HAT Chat Articles – May 2006
A word from our President
Just about all our new foals are on the ground now, and I
for
If you didn’t get out to our show on April 15th, you missed a history-making day for HAT! It was our largest show ever, and every class was well represented, including the new Challenged Rider and Gaited Horse classes (I was delighted with the surprise our announcer gave us when he started calling out that class in Spanish!).
With our first show under our belt, we’re not about to slow down now. This month we have two events, our annual Youth Clinic on the 6th and our first Membership Trail Ride on the 20th. Then in June, we’ll have our Summer Show on the 17th. You’ll find more information about all of these in this issue.
I am especially proud of all the hard work our HAT members have been putting in over the past few months to make our meetings and events the best they can be. Through their dedication, I have no doubt that 2006 will be remembered as one of the best years ever in the history of our Association.
Roger Dougan
HAT President
HAT Spring Show a Great Success;
Summer Show Coming Up June 17th
HAT’s Spring Show was by far the most successful in HAT’s
history. Almost 80 entries, including
over a dozen in Halter Color classes alone, made up the largest field ever and
gave judge Gaye Hixon quite
a challenge throughout the day. When it
was all over, daily
We are most proud of our two newest classes. Jennifer Lunsford became the first-ever participant in our Challenged Rider class, and both her trainer and her spotter/helper were the first-ever participants in our Gaited Horse class (each riding Peruvian Paso horses in full Spanish-style tack, and the spotter even dressed as a traditional gaucho). To add a very special touch to the event, our announcer Richard Noyes very skillfully called out the gait changes for the class in Spanish!
Don’t forget our Summer Open Show is coming up on Saturday,
June 17th, again at Loy Lake Arena in
HAT Youth Clinic May 6th
One last reminder – the
HAT Youth Clinic is coming up on May
6th at Loy Lake Arena in
HAT Membership Trail Ride May 20th
HAT
will be holding its first Membership Trail Ride on Saturday, May 20th
at Lake Ray Roberts. The cost will be $5
per person for ages 12 and up, and proof of negative Coggins is required for each
horse on the grounds.
Plans
call for a morning ride, followed by a break for lunch, and then an afternoon
ride for those who wish to go out again.
Lunch is bring-your-own.
Due
to insurance requirements, all participants in the ride must be HAT members. Membership forms will be available and dues
can be paid on site prior to the start of the ride.
For driving directions and more information,
contact ride coordinators Paul and Sheila Johnson at (903) 429-6274.
State/Local
News
Regulations “On
Hold” Till 2007; Voluntary Registration Continues
The
Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) will not address proposed regulations for
premises registration at the upcoming May 4 TAHC commission meeting in
Dr.
Hillman said the TAHC will continue to promote voluntary, free registration of
sites (premises) where livestock and fowl are held, handled or managed. As of
April 4, more than 10,000 premises have been registered in
Information
and agendas for Commission meetings will be posted on the TAHC web site, filed
in the Texas Register and announced through news releases. All TAHC commission meetings are open to the
public. The TAHC’s
Information sheets about premises registration, NAIS booklets, or presentations about premises registration may be requested by contacting the nearest TAHC area office, or by calling the TAHC’s headquarters and asking for Kenny Edgar, identification coordinator, or Carla Everett, public information officer.
For info, contact Carla Everett, information officer, at 1-800-550-8242, ext. 710
- - - - - - -
A summit scheduled May 17-18 in
The summit, which will address the needs of the horse
industry, will be held at the headquarters of the American Paint Horse
Association. A reception is scheduled at
The center, which has been approved in concept by the Texas A&M Board of Regents, would provide some of the first detailed economic research related to the equine industry, said Dr. Ernie Davis, director. The meeting will help strategic planners better assess the needs of the industry, he said. More than 230 companies and individuals have been invited to attend.
“We invite anyone who wants to share in the exploration of
this topic, while learning more about and providing input into the goals and
vision of the center,”
Ron Thomas, CEO of the Tennessee Walking Horse National
Celebration, will be the keynote speaker May 18. The annual walking horse event held in
The center would be responsible for annual economic analysis
in various sectors of the industry,
The proposed center has received endorsement by the American Quarter Horse Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, Equibrand Corp., and Wrangler. Funding for the center would come from the horse industry through membership fees.
For more information about the summit, or to receive an
information packet about the center, contact
Writer: Blair Fannin, (979) 845-2259, b-fannin@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Ernie Davis, (979) 845-1705, eed@tamu.edu
National
News
Hall of Fame Jockey McCarron to be Academy’s first Director
The Kentucky Community and
Technical College System (KCTCS) has partnered with the North American Racing Academy
(NARA) to establish the first thoroughbred racing academy in the
The mission of
KCTCS’ role will be to facilitate
the development of
The first
|
|
|
|
|
The long term vision for
Chris McCarron’s
career is without equal. A professional jockey
for 28 years, he rode into the winner’s circle 7,141 times and earned over $260
million in purses. His most notable wins
include two in the Kentucky Derby (Alysheba in 1987
and Go For Gin in 1994), two Preakness, two Belmont Stakes, and nine Breeder’s
Cup races. In 1987 he co-founded the Don
MacBeth Memorial Jockey
Fund, which assists disabled jockeys and their families. He received numerous awards during his
career, and was inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame in 1989. After retiring from racing in 2002, he served
as the race designer for the movie Seabiscuit as well as played the role of Charlie Kurtsinger (War Admiral’s jockey) in the film.
“I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am
to be part of the first racing academy in the
For more information about
Legislative Update
American Horse Council
Contact: NLamoureux@horsecouncil.org
Congressman Ron
Lewis Receives Rolapp Award
On Tuesday, April 4th at its annual Awards
Luncheon held during AHC’s annual National Issues
Forum, the American Horse Council presented the Rolapp
Award to Congressman Ron Lewis of
The Rolapp Award is named in honor of R. Richards Rolapp, president of the American Horse Council until 1993 when he passed away, and is presented to a Member of Congress who has been particularly supportive of the horse industry.
Congressman Lewis was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 and serves on the important Ways and Means Committee. He has played a major role in shaping and passing the major tax bills of the last few years, including the increase of the Section 179 expense deduction for horses to $100,000 and bonus depreciation. Both changes helped the horse industry and the economy.
In the last Congress he was particularly important in passing the so-called alien withholding provision which will provide important opportunities to open up the international wagering market.
In this Congress, he is the principal House sponsor of the Equine Equity Act, which would (1) shorten the withholding period for horses to enjoy capital gains treatment, (2) put all race horses in the three-year category for depreciation purposes and (3) extend the eligibility of horse owners to benefit from federal emergency relief following disasters.
“Congressman Lewis understands and appreciates the importance of the $102 billion horse industry and the agri-business it supports,” said Jay Hickey, president of the American Horse Council in presenting the award to Congressman Lewis. “The industry very much appreciates his long-standing support and hard work and we are very pleased to present him with the 2006 Rolapp Award.”
AHC’s 2006
Horse Industry Directory Now Available
The American Horse Council’s 2006 Horse Industry Directory is now available. This must-have publication includes listings, both national and international, covering every segment of the equine industry. Updated yearly, it is the definitive source that puts the equine industry at your fingertips.
For the 13th year,
American Live Stock Insurance Company has shown its commitment to the horse
industry by sponsoring this Directory.
American Live Stock Insurance Company has served to protect the
investments of the horse industry by providing mortality and related coverages for five decades.
They enjoy an A+ (
The Directory includes listings for breed registries; racing, rodeo, show, sport and trail organizations; equine welfare organizations; equine publications; and listings of state and federal sources of information. And, it is tabbed and indexed to make access as easy as possible.
The Horse Industry Directory is a member benefit for certain levels of AHC membership or available for purchase for just $25. It may be ordered by visiting the AHC website at www.horsecouncil.org, by phone at 202-296-4031 or by sending a $25 check or money order to 1616 H Street, NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC, 20006. Detailed membership information can also be found on AHC’s website.
- - - - - - -
As the national trade
association representing the horse industry in
The AHC is member supported by individuals and organizations representing virtually every facet of the horse world from owners, breeders, veterinarians, farriers, breed registries and horsemen's associations to horse shows, race tracks, rodeos, commercial suppliers and state horse councils.
Extension
Service News
by Eddie Baggs, CEA-Agriculture
Toxic Plants
Toxic plant poisonings cause an estimated $50 million in
livestock losses in
High risk areas for toxic plant populations are handling facilities, bedding and feeding areas. The soil is continually disturbed in these areas, which promotes invasion of toxic plants.
Good grazing management practices can reduce or even avoid livestock losses from plant poisoning. Stocking rates should be reduced in areas known to have toxic plants, and areas that are under extreme environmental stress should be avoided completely until enough desirable forage is available. Many toxic plants are among the first to green-up in the spring and stay green longer into the fall.
Supplemental feeding during these periods will also be of
benefit. Always keep out a source of
mineral supplement with phosphorus content; phosphorus is the most limiting
factor in most
Correct diagnosis of a poisonous plant death is often difficult. When a sick or dead animal is found, the first step in diagnosis is to determine whether the cause is plant poisoning or infectious disease. To do this it is necessary to carefully observe symptoms of the affected animals and have a good knowledge of the plants native to the area. Assistance is available from your local veterinarians, the Texas Cooperative Extension, the Natural Resource Conservation Service or the Texas Veterinary Diagnostic Lab.
Educational programs
conducted by the
A Bit of Humor
Defining Riders and Their Horses
This Month: Natural Horsemanship
The Rider:
A Natural
Horsemanship devotee looks like a throwback from a
The Horse:
Rusty is the
quintessential Natural Horsemanship mount.
Rescued from a situation where he was never initiated in the NH ways,
he’s learned to run down his owners at feeding time, knock children from his
back under low hanging branches, and could even spit like a camel if provoked. The embezzlement has never been proven. The hospitalization tally for his handlers
was twelve until he met Spherical Sam.
After twelve minutes in the round pen, he is teaching algebra to high
school freshmen, speaks three languages fluently, and can put on his own splint
boots (with Spherical Sam’s trademark logo embossed clearly).
Frequently Overheard in Conversation:
“Well, shucks ma’am, tweren’t nuthin’!”
“It’s simple horsemanship.”
“With this special twirly flickitat’em rope ($17.95 plus tax), you’ll be roundpenning like me in no time.”
“You silly human, that just ain’t natural for a horse.”
Next Month:
The Dressage
Queen
Ask The Vet
by Dr. Katie Hayes, DVM
Solitude - New Fly Control Product
Solitude is a new feed-through fly product that has come out on the market and is affordable. Solitude is fed once a day in the horse’s feed and is passed out in the manure. The flies lay their eggs in the manure. The new flies that would hatch out of the manure never hatch because the product affects their exoskeletons from developing. So there is no new hatch of flies. If you started the product today, you would notice the reduction in flies in one month because it takes a month for the adult flies that are alive now to die off.
If your horses are in an isolated area, where your next door neighbors do not have horses or cattle, this product will work. Solitude won’t work well if your neighbor has horses because their manure is not being treated, so they will have flies hatching out of their manure and coming over to your horses and property.
Before starting the product you must remove the manure pile at your place because it has no Solitude in it. Then add Solitude to the feed daily and the new manure pile will have Solitude in it to prevent further fly hatchings. Cost is $18 per month per horse (60¢/day).
The time to start it is now at the beginning of fly season. You can buy it from us or we can have it delivered to you and billed. For effective fly control you will probably have to feed solitude May-November (6 months.)
Fly Repellant Drops
Repellant products include sprays and drops. For horses that receive daily hands on grooming and washing, fly sprays are more effective. For horses out in the pasture, the fly drops are the best where their residual repellant action can give some comfort and peace to the horse. The fly drops are applied to the poll, withers, croup and back of each leg. The drops are to be applied every two weeks. The product “War Paint” is a roll-on paste and can be applied once a week. (These products are toxic to cats). We sell the drops for $10 for a package of 3 which is good for 6 weeks.
Neurologic Form of Rhino
The last outbreaks of Rhino at the race tracks in
The virus damages the lining of blood vessels in the respiratory system, the placenta and now the spinal cord. The visual signs are respiratory fever, runny nose and cough. If the virus goes into the spinal cord the signs after the respiratory infection are lack of coordination, loss of function of the tail, dribbling urine, sometimes progressing to unable to rise. Spread of the virus is by aerosol coughing and nasal drainage into the stalls, buckets, lead ropes, handlers, etc. It is most contagious the first week, but horses can shed it nasally for 3-4 weeks. Diagnosis is by blood tests and nasal swabs.
Treatment is for fever (Banamine & Bute) and some antiviral drugs and DMSO if neurologic. Antibiotics are of no value in killing the virus. A new product Zylexis reduces the severity of symptoms and is also effective in stimulating the horse’s immune system against the virus before exposure.
Vaccination - There are 4 vaccines that are a killed virus
and help prevent the respiratory form.
There is 1 vaccine that is modified live, Pfizer’s “Rhinomune”,
that shows to be effective against the neurologic
form. We have both vaccines. The killed virus vaccines can be combination
vaccines, 5WAY, Flu/Rhino. The live
vaccine Rhinomune should only be used by itself, not
given with any other vaccines or worming.
Horses should be vaccinated at least 8 days before being shipped to a
racetrack or training center.
Recipe of the Month
Mozzarella Chicken Roll-Ups Servings: 4
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green peppers, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp garlic salt
4 small boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
1 cup spaghetti sauce
·
Preheat oven to 400°
F. Mix 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, cream
cheese, green peppers, oregano, and garlic salt until well blended. Shape into 4 logs. Place one log on one of the short ends of a
chicken breast, and press lightly into chicken.
Roll up chicken breast tightly, tucking in the ends to completely
enclose filling. Repeat to create four
rolls.
·
Place chicken rolls,
seam-side down, in a 13x9 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Spoon spaghetti sauce evenly over chicken and
cover with foil.
·
Bake 30 minutes or
until chicken is cooked through (170°
F). Remove foil, sprinkle remaining
shredded cheese on top of chicken, and bake an additional 3-5 minutes or until
cheese is melted.