The Scoop
Equine
News You Can Use.
Compiled by Jill Haight
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Horse Tests Positive for Rabies,
Thousands Possibly Exposed to Virus
The Tennessee
Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control are
notifying more than 150,000 people that they may have been
exposed to rabies after a 3-year-old gelding was found to
have the disease during a recent equine event. The potential
exposure occurred during the Tennessee Walking Horse National
Celebration in Shelbyville, Tenn., Aug. 23 – 31, 2006.
The infected horse was from Waynesville, Mo.
This
recent incident emphasizes the potential animal and human
health threat that rabies poses. Each year up to 40,000 people
receive preventative treatment after rabies exposure. Rabies
is a zoonotic disease that can be spread from an infected
horse’s saliva to people in contact with them. What’s
more, the signs of rabies in horses can easily be confused
with other neurological diseases, such as West Nile virus
or sleeping sickness, or with a wide variety of other conditions
such as or choke. |
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humans, rabies is nearly always fatal if left untreated. For
horses, there is no successful treatment, and so the disease
is ultimately fatal. Vaccination is the most effective way to
prevent rabies and ensure the disease does not affect horses. |
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| Upon
request, Merial can provide a free brochure about rabies and
IMRAB designed to educate horse owners. Merial is the world
leader in rabies prevention and the manufacturer of IMRAB®
rabies vaccine, which is the only brand proven under epidemic
conditions and is labeled for the prevention of rabies for six
species of animals. To request your free brochure about rabies
and rabies prevention, call (262) 938-5524. |
New Riding Trails Planned for Ocala Area
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Ten
to fifteen miles of horse trails will be available for riders
in the northeast corner of Silver River State Park just off
State Road 40. Unloading areas, complete with toilets and
mounting blocks, are planned. Water, toilets, and a corral
will be located at the camping area. The ridgeline trails
give riders the opportunity to ride through beautiful areas
of oaks, palms, and cypress. One trail will lead up to the
Silver River where riders will have a view point of the river.
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Eventually, a trail will connect with the Marjory Harris Trail
to the north of Silver River Park via a passage under State
Road 40 at the Ocklawaha Bridge.
Silver
River State Park is in the process of adhering to the requirements
of a grant that will specifically target the horse trails
development. With a budget of $120,500 the Greenways grant
would be for $72,300. The remainder $48,200, must be provided
by the community in the form of money and labor.
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| Friends
of Silver River State Park, the Citizen Service Organization
affiliated with the park, is in the process of contacting individuals
and area business asking for their support. The committee will
also conduct fundraising projects to obtain the necessary community
funding. Kathy Mattson, mattsonkat@cs.com, and Carol Perez prettyhorses@cfl.rr.com
are Co-chairs of the Horse Trail division of the CSO. For more
information or to find out how you can help please contact Friends
of Silver River State Park Horse Trails, 1425 N E 58th Ave,
Ocala, FL 34470. |
| If
you like MySpace.com you’ll love YourBarn.com |
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Equestrian
Adventurer Media announced today that the latest addition
to their stable of online equestrian resources, the social
networking site YourBarn (www.yourbarn.com)
has been launched.
"As horse people, we felt scattered," explains "Barn
Manager" Cate Stevens-Davis. "The Internet could
be invaluable in uniting equestrians, but it has sometimes
served to divide us – by state and country, riding style
and training focus. YourBarn allows for all of these differences
and still lets users feel like part of a community."
YourBarn features include user profiles and photo albums,
as well as blogging, message boards, instant messaging and
user-defined interest groups. YourBarn and all of its features
are free to use, with photo storage capabilities that are
hard to beat: up to 99 user icons and unlimited photo albums
for each user.
With so many great features, YourBarn is ideal for equestrians
of all backgrounds - including trainers keeping in touch with
students and posting lesson schedules, horse show moms and
dads, high school and college teams and riders of all skill
levels. Users can also browse and create classified and directory
listings, invite other members to events or interact with
Ranger, YourBarn's charismatic Quarter Horse mascot.
"We’re helping build a community of horse people
that every user can join and love," says Cate. "YourBarn
is for everyone, whether you have a backyard pony or a string
of show horses. Members all come for the same reason: they
love horses and want to interact with people who feel the
same."
"I think it's GREAT," gushes user Debi P. (amazing_lady)
in her YourBarn blog. "I belong to a few other sites
similar to [YourBarn], but I love how this is geared just
for horses and horse people! On the 'other' sites, I get the
impression that no one really cares or understands about how
important the horses are to me."
Debi is just one of hundreds of enthusiastic YourBarn members.
Almost five hundred horse lovers and riding stables from across
North America and as far as Australia and Singapore have joined
in just over two weeks.
And, as numbers steadily climb, YourBarn is quickly becoming
the web's most popular spot for equestrians to see and be
seen. Don’t get left behind! Log on to www.yourbarn.com
and join today!
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Performance
Permits for Non-Characteristic Appaloosas |
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Beginning January 1, 2007, the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC)
will issue Performance Permits to ApHC-registered, non-characteristic
(N) Appaloosas. Permits allow all non-characteristic Appaloosas,
regardless of parentage or age, to show in ApHC-approved
and sponsored events as well as race with results counting
toward ApHC race awards. Once a permit is issued, it remains
in effect for the life of the horse, regardless of ownership
changes.
Performance Permits eliminate the current Certified Pedigree
Option (CPO) program, as well as costly CPO fees and inspections.
Non-characteristic horses planning to show in 2006 are required
to complete the CPO program prior to showing. Appaloosas
entered in the current CPO program shall remain eligible
to show in ApHC-approved or sponsored events as well as
earn ApHC race awards for the life of that horse.
Prior to applying for Performance Permits, Appaloosas must
be ApHC-registered. If you own unregistered, non-characteristic
Appaloosas, look for the upcoming Aged Horse Special later
this year to receive reduced rates of registration for older
Appaloosas.
Prior to permits being issued, Appaloosas must be parentage
verified through DNA analysis by an ApHC-approved laboratory.
The original certificate of registration, current photographs
of the horse, and applicable fees (see fee schedule) must
be submitted to the ApHC along with a permit application.
Upon issuance of a permit, an updated certificate of registration
will be returned to the horse owner. Permit application
forms will be available through the ApHC and on the official
Website at www.appaloosa.com in November 2006.
In an effort to alleviate a backlog of parentage analysis
in January, it is recommended that owners considering purchase
of Performance Permits, parentage verify all applicant horses
as soon as possible. This is especially important if you
wish to show or race your non-characteristic Appaloosa in
January.
For a one-year introductory period, January 1 through December
31, 2007, eligible Appaloosas may enroll at the applicable
weanling fee, regardless of age. These introductory enrollment
fees shall expire in 2007 and the applicable fees for yearlings
and older horses will apply beginning January 1, 2008.
The Appaloosa Horse Club is the international breed registry
for Appaloosa horses and is located in Moscow, Idaho. Since
1938, the ApHC has been dedicated to the preservation and
promotion of the breed. Agile, intelligent and distinctively
colorful, Appaloosas excel in a variety of events and are
beloved around the world for their even temperaments and
reliability. To learn more contact: Krystina McCoy, ApHC
Public Relations Coordinator at (208) 882-5578 ext. 229
or publicrelations@appaloosa.com.
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| "FLICKA,"
the motion picture, to be released on October 20 |
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FLICKA
is a contemporary motion picture adaptation of Mary O’Hara’s
beloved novel My Friend Flicka. The filmmakers have re-engineered
the story of a child coming into adulthood, changing the main
character from a boy to a girl. In the new film, 16-year-old
Katy McLaughlin (Alison Lohman) dreams of fulfilling her family
legacy by working on her father’s ranch in modern-day
Wyoming. Katy’s father Rob (Tim McGraw) wants more for
her, insisting Katy go to college. He knows how difficult
ranch life can be, having struggled to keep the ranch solvent
in an ever-changing world.
When Katy finds a wild mustang, which she names Flicka, and
brings her home, and sets out to make her a riding horse,
Rob sees nothing but more trouble. Despite her father’s
disapproval, Katy and Flicka form an unbreakable bond that
is a catalyst for changes in the McLaughlin household.
Conflicted by her need to tame her own wild ways yet stay
true to the wild child within, Katy sets out to break through
to Flicka and make her a riding horse. But Flicka and Katy
are more alike than she could have imagined. Like Katy, Flicka
has a disdain for authority and is not about to give up her
freedom without a fight.
Flicka stars country singer Tim McGraw (“Friday Night
Lights”), Maria Bello (“A History of Violence”),
Alison Lohman (“Big Fish”) and Ryan Kwanten (TV’s
“Summerland”). The film is directed by Michael
Mayer, whose debut feature, “A Home at the End of The
World,” received critical acclaim.
Twentieth Century Fox releases FLICKA nationwide on October
20, 2006. For more information visit the web site: http://www.flickamovie.com.
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2006 FLORIDA EQUESTRIAN CELEBRATION |
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The 3rd Annual Florida Equestrian Celebration will be held
November 17-19, 2006 at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center.
Key sponsors include Duval Ford, SunTrust Bank and the Seminole
Indian Tribe of Florida. Considered the largest equestrian
exposition in Florida and the Southeast, this year's Celebration
will include invaluable educational clinics, workshops &
seminars, dynamic horse & rider performances, impressive
breed presentations and a Trade Show that will please even
the most prominent shopper.
Famous
clinicians & horse experts include Craig Cameron, Richard
Shrake, Jane Savoie, Tommie Turvey, Don West, Ross & Dawn
Falisi, Dr. KC LaPierre, Dr. Karen Hayes, Phil Rogers, Matt
Gable, Ryan Gingerich, The Priefert Hitch Texas Thunder, Debi
Metcalfe, Hal Coates and much more!
Spectacular
entertainment includes Friday Night's distinguished Dinner
In The Dirt™ starring EquineExtremist Tommie Turvey.
Saturday Night will highlight champion bull riders from across
the country mounting some of the world's best bucking bulls
for the Celebration's 1st Bull Riding Blowout. On Sunday the
Celebration's Inaugural Show Jumping Grand Prix will debut'.
Additionally, the Women's Professional Rodeo Association will
hold a breathtaking barrel racing competition. All entertainment
will WOW the crowds.
Promoter
Gordon Calhoun stated, "We asked folks what they wanted
in this year's Celebration. They said - equine experts, exciting
competition, thrilling entertainment, and shopping! Well this
year's Celebration will have something for everyone. It's
going to be power packed with thrilling performances from
horse hooves to wild bullhorns! You won't want to miss it!"
The Florida Equestrian Celebration supports the efforts of
the Florida Equine Industry by donating monies to the Northeast
Florida Equestrian Society (NFES), which in turn supports
the Jacksonville Equestrian Center. For information about
the event or purchasing tickets log onto to www.floridaequestrian.com. |
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THE HORSETV CHANNEL LAUNCHES NEW BROADBAND CHANNEL “HORSETV
ACCESS”
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The
HorseTV Channel is set to introduce its new broadband channel
HorseTV Access, with a free 6 day special presentation featuring
the network’s 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games coverage
beginning September 4th. The WEG presentation is a “Free
Rein” direct feed intended to give viewers the feeling
of “being at the event.” HorseTV Access will begin
airing The HorseTV Channel’s regular programming on September
10th and viewers will receive an additional week free upon subscribing
to the broadband channel.
"HorseTV Access will provide our viewers with the most
television-like experience available via broadband and will
complement The HorseTV Channel's current cable and satellite
television service," said George Greenberg, Chairman and
CEO of The HorseTV Channel.
Through HorseTV Access, subscribers will enjoy The HorseTV Channel’s
extensive programming lineup including series such as AQHA’s
Best of the West, The Complete Rider, FEI Equestrian World and
Richard Winters Horsemanship as well as top English and western
competitions, rodeo, polo and children’s series.
The broadband television technology for HorseTV Access will
be provided by Narrowstep Inc., a leading global provider of
broadband television services. HorseTV Access is available for
$6.95 per month at www.horsetv.com.
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