Belmont Post Positions

The Belmont is almost here! I haven't been this excited for a Belmont since 2004!

1. Street Life
I'm keeping my eye on this one as the year goes on. He didn't race at two. Broke his maiden on the second try and went on to win the Broad Brush Stakes, finish sixth in the Wood Memorial (G1) and third in the Peter Pan Stakes (G2). He closed extremely quickly in the Peter Pan. 

2. Unstoppable U
He also didn't race at two. He's undefeated in two starts, breaking his maiden first out before going on to win a one-mile Belmont allowance leading wire-to-write and winning by six lengths.

3. Union Rags
At two, he broke his maiden first out, won the Saratoga Special Stakes (G2), won the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont, and finished second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He kicked off his three-year-old season with a victory in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) before finishing third in the Florida Derby (G1) after being caught in behind horses. He had a rough trip in the Kentucky Derby and finished seventh.

4. Atigun
At two, it took him four tries to break his maiden and then he went on to finish fifth in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2). He kicked off this year with an allowance win, finished 11th in the Rebel Stakes (G2) and fifth in the Arkansas Derby (G1). He won an allowance last out.

5. Dullahan
At two, he broke his maiden on the third try, finished third in the With Anticipation Stakes (G3), won the Dixiana Breeders' Futurity (G1), and finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. This year he was second in the Palm Beach Stakes (G2), won the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), and finished third in the Kentucky Derby. He has a top-notch horse and an incredible closer, which he proved in the Derby.

6. Ravelo's Boy
He was heavily raced at two with ten starts but only two wins: a maiden and an allowance. He's winless in three starts this year: a fifth in the Gulfstream Park Derby, fourth in the Sam F. Davis (G3), and fifth in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2).

7. Five Sixteen
Only has one win in six starts. He ran twice at two, finishing sixth in a maiden and tenth in a maiden at Belmont. Ran in three more maidens before finding a win and finished fourth in an allowance last out.

8. Guyana Star Dweej
Only one win in nine starts. Took eight tries to break his maiden and finished second in a Belmont allowance last out.

9. Paynter
He didn't race at two and is lightly raced this year. He broke his maiden first out, finished fourth in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and second in the Derby Trial (G3).  He won a Pimlico allowance last out by almost six lengths after leading throughout.

10. Optimizer
Hasn't won a race since his maiden his first time out. He was fourth in the Kentucky Jockey club and eighth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Also finished ninth in the Risen Star (G2), second in the Rebel (G2) with an impressive last-second kick, ninth in the Arkansas Derby (G1), 11th in the Kentucky Derby, and sixth in the Preakness.

11. I'll Have Another
Looking to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed! At two, he broke his maiden first out, finished second in the Best Pal Stakes (G2), and then finished sixth in the Hopeful Stakes (G1), his only finish out of the money. This year he won the Robert B. Lewis (G2) easily as a longshot and showed a lot of grit in his Santa Anita Derby (G1) win by a nose in a three-way stretch duel. He won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness by coming off-the-pace and running down Bodemeister in the final stretch.

12. My Adonis
He's winless in four starts this year, finishing third in the Holy Bull (G3), second in the Gotham (G2), seventh in the Wood Memorial (G1), and third in the Canonero II.

Preakness Picks

With the loss of Union Rags and Dullahan, the Preakness field isn't shaping up to be quite as competitive as the Derby field.

My favorites:

1. I'll Have Another -- Kentucky Derby winner. He also won the Robert B. Lewis (G2) easily as a longshot  and showed a lot of grit in his Santa Anita Derby (G1) win by a nose in a three-way stretch duel. The distance of the Preakness is shorter so we'll have to see if that affects him any. 
2. Bodemeister -- Second in the Kentucky Derby after dominating the lead through most of the race. Trinniberg is out, so he's not going to have him to worry about this time. He was also 2nd in the San Felipe (G2) and dominated the Arkansas Derby (G1) when he took the lead and never looked back. 
3. Hansen -- Ninth in the Derby after being rank throughout. He's typically a front-runner but came off the pace to win the Gotham. In the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), he tried to go wire-to-wire but was run down in the stretch to finish second. If he settles and doesn't fight, he has a good chance in this one.

Derby Favorites Update

It wasn't a great week for me and my Derby favorites. Secret Circle and Reveron, both of whom I favored even though Reveron was 23rd on the earnings list, are both out of contention with injuries. Reveron was withdrawn after a a left fore condylar fissure was discovered following a one-mile workout. Secret Circle, recently second to Bodemeister in the Arkansas Derby, is out with a sesamoid injury.

The Lexington Derby, which wasn't expected to have much of an effect on the Derby field anyway, turned out to be a bit of a shocker, when 70-1 longshot, All Squared Away, came in late and stole the race by 1-1/2 lengths.

A week after I removed Trinniberg from the list of Derby possibles, I had to add him back on. With Secret Circle out of the race, Trinniberg's owner has changed his mind. The big question for Trinniberg is: can he handle the distance when he's never been over 7 furlongs?

Gemologist worked five furlongs in 1:00.84 with stablemate, Overdriven, at Palm Meadows training center.  They breezed through an opening quarter of 24.87 seconds together. Gemologist remained in hand and gradually edged clear of his partner approaching the wire. He galloped out another eighth-mile in 13.29 for six furlongs in 1:14.13 before pulling up seven-eighths in 1:27.81.

El Padrino went five furlongs in 1:00.48 with Hudson Steele at Palm Meadows training center. The team posted a 25.32 first quarter before piking up the pace to complete three-eighths in 36.82. El Padrino finished about a head behind Hudson Steele after a final quarter-mile in 23.66. They continued on into the turn, galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.34 and pulling up seven-eighths in 1:26.73.

At Calder, Trinniberg's trainer postponed the work he had scheduled for Friday morning.

I'll Have Another breezed six furlongs in 1:13.60 alone at Hollywood Park on Thursday, his first workout since winning the Santa Anita Derby on April 7th.

Take Charge Indy, winner of the Florida Derby, worked five furlongs in 1:01.47 at Palm Meadows training enter on Thursday. Breaking off at the half-mile pole outside workmate Transplendent, Take Charge Indy went the opening eighth in 12.26 and 24.06 for the first quarter. He edged a length clear and completed an easy half-mile in 48.26.

Creative Cause worked five furlongs at Hollywood in 1:01.20 on Tuesday.

My Derby Picks

There were a few changes to my list of Derby horses after this weekend's Arkansas Derby and Blue Grass Stakes.

1. Gemologist
2. Union Rags
3. I'll Have Another
   
4. Hansen -- Tried to pull off a front-running victory in the Blue Grass (G1) but was run down in the stretch. My Derby hopes for him rely on whether or not he'll accept being kept off-the-pace.
   
5. Reveron -- Looking forward to seeing his performance in the Lexington.
   
6. Secret Circle -- Finished a well-beaten second in the Arkansas.
7. Alpha
   
8. Creative Cause
9. Bodemeister -- Has been lightly raced. Was second in the San Felipe (G2). Absolutely dominated the Arkansas Derby (G1) when he took the lead and never looked back.
10. Dullahan -- Third and fifth in maidens at Churchill Downs. Then switched to turf for two starts: second in a maiden and third in With Anticipation (G2). Rounded out the year with a win in the Dixiana Breeders' Futurity (G1) on the synthetic and a fourth place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He started his three-year-old season with a second in the Palm Beach over turf. This weekend, he won the Blue Grass impressively, overtaking Hansen in the stretch coming from the back of the pack.
    
11. Mark Valeski -- Have a soft spot for this one. Finished second in the Risen Star (G2) by a nose and Louisiana Derby (G2) by a half-length. He's still young and I don't think he's shown his full promise yet.
    

My Derby Ten

There's still awhile yet before the Derby but as most of the preps have been run already, I decided to make a list of my top ten.

1. Gemologist - I absolutely loved the way he won the Wood Memorial over the weekend. His professional attitude and pure heart gave me goosebumps. He's undefeated and won the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club last year at Churchill Downs.
   
   
2. Union Rags - I was disappointed in his third-place finish in the G1 Florida Derby but I liked his closing kick despite being caught behind horses. He was second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs and romped in the G2 Fountain of Youth.
   
   
3. Hansen - He's typically a front-runner which I don't normally go for in the Triple Crown but he showed versatility in his off-pace victory in the Gotham Stakes. He won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.
   
   
4. Reveron - Has been pretty consistent from what I've seen. He finished third in the G3 Sam F. Davis with a rush from behind, held on by a neck to win the Gulfstream Park Derby in a stretch duel, and finished a respectable second in the G1 Florida Derby.
   
   
5. Secret Circle - I'm mostly concerned about his tendency to drift out in the stretch. He had an impressive victory in the second division of the G3 Southwest Stakes despite a stretch duel and a respectable win the G2 Rebel Stakes. He won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint at Churchill Downs.
   
   
6. El Padrino - He was very impressive winning the Risen Star by a nose in a hard-fought stretch duel. He wasn't really a factor in the G1 Florida Derby, finishing fourth.
   
   
7. I'll Have Another - He showed a lot of grit in his G1 Santa Anita Derby win by a nose in a three-way stretch duel. Also took the G2 Robert B. Lewis easily as a longshot.
   
   
8. Prospective - Won the G2 Tampa Bay Derby after being closer to the pace early on and battling in a stretch duel and finished second in the G3 Sam F. Davis with a rush from behind.
   
   
9. Alpha - Was second in the G1 Wood Memorial with a powerful rush but was outmatched. He had a domineering victory in the G3 Withers Stakes. Finished eleventh in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
   
   
10. Creative Cause - Seems to be a good consistent runner. He lost the G1 Santa Anita Derby by only a nose in a three-way stretch duel. Also to his credit are a third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and a victory in the G2 San Felipe.

Thoughts? Who's your bet for this year's Derby?

Devil May Care Tribute

I know this is a little late, but I'm going to write it anyway. Devil May Care was an amazing mare overshadowed by Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. She was one of my favorites and my pick to win the Kentucky Derby.

Devil May Care was out of Kelli's Ransom and by Malibu Moon. She was bred in Kentucky by Diamond A Racing Corp. She was sold in 2008 in the Keeneland Association September 2008 Yearling Sale for $110,000. She was also entered in the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale by did not meet her reserve price of $400,000.

Devil May Care began her racing career in 2009 as a 2-year-old. She broke her maiden at Saratoga her first time out and went on to win the G1 Frizette Stakes. In her first, and only, start over a synthetic surface, she finished 11th in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and closed out her short season.

In 2010, Devil May Care kicked off her season with a lackluster 5th in the G3 Silverbulletday Stakes. Next she headed to Gulfstream Park where she captured the G2 Bonnie Miss. She then headed to Churchill Downs where she was the only filly in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby field where she finished 10th.

After her unimpressive Derby effort, Devil May Care returned to facing the fillies and hit her best stride, winning the G1 Mother Goose and the G1 Coaching Club American Oaks. Her last start was the G1 Alabama where she finished fourth.

She was a hopeful for the 2010 G1 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic, but a diagnosis of a non-contagious form of hepatitis in October forced her to skip the race. She was on and off antibiotics and continued to carry an elevated liver enzyme count.

Devil May Care had five wins in nine starts and earned $724,000.

Devil May Care was euthanized May 4 after being diagnosed with lymphosarcoma, a form of cancer. She was four years old.

RIP Devil May Care

Dutrow Case Continued

So, if you don't know what's going on Rick Dutrow, a famous racehorse trainer, is looking at the possibility of losing his license. You may remember him as the trainer of Big Brown, the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner that made history when he finished dead last in the Belmont and was later discovered to have been on steroids. He already has a very, very long line of drug allegations trailing after him and clearly, he is not learning his lesson. If the racing industry is serious about cracking down on drug use in thoroughbreds, they need to prove it now. They need to say enough is enough and show that there are going to be consequences for not following the rules. And I don't mean the continued slaps on the wrist.

For the record, I am not jealous of Rick Dutrow's success. Success achieved in an immoral and illegal way is far worse than no success at all, in my book. He's had 64 infractions over the years, when is it time to say enough is enough?
And that's what the kid always says when he gets caught with the weed in his locker. "Oh that's not mine; I'm just holding it for a friend; someone must have put it there..." Those horses are in his barn and they're his responsibility. If they're being drugged on his watch, he should be looking into that and making sure the problem is solved.

The full story is here

One of the racing industry’s closely watched legal proceedings begins May 31 as state regulators in New York commence a hearing that could lead to the revocation of trainer Rick Dutrow’s license.

Officials with the state Racing and Wagering Board have said that Dutrow’s history of past allegations—along with two current cases against him—should lead to his ouster from the industry in the state.

But allies say the regulators are reaching too far in a case that could have implications beyond Dutrow if this week’s hearing—which begins at 1 p.m. EDT May 31 at the board’s Schenectady headquarters – convinces the full racing board to take away his license.

“Rick is looking forward to this hearing and a favorable resolution of this matter,’’ said Michael Koenig, Dutrow’s new attorney in the matter.

Koenig a day before the scheduled hearing declined to discuss the case and said Dutrow would not be available for an interview in advance of the hearing. Racing Board officials have also declined for months to comment on the specifics of the case.

Dutrow In Trouble Again

Racehorse trainer, Rick Dutrow Jr. is once again in trouble with the law.

Whole story

New York stewards suspended him for 90 days when one of his winning horses tested positive for drugs and hypodermic needles were found in his barn.

I think it's time to seriously rethink Dutrow's involvement in the sport. Does anyone else remember Big Brown? He came very close to winning the Triple Crown but his name will forever live in infamy in my mind as the champion on steroids.

According to the article, Dutrow has been sanctioned at least 64 times in nine different states since 1979. He's never shown consideration from the rules and it's obvious he's never going to start.

If the racing business is going to clean up, they're going to need to start with punishing the people who are in violation instead of just giving them a slap on the wrist.

I called for Dutrow's banning for life when Big Brown raced and I haven't changed my tune.

War Pass Tribute

I know I haven't blogged in a really long time, but I had to today.

War Pass was foaled April 17, 2005 in Kentucky. He was a bay colt by Cherokee Run out of Vue. Nick Zito trained him throughout his racing career. He was sold at the Keeneland September yearling sale for $180,000.

War Pass kicked off his spectacular two-year-old season with a commanding maiden win at Saratoga in August by 2 3/4 lengths. In September he followed up with a gate-to-wire victory in an allowance at Saratoga by 5 1/2 lengths. On October 3, 2007 he led all the way once again to win the G1 Champagne Stakes. War Pass went on to be the post time favorite for the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and won by 4 3/4 lengths over a sloppy Monmouth Park track. He closed out his two-year-old season with four wins in four starts and $1,397,400 in earnings. His wins also earned him the honor of the Eclipse Award for Top 2-Year-Old Colt.

At the start of 2008, War Pass was a stand-out in the crowd of Kentucky Derby hopefuls. He began his three-year-old season with an allowance win by 7 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream. In the G3 Tampa Bay Derby he was bumped at the start and didn't secure his familiar position at the lead. He rallied to third in the field of seven, but stopped badly and finished last, beaten by 23 lengths. It was also his first race at longer than a mile.

His luck didn't get any better when he was shipped to Aqueduct for the Wood Memorial. The trip was difficult for War Pass who suffered a cut lip that required stitches. In the race on April 5, 2008 he took the lead early as usual but tired in the homestretch and was caught in the final strides by Tale of Ekati.

Following the Wood Memorial, it was discovered he had a minor fracture in his left foreleg and he was officially out of the Kentucky Derby. He made a full recovery, but it was concluded that he would never run again and hew as retired to stud in September 2008. He retired with a record of five wins and one second in seven starts and $1,583,400 in earnings.

In 2009, War Pass entered stud at Lane's End with a fee of $30,000 and sired 63 reported foals. He covered 83 mares in his second season at Lane's End for a fee of $20,000. He was to stand for $15,000 in his 2011 season. He returned to Lane's End from Widden Stud in Australia December 23 with no sign of illness or injury. The five-year-old stallion was turned out the morning of December 24 and died several hours later.

RIP War Pass. You were one of my favorite Kentucky Derby hopefuls. You will be missed.

Horse with EEE Euthanized in New York

Source

Eastern equine encephalitis has claimed its first victim in New York this year – a 2-year-old gelding in Oswego County, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The horse, purchased earlier this year at a New York auction, was euthanized after it showed symptoms of EEE, a diagnosis that lab tests have now confirmed, the department said. EEE is a rare, but deadly virus that kills most infected horses and about a third of human victims. It leaves many survivors with permanent brain damage.

The virus, which can only be spread by mosquito bites, also has been found in mosquitoes in the four counties that border Oneida Lake – Oneida, Madison, Oswego and Onondaga, said Pete Constantakes, a spokesman for the state Department of Health. The mosquitoes infected with EEE in Oneida, Madison and Onondaga counties are a breed that generally bites birds, not horses or humans, Constantakes said.

But mammal-biting mosquitoes with EEE have been found in Oswego County, he said.

The gelding’s vaccination history was not known, but the current owner had not had it vaccinated for EEE, according to an Agriculture Department news release. None of the horses with which it lived have shown symptoms of EEE and all have since been vaccinated, the release said.

Two World Records Set at Tioga Downs

Source

A pair of world records were set Sunday at Tioga Downs racetrack.

The 5/8 mile track for harness racing was the site of the fastest time for any 3-year-old and also the fastest time for a 4-year-old stud horse on that size track.

Temple of Doom, driven by David Miller, won the sixth race with a time of 1 minute 52.4 seconds to eclipse the previous record for 3-year-olds of 1:53 set by three horses in the past two years. The winner paid $4.70.

Two races earlier, Manningly, driven by Jeff Gregory, won his race in 1:52.3, which is just 0.3 shy of the record for any 4-year-old horse.

"(Manningly's record) will hang on for a little while because most horses that age, if they were successful, would be in the breeding shed," Director of Racing Jason Blohm said. "It was the right conditions today for that to take place." Manningly paid $4.40 to win.

The records are kept by the U.S. Trotting Association.

Woman Gets Two Years Probation for Abandoning Animals

Source

A Denton County woman has drawn two years of probation after her conviction on seven counts of cruelty to animals in connection with having abandoned about a dozen horses and five dogs in 2009.

Kyra Jane Pointon, 37, was sentenced to a year behind bars on each count, to be served concurrently, along with seven $2,500 fines. However, that sentence was suspended to the probation and 80 hours of community service.

According to Denton County sheriff's reports, the case began in early June 2009. A man called to report that he passed property in the 12000 block of FM2450 every day and had noticed the horses and dogs there. A woman often could be seen handling the horses, he said, and there was hay for the horses to eat.

Recently, he said, he had not seen the woman or any vehicle around the property. There was no hay, and the horses looked highly malnourished.

A deputy went to the property and found that the house had no electricity or water. It appeared that someone had moved out of the house, according to reports.

The horses and German shepherds penned in the backyard had no food or water. Deputies found a small amount of muddy water in a container in a back pasture.

Animal Officer Kirk Sisney testified that he had talked to the woman several times about conditions on her property. She was wanted on several outstanding warrants for allowing the horses to escape and for improperly caring for them.

Sisney testified that a friend of Pointon agreed to feed and water the animals until he could get warrants to have them removed from the property. He eventually found Pointon at the friend's house, hiding in a closet.

According to court documents, a local veterinarian examined the horses and found one to be suffering from a severe hoof infection. That horse had been in pain for a long time, according to the reports. Most of the others were severely malnourished.

Because of her condition, one pregnant mare suffered a miscarriage after being seized, according to the documents. Another horse had cancer in several places.

The county placed the horses with a Justin man who cares for seized horses on contract. The dogs were taken to the Denton animal pound.

Sheriff's Capt. Mike Caley said Friday that he was unsure of the animals' current whereabouts, but that animals in such cases usually are placed for adoption.

He said he believed the sentence was justified because the woman had a history of neglecting her animals.

"She has a pretty lengthy track record," he said. "We would tell her she needed to do this and this, and she would agree, but it never got done."

You mean this has been going on for a long time and nothing was DONE? You know, I believe in second chances as much as the next guy but once you're on third, fourth, fifth, sixth chances it's time for something to HAPPEN because clearly whatever you were doing before wasn't working.

Woman Drugged and even Painted Horses Before Sale

I. Am. Sickened.

Source

A Southern California horse dealer has reached a plea deal after being accused of selling animals that were sick, drugged and sometimes painted a different color, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Trina Lee Kenney, of Wrightwood, agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of mail fraud, said assistant U.S. attorney Joseph Akrotirianakis. Prosecutors allege Kenney tricked one customer by drugging a horse to make it appear calm and painted at least two others to match the color she advertised. She also was accused of accepting money for horses that customers never received and may not have ever existed.

THIS is why you never buy a horse sight unseen.

Sixty-one known victims were found in 23 states — from Washington state to West Virginia — and in Canada, Akrotirianakis said.

Kenney sold horses online. She used a variety of websites to place her ads and used at least 14 aliases, the plea agreement said. The 32-year-old kept changing her name and websites to avoid getting caught.

An FBI agent and a U.S. postal inspector set up a sting operation, paying $5,000 for a Friesian mare named "Azure" that did not exist. Kenney took the money but did not deliver a horse and refused to respond to them.

"She did do some wrong things and exercise some bad judgment," said Kenney's attorney, Joseph Shemaria of Los Angeles. "That's the reason she got into trouble, the reason the U.S. attorney's office picked up on it and the reason we decided not to go to trial."

However, he defended her as "a dyed-in-the-wool animal lover" who would go to great lengths to rescue horses and a mother who taught her three children to love the animals.

Yeah she really "rescued" those horses and loved them. A real horse lover takes the time to FEED, CARE FOR, and TRAIN their horses. None of which she actually did if the horses she sold have anything to judge by.

Shemaria said Kenney sold between 500 and 600 horses during a five-year period and the plea agreement does not mention the hundreds of happy customers.

Instead, it describes victims who received wild, unbroken, unridable horses that had been advertised as tame; lame and sick horses that had been advertised as healthy; horses that weighed much less and were much older than advertised; and two brown horses that had been painted black.

So not only did she sell horses that weren't even close to what was advertised, she abused them first. If a horse is lame or sick, you take it to a VET. If a horse is malnourished, you FEED IT. You don't make it someone else's problem.

Several other customers complained that her "money-back guarantee" was bogus, the agreement said.

A California customer told investigators she returned a horse but Kenney refused to refund the purchase price. The agreement, filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday, said the horse's remains were later found in the snow on Kenney's property.

WHY is this not considered important?

In the agreement, Kenney admitted that she lied about some horses being safe for children and beginning riders, and that she delivered starved horses that were covered in sores and cuts, had strangles, or had hooves that had been untrimmed for so long the horses couldn't walk.

The mail fraud count was the most serious crime prosecutors could have pursued, Akrotirianakis said. It carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Something is seriously wrong with that picture.

Shemaria said he believes his client will be sentenced to 41 months to 51 months in prison and be ordered to pay a fine.

Kenney is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 7. She remained free without bail.

I can't decide what's worse. The fact that this happened in the first place, the fact that it went on so long, or the fact that mail fraud is considered twenty to forty times worse than animal abuse.

BLM Seeks Independent Review

Well it's about time.

Source

At the urging of a bipartisan group of House members, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is asking for an independent review of its wild horse and burro program by the National Academy of Sciences.

BLM officials said the two-year, $1.5 million study would determine whether the agency is using the best science available in managing wild horses and burros on Western rangelands. BLM managers estimate that 38,000 mustangs and burros roam 10 Western states, and half are in Nevada.

And in the meantime, they'll continue rounding up horses and screw up the study. Because you can't study something that's constantly changing.

The study tentatively set to begin Jan. 1 would focus on population estimation methods, annual herd growth rates and population control measures, agency officials said in a statement released Friday.

The announcement came a month after 54 House members signed onto a letter that Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, sent to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar pleading with him to halt a series of wild horse roundups under way in the West.

The letter recommended that the National Academy of Sciences be assigned to review the BLM's plan to cull about 12,000 of 38,000 mustangs and burros from the range and either send them to long-term holding facilities or put them up for adoption.

Nevada Democratic Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus were among those who signed the letter that maintains the gathers are based on a "deeply flawed policy."

"Nevada's wild horses and burros are a treasured part of our Western heritage, but we continue to struggle with the management of these herds on public lands," Berkley said Saturday. "My hope is that this study will provide a new blueprint for addressing the many challenges we face in protecting wild horse and burro populations in Nevada and other Western states."

Titus said she was pleased the BLM acted quickly in response to House members' request for the study.

"In the meantime, I again urge the BLM to halt roundups until the failings of the current program are addressed," she said Saturday.

Activists said they support the independent review but only if it's coupled with an immediate moratorium on all BLM roundups of mustangs from the range. There will be too few genetically viable herds left to study at the present rate of roundups, they said.

"I expect the NAS report to be enlightening regarding the lack of science in BLM's decisions aimed at ridding the West of our wild horse and burro heritage," said Ginger Kathrens, director of the horse advocacy group Cloud Foundation based in Colorado. "A moratorium right now is essential so that NAS will have a few viable herds left to study."

The National Academy of Sciences is a nonprofit source of scientific advice that enlists the nation's top experts to address a wide range of problems.

The Hoskins Saga Continues

Source

Aurora horse farm owner Beth Lynne Hoskins was arraigned Wednesday in Aurora Town Court on her 125th count of animal cruelty, after a veterinarian who worked for her came forward saying a horse had to be euthanized on the farm last year due to neglect.

A hundred and twenty-five counts of animal cruelty and we're still giving her her animals back.

The veterinarian went further, blasting the "severely unsanitary and inhumane" conditions on the farm.

"Beth Hoskins should not be allowed to own any animals due to the fact that she is completely unable to provide even the most basic standard of care for them," Katherine Fitzgerald of Springville Veterinary Associates said in a deposition.

In the deposition taken Tuesday, Fitzgerald said she got a call from Hoskins on Nov. 26, 2009 -- Thanksgiving Day -- about a horse with an eye injury. When Fitzgerald arrived, Hoskins told her that another horse, Misty, was on the ground in another barn and unable to get up.

Misty was so weak that she could not raise her head, even after the veterinarian tried to help several times, Fitzgerald said.

"This horse has been neglected, left in unsanitary, unhealthful conditions, left without food, water, proper medical treatment and care to the point of severe emaciation and the need for immediate euthanasia to end her suffering," Fitzgerald said in her deposition.

Outside the courtroom, Hoskins' lawyers, Barry N. Covert and George V.C. Muscato, questioned why the veterinarian waited so long to come forward with her concerns, especially after the much-publicized seizure of more than 70 horses from Hoskins in March.

"Are you kidding me -- nine months later, she's claiming something happened? This is the bottom of the barrel, as far as we're concerned," Muscato said. "The medical records we've seen certainly don't support this."

This is the first charge against Hoskins involving an animal that died. Until Wednesday, all of Hoskins' charges involved horses and cats the SPCA Serving Erie County seized in March.

Hoskins said the day Misty was euthanized was "the saddest day of my life." She attributed the horse's condition to old age -- the horse was about 25 years old -- and complications from a hip injury the horse suffered before Hoskins bought it in 2004.

"It's sad, but it's part of the normal life cycle of horses," Hoskins said.

Barbara S. Carr, executive director of the SPCA, was quick to differ. "Just because you're old doesn't mean you're thin, dehydrated or weak," said Carr, who attended the court proceeding. "This animal suffered miserably and subsequently died. This is pretty damning -- from her own vet."

Fitzgerald said in her deposition that the horse Hoskins initially called her about last November, Electra, had an eye injury as much as a week old. Because the injury had gone untreated so long, she said, the horse had only minimal vision in that eye.

When she found Electra in the barn, Fitzgerald said, she had to struggle to open the stall door because the stall was filled with "several feet" of manure. The horse was rarely handled and had never been haltered or halter-broken, she said in the deposition. Hoskins was not able to touch the horse -- not an unusual situation on that farm, Fitzgerald said in her deposition.

"When dealing with Beth Hoskins and her horses for the past three years, it was apparent that she is unable to handle the majority of them, and she acts afraid of many of them. She is unable to care for the number of animals on her farm, and she insists on continuing to acquire more animals unnecessarily," the veterinarian said in the deposition.

Hoskins pleaded not guilty on Wednesday; she already has pleaded not guilty to the 10 animal cruelty counts that were filed against her in May and the 114 additional counts in July.

In March, the SPCA seized 73 horses and 53 cats from her farm. A house cat and a barn cat were returned to Hoskins, who signed away ownership of 41 of the cats. They have since been adopted. Of the remaining 10 cats, one died, Carr said. Hoskins has not tried to reclaim the other nine cats, Carr said.

Forty horses have been returned to Hoskins, by order of State Supreme Court Justice Joseph R. Glownia. The other 33 remain in the care of the SPCA, at a cost of $825 a day. The SPCA has spent $300,000 caring for Hoskins' horses, Carr said.

Six Horses Seized from SC Farm

Source

Six horses described as emaciated were taken from a farm Friday after Charleston County sheriff's deputies and a veterinarian inspected their health and living conditions.

The horses at 3288 Plow Ground Road were taken into emergency protective custody. The conditions at the farm for 24 horses that remain there will be monitored on a daily basis, the sheriff's office reported.

The name of the owner was not released Friday because there was confusion about the deed to the property, said Lt. Jack Scarborough. The sheriff's office did not provide information about whether anyone would be charged in the case.

Armed with a search warrant, officials entered the Kennerleigh Farm shortly after noon. The search warrant was requested after investigators entered the property Friday morning to do a welfare check on the horses in response to a complaint about their living conditions.

During the welfare check, veterinarian Justin Miller of Shambley Equine Clinic in Summerville said he saw a lack of water, poor nutrition and overt signs of intestinal parasites on six horses of concern. He said he could see the horses' ribs and spines.

The sheriff's office received a call at 9:40 a.m. from a representative of the Livestock and Equine Awareness and Rescue Network suggesting that some horses at the farm were being neglected, Scarborough said.

Scarborough said the property owner, who owns 22 of the 30 horses on the farm, was cooperative. The remaining eight horses are boarders that seemed to be OK during the welfare check of the property, Miller said.

Boarders...THIS is why you always check up on your horses. ALWAYS. How could you keep your horses in a barn where all the others were starving??

LEARN will care for the four horses in the worst condition at its facility in Meggett. The other two horses will be placed in foster care, Steed said.

She accompanied authorities on the property to inspect the horses' living conditions.

"Emaciated. That's the only way you can put it," Steed said.

One horse trough had 4 inches of water. The others were dry. Two dead birds floated in a garbage can.

BLM Says Dead Foal was Not Shot

Source

Holes in the carcass of a young foal found near a wild horse roundup in northeast California and Nevada were the work of scavenger birds not gunshot wounds as horse protection advocates first claimed, federal officials said Tuesday.

A veterinarian with the U.S. Agriculture Department's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service examined the foal on Saturday, two days after horse advocates opposed to the roundup found the animal and complained to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

The vet was unable to determine a cause of death because the foal had been dead for about a month and the carcass was already in the advanced stages of decomposition, BLM spokeswoman Jan Bedrosian said.

But "the bony skeletal remains of the four- to six-week old colt showed no detectable physical trauma," Bedrosian said in a statement on Monday. "There were random holes of various sizes that were evidence of feeding by scavenger birds, according to the veterinarian."

In addition, a BLM special agent examined the area and found no physical evidence around the carcass to indicate it was shot or killed at that location, Bedrosian said.

Craig Downer, a wildlife ecologist doing work with the Colorado-based Cloud Foundation, was with the group that found the foal last week. He said it was within a few miles of a corral where a BLM contractor with helicopters gathered hundreds of mustangs last week along the California-Nevada border.

Downer said BLM officers in the field initially dismissed the report, at one point telling one ecologist the carcass was that of an antelope, not a horse.

But he said BLM officials from the district office subsequently showed genuine interest in the case. He said they requested—and he provided—copies of photographs he took at the scene and BLM officials confirmed late Thursday they were investigating.

Downer, who has done numerous studies at the roundup site, said on Tuesday that he had not heard from BLM about the examination results. He said he thought that the USDA and BLM would have the expertise to determine the source of the wounds but that he remained suspect of the conclusion.

"What gets me is the near-perfect roundness of the hole going in," he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. He said he wants to see details of BLM's findings.

"I've seen how the high-powered rifle perforates and leaves the round hole going in and going out the other side ... Based on that fact alone, I would be a bit suspect of the conclusion."

Last week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused a request by In Defense of Animals and others to block BLM's plans to roundup about 2,000 wild horses and 200 burros from the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area covering 800,000 acres along the state line.

Critics argued the horses have more of a legal right to the land than do thousands of livestock grazing there, but the court upheld the agency's action based on its conclusion the mustang herds are badly overpopulated and causing significant ecological damage.

Nancy Haug, BLM district manager for Northern California, said Tuesday that nearly 600 horses have been gathered to date in the operation expected to continue into September. She said there have been no injuries to personnel and no serious injuries to horses.

She said 32 horses previously gathered were returned on Tuesday to the Twin Peaks HMA, where BLM plans to eventually leave about 450 horses and 72 burros.

Paragallo Denied American Stud Book Privileges

Jockey Club is on a roll! In connection with Chad Moore's post yesterday, Paragallo has also been denied American Stud Book privileges.

Source

The Jockey Club’s Board of Stewards has voted to deny New York owner-breeder Ernie Paragallo all privileges of The American Stud Book, effective January 1, 2011.

The action was taken at the board’s August 21 meeting, based upon information received by The Jockey Club’s Registrar, including the judgment entered in March 2010 in the Superior Court of the State of New York, County of Greene, in the matter of The People of the State of New York v. Ernest G. Paragallo concerning acts of cruelty committed to a horse.

Paragallo was found guilty on 33 of 34 counts of animal cruelty, and he was fined and sentenced to serve a maximum of two years in jail.

The Jockey’s Club’s action will prohibit Paragallo from registering foals or submitting any documents related to foal registration. The January 1, 2011, date allows registration of foals conceived prior to the judgment.

“The Jockey Club fully supports and assists law enforcement agencies, the courts, and racing regulatory authorities in the investigation of matters involving cruelty to Thoroughbreds,” Jockey Club Chairman Ogden Mills Phipps said.

“When there is a final determination by a court, an official tribunal, or an official racing body that a person has killed, abandoned, mistreated, neglected or abused, or otherwise committed an act of cruelty to a horse, The Jockey Club will not hesitate to take appropriate action.”

Chad Moore Denied All Rights of American Stud Book

Source

March sentencing

A horse trainer in Ohio jailed for 180 days on six admitted charges of horse abandonment has been denied all privileges of the American stud book.

The Jockey Club annnounced the decision in respect of Chad Moore, effective from January 1, 2011.

The action was taken based on information received by The Jockey Club's registrar, which included Moore's guilty pleas on March 2,2010, in Clermont County Court.

Moore, 39, was charged over the abandonment of six horses, a pony, and a donkey on a Bethel, Ohio, property. Moore was also sentenced to an extra 10 days for violating probation and was ordered to pay $US179 in restitution to the Clermont County Humane Society. He was also fined $US400 and ordered to perform community service.

Denial of all privileges of the American Stud Book includes the privilege to register foals or submit any documents related to foal registration.

The January 1, 2011, effective date allows registration of foals already conceived before the judgment.

Jockey Club chairman Ogden Mills Phipps said: "When there is a final determination by a court, an official tribunal or an official racing body that a person has killed, abandoned, mistreated, neglected or abused, or otherwise committed an act of cruelty to a horse, The Jockey Club will not hesitate to take appropriate action."

The Jockey Club's Board of Stewards reached the decision at a meeting on Saturday.

Excellent job, Jockey Club. Also, although the article doesn't mention it, Moore is not allowed to work with animals and had to surrender any other animals he owned at the time of sentencing.

UF Student Loses Hand in Horse Accident

Source

Long story short: she had the lead rope of the horse she was holding wrapped around her hand while she was sitting in the passenger seat of a car with the lead hanging out the window.

1. Never hold a horse while sitting in a car. Especially with the door closed. If the horse spooks, you can't do anything but let go.

2. Never wrap a horse's lead rope around your hand. For any reason. If the horse is to spook, the best thing that could happen would be rope burns around your hand. The worst that could happen would be...what happened.