A documentary doen by Global TV Calgary:

Part 1:

www.globaltv.com/globaltv/calgary/video/index.html

Part 2:

www.globaltv.com/globaltv/calgary/video/index.html

Part 3:

www.globaltv.com/globaltv/calgary/video/index.html

Kathleen Johnson sent a message to the members of The Mitchell Centre for Equine Rescue (Vulcan, AB) - Horse Rescue.

--------------------
Subject: Global Series on Horse Slaughter... airing 3 nights starting Monday!

Hello all - happy Summer!

Well, as you know, the formal charity is closed, but Paul's involvement in the rescue of horses and in the plight of the horse industry is still very much active. Paul mentioned that he had been approached by the media again.

Please watch for this TV series on Global News starting tomorrow. The reporters' update:

This is to let everybody know the firm airdate for the Horse Series looking at the pros and cons of the horse slaughter industry. It is a 3 part series running over 3 nights on the Global Newshour at 6. It begins Monday May 25, the second part airs Tuesday May 26, and the final installment is Wednesday May 27.

Thanks to all for your efforts and voices for this project.

Sincerely,
Jill Croteau
Reporter
Global Calgary

Thanks everyone for your interest.
Tak care, Kathleen

The first time I saw this video, my blood pressure went up 30 points. If you have something of importance and would like to display, do it by all means, but make sure it's happy to be on display.

I won't say what I'd like to to do with the owner of the horse nor the parents of the children. I'll leave that for Fugly !!!!!

www.youtube.com/watch

Now how many of you can do this?????:

www.youtube.com/watch

Or this???:

www.youtube.com/watch

Or do this with your horse:

www.youtube.com/watch

www.youtube.com/watch

www.youtube.com/watch

 A happy ending for Big Brown:

Big Brown Settles in at Stud Farm

by: Amanda Duckworth
November 06 2008, Article # 13030

On a delightful autumn afternoon, Big Brown contently stood for photos and surveyed his new home while fulfilling the role of guest of honor during Three Chimneys Farm's open house for breeders Nov. 5.

Big Brown, who arrived at the Midway, Ky., farm Nov. 1, will stand for $65,000. The 3-year-old Boundary colt, who counts the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes among his four grade I wins this year, took the crowd and the event in stride.

"He's settled in beautifully, and he has been received really well," said Robert Clay, owner of Three Chimneys. "He's an easy horse to be around and likes the attention. He's got a great mind. I have gotten a lot of positive comments, and he is his best salesman."

The farm's other stallions were also available for inspection, including Lewis Michael, who will also be standing his first season at stud in 2009. Lewis Michael's full sister, champion Dreaming of Anna, was also retired this year and is boarded at Three Chimneys. Out of the Broad Brush mare Justenuffheart, they are both by Rahy, who stands at the farm. Lewis Michael's fee is $12,500.
"It is fun having Lewis Michael here with Dreaming of Anna across the street," said Clay.

Held during the third day of the Keeneland November mixed sale, an estimated 300-400 people stopped by to look at the stallions and to take part in the "Big Brown Bag Lunch" that was provided. Bloomingdale's supplied its "re-usable brown bag" for the event.

"We figured if Big Brown is his best salesman, let's catch people when they are in town," said Clay. "We had an incredible turnout. There just weren't quite enough Big Brown bags at the end of the day."

Here is a good article I found about horse slaughter in AB:

Horse Processing in Canada — How U.S. horses are treated that go north to slaughter

By Dorinda Troutman, RMR Staff Writer
Rocky Mountain Rider Magaizine
www.rockymountainrider.com
May 2008

The province of Alberta , Canada , is directly north of the western half of Montana and has a population of about 3.5 million people. The largest cities in Alberta are Edmonton , the capital, and Calgary. There is one large horse slaughter facility in Alberta . In addition to Canadian horses, it processes horses that come across the border from the U.S.

“We’re happy to have a slaughter plant in Alberta . It’s a viable way to create a value for all horses,” says Les Burwash, Manager of Horse Programs, Alberta Agriculture & Rural Development. About 50,000 horses per year are processed through that one plant, he told RMR.

Burwash says that if Alberta did not have a horse slaughter industry, a significant portion of horses would have no or negative value.

“We have strong regulations for all livestock going to slaughter, including making the process as humane as possible,” he explains. “All plants are federally inspected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency — every plant, every day. They are also charged with enforcing humane treatment at those plants.

“We don’t have strong opposition to horse slaughter [in Canada ], mostly due to good regulations and a culture that accepts horse meat as being okay to eat. Many horses are bred, raised and fed just for the slaughter industry — and their meat is a significant export product.”

In addition to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (the equivalent of the USDA), the province of Alberta has a unique Livestock Protection System for all livestock, including horses going to slaughter, that was put into place in 2006.

The System is a partnership between the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which is not affiliated with any other humane agency inside or outside of Alberta ; Alberta Agriculture and Food; the Alberta Farm Animal Care Association; the Canadian Food Inspection Agency; and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Alberta has “third-party” inspectors: eight SPCA Peace Officers who are appointed by the Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security, and paid for by a grant from the government, to enforce provincial statues on animal welfare.
“We can respond to complaints of abuse or conduct inspections at horse feedlots, holding facilities like auction marts or exhibitions, and horse transport problems, such as making sure horses are not being transported in double-decker trailers,” explains SPCA Peace Officer Morris Airey, Director of Alberta Animal Protection Services.

One officer is assigned to monitor transportation and handling of lifestock throughout the province.

“We have a three-way contractual agreement with Alberta Farm Animal Care and the Provincial Government. We meet regularly to work on any problems.”

Airey says that his agency responds to rural animal complaints in Alberta — about 50% are complaints about livestock, and about 30% of all complaints concern horses.

“People think of horses more as companion animals and so they are more inclined to report abuse or neglect of them than other livestock,” says Airey.

Two main laws protect animals from abuse and neglect in Alberta — the Animal Protection Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. Both protect horses being transported to slaughter, while they are at feedlots, and during the slaughter process.

The Animal Protection Act states that everyone who owns or looks after an animal in Alberta must:

(a) ensure that the animal has adequate food and water;

(b) provide the animal with adequate care when the animal is wounded or ill;

(c) provide the animal with reasonable protection from injurious heat or cold;

(d) provide the animal with adequate shelter, ventilation and space.

SPCA Peace Officers are proactive and need not wait for an offense to take action on a complaint. Under the way the law is written, they may take an animal into custody if they have reason to believe that an owner or caretaker is not likely to care for the animal, thus ensuring an animal does not become in distress.

The SPCA explains that by placing the duties of an animal owner or care provider in positive terms, it defines the responsibilities of an animal owner, and it is much easier to see that an animal is not being given water to drink than to show that it is in distress from dehydration.

Airey adds that the Animal Protection Act carries stiff penalties — much stiffer than the federal crimal code — up to $20,000 in fines, and a judge may deny ownership for life of any or all species of animals after conviction.

The Criminal Code of Canada anti-cruelty law prohibits anyone from willfully causing or permitting unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal or bird; by willful neglect causing damage or injury to animals or birds while they are being driven or conveyed; and who willfully neglects or fails to provide suitable and adequate food, water, shelter and care. A conviction brings a fine of up to $2,000 and/or six months in jail. The court may also prohibit the accused from owning or having custody of a species of animal or bird for up to two years.
 

This is an update to Trooper. As reported in the previous article: Oregan ....Summit, Trooper is recovering and has been adopted by a Youth Ranch:

Update on Trooper

By Nina Mehlhaf, KTVZ.COM



The story continued to unfold Thursday of how an arrest was made in the case of a wounded and starving horse found two weeks ago outside of Sisters.

A Banks, Ore., man was arrested Wednesday for shooting the horse twice and it turns out, he worked seasonally at a children's summer camp. "From our understanding, Nikko had been found a home, an adoptive home," Laura Felder said Thursday. She and her boss, Kyle Deaver, are the farriers who recognized their own horseshoe work on Nikko, or "Trooper" as he was renamed by rescuers.

He had been found by hunters nearly two weeks ago, shot in the head, 150 pounds underweight and wandering around the Sisters Ranger District with his halter and lead line still attached.

"We were shocked," Felder said. "We had no idea that it would be the same horse, and we had a photo on our records of him, just to double-check." Nikko was one of 35 horses at Camp Tamarack, a children's summer camp off Highway 20W near Suttle Lake. Giving rides to kids, directors say he was gentle and sweet, but a leg injury from his previous owner kept vets caring for him regularly.

It was when the camp's lead horse wrangler, Daniel Willeford, tried to find Nikko a new adoptive home at the end of the summer that things went wrong. "They (the camp) said if they found another home for it fine, but if not, they planned on keeping it and taking care of it until the wound healed, because it was just a good kids' horse," said farrier Kyle Deaver.

When craigslist ads didn't produce an adoptive home and months went by, detectives say Willeford made the secret and unauthorized decision to kill Nikko, and farriers say he left Camp Tamarack to believe he had been adopted.

Nobody knows why Willeford felt he desperately needed to get rid of the horse or find it a home, nor was NewsChannel 21 able to confirm or deny with detectives that Willeford was promised money for each horse he successfully adopted out.

Regardless, Nikko was shot first in the eye with a 9-mm gun, then again in the temple and left to die.
"When we first saw the horse, it was just sickening seeing him like that," Deaver said. "And to know Dan (allegedly) did it seems pretty crazy, because he didn't seem like that type of person."
Camp Tamarack's executive director echoed those feelings.

"We were completely shocked and had no idea that this had happened and that it was our horse," said Marc Prigohzy. "It's not something we have ever encountered or thought would happen to one of our horses."

Daniel Willeford is in the Deschutes County Jail and faces six charges, including animal abuse, animal abandonment and theft.

Nikko, named Trooper by his rescuers, is gaining weight and getting healthy and has been adopted by Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch outside of Tumalo.

I was just told the other day that we have 325+/- wild horses roaming in the south central area of Alberta. This is the highest it's been for a while. But, our neighbours to the south have a bigger issues than us:


Oregon Summit Reviews Abandoned Horse Issues

by: Pat Raia
October 24 2008, Article # 12954


U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer Fred Perl came face-to-face with the plight of unwanted horses on Oct. 17 when he assisted in the rescue of Trooper, a 6-year-old Arabian gelding that had been shot in the head and abandoned in the Deschutes National Forest near Sisters, Ore. Three days later, on Oct. 21, Perl was among 25 law enforcement officers, equine rescue operators, and other members of the Oregon equestrian community who met to brainstorm solutions to unwanted horse issues at a Humane Society of the Unites States (HSUS)-sponsored summit.

According to HSUS Oregon Director Scott Beckstead, the exact number of unwanted horses residing in Oregon and elsewhere is impossible to determine. But Perl's experience and an economy-driven spike in the number of horses residing at rescues nationwide indicate that unwanted horse numbers are on the rise. In response, summit members created an action plan aimed at relieving horses at risk.

"We want to establish hay and feed assistance, a foster care network, and euthanasia assistance for owners, and create care standards for rescues and foster homes," Beckstead said.

Ways to promote strict enforcement of anti-cruelty laws and meaningful abuse and neglect prosecutions are also part of the plan.

"It's important that people know there are rules and regulations about animal abuse and abandonment, and that those rules will be enforced," said Perl.

The summit will reconvene in November to consider other strategies, including breeders' roles in addressing unwanted horse issues.

"This must be a collaborative effort," Beckstead said. "The summit is an important first step."

This article has goten mixed reveiws with the horse forums I'm on. Is this something that should be offered by rescues in Canada???? What's your opinion on it????

Horse Rescue Offers Low-Cost Euthanasia Clinic

by: Pat Raia
October 15 2008, Article # 12903


NorCal Equine Rescue in Oroville, Calif., will offer a low-cost euthanasia clinic on Dec. 17 for owners who, due to economic or other reasons, are unable to care for their horses. Owners will be charged $25 for the euthanasia service, which will be performed by veterinarians.

Clinic participation requires owners to sign a release allowing the rescue to retain and place potentially adoptable horses. Horses that prove to be unsuitable for adoption will be humanely euthanized through the rescue's Final Act of Kindness program.

"The clinic is designed to provide financially strapped owners with an alternative to bringing their horses to auction where they may not sell, or may sell a very low price," said NorCal Co-Founder and Vice President Tawnee Preisner.

The group plans to host similar events several times per year.

I remember watching John Henry race on a Saturday afternoon on TV. A heart of gold and love for the track. A beautiful way to honour him:

John Henry Memorial Statue Unveiled

by: Erin Ryder, TheHorse.com News Editor
October 09 2008, Article # 12867

A year after the death of racehorse John Henry, fans now have a lasting monument and a dedicated place to remember their champion.

A bronze statue by artist Shelley Hunter has taken its place at John's gravesite, just outside the Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions paddock that John called home for 22 of his 32 years.

Just as they did at John's memorial service last year, fans, park officials, Hall of Champions staff, and the people who knew John during his racing career--including jockey Chris McCarron and breeder Verna Lehman--gathered to remember the feisty gelding. Due to impending rain, discussion of the monument was moved from the gravesite to the nearby Hall of Champions pavilion, a place where John's story had been told around 20,000 times.

Having a place to continue telling stories about John was one of the chief considerations for Bill Oster, a Hall of Champions volunteer and founder of the John Henry Memorial Fund, who began planning the statue at the horse's 30th birthday party. Oster said he hears John Henry stories everywhere--from people standing in front of the horse's stall door, to a recent veterinary conference in Louisiana, to grooms in the shed row at Santa Anita. Everyone seems to have a story about racing's "Blue Collar Hero," who was known as much for his temperament as his ability.

"I thought we needed a place where people can sit, reflect, and tell their stories about John," Oster said.
Oster asked Hunter, the executive director of The American Academy of Equine Art, which has its offices just down the hill from John's old paddock, to create the statue.

She said her "world stopped" when she was offered the piece, the creation of which she called "one of the best experiences of my life."

John's fans and admirers have been frequent visitors to Hunter's studio, keeping tabs on the work as it progressed. Some brought small tokens and asked her to have them melted into the bronze when the statue was cast. These included a small gold cross and chain, a bronze bracelet, pennies, even a set of Marine Corps dog tags. Eventually, Hunter had two handfuls of things people had brought to include in the statue.

But there was a problem--it was just too much. The amount of mixed metal would have compromised the strength of the bronze. So Hunter and those at the Tuska Studio foundry placed all the mementos into a stainless steel box, which was welded shut and placed into the statue's chest--right where the horse's heart would be.


Sculptor Shelley Hunter, Horse Park Executive Director John Nicholson, and John Henry Memorial Fund Founder Bill Oster unveil the statue at John Henry's gravesite. "They will be a part of John for as long as this thing stands," Hunter said of those devoted fans. "This is a statue with a heart--and that heart is full of love."
John's statue stands 31 inches at the withers. His head is up, and his tail is blowing in the breeze. Those who knew the horse in life will instantly recognize his defiant, domineering expression. He is perched upon a solid black granite pedestal, engraved with the words: John Henry; A Lasting Legend; 1975-2007.

Donations to help cover the cost of the statue can be made through Oster at johnhenrymemorial@yahoo.com.

Beyond the statue, there's no risk of John Henry's name fading into history. His name is now associated with an equine adoption fair and fundraising effort to assist distressed horses throughout the state of Kentucky. In June, more than 500 people attended the inaugural John Henry Memorial Equine Adoption Fair, which raised $15,000.

John Henry was a two-time Horse of the Year. The son of Ole Bob Bowers won 39 of 83 races and earned $6,591,860. Sixteen of those wins came in grade I races. Among his wins was the inaugural Arlington Million in 1981, a race which he won again as a 9-year-old in 1984. For most of his racing career, he was owned by Sam and Dorothy Rubin's Dotsam Stable and was trained by Ron McAnally.