HAT Chat Articles – April 2006

 

 

A word from our President

 

Rain, rain and more rain.  Isn’t it great to finally see some good, solid rainfall?  My stock tanks are full again for the first time in months; how about yours?  I don’t think our drought is completely over with yet, but the recent rain sure goes a long way toward breaking it.

 

We’re all looking forward to getting the show season started with our Spring show on April 15th.  HAT shows are always a lot of fun, and I’m very excited about the Challenged Rider and Gaited Horse classes we’ve added this year.  Please check for the updated showbill in this issue, then come on out and celebrate Easter Weekend with us at Loy Lake Arena!

 

Kids, be sure to tell your parents about the upcoming Youth Clinic on May 6th.  It’s a little earlier this year, and it’s a full-day clinic this time, but it’s still free!  Look for more details about it in this issue.

 

Finally, don’t forget our Stallion Auction is still going on.  You can still pick up a breeding to a top-quality stallion at a bargain price!

 

Roger Dougan

HAT President

 

 

 

HAT Spring Show April 15th

 

HAT is gearing up for the Spring Open Show coming up on Saturday, April 15th, at Loy Lake Arena in Denison.  Registration opens at 8am, and the show starts at 9am.

 

There have been a couple of additional changes we have made to the showbill:

·                    In addition to the Challenged Rider class we announced last month, and at the request of several past participants, we have added a new Gaited Horse class which may be ridden in either Western or English tack.  We are offering the class on a trial basis this year, and therefore it will not count toward any High Point awards this season.

·                    We have also eliminated the open pleasure classes from the showbill (Western Pleasure Walk/Trot Open and English Pleasure Walk/Trot Open).  These classes have always created confusion for participants at registration time, and since they never counted toward High Point awards it was decided to remove them.

 

An updated showbill including all of these changes is included in this issue, and is also available for printing on our website.

 

Speaking of High Point awards, we can now announce more details regarding the new Year-End High Point awards:

 

Eligibility:

·                    Same horse/rider combination must perform at each show (a rider may show more than one horse, but each combination is counted separately).

·                    Must enter 1 Halter and 3 Performance classes at each show (same requirement as daily High Point)

·                    Must participate in 3 out of the 4 HAT shows this season

 

Awards:

·                    Two awards in 17 & Under and 18 & Over age groups

·                    $200 gift certificates

·                    Awards presented in a special ceremony at the HAT Year-End Dinner in December (more details later)

 

 

HAT Youth Clinic May 6th

 

CALLING ALL KIDS! – HAT will be holding its annual Youth Clinic on May 6th at Loy Lake Arena in Denison.  This will be a full-day clinic this time instead of the morning clinic/afternoon show held in previous years.  This clinic is free, and all youth 18 and under are invited to attend.  Look for more details on page 3 of this issue.

 

The 2006 HAT Youth Scholarship will be awarded at this Clinic.  If you haven’t entered yet, the deadline is April 12th – see pages 5-6 for more information and an application form.

 

 

State/Local News

 

 

Texas Animal Health Commission Cancels March 23 Meeting

 

The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) canceled its March 23 meeting, which had been scheduled in Round Rock (near Austin).  The commissioners had planned to consider proposed regulations that would require registration of sites where livestock, exotic livestock, domestic fowl and exotic fowl are held, managed or handled, and to charge a fee for premises registration.  More than 8,200 of the state’s estimated 200,000 premises have been registered as of March 8, and voluntary premises registration continues.

 

Premises registration is the foundation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), which, when fully implemented, would enable animal health officials to trace the movement of diseased or exposed livestock or poultry within 48 hours.

 

“We are seeking from the U.S. Department of Agriculture clear direction on National Animal Identification System timelines for implementation,” said Dr. Bob Hillman, Texas’ state veterinarian and TAHC executive director.  He explained that, after the passage of HB 1361, the TAHC commissioners proposed regulations for premises registration, and in February, held a Commission meeting to hear comments on the proposals.  The commissioners continue to consider the comments they received.

 

“The next meeting of the Commission is scheduled Thursday, May 4,” said Dr. Hillman.  “However, the agenda for that meeting will not be developed until late April.  It is too early to know whether the proposed regulations will be considered at that meeting.”

 

Information regarding the Commission meeting will be announced on the TAHC web site, in the Texas Register and through public announcement.  All TAHC commission meetings are open to the public.  The TAHC’s Austin headquarters may be reached at 1-800-550-8242, and the agency’s web site can be accessed at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us.

 

For more information, contact Carla Everett, information officer, at 1-800-550-8242, ext. 710

or e-mail ceverett@tahc.state.tx.us

 

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Help Needed for Ranchers in Wake of Damaging Fires

 

Amarillo – Generous donations of hay, materials and cash are coming into the region to help ranchers hit hard by Texas’ largest-ever grass fires, a Texas Cooperative Extension leader said.

 

People have started calling into various locations and agencies wanting to help ranchers who are dealing with replacing their fences and feeding their animals, said Dr. Bob Robinson, Extension regional program director for agriculture and natural resources.  The resources and donations are sorely needed, he said.

 

“We’ve been in a drought situation for the past six months that has required supplemental feeding of our cattle because of the lack of forage,” Robinson said.  “The fires complicated this problem.  They burned any remaining forage we had.”

 

The drought had affected all of Texas and Oklahoma and the hay inventory was already low, so anything is appreciated, he said.

 

A major need is help with transportation of these materials, Robinson said.

 

“There are donations of hay and cotton burrs, but we don’t have any way to get them from one place to another,” he said.

 

Staging areas have been set up in various counties for supplies and donations.  People who want to help or need help can make the following contacts:

  • Gray-Roberts County Farm Bureau at (806) 665-8451 is accepting cash and materials.  Ranchers needing items should call the same number.  Donations also can be made through the Texas Farm Bureau office at (254) 751-2246, or through www.txfb.org.
  • Texas Cattle Feeders Association is coordinating a hay donation also.  For more information contact Burt Rutherford at (806) 358-3681.
  • The Texas Department of Agriculture Hay Hotline can be accessed at (877) 429-1998 or by going to the Website: www.agr.state.tx.us.

 

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, (806) 677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu

Contact: Dr. Bob Robinson, (806) 677-5600, rrobinson@ag.tamu.edu

 

 

 

National News

 

First Two Commercially Cloned U.S. Horses Thriving

 

ViaGen, Encore Launch International Horse Cloning Business

with Announcement of Several Famous Mare Clones

 

Austin, Texas/Dallas, Texas — Livestock cloning company ViaGen Inc. is partnering with equine marketing firm Encore Genetics to create the first commercial horse cloning operation in the country.  The companies launched the new entity with announcements about the births of two famous horse clones and news of other pregnancies.

 

The legendary cutting horse Royal Blue Boon, a registered American Quarter Horse, became the first mare to be commercially cloned when a foal was born to a recipient mare on Royal Vista Southwest farms in Purcell, Oklahoma, on February 19, 2006.  The foal was born healthy and continues to thrive on the farm where she was born.

 

She was joined soon after by a clone of the mare Tap O Lena, born at the same farm on March 9, 2006.  Two clones of the famous mare Bet Yer Blue Boons are expected to be born any day.  Including the foals announced today, seven clones of famous horses will be born this year.  Many other pregnant ViaGen/Encore mares are due next year.  The companies have also gene banked over 75 champion horses from multiple breeds and disciplines.

 

The companies have sold horse clones worldwide.  Several have been sold in Europe through one of Encore’s marketing partners – a French company named Cryozootech.

 

“From the time I transferred the embryo into the recipient mare, these pregnancies were normal in every way and the births followed suit,” said Dr. Jim Bailey, DVM and manager of Royal Vista Southwest, a breeding technology center in the heart of Oklahoma horse country.  “The resulting foals were born normally and immediately stood to nurse.  They bonded well with the recipient mares and continue to grow and play in the sun.”

 

The Cloning Process

“The process of cloning is a state-of-the-art reproductive technology, one that allows the breeder to preserve genetics and expand the reproductive potentials of their superior animals,” says Dr. Irina Polejaeva, PhD, chief scientific officer for ViaGen, the company that provides the animal cloning technology.

 

Cloning is actually a simple process.  The clone is produced by first taking a small tissue biopsy from the animal to be reproduced.  This sample is shipped to ViaGen’s lab where cells are grown in culture.  Then, through a process called Nuclear Transfer, DNA from the donor’s cells is transferred into enucleated oocytes (eggs from which the genetic material has been removed).  The new embryos are grown in an incubator for several days and then transferred to recipient females as with traditional embryo transfer.  After a normal gestation period, the cloned foals are born.

 

Genetic Preservation

Until cloning became commercially viable, there was no way to duplicate a genetically superior animal to extend its influence on a breed or species.  In commercial livestock production, cloning has been used in sheep, hogs and cattle.  Until now, horse cloning has been a scientific experiment.

 

With Royal Blue Boon Too, ViaGen and Encore Genetics have partnered to preserve some of the greatest genetics in cutting horse history. Royal Blue Boon, the donor mare, is the all-time leading producer of cutting horses in the world with personal lifetime earnings of $381,764 and produce earnings of well over $2.5 million dollars.  It is this unique value of the mare that identified this registered American Quarter Horse as a specimen worthy of preservation.  At 26, the old mare is seeing the end of her long and prosperous career and her reproductive days are well behind her.  With that fact in mind, the owner of Royal Blue Boon made the decision to clone her cutting horse champion.

 

“This animal has created a legacy in the cutting arena that is unmatched by any other mare, and I simply could not imagine not being able to continue to breed this fine animal and improve the genetics of future generations of cutting horses,” says Elaine Hall of Weatherford, Texas, the owner of Royal Blue Boon and Royal Blue Boon Too.

 

Mrs. Hall and her husband Larry created a legacy in the sport of cutting, first with Royal Blue Boon and later with the mare’s own son, Peptoboonsmal by Peppy San Badger, the 1995 National Cutting Horse Association Futurity Open Champion, and an all-time leading cutting horse sire.  Through the continued performance of her progeny, Royal Blue Boon proved her genetic value to Mrs. Hall.

 

“The idea that we can use the best genetics for specific breeding purpose makes cloning and gene banking very attractive options for reproductive purposes,” says Mark Walton, PhD and president of ViaGen. “Horse breeders have always selected their genetics very carefully based upon the performance of the sire and dam, as well as the performance of the progeny of a bloodline.  Using a cloned line for breeding will extend the time over which a superior individual can be used.”

 

About ViaGen

Based in Austin, Texas, ViaGen is a global provider of advanced livestock genetic technologies, including cloning.  The company’s unmatched expertise in animal genomics is setting new standards for high quality animals and high quality consumer products.  ViaGen’s industry-leading compilation of livestock genomic data and patented breeding and product identification processes are extensively used in the cattle, swine and equine industries to obtain verifiably superior genetics.  ViaGen makes livestock genetic technology affordable and accessible to producers throughout the livestock production chain, from farm to fork, offering new opportunities for business to build revenue and for consumers to enjoy unprecedented quality and safety.

 

About Encore Genetics, Ltd.

Based in Weatherford, Texas, Encore Genetics serves a worldwide base of horse breeders interested in preserving the superior genetics of their stock and producing animals that are genetically identical to top performers in both the show arena and the breeding barn.  Encore partners Jim Ware and Milt Bradford have extensive experience in the sales, marketing and promotion of performance horses, as well as breeding and pedigree analysis.  Brad Stroud, DVM, is a pioneer and foremost authority in embryo transfer, commercial IVF and ultrasound.

 

For further information regarding horse cloning, contact an Encore Genetic partner at (817) 599-3017 or a ViaGen representative at (512) 401-5900.

 

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Comments Published by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA)

Regarding the First Commercially Cloned U.S. Horses

 

Under AQHA’s Rule 227(a), which became effective in 2004, clones are not eligible for registration with the Association.  Rule 227(a) was proposed and passed by AQHA’s membership after it became generally known that researchers were seeking to clone higher mammals.

 

Although AQHA rules provide for a democratic process for changing existing rules, no change to Rule 227(a) has been proposed.  Nevertheless, over the past couple of years, AQHA staff members have been collecting information regarding cloning developments.  For informational purposes, AQHA has periodically distributed such material to its Stud Book and Registration Committee, which initially reviews registration issues.

 

“AQHA members are sensitive to their fundamental responsibilities for the welfare and integrity of the breed in the long term,” said Gary Griffith, AQHA Executive Director of Registration.  “We do not know how this emerging technology will affect the breed, and we will continue to study it.  We must bear in mind that decisions made today could have unanticipated effects on the breed many years down the road.”

 

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Statement Published by the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA)

Regarding the First Commercially Cloned U.S. Horses

 

“The current rules of the National Cutting Horse Association have no prohibition against cloned horses competing in NCHA-sanctioned events,” said Jeff Hooper, Executive Director of the National Cutting Horse Association.  “Since its founding in 1946, the NCHA has been a performance-based association that permits entries from horses of all breeds.”

 

Standing Rule 1 of the National Cutting Horse Association’s Official Handbook of Rules and Regulations states:

 

In an NCHA class, competition must be open to any horse, regardless of breed, age, sex, color, conformation, appearance or previous performance.  Horses are judged on performance only.

 

 

 

 

Legislative Update

 

 

 

Animal/Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Animal Care Division to Host

Horse Protection Program Listening Session in Dallas

 

 

On Wednesday, April 19, 2006, USDA APHIS Animal Care will host a Horse Protection Program Listening Session from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Sterling Hotel Dallas, 1055 Regal Row, Dallas, TX 75247.

 

Registration for the Session will be held on site and will begin at 12:30 p.m.

 

This meeting will be the third of six Listening Sessions that Animal Care will be hosting in 2006, including sessions in:

  • May 17, 2006, Center for Rural Development, 2292 South Highway 27, Suite 300, Somerset, KY 42501
  • June 12, 2006, Kellogg West Conference Center, 3801 West Temple Avenue, Pomona, CA 91768
  • September 11, 2006, Miller & Martin PLLC, Volunteer Building, 832 Georgia Avenue, Suite 1000, Chattanooga, TN 34702

 

The purpose of the meetings are to:

1) Gather public input regarding the next Operating Plan;

2) Gather public input about the future direction of Horse Protection Act enforcement; and

3) Share information with the public about past, present, and future activities of the Horse Protection program.

 

USDA will first present an overview of the Horse Protection Program, followed by an open microphone session for people to share information with USDA.  A transcription service will be present to capture all comments on paper, which will in turn be posted on Animal Care’s Horse Protection web page: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/hapainfo.html.

 

Anyone interested in horses regulated by the Horse Protection Act are encouraged to attend and share their thoughts.

 

 

Background Information:

 

The Horse Protection Act (HPA) prohibits horses subjected to a process called soring from participating in exhibitions, sales, shows, or auctions.  In addition, the Act prohibits drivers from hauling sored horses across State lines to compete in shows.  The law was first passed in 1970 and amended in 1976.

 

In enforcing the HPA, USDA APHIS Animal Care oversees the Designated Qualified Person (DQP) program.  DQPs are trained and licensed by USDA-certified horse industry organizations or associations to detect sored horses.  DQPs are responsible for barring from shows horses that do not meet the HPA regulations.  To ensure DQPs continue to adhere to HPA standards, Animal Care personnel conduct randomly scheduled unannounced inspections at horse shows and sales.

 

For those who violate the HPA, APHIS can impose criminal or civil charges.  If convicted, violators can spend up to 2 years in prison, receive penalties of up to $5,000, and be disqualified for 1 or more years from the right to show, exhibit, or sell horses through auction sales.  Trainers can be disqualified for life.

 

In addition to the HPA, many State and local governments have passed animal welfare legislation.  The public is encouraged to work with Federal, State, and local officials as well as local humane organizations to help eliminate inhumane treatment of animals.

 

 

Extension Service News

by Eddie Baggs, CEA-Agriculture

Denton County Cooperative Extension

 

Brush Control on Small Acreage

 

An increasing number of families own and live on semi-rural acreage.  Property values of these tracts will exceed undeveloped native rangeland especially if brush species are controlled.  Removal of brush species will also increase the carrying capacity of livestock as well as the land’s aesthetic value.  Knowledge is important if using a herbicide to avoid poor control and damage to desirable trees and shrubs.

 

Most brush species are crown or root sprouting.  Therefore, if you cut one of these down, regrowth will occur and possibly be even harder to kill.  Mechanical and chemical methods are available to effectively and safely control these unwanted plants.  Mechanical control will include hand-grubbing and the use of tractors with grubbing attachments.  Small acreage owners may choose hand-grubbing because of the high cost in contracting large equipment.  Hand-grubbing will provide a high degree of control if plant tissue is removed below the root crown so that sprouting buds are eliminated.  Depth of removal may range from 4-14 inches.  If the species are above 4 feet or are in a number of more than 50 plants per acre, the use of herbicides may be better than grubbing.

 

The cut-stump method is a good one for larger species and can be done any time of the year.  Diesel fuel and a herbicide mixture of 25% by volume will provide good control and prevent sprouting.  Cover the cut surface, particularly the cambium layer next to the bark, but be careful not to apply diesel fuel to the ground or as a foliar spray as this may cause well contamination.

 

Basal treatments can be used for species that are less than 6 inches in diameter for best results.  Conventional basal applications (rates same as for the cut-stump method) will involve an application of 12 inches from the ground line up and is best used on single trunk species.  Low volume basal treatments involve the use of a sprayer to coat the trunk of the species from the ground line to 12-16 inches with a 25% herbicide and 75% diesel fuel mixture.  Streamline basal treatments are also applied with a sprayer but set on a straight stream.  This mixture will include a herbicide (25%), diesel fuel (65%) and a penetrant (10%).  The mixture is sprayed in a narrow band (2-3 inches) around the base of the plant.  This works best on plants with smooth bark.  Plants with diameters over 6 inches may require frilling before applications.

 

The use of some herbicides will require a pesticide applicator license to be in compliance with State and Federal laws.  The Denton County Extension Office and Northwest I.S.D. will conduct training and testing on April 18, 2006, from 8:30 am to 2 pm at the Northwest High School Agriculture Center in Justin.  To register call the Adult & Community Education Office at 817-215-0273.

 

Educational programs conducted by the Texas Cooperative Extension serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

 

 

A Bit of Humor

 

Your Most Important Questions are Finally Answered!

 

 

Q: How do you induce labor in a pregnant mare?

A: Take a nap.

 

Q: How do you cure equine constipation?

A: Load the horse in a clean trailer.

 

Q: How do you cure equine insomnia?

A: Show the horse in a halter class.

 

Q: How do you get a horse to stay very calm and laid back?

A: Show the horse in a speed class.

 

Q: How do you get a horse to wash his own feet?

A: Clean the water trough and fill it with fresh water.

 

Q: How do you get a mare to come into heat?

A: Take her to a show.

 

Q: How do you get a mare in foal on the first cover?

A: Let the wrong stallion get out of his stall.

 

Q: How do you make sure that a mare has that beautiful, perfectly marked foal you always wanted?

A: Sell her before she foals.

 

Q: How do you get a show horse to set up perfectly and really stretch?

A: Get him out late at night or any time no one is around to see him.

 

Q: How do you induce a cold snap in the weather?

A: Clip a horse.

 

Q: How do you make it rain?

A: Mow a field of hay.

 

Q: How do you make a small fortune in the horse business?

A: START WITH A LARGE ONE!

 

Author Unknown

 

 

Ask The Vet

by Dr. Katie Hayes, DVM

 

Springtime Reminders

 

Founder Alert!

 

Spring is here, and so is the green grass.  Any horse that has previously foundered needs to come off the grass at night so they won’t re-founder.

 

 

Spring Vaccinations

 

We recommend a 5WAY now (Eastern & Western Encephalitis, Tetanus, Rhino, and Flu), and then in June we give West Nile and Rabies.  Splitting up the vaccinations this way is easier on the horse and the wallet.

 

 

Ft. Dodge Innovator Rewards Plan

You will be seeing ads in magazines about Ft. Dodge’s vaccine guarantee plan.  Ft. Dodge has come out with a form for the vet and you to fill out, and if you use their vaccines and wormers two times per year they will pay for treatment of any disease caused by a failure of their vaccines.  By using their vaccines and wormers you can also accumulate points to win a vest.  We use Ft. Dodge vaccines and have the forms at the clinic.

 

 

First Aid Kit

 

Time to get your first aid kit in order for your horse trailer or barn:

  1. Bandage material for cuts: cotton roll, gauze rolls, vet wrap, scissors, Nitrofurazone antibiotic spray or ointment
  2. Nail or Wire: hoof pick, pliers/wire cutters to pull nail out or cut wire (don’t forget to bandage after you pull the nail out and before you put the hoof down in the dirt, and put iodine or Betadine solution into the nail hole).
  3. Bute paste: for lameness or pain from injury
  4. Sickness: thermometer (digital from the drug store), one Banamine shot (does not have to be refrigerated)
  5. Eye injury or dirt/hay in eye: SSD eye ointment ($5 at the clinic)

We have many of these supplies at the clinic; you can call and come by to pick them up.

 

 

This Month’s Recipe

 

Pizza Calzone                                                                                                                                          Servings: 8

 

2 pkg               (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust

3 oz                  sliced pepperoni (about 40 slices)

1 jar                 (4-1/2 oz) sliced mushrooms, well drained

1/2 cup             sliced pimento-stuffed green olives

8 oz                  thinly sliced provolone cheese

1 tbsp               finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 jar                 (14 oz) pizza sauce, heated

 

·              Heat oven to 375° F.  Lightly grease 12-inch pizza pan.  Unroll one package of pizza crust and place in greased pan.  Starting at the center, press out crust with hands to the edge of the pan.  Layer pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, and provolone cheese over dough.

·              Unroll remaining package of pizza crust and press out on a work surface to form a 12-inch round.  Fold crust in half, place over provolone cheese and unfold.  Press outside edges to seal, and cut several slits in top crust to allow steam to escape.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

·              Bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is a deep golden brown.  Cut into wedges and serve with warm pizza sauce.

 

Suggestion: substitute your favorite pizza toppings, such as sausage, bell peppers, ground beef, onions, or mozzarella cheese.