forward,” was heckled by opponents of the carriage trade.

The legislation, which Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is expected to sign, raises the fare to $50 for the first 20 minutes from $34 for the first half-hour — the first increase in more than 20 years.

Math time.

$50/20 minutes = $2.50 per minute

$34/30 minutes = about $1.13 a minute

Someone let me know how that one goes. Not going to agree or disagree, I just hope someone did their research.

The bill requires stalls large enough for the horses to turn around and lie down in, and it requires five weeks of time off per year at a stable with a paddock or a pasture turnout.

The bill passed 43 to 4. It limits carriage horses to 5 to 26 years of age and bans them south of 34th Street and from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m.

This, however, sounds fantastic. I hope the owners of the horses can afford to give them five weeks off and can find a stable with turnout.

Animal Abuse at it's Worst

This may be the worst case I've shown on here. It's not the worst I've seen, but it cracks the top ten.

http://www.southwestiowanews.com/articles/2010/04/11/council_bluffs/doc4bc12ab67a72d868346240.txt [There are pictures.]

A mare with lacerations along the right side of its mane, stomach and hindquarters. A mare whose once beautiful coat is now mangy and matted. A mare neglected and abused by a vicious stallion, left to fend for itself while the owner did nothing to protect it or some 40 other mares.

But even the photos can’t convey the emotional distress suffered by the horse: The sleepless nights, the hiding, running and trauma. And a fear so strong that even when loving humans arrive to her rescue, her only response is to cower.

When Genea Stoops of Hooves & Paws Rescue in Glenwood received an e-mail notifying her of horse neglect in Shelbyville, Ky., she knew she had to do something.

When Shope arrived to get the mare quarter horse on March 31, she found a mother mare and 3-day-old foal also being terrorized by the stallion. So, after loading up the first mare, she returned to get the other two horses and discovered yet another abused mother mare that is pregnant. She returned on April 1 to get the pregnant mare. The owner wouldn’t surrender the horses, so Hooves & Paws and New Beginnings raised $1,200 in six hours to purchase them.

The stallion was attacking the mares, biting chunks of skin off their bodies. A stallion running wild among mares is not common, according to Stoops.

“You do not do (that). You keep your stallions away from your mares, until it’s breeding time,” Stoops said. “He was just terrorizing these mares. The owner of the horses should’ve separated them.”

Both Stoops and Shope declined to reveal the name of the owner, but Shope detailed the terrible conditions the owner left the horses in.

In addition to doing nothing about the stallion, the owner fed what Shope said she calls “pig food.” The owner would collect rotten food from area grocery stores in a garbage bag and then toss the bag over the fence to the horses.

“He wouldn’t even open the bag up,” Shope said. “These horses didn’t know what real horse food (grain) was. I sat it in their stalls and they just looked at me.”

She said the horses at the Kentucky farm occasionally get hay, from neighbors who sneak it to them without letting the owner know.

The Shelbyville ranch still has 40 horses, including seven mares and a stallion Hooves & Paws are targeting to save in the near future. Stoops and Shope both agreed that tougher animal-abuse laws and education are the only way to prevent abuse of this magnitude.

“The laws (against this) are worthless,” Shope said.

She said that if the two rescue organizations had filed a legal grievance to get the horses removed it would’ve only resulted in a misdemeanor charge against the owner. Even if convicted, it was likely the owner would’ve received a fine and had the horses returned to him.

“I don’t think it’s a misdemeanor to have a mare struggling for her life, or any animal for that matter,” Stoops said. “We deal with this everyday and we don’t understand it.”

You're not alone. Someday, somehow, that's going to change. Most animal abuse cases aren't even worth the money that goes into them to most people. It takes months, even years, to go from the first trial to conviction.

More on Robin Vess

http://toledoblade.com/article/20100411/NEWS16/4110301/0/news13 [There is a small picture of one of the rescued horses.]

It's a long article so here are some of the highlights.

Of all the possible explanations for the troubles surrounding Robin Vess - the founder of a local Arabian horse club who is accused of starving dozens of horses on her Carroll Township farm - one detail is guaranteed to confound:

She has always loved horses.

The now 55-year-old woman began buying horses when she was in her 20s, and she has been passionate about the animals since she was a child.

Not really unusual. Lots of animal neglectors love horses. We often call them hoarders.

When Ms. Burkhart went to pick the horses up in October, she said the horses were "in bad shape." She bought Ms. Vess 50 bales of hay and 10 bags of grain to feed the horses. One horse, a 13-year-old stallion, looked so bad she decided to take him too. She said she arranged to pay Ms. Vess $4,500 for the horse over time, in the hope she would use that money to buy feed for the horses.

"I had never had any interest in this horse at all, but I felt really sorry for him," Ms. Burkhart said.

Nevertheless, in a recent court hearing in Ottawa County Municipal Court related to her 42-count animal cruelty case, Ms. Vess insisted that her horses had been well-cared for and had plenty of food.

"They did have feed and they did have water," Ms. Vess told the court. "They were fed twice a day."

Fed horses don't end up ranking a 2 on the scale. You have proof?

Mr. Davis has argued in court that Ms. Vess is indigent, and requested that Judge Frederick Hany require the state to pay burial expenses and necropsies for the three horses euthanized during the rescue. The judge denied the request last week, citing Ms. Vess' ownership of the farm and a Toledo condominium that was in her mother's name.

Her trial that had been scheduled for Tuesday was recently postponed.

According to Web sites for her ranch, "Far Niente Farms," and breeding operation, Ms. Vess offered a plethora of services, including horse management, boarding, training, breeding, artificial insemination, stallion promotion, and even photo shoots.

Must be an old website.

Horses were not Ms. Vess' only vocation. She was also a long-time seller of nutritional supplements and other products for a direct selling company called Shaklee Corp. Linda Logan, a former friend of Ms. Vess, recalled that she ran the business with her mother in an office in Toledo during the 1980s and would do people's makeup.

"She did it once on me and people just marveled," Ms. Logan said. "Robin was very talented." In a profile on a Web site for entrepreneurs around 2006, Ms. Vess posted a profile statement in which she touted herself as an accomplished businesswoman.

"I have a Nationwide Sales Force in Multi-Level Marketing, Member of the Million Dollar Club, and sell the world's best supplements through my online store," Ms. Vess wrote.

On the same Web site, Ms. Vess said she was looking for investors in a universal replacement cap for lipstick tubes called "Lipvue," which she claimed to have patented and was about to go into production. "Sales projections are staggering" she wrote in one post.

More recently, Ms. Vess started an online dating site called RecoveryMatchfor2.com which she heralded as "the world's only online dating and friendship site for people in Recovery."

In a blog about herself, she lists glamorous-sounding activities and achievements, including travel to the Caribbean, teaching a seminar in "business success" and meeting "such greats as Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Og Mandino" at spiritual seminars.

Those who met her describe her as always very well-dressed, wearing suits, jewelry, and high-heels even at horse shows. At a recent court hearing, Ms. Vess appeared in a black suit and knee-high stiletto boots.

"She was really picky. Even if you left a piece of poop in the horse stall, she would be on your case," said Kristin Nagy, who worked two months for Ms. Vess in 2002.

Ms. Rusch, who helped Ms. Vess also for two months in 2003, said the breeder had "help wanted" ads up continually at local stores because she burned through her staff so quickly. Evelyn Knipp said she gave up working for Ms. Vess in 2000 after six months at the farm because she wasn't getting paid. She said Ms. Vess would give her checks and then cancel them.

"The woman could take and show her horses all around the world, but she couldn't pay her help," said Ms. Knipp, angrily.

"She always made it seem like she had a lot of money,'' Ms. Knipp said.

Carroll Township police reports show two complaints from people who did work for Ms. Vess in 2007 and claimed they were not paid.

Another man, Jay Benoit, told The Blade he worked at the farm with his girlfriend for just a day before Ms. Vess allegedly threw them off the property without paying them.

Her lawyer, Mr. Davis, confirmed Ms. Vess had some disgruntled former employees, but he said that was because she was strict in demanding good care for her horses.

That's not strict. That's OCD to the point of insanity. Horse lovers naturally want the best care for our horses. But we don't go completely off the wall with that want. Around here if someone's that crazy about it, they're going to be doing the work themselves because eventually they'll run out of people to ask to do it for them.

Cloning

This is a subject I try to avoid as much as possible, but today I'm going to talk about it. Should be interesting.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/08/nation/la-na-horse-clone8-2010apr08

For the record, I am strongly anti-cloning.

"They smell money," said Carol Harris, 86, the owner of Bo-Bett Farm near Ocala who has bred horses for about 60 years and is an outspoken opponent of cloning champions. "They're looking for a shortcut to a great horse."

Harris, whose American Quarter Horse stallion Rugged Lark won the title of Super Horse twice in the 1980s, said she fears horse owners someday may need patents for their champions instead of registration papers.

She said she doesn't oppose cloning in the name of science and equine health but also doesn't think it should be widespread, sanctioned or embraced by horse organizations, which aim to preserve and protect the breed.

"Breeding is an art," she said. "Cloning is just replication."

Exactly. And a very inexact replication at that. No clone is going to be exactly like the original. NONE. Because the fact is, they might share DNA, but it's not the same horse. Training, environment, and luck all play a major role in a horse's success. For example, if Zenyatta didn't have the training she had do you think she would be the great horse she is today? Maybe. Maybe not.

Cloning proponents say some opposition may be a result of ignorance.

"They're thinking it's growing Frankensteins in a lab, and that's simply not the case," said Karen Batra, spokeswoman for BIO, a 1,200-member organization of biotechnology companies.

Texas A&M University professor Katrin Hinrichs, a veterinarian and lead scientist on the team that in 2005 produced Paris Texas, the first cloned horse in North America, said the process involves live tissue cells taken from under the skin of a prized horse.

A horse owner, Hinrichs defended cloning as a powerful research tool that can help scientists find cures for diseases in horses and other animals by isolating and studying the effects of genetics and environment.

I accept that. I accept cloning and stem cell research as a research tool as long as it's within reason and we're not condoning animal cruelty just because it's being done to a clone. Here we're talking about cloning champions because owners think it's a way to bring their horses back.

No one knows whether Capuchino Forever will mirror the success of the original, a horse who entertained crowds on two continents, sired more than 5,000 offspring at $3,500 per stud and possessed a gait so smooth, Olsen said, "you could sip a glass of wine aboard him and never spill a drop."

But Olsen experiences deja vu with her beloved horse's spitting image.

"The first time I saw him, I cried again," she said of the chestnut foal. "He even gave me two little licks behind my ears. I cried, 'Capuchino, it's you! You're back!' "

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's NOT HIM. It just looks exactly like him. Different training and experiences and he'd be a completely different animal.

Return Inspection of Horse Owner Finds Dead Horses

http://www.idahopress.com/news/article_7602e470-4462-11df-b9b6-001cc4c002e0.html

CANYON COUNTY — A horse owner was cited Friday after law enforcement and agriculture officials found two carcasses and several animals in poor health during a return inspection in the area of Deer Flat and Map Rock Roads.

According to investigators, the owner previously had been given 30 days to improve the health of about 30 horses on the property.

The return inspection not only revealed the carcasses, but 11 horses that rated between 2.25 and 4 on a health scale of 1 to 9, with 1 indicating poorest health.

Canyon County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control and the Idaho Department of Agriculture will return in 30 days to re-evaluate the animals for weight gain and overall health. The owner was cited for failure to properly dispose of the carcasses and was given 72 hours to have them removed.

I think my head just exploded. Let's see if I got this right. This...person was reported for animal cruelty and given thirty days to clean up her act. Now the thirty days are up and you guys come back and find not only horses in poor health (is this an improvement from before??), but DEAD HORSES. How did they die?? Were they euthanized and she just left them there or did they starve or die from some kind of painful illness? And in response instead of arresting the person and rescuing the horses, you give her another thirty days??? Um...NO. One warning is enough here.

Someone come explain this to me 'cause I'm never going to get it.

Horse Abuse Case Postponed...for Another Charge

http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/article/20100410/NEWS01/4100301

The trial for a local woman charged with starving her horses has been postponed while she stands trial next week in Columbus on a charge of writing a bad check.

Robin Vess was scheduled to stand trial Tuesday on 42 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty in Ottawa County Municipal Court. No new date has been set.

Instead, she will have a bench trial Thursday on one felony count of passing bad checks in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. She is charged with writing a check for $14,162 to The Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital on June 15, 2008, despite knowing the bank would not honor the check, according to the October indictment.

It's amazing where society's priorities are. You starved horses to death? Oh, no big dea--OMG YOU PASSED A BAD CHECK?!

Vess' attorney in the Franklin County case, Dennis Evans of Columbus, was not available for comment. If convicted, Vess faces up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.

If convicted on the animal cruelty charges, Vess faces up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine on each count.

So...

Bad check = 18 months in prison and $5,000 fine

One animal cruelty charge = 3 months and $750 fine

All 42 animal cruelty charges = 10.5 years in prison (LET'S GO FOR IT!) and $31,500. But you know she won't get all 42. I have yet to see someone get convicted for more than half the charges they're accused of (if I'm lucky).

Davis has said Vess was too depressed and did not have enough money to properly care for the horses.

This is why I'll never become an attorney. Being "depressed" is NOT an acceptable excuse for not taking care of your horses. If I was clinically depressed and starved my children, would I get away with it?? Lack of money isn't a good excuse either. You have over forty horses. SELL SOME. I know the economy is tough and all that, but at least pretend to make an effort.

Questions Arise Over Safety of Horse Meat

http://topnews.us/content/215205-humans-consume-bute-laden-horse-meat-research

Questions have arisen over human safety, after a paper published in United States has claimed that horses administered with phenylbutazone have also been slaughtered for human consumption.

Drs Nicholas Dodman, Ann Marini and Nicolas Blondeau, pursued 18 thoroughbreds, which, according to their records, had been administered with phenylbutazone, which is more commonly known as bute. Subsequently, those horses were sent for slaughter.

The study was restricted to racehorses only, as drug records of only those horses are maintained. The authors noted that roughly 67 million pounds of American horsemeat was sent overseas for human consumption in 2009.

“The permissive allowance of such horsemeat used for human consumption poses a serious public health risk”, the authors stated, adding that in United States, horses aren’t raised as “food animals”, which means that measures to make sure that horses administered with barred substances are quarantined from entering the food chain of humans are “inadequate, at best”.

Phenylbutazone is one of the most widely used drugs in treating musculoskeletal injuries in horses.

It's also used for many, many other things. I bet the majority of horses are administered bute at SOME POINT of their lives. Not just racehorses, horses at every level of competition including just everyday trail horses.

You know, I've been saying the exact same thing for a year now.

This Week in Horse Racing

Triple Crown:

It was a weekend for upsets on the Triple Crown trail this weekend. This weekend will be the last for Kentucky Derby preps. Then there's two weeks of speculation before the twenty entrants step into the gate on May 1st.

Stately Victor, the longest shot in the field at 40-1, roared past the field to an incredible 4 1/2 length victory in the Blue Grass Stakes. Stately Victor came into the stakes race with five consecutive off-the-board finishes, the last four being allowance races. Until yesterday, he had only one win in his seven starts: a maiden special weight last September. The son of Ghostzapper made history as the biggest longshot winner in the Blue Grass's 86-year history. Stately Victor bumped with First Dude at the start and trailed in the pack throughout the race. Odysseus and Paddy O'Prado led the field through quick splits. As they came off the final turn, Paddy O'Prado took control and started to draw away. Stately Victor moved five-wide around the final turn and sprinted past the leader in the final furlong to draw away with ease. Paddy O'Prado held on for second, a length in front of First Dude. Interactif, the favorite, finished fourth. Stately Victor's only other try in stakes company was last year's Dixiana Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland where he finished sixth. With his win, Stately Victor has enough earnings to make his next stop the Kentucky Derby. Paddy O'Prado has also likely earned enough with his second place finish.

Kentucky Oaks:
Touching Beauty won a rough G3 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct. She earned her first stakes win by a half-length. The daughter of Tapit was sent off at odds of 5-1. Touching Beauty came up on the outside in the stretch to challege the pacesetters, Volare Cantare and Anchorage. She edged clear at the eighth pole and dug in when Speightful Affair closed to challenge. CC's Pal also closed quickly, finished a half-length back in third. The favorite, She'll Be Doggone, walled off on the turn, mounted her bid through a narrow opening at the rail in the stretch. The filly found only trouble as she was forced to hit the brakes sharply after being bumped by the tiring Anchorage who ducked into the rail. She'll be Doggone was apparently not injured and finished seventh. Touching Beauty may be pointed towards the Acorn Stakes at Belmont on June or the Prioriess Stakes in July.

Favorite, Franny Freud, dominated the G2 Beaumont Stakes for her first graded stakes win and her first victory for 2010. Franny Freud took the lead and never looked back, opening a one-length lead early in the race as Glowing Report and Grand Affair stayed on her heels. She moved away to a two and a half length lead in the stretch and drew away when Chantilly Nayla attempted a challenge.

Other Racing News:
Dream Nettie also scored an upset, though not quite as large at 9-1 winning the La Puente Stakes at Santa Anita in his stakes debut. Dream Nettie stalked pacesetter, Ace of Aces, around the final turn and took control in upper stretch. He inched away and held on to lead by three-quarters of a length over Lucky Rave. Irish-bred, Bogie, finished third by a half-length, only a head in front of Ace of Aces.

Silver Timber claimed his second consecutive graded stakes victory over Keeneland's turf by running down Grand Adventure in the G3 Shakertown. The seven-year-old gelding scored the Woodford Sakes last fall. Silver Timber broke quickly and came to the first turn between narrow leader, Moralist, and Grand Adventure. Moralist held onto the lead into the stretch, but gave way to Grand Adventure. Silver Timber swung off the rail and gained ground, catching Grand Adventure in the final strides to win by a neck. The time was just 1/5 of a second off the track record set in 2006. Grand Adventure finished second, with Moralist a length back in third. It was Silver Timber's first start since finished sixth back in November in the Breeders' Cup Turf Spring.

Other News:
Dixieland Band, one of the three original stallions at Lane's End Farm and sire of 117 stakes winners, was euthanized April 7th due to old age. He was 30 years old. He retired from racing and entered stud in 1985 when Lane's End was established. His progeny earned more than $75.7 million. Among the top horses were Drum Taps, a champion in England and Italy; Dixie Union, a grade I winner who stands at Lane's End; Cotton Carnival; Egyptband, winner of the French Oaks; and grade/group I winners Spinning Round, Dixie Brass, Alwajeeha, and Sharp Lisa. Dixieland Band has been among the top ten leading North American broodmare sires for the last eight years. His mares have produced 134 stakes winners and $131 million in earnings. He was the leading broodmare sire in 2004 and is ranked seventh this year. His daughters produced 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos and 2007 winner Street Sense.

2005 Kentucky Derby winner, Giacomo, had his first winner on April 3rd when Blushing Sis broke her maiden by eight lengths going 4 1/2 furlongs at Manor Downs. Giacomo stands for $5,000 at Adena Springs.

Personal Ensign Dies

Unbeaten filly, Personal Ensign, died Thursday in her pasture at Claiborne Farm of natural causes. She was 26 years old.

Personal Ensign

Personal Ensign was a bay filly by Private Account out of Damascus. She began her racing career as a two-year-old in 1986. Her first race was a typical maiden at Belmont where she destroyed the field by almost 13 lengths and kicked off her legendary career. Her next stop was the Frizette Stakes, which she won by only a head. A fracture to her pastern cut her two-year-old season short just before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. With five screws inserted into her left hind leg, many people believed her racing career was over.

But Personal Ensign came back at three in September and immediately reasserted herself as a great horse. She returned to racing with two allowance wins at Belmont, the first by 3 3/4 lengths and the second dominating by 7 3/4 lengths. She returned to stakes racing with a win in the G2 Rare Perfume Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths before taking the Beldame Stakes, her longest race yet, by 2 1/4 lengths.

Her best season came at four in 1988. She took the G1 Shuvee Handicap to start the season and never looked back. She dominated the G1 Hempstead Handicap field by seven lengths before leaving her Belmont home track for the first time. She absolutely destroyed the G2 Molly Pitcher Handicap field by 8 lengths at Monmouth. Next she traveled to Saratoga to face down the boys for the first time in the historic G1 Whitney Handicap where she beat Gulch by a length and a half. The history-making mare returned to Belmont for a second attempt at the Beldame. She won by only three-quarters of a length, beating previous Kentucky Derby winner, Winning Colors. Personal Ensign went on to win the Maskette Stakes in her final race before the best of them all.

Personal Ensign's greatest achievement is most likely the 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs. There she took on some of the greatest fillies in the world, including Winning Colors. Winning Colors picked up the lead from right out of the gate, running easily just like she did in the Derby. Personal Ensign stalked the pace, forced a little wide in the first turn. Winning Colors drew away to a three length lead with Personal Ensign trailing by nine lengths in the backstretch. As the field rounded the final turn, Winning Colors was still enjoying an unchallenged lead with Personal Ensign behind by five lengths. As Goodbye Halo moved up, it seemed there would be an upset. But then Personal Ensign kicked hard and came up to win over Winning Colors by a nose in the final sixteenth of a mile in one of the most thrilling stretch finishes in Breeders' Cup history.

Video of the 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff

Following her Breeders' Cup win, Personal Ensign was retired and became the first major racehorse to retire undefeated since Colin 80 years before. She was named 1988 Champion Older Mare.

It was apparent from Personal Ensign's first foal that she was just as good a broodmare as she was a racehorse. Her first foal, Miner's Mark, went on to become a G1 winner. Her second foal, Our Emblem, also became a G1 winner and sired notable winners such was War Emblem. Her third foal, Traditionally, was also a G1 winner and sire. Perhaps her best foal was a filly named My Flag. If anyone inherited their mother's greatness, it was her. My Flag won 4 G1 races including the 1995 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in a race that was eerily similar to her mother's Breeders' Cup victory. [If you haven't seen it, WATCH IT. My Flag was one incredible filly. I knew she won and still couldn't believe it!] My Flag also went on to become a great broodmare, producing 2002 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, Storm Flag Flying. This three-generation success in the Breeders' Cup has never been repeated by any mare, and by only one group of stallions. In 1996, Personal Ensign was named Kentucky Broodmare of the Year.

In 1993, Personal Ensign was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame.

In September 2006, at the age of 22, Personal Ensign was pensioned at Claiborne Farm after her breeding to Forest Wildcat didn't take. The mare lived out the rest of her days in the pastures with the other Claiborne mares.

RIP Personal Ensign. You will be missed.

SIXTEEN FOR SIXTEEN!!!!!!!!

With her win in the Apple Blossom a few minutes ago, Zenyatta has upped her record to sixteen to sixteen and tied the records of Cigar and Citation!!!!

Greatest mare of all time? Definitely.

Greatest racehorse currently racing? I'd say so.

Courtney King-Dye Out of Coma and Speaking

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2010/04/042.shtml

Injured dressage rider Courtney King-Dye has spoken a sentence for the first time since suffering a fractured skull in a riding accident on March 3.

Courtney's husband, Jason Dye, said Courtney has been working with her speech therapist daily, and on Wednesday said "Hi". But, Dye said, "by the end of the day was saying 'Thank you for your hard work' to one of her nurses.

"She still has a long journey ahead of her in the physical, occupational and speech therapy sessions.

"However Court continues to amaze me with her strength, determination and positive attitude in such a life changing situation, hopefully the next update will come from her!," Dye said.

Live and Let Live Farm Only Horse Rescue Left in NH

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=16128

When Equine Protection of North America (EPONA) announced on March 16, that it was permanently closing its doors due to economic difficulties, Live and Let Live Farm (LLLF) rescue became the last licensed, legal rehabilitation rescue for horses and animals of agriculture in New Hampshire.

"Many people are confused. They've heard the news about EPONA, and they think that we're closing down, too," said Teresa Paradis, executive director of Live and Let Live Farm rescue. "I want people to know that we're still here, and we're going to work very hard to make sure that there's always a place in New Hampshire for neglected, abused, and abandoned horses to recover, rehabilitate, and find loving new homes."

Like EPONA and many other nonprofits in New Hampshire, LLLF has been hit hard by the economic recession, which has caused a decrease in donations and adoptions.

Meanwhile, the number of animals needing help continues to grow. More than 50 horses and other animals are currently receiving care at LLLF, including several inspiring horses that are now in recovery after being rescued from severe neglect earlier this year.

"EPONA was a wonderful organization, and we will miss them dearly," said Paradis. "It's scary to know that LLLF is the last rescue sanctuary for horses in New Hampshire, but I have so much confidence in our volunteers and contributors. I believe in my heart that there are people out there who will come through for these animals and help us give them a safe, loving place to recover and have a second chance at life."

Missouri House Passes Bill to Once Again Allow Slaughter

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2010/04/missouri-lawmakers-horse-slaughterhouse-mr-ed.html

It may be the Show-Me state but Missouri representatives apparently saw too much email from activist Brenda Shoss and the group Kinship Circle.

The animal activists were responsible for hundreds of emails, the Associated Press reports, that urged the lawmakers to vote against a bill that would pave the way for horse slaughterhouses to open in the state.

"The bill would seek to bypass the ban on using federal funds for horse meat inspection by allowing state officials to collect fees and pass them on to the U.S. Department of Agriculture," The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote. "There are no horse slaughter plants in the U.S., but the meat is considered a delicacy in some countries." Supporters of the bill claim that the meat would come from horses that were abused or neglected.

Because the activist emails were so plentiful and from all around the world it was hard for the representatives from either side of the aisle to determine how many were actually constituents. There was also the issue of weeding through the email, a process that took some reps hours, and made them feel vengeful toward the activists.

Some reps created rules in their email accounts that redirected any message with the word "horse" back at Shoss's email address. "It's so fun to piss you wackos off," Rep. Casey Guernsey (R-Bethany) wrote to an activist through a private email account. "You're lucky I even acknowledge your existence. It's so much fun to taunt people like you -- ha! Tell me, is it truly liberating to be so incredibly clueless?"

Shoss said that she got prank calls from people who made neighing sounds and she also received a phone call from someone who sang the theme song from the classic TV show, "Mr. Ed." To add insult to injury, the Mizzo House passed the slaughterhouse bill today.

For the next twelve years, I DON'T want to hear "only neglected horses are slaughtered." Use that thing in your head. Why would people WANT to only slaughter sick and skinny horses?? That meat wouldn't be good! The best meat would come from HEALTHY horses. *grinds teeth*

Espinoza Banned and Gomez Fined after SA Derby

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/news/story?id=5054834

Jockey Victor Espinoza has received a three-day suspension for his riding in the Santa Anita Derby, while Garrett Gomez was fined for punching Espinoza afterward.

Espinoza's suspension begins April 11, while Gomez was fined $750. The California Horse Racing Board's stewards handed down the penalties Sunday at Santa Anita.

An incident at the five-sixteenths pole in Saturday's race sparked the drama. Gomez's horse, Lookin At Lucky, took up and was shuffled back midway on the turn when Espinoza's horse, Who's Up, angled to the rail while running second.

Gomez lost his chance at winning, but rallied to finish third, beaten six lengths by Sidney's Candy. Who's Up finished ninth in the 10-horse field.

The stewards conducted an inquiry after the race, but took no action.

*evil laugh*

This Week in Horse Racing

With the Kentucky Derby one month away, things are really heating up! This is going to be a good year. :D

There's no other way to say it: Sidney's Candy is a BEAST. He's like a front-runner version of Afleet Alex. Sidney's Candy won the Santa Anita Derby by 4 1/2 lengths going away yesterday. Sidney stumbled hard out of the gate, but got up quick to take the lead and never looked back, going wire-to-wire in a very impressive fashion. It was Sidney's third consecutive graded race win. Sidney's Candy was sent off as the 7-2 second choice for the 1 1/8 mile test. Only time will tell if Sidney has the power to withstand challenges over an extra eighth of a mile, on an Eastern dirt track. Late-running, Setsuko charged home and began to cut into Sidney's lead, but didn't have enough track to the winner. Lookin At Lucky finished third. The favorite in the field, he raced fourth along the rail throughout the race, but was forced to check hard when he was squeezed hard against the rail in the final turn. He dropped back to seventh, but moved to the outside and rallied to third. Sidney's CAndy is unbeaten in three starts as a 3-year-old. The colt kicked off 2010 with a rom in the 7-furlong San Vicente Stakes in February, stretched out to a mile and a sixteenth in the San Felipe Stakes but won by only a half-length over Interactif after setting the pace. Overall, Sidney's Candy has won four of his six races. If you want to read about the race -- and Gomez and Baffert's thoughts on Lookin at Lucky's performance -- here's bloodhorse's story on it. I'm not commenting on Espinoza, Gomez, and Baffert. Unless you want a very long rant.

More Kentucky Derby contenders were made in this week's Wood Memorial where Eskendereya romped to a 9 3/4 length win. I got goosebumps watching the race, it was seriously that amazing. Most Happy Fella took the lead from the start, with Jackson Bend pressing him, the two setting moderate splits. Eskendereya trailed a length back off the leaders throughout the race. He began to move up as they entered the final turn and then drew away, leading by 3 1/2 lengths into the final furlong. Jackson Bend moved up along the rail to take second and likely enough earnings to go to the Derby. Awesome Act took third despite losing a shoe coming out of the gate and is also likely to be eligible for the Derby. Schoolyard Dreams finished fourth. Like Sidney's Candy, Eskendereya is also undefeated this year, with a record of 4-1-0 in six starts. Jackson Bend and Awesome Act's trainers have confirmed them as starters in the Derby.

American Lion earned himself a trip to Churchill this week with his wire-to-wire win in the Illinois Derby. Looks like Sidney's Candy is going to have some major competition out there for the lead. American Lion closed out his 2-year-old season in december with a win in the Hollywood Prevue, but disappointed in both of his starts prior to the Illinois Derby this year. He was third in the Robert B. Lewis and fourth in the San Felipe. Then Lion shed his blinkers and made his first start on dirt after four synthetic starts And improve he did. Breaking from the rail, American Lion took a hold of the lead. He clicked off easy splits while Yawanna Twist tracked behind him. As they came off the turn, it was a two-horse race between American Lion and Yawanna Twist dueling back and forth. There was only a head to separate them with only a furlong remaining. American Lion edged away inside the sixteenth-pole to win by 2 3/4 lengths. Yawanna Twist was 11 3/4 lengths ahead of Backtalk who took third by a neck over Turf Melody.

Courtney King-Dye Moved to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation

http://www.dressagedaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5034:courtney-king-dye-to-be-moved-to-kessler-institute-for-rehabilitation-&catid=335:march-2010

US Olympian Dressage rider Courtney King Dye, who sustained a head injury two weeks ago in a riding accident will be flown March 25, in an air ambulance to The Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. This highly regarded facility is near her northern home and a large support group. Even better they are open to having her dogs and even a horse visit! "This is the beginning of a long road of rehab although no one can tell us how long or how difficult that road will be." reported Lendon Gray. "She is still technically in a coma, although she sometimes responds to commands to move and even smile. She is being put in a special chair to allow her to sit up for periods of time."

That's so sweet that they'd be open to having a horse visit! My prayers are still with Courtney that she continues to improve and is back where she belongs in no time. :)

Bill Seeking to Care for Kentucky's Unwanted Horses Passes Senate

http://www2.wjtv.com/jtv/ap_exchange/special_-_medical/article/BillSeeksToCareForUnwantedHorsesKy/120776/

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) A bill aimed at caring for unwanted horses in a state known as the "horse capital of the world" has cleared the Kentucky Senate.

The measure would create a state council to help ensure the health and safety of Kentucky's equine population. The bill is also aimed at helping develop regional centers of care for abused and neglected horses.

The proposal passed the Senate on a 38-0 vote Friday. It now returns to the House, which will consider changes made by the Senate.

Another part of the bill would create a voluntary certification system for equine rescue operations.

Horse Owner Gets $4,000 Fine for Abused Horse

http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2010/03/29/horse-owner-fined-4000-for-neglect/

ARRGHHH. Not happy with this at all. I'm so mad I'm shaking right now.

DANNY Kearns let his horse’s health get so bad that its leg bone was protruding through its hoof.

It also had untreated skin cancers, melanomas and a broken tooth.

The animal was in such a severe condition that it was euthanized almost immediately after being seized by an RSPCA officer last October.

A vet deemed the aged grey horse would have been in constant pain and it was therefore too cruel to allow it to live.

Kearns, 63, pleaded guilty to one charge of breaching his duty of care to the horse under the Animal Care and Protection Act at Mackay Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Paddy Cullinane, for the RSPCA, said an officer responded to a call about the horse, which was located in a paddock on Glenella-Richmond Road, on October 26, 2009.

He said Kearns told the officer he had first noticed the horse had problems with its hooves about 10 years earlier.

TEN YEARS??? Jab a nail into your foot and then walk around on it for ten years until it gets so bad the bone is exposed. Then maybe, just maybe, you'll know how the poor horse feels.

On October 28 the RSPCA officer returned with a vet who advised that the horse had several melanomas and skin cancers, a broken tooth and an extremely painful condition known as laminitis that had caused the hoof wall to separate from the hoof and the leg bone to protrude through the sole of the hoof.

“It was the vet’s opinion that the horse was in constant pain.”

Nickie King, of Legal Aid Queensland, said Kearns had visited and fed the horse every day.

“He noticed that the horse had trouble getting up,” Ms King said.

HOW? How can you go out there and feed that horse every day knowing that he's in excruciating pain?

“He certainly accepts he should have taken some steps to get veterinary treatment for his horse.

“Unfortunately he admits it wasn’t something he prioritised.”

Magistrate Ross Risson said Kearns should have taken steps to get treatment for the animal.

Clearly. Okay, if you don't want to get treatment for the animal, there's this wonderful invention called euthanasia. It's a lot better than just letting him suffer day in and day out because you're too lazy to foot the bill.

Kearns was convicted and fined $4000 and ordered to pay $73.80 in court costs. He was given the option to complete 240 hours’ community service in lieu of payment.