Low cost gelding clinic coming to Fallon, Nevada Nov 24, 25

NATIONAL EQUINE RESOURCE NETWORK PRESS RELEASE

NERN’s flagship program was created to help economically challenged horse owners castrate their colts and stallions at a minimum cost, and to decrease equine breeding at a time when there is an over abundance of horses in the United States.

A low cost gelding clinic will be held at Snow Livestock & Grain in Fallon, NV on Saturday, Nov 24th and Sunday, Nov 25th. Private horse owners in need of this service are invited to participate in this event that is co-hosted by National Equine Resource Network (NERN) and R-VETS.

The cost to horse owners who bring their horses to the clinic will be only $75, compared to an average veterinary fee of approximately $150-300. The clinic will also take a limited number of cryptorchids and hernias, for an additional fee.

Dr. Eric Davis, DVM of R-VETS, is volunteering his services to NERN and the community, stressing the importance of reducing the future equine population in the face of the nation’s ongoing economic woes.

In 2011, NERN ran a pilot program for low-cost clinics in California, gelding a total of 92 horses, in eight separate locations around the state. This year, they have already held a total of 16 clinics, and castrated an additional 204 stallions.

Shirley Puga, NERN’s Executive Director, said her organization’s goal for 2012 was to provide low cost castration for 250 or more colts/stallions in a series of gelding clinics. “At a time when many horse owners are struggling just to feed their animals, we felt that providing financial assistance in this area would be one of the most important contributions we could make, not only for existing horses, but for the future” she said.

NERN-sponsored gelding clinics have been held throughout California, and a two day clinic was recently held in Washington State. Soon Nevada will be added to the list. At the request of horse rescues, vets and/or horse owners that have learned of this service, other western states such as OR, AZ, and TX are under consideration.

To participate in the Fallon gelding clinic, area horse owners can contact NERN at nationalequine@gmail.com or (760) 419-2462. For more information on the gelding program, or to donate, please go to www.nationalequine.org.

Source: Press Release

BLM bait trap Cloud’s herd

Cloud the Stallion oversees his territory in the Pryor Mountains on the Montana / Wyoming border. Cloud, whose life has been chronicled by Ginger Kathrens for the acclaimed PBS series bearing his name, protested when part of his herd was caught in a bait trap by the BLM. Photographer Unknown.

This is beyond disgusting, made even more so because — like all of the other BLM roundups — they are unnecessary. Men in the white hats indeed, playing cowboy. What a despicable way to make a living. To be proud of it is even more shameful.

The Associated Press reports:

POWELL, Wyo. — Cloud, the famous mustang stallion, was not a happy camper as he watched members of his band caught.

But U.S. Bureau of Land Management personnel from Billings, Mont., believe they’re the guys in the white hats as they capture excess wild horses so Cloud’s 38,000 acre range in the Pryor Mountains, which straddle the Montana-Wyoming border, can feed a healthy herd.

There are around 175 mustangs on the range. The appropriate management level is 90-120 horses. Bureau employees hope to catch 30 or 40 mustangs from four bait-trap sites to put up for adoption, said a bureau news release.

Cloud himself did not enter the bait trap but a few from his band reportedly did.

Three mustangs wandered into the trap, one of which was on Bybee’s keep list. Bybee eased over and closed the gate. The corralled mustangs were not happy, and they neighed shrilly. The ground thundered as the horses stomped about, drumming up equine displeasure from outside the trap.

Despite being incensed, Cloud was in his photogenic glory.

Rolling on his back, he whipped up dust like [a] cantankerous baker flinging flour. Then he raced his band around the site like a cheesy 1950s Western movie.

Read full story >>

Ginger is no doubt there, with her heart in her throat. As soon as we hear from her, we will be sure to post it here.

Horse Racing: Breeding by the Numbers

Written by JANE ALLIN
Research Analyst, Int’l Fund for Horses

GLOBALLY in excess of 100,000 Thoroughbreds are produced each year, few of which in actual fact make it to the finish line. Current statistics from The Jockey Club (2009) identify the USA as the most prolific country in terms of foal crops holding almost 30% of the world’s foal population on a continuing annual basis; Australia, Ireland and Argentina follow with 15%, 9.5% and 7.8% respectively.

In fact, the top 10 breeding countries in the world comprise 87% of the total number of Thoroughbreds foaled each year.

Over the last 6 decades (i.e. 1950-2009), in North America alone, the foal crop has quadrupled to massive proportions, particularly during the 1980’s which saw the number almost double from the previous decade. The situation in NA is typical of the global picture where the quest for profit by the horse racing industry’s influential investors has led to over-production of physically weak Thoroughbreds built for speed rather than endurance. Currently only about 35% are sufficiently robust and healthy to start racing.

Breeding Thoroughbreds became a greed riddled business in the late 80′s and continued through the 90′s.

More recently, the breeding of Thoroughbreds has abated as a result of the sagging economy and its negative impact on sales. According to The Jockey Club statistics, in North America there were 27,233 thoroughbreds produced in 2010, down 15 % from 2008 with a further estimated decline of 10% in 2011. On a global basis the same trend has been observed for several of the major contributors to the foal crop, but not all.

For example, Australian and Irish coverings are down by 11.5% and 20% respectively over the period from 2008 to 2010 while slight increases (i.e. 2% – 3%) have been estimated for France, Japan and New Zealand. Nonetheless, over-breeding remains problematic for the “unwanted horse” epidemic from both a North American and global perspective.

Depending on the country, in any given year on average only 60% to 65% of the thoroughbreds foaled are destined for a career on the track of which even fewer make actually make it to their first race. Even more sobering is that only 5% of these Thoroughbreds will go on to win a larger-pursed stakes race and a mere 0.2% will win a Grade I stakes race. The remaining “unremarkable” racehorses who equally push the limits of their endurance are consigned to lower grade races on cheap tracks without fame or glory.

These facts and figures make a profound statement of the global breeding industry. Most importantly, what happens to the 35% to 40%, or more, of those who never see the track? Secondly, given that most of these horses only race until the age of 6, the question as to their fate for the remaining 20+ years of their lives emerges. The majority of those who don’t make the grade are sold to slaughter while the prognosis for the racing contingent is equally dismal – on average, two out of every three Thoroughbreds that come off the track — even those who are sound and healthy — are euthanized, abandoned or shipped to slaughter.

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