Man Charged With Animal Cruelty In Case of Abused Horse

A 65-year-old man has been charged with animal cruelty for transporting a lame horse to the New Holland Sales Stables for auction, in a case which gained international headlines.

The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office said Phillip S. Price was charged on Wednesday with five summary citations over his handling of Lily, a pony mare.

The horse, seemingly left at the saleyards in Pennsylvania following the auction, was reported to be in poor condition, but what shocked the horse community was evidence the grey mare had been hit up to 130 times with paint-ball pellets.

However, authorities stressed that they have yet to make an arrest in connection with the paint-ball matter.

The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that New Holland police Detective Lieutenant Jonathan Heisse had filed the charges against Price, which will be mailed to him.

The Lancaster County SPCA investigated the case. Police, after consultation with and approval by Assistant District Attorney Christine Wilson, filed the charges.

The injured horse, since named Lily, was very thin and blind when she was dropped off at the New Holland Sales Stables on West Fulton Street on March 14.

Price, of East Providence, Rhode Island, is charged with three counts of animal cruelty, a single count of dealing and handling animals without a license, and a single count of importing animals without an interstate health certificate.

The horse was allegedly transported from a location in New Jersey to the auction site.

Each summary citation carries a maximum fine of $300, plus additional court costs, which will be ordered by District Judge Rodney Hartman if Price is proven guilty. At that point, restitution for the horse’s care may also be ordered.

Six Words No Instructor/Trainers Wants To Hear

by Cheryl Childs/Cheryl Childs Horsmanship

There are six little words that can strike terror in the heart of a trainer/instructor. You ask what those six little words are - well they are  "I was talking to a friend,". You see those six words are generally followed by "and he said I should......" and with those few words uttered in a matter of seconds months of hard work by the rider, the horse and  myself are undone. When those words come out of a client's mouth I brace myself for a deluge of advice from that friend who apparently believes they know more than a professional trainer/instructor. It also seems that this friend doesn't support their friend (my client) in her need to improve her horsemanship, build a better bond with her horse, become a more confident rider or improve her horse's overall training. This friend seems to be opposed to their friend (my client) expanding her horizons and trying something new with her horse as well.

This advice giving friend always seems to have the answer to any problem someone is having with their horse. Their answers are usually as follows "you just need to ride him longer and harder on the trail" or "you need to get spurs - he's just lazy" or "you're wasting  your time with that stuff like collection or balanced horsemanship because you're just a trail rider - just ride", but wait my favorite of all of them  is " just get back up there, he's fine, let's go". That last word of advice is probably the most dangerous piece of advice anyone can give you. All joking aside if you have a friend or friends who gives you advice like that you need to find new friends.

I have heard it time and time again, "My horse spooked and I got nervous, but my friends told me to just ride it out and that's when I came off,".  My advise as an equine professional is if your horse is spooky or acting strange do not be too proud to climb down - it's always about your safety and also your horse's safety. There is no shame in walking your horse home or back to the trailer and arriving in one piece. I have had clients who were seriously hurt when someone told them to "ride it out". I have also had clients who didn't get physically hurt, but had their confidence was shaken so badly they almost gave up riding.

As for that friend's advice about not needing to improve your riding skills because you are a trail rider, well I say that's a load of manure. Every rider, whether they are on the trail or in the show ring, needs to be the best rider they can be, so their horse is the best he can be. You need to be balanced in the saddle when you ride on the trail for your safety and your horse needs to know how to change leads and collect on the trail. There is nothing wrong with improving your horsemanship and your horse's training - even if you are a trail rider.

So to all those friends out there with all that good advice here is some advice for you - if your friend wants to take lessons to improve her riding skills, wants to work with a trainer or wants to try something new encourage her - don't undermine her. Don't give her advice that might get her hurt and shake her confidence so badly she stops riding. Be a real friend and encourage her to dismount and you do the same. Lastly please don't give her advice contrary to the instructing and training she is receiving from me.

Paint-ball victim Lily: Surgeon explains her eye operation

The mare shot up to 130 times with a paint-ball gun is recovering following her eye operaton, with her surgeon confident she will bounce back well.

Lily, who is believed to be aged about 20 and with Arabian and Appaloosa bloodlines, has been under the care of veterinarians after being found in poorly condition at the New Holland Sales Stables in Pennsylvania this week.

Lily was not part of the day’s sale and it is surmised she was abandoned there by her owners. She was found to be underweight and suffering from eye issues which required surgery.

However, it was the sight of her grey coat, stained from the impact of up to 130 paint-ball pellets, that has shocked the wider horse community.

Lily, now under the wing of the Omega Horse Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, was stabilized by the saleyard veterinarian, which enabled her to be transported to the New Bolton Center, the large animal hospital which is part of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

She was assessed and underwent an hour of surgery on Thursday to remove her right eye and treat her left eye.

The eye conditions were chronic and were not caused by the paint-balls.

Lily is now resting comfortably in her stall in the Moran Critical Care Center, part of the New Bolton Center. She remains in quarantine in the isolation wing.

Her surgeon, Dr Nikki Scherrer, an ophthalmology resident at the New Bolton Center, says her prognosis is excellent.

“Removing the eye doesn’t change anything for her at all except she will be a more comfortable horse. She is already adjusted to not having vision in that eye.

“The ulcer in the left eye we expect to heal in two weeks. She does have vision in her left eye. It’s not normal because of a positioning abnormality. She has limited vision.

“We did a cytology of the ulcer in her left eye, which means we looked at the cells where the ulcer was and they did not show any signs of infection. So we did a debridement procedure to help stimulate healing, which means we removed the cells that were no longer healthy.

“We ended up removing almost the entire top layer of the cornea. So because the ulcer was so big we decided to place a catheter to help medicate her, which will be a more comfortable way for us to give her medication.

“We removed the right eye and she has a head bandage covering that site to make sure it doesn’t swell and that the incision stays clean.

“We will look at the incision tomorrow to make sure it is healing appropriately. We will put on another bandage for two to three days, and then we will remove it and she’ll just look like she has skin there instead of an eye. We took the two eyelids and sutured them together so there is just skin there now.”

Scherrer said it was decided to remove her right eye because it was going to be a chronic long-term problem for Lily. “The eye was permanently blind and no use to her. This way we make sure that she won’t be in pain.”

Women accused of slapping police horse outside Trump rally last week

A 29-year-old woman has been charged with abuse of a police horse after allegedly slapping the animal during an anti-Trump protest just over a week ago in Kansas City, Missouri.

The woman, arrested on Friday evening, was released after posting a $US500 bond.

The incident happened outside a rally last weekend for Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

The horse, named Dan, was allegedly slapped in the face as two mounted officers tried to control protesters outside the Trump rally.

The woman in question could not be found in the crowd following the alleged slap, and police had been searching for her since.

Reports suggest she was identified by a caller to a police hotline.

Trump’s Kansas City rally was a day after he was forced to cancel a gathering in Chicago because of violence.

The woman will appear in municipal court on May 4.

Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forte, in a blog published the day after the protest, said an estimated 500 people had gathered in downtown Kansas City outside the Trump rally.

Of those, a small number showed up intent on antagonizing and breaking the law, he said.

He continued: “Police were dealing with a bomb threat reported inside the Midland Theater as the rally started. At about the same time, I heard officers on the radio saying they were starting to get surrounded by the people outside.

“The Trump protesters were on both sides of Main Street. They started encroaching onto the street. The opposing sides periodically tried to come together, and officers found themselves breaking up more and more disturbances.

“The officers called in our Mounted Patrol for back-up to break the two groups apart and get them out of the street. In the course of that, a police horse was assaulted.

“More officers were called in to help maintain safety and order. Some of the people gathered outside began to put on personal protective equipment (gas masks). Several of them tried to rush the front doors of the theater, blocking Main Street in the process.

“Police issued repeated commands to stay out of the street. They warned that pepper spray would be used if those gathered didn’t follow the commands. People had ample opportunity to back up or disperse. Police tried to get them out of the street for three minutes. Those three minutes were just when they were in the street itself. Tensions had been building before that on the sidewalk. They blocked traffic and compromised safety. Some cars caught in the back-up were surrounded. When the crowd refused to obey police commands, officers had to deploy pepper spray on two occasions throughout the evening.

“A total of four people were arrested. Given the circumstances, our officers exercised great restraint. And this morning, no windows are boarded up downtown. No one suffered any injuries beyond the temporary discomfort of pepper spray. The National Guard is not in Kansas City today to restore order.

“People in the United States certainly have the right to peaceably assemble and express their views. And police were there to ensure that last night. Citizens do not, however, have the right to put others’ safety at risk, destroy property or violate the law.”

Pony Shot 130 Times With Paint Ball Gun

Animal cruelty officers in Pennsylvania are appealing for information over the apparent shooting of a grey horse with a paintball gun.The Lancaster County SPCA wants the public’s help in finding the horse’s owner.

It said its cruelty officers received a call from the management of the New Holland Sales Stable after they discovered an abandoned horse left on their property this week following its normal horse sale.

The pony was found at auction yards after a regular livestock sale. Photo: Lancaster County SPCA/Facebook

The condition of the horse prompted the stable management and stable veterinarian to contact the SPCA for help.

It transpires the horse was not originally checked in as a “horse for sale”. It appeared to have been dumped at the stable property after the sale was finished.

No identification on the horse could be found.

SPCA officials say the horse is aged about 20 and is an Arabian/appaloosa pony cross.

It has a low body condition score and it was found to be blind in the right eye.

“It was apparent the pony had been shot with a paint gun nearly 130 times,” the charity reported on its Facebook page.

The pony, it said, was sore to the touch.

“The sales’ stable veterinarian evaluated the horse and provided treatment and pain medication in order for her to be transported to New Bolton Center by Omega Horse Rescue.”

The New Bolton Center is the large animal hospital at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

“We are asking for anyone who would know the owner or their whereabouts, or who have any information in regards to this horse, to please contact the Lancaster County SPCA at 717-917-6979 or email information to info@lancasterspca.org.”

All calls would be kept anonymous, the charity said.

Premier CTR Organization Offering Free Memberships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Premier CTR Organization Offering Free Memberships

Sedalia, Colorado, USA - March 9, 2016 - For the first time in its 55-year history, the

North American Trail Ride Conference is offering free 2016 memberships to people who

have never been NATRC members.

Executive Administrator, Laurie DiNatale, explains, “We are a distance competitive trail

ride organization that values conditioned, sound, trail savvy horses that are a pleasure to

ride. We value light and balanced riding and encourage the good care of horses over the

distance and in camp. We want to share that with people.”

Camaraderie, fun, beautiful scenery, exhilaration, pride in accomplishment, confidence,

overcoming disappointments, stretching our abilities, and deepening partnerships with

our horses, are offshoots of the experience of riding in NATRC sanctioned competitions.

Says DiNatale, “There is nothing like miles to cement the bond between horse and

rider!”

As a non-profit educational and distance CTR (competitive trail ride) sanctioning

organization, NATRC education takes on many forms. The most unique of these is the

direct feedback to competitors of scores and comments on their veterinary and

horsemanship scorecards, which each rider receives at the close of a ride competition.

Other resources include clinics, a new competitor section on the website, mentoring new

competitors, informative articles in regional and national newsletters, an introductory

video, social media, and the soon to be published second edition of the “NATRC Rider’s

Manual, A Complete Guide to Competitive Trail Riding.”

For more information on the free membership offer, go to www.natrc.org.

Contact: Bev Roberts

matefey@gmail.com

870-420-3244

Horse riders have the “right stuff”, a German study suggests

Horse riding builds character and promotes social development, European research suggests.

A study commissioned by the German Equestrian Federation investigated what character elements were engendered through horse riding.

The study involved 411 riders aged 14 to 65, 91% of whom were women and 9% male.

For comparison, the researchers surveyed 402 non-riders who collectively met the same gender distribution, age and income bands of the riding group.

They all participated via an online tool.

Riders, it was found, were generally more determined, enthusiastic, structured and balanced than their non-riding counterparts. They also showed greater leadership, were more assertive and competitive, and demonstrated greater resilience.

“We have always been convinced of the positive impact of the horse on the development of children and adolescents, because it corresponds to our experiences and observations,” the federation’s secretary general, Soenke Lauterbach, said.

The federation commissioned the study because it wanted to find out if that anecdotal evidence was borne out in a study, he said.

Equestrian associations and clubs now had solid arguments on the personal character-building benefits of riding, he said.

The results, he said, were especially interesting for parents who wanted to find a meaningful sport for their children. Most parents wanted their children to follow a healthy pursuit that helped them develop as individuals.

Clear interpersonal differences were found between riders and non-riders.

“The close contact with the animal requires a high degree of empathy and sensitivity to the subtle body language of horses,” Lauterbach said.

“This especially benefits young people.

“The horse is not only a friend to whom they can tell their concerns and needs, but they can also learn from him ‘for life’.”

Why you should start out with a quiet horse, not a fixer-upper

A friend of mine recently bought a stock horse mare at the local horse sale. “I got a bargain,” he said. “She’s only seven years old and she goes great. Let me show you.” He rode the mare around and she danced and pranced and jigged and jogged and was very nervous and worried. She didn’t know how to relax. The fellow thought this was great. “She’s got plenty of go in her,” he told me. I didn’t answer.

I looked in the mare’s mouth. “Looks more like 17 than seven,” I told him.

“They said she was only seven,” he replied. Again, no comment from me.

“Have a ride and see what you think.” When I politely declined, he said “She’s gonna be great. You’ll see.”

The sad fact is, I’ve ridden hundreds of horses like this poor mare –horses who are worried and frightened every time anyone goes near them. I didn’t particularly want to ride another one. It gives me no pleasure to ride such horses.

There are thousands of horses like this mare, who’ve been badly handled and mistreated for years on end. These horses expect a bad experience every time they’re handled and ridden. They’ve never been taught to be relaxed and confident with people. All they’ve ever known is conflict and bad experiences.

Through no fault of their own, such horses make unreliable riding horses. Whenever something out of the ordinary happens, they expect trouble and immediately panic. Instead of stopping and thinking, they bolt or buck or pull back or kick or rear. This is very dangerous for an unsuspecting or novice rider. Let me repeat: Horses like this are dangerous.

Every day I receive emails and messages from people who have horses like this. People with the best intentions, who think they can ‘fix’ horses with these issues. Yes, every horse can be improved but you must always remember that no-one can erase a horse’s memory. No-one can make a horse forget the bad experiences he’s been through.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is well recognized these days. People who’ve been through traumatic experiences are affected for the rest of their lives. They never forget. And it’s exactly the same with horses who’ve been frightened. They’re affected for the rest of their lives.

Regardless of what anyone tells you, a horse four years or older who’s been frightened and mistreated and doesn’t trust people, can’t be made reliable. And the older the horse is, the more difficult the task of gaining his trust becomes.

I find it very worrying that so many inexperienced horse people think they can ‘fix’ a frightened, older horse. People with very little skill and experience go out of their way to find a mistreated horse and then wonder why they can’t overcome all the problems they encounter. The most worrying part of all this is that it’s very dangerous and they can be badly injured.

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It takes years of experience for a novice horseperson to develop the necessary skills to handle a frightened or mistreated horse. Nobody can give you that experience and nobody can give you a magic formula to ‘fix’ a horse.

When you buy a horse, your safety must be the first and foremost consideration. Don’t put yourself at risk by starting with a horse that’s too difficult for you. Find a quiet, safe, reliable horse to start with. People are injured, and worse, by horses every day. Please don’t be one of them.

Meanwhile, what happened to the mare that my friend bought at the sale? After about a month, he quietly sold her to another unsuspecting person. And so the problem continues, not only for the new owner but for the poor mare as well.

Neil Davies began training horses full-time in 1977. Over the next 15 years, he started more than a thousand horses under saddle and trained thousands of so-called ‘problem’ horses. [read more]

He is the author of Fear-free Horse Training – every step of the way.

Visit Neil’s website at www.fearfreehorsetraining.com.

Danamyte Explodes to Take Top NATRC Award

Sedalia, Colorado, USA - February 21, 2016 - Danamyte, a.k.a. Dana, a bay Arabian mare owned and ridden by Esther Diaguila of Havana, Florida was named the winner of the North American Trail Ride Conference’s (NATRC) highest award, the 2015 President’s Cup, at the National Convention held February 19-20, 2016 in Reno, NV.

The Cup is awarded to the high point horse in the nation. Proudly, Esther says, “Dana is an awesome little mare (only 14.2 h) but with a heart as big as all outdoors. She will go where I ask and do what I ask.” 

After purchasing Dana, it was touch and go as to whether or not Esther was even going to keep the filly. Dana was so laid back! As Esther explains, “We're talking full Arabian here. All the other Arabians I’ve owned were full of fire. Dana accepted all her ground training, saddling and mounted training so calmly, without a fuss. Perfect for competitive trail riding. I love it. She does have her moments and opinions. She is a mare, after all.”

In their quest for the Cup, they earned the numerous high point awards: Arabian, the Jim Menefee Memorial overall combined horse and horsemanship, lightweight horse, lightweight horsemanship, and lightweight team in their region. They took home a National Championship and the mare’s 1,000 mile award.

“I couldn't have accomplished all this without the help of my husband, Paul, and my many friends in NATRC. Paul and three others conspired to convince me that Dana and I could do it. We had a lot of fun, some horrendous rides, and even a few scary moments, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.”

A few of their memorable moments could be short stories in their own right. There was the Biltmore ride where she and Patty Lucas were 45 minutes behind the maximum completion time and galloped 16 miles to catch up. And, there was the time Esther watched in her rear view mirror as a fender and hubcap, torn off the trailer by a blowout, flew through the air at a police car behind them. Some moments were downright funny like finding dead minnows in a shower stall at a camp ground. The greatest moment was handing in her number at the last ride knowing Dana had earned the President’s Cup.

NATRC competitive trail rides are challenging, educational, and fun. They are open to all breeds and folks from all disciplines. The judges value the horses’ performance and the riders’ horsemanship. Riders are invited to see what they and their horses can achieve. www.natrc.org.