The Unwanted Horse Part 3

One of the Lucky Ones

If you missed the first two parts of The Unwanted Horse, click here for part one on U.S. horse slaughter and here for part two on responsible breeding.

Meet Splash.

How cute is she?

Splash is an unregistered Paint Horse who appears to have some Gypsy in her. She has no papers saying what her breeding is or where she originally came from. She can be traced back to a hunter/jumper farm in New Jersey before she was shipped to New Holland and bound for the slaughterhouse.

Splash at New Holland.

Photo courtesy of Kaeli McCarty via CHW Network.

Enter the McCarty family.

The McCartys came across Rain, a small, registered paint mare at New Holland from the CHW Network on Facebook. Splash was not originally in the picture, but after hearing of how Rain and Splash had bonded, the McCartys brought both mares home.

In mid-January 2014, Rain and Splash were shipped to quarantine before they came home to the McCartys the following month.

Rain and Splash in quarantine.

Photo courtesy of Kaeli McCarty.

Splash was not supposed to make it. Her breeding can’t be traced, she’s a crossbreed without a specific purpose, and was sent to New Holland where she was slaughter bound.

Although Splash was broke, she was a bit of a struggle at first. She wouldn’t flat walk unless you got straight on and trotted or cantered around the arena first. She also had terrible separation anxiety from other horses. Despite the problems she came with, she was a sweet mare. She had quirks to be worked out, but she certainly loved to nuzzle with people.

To further her training, Splash was sent to Dark HorseTraining Center for a month. With that and more work at home, Kaeli McCarty said Splash became “more attentive and willing under saddle.” Her separation anxiety got better too, which helped when Rain left to become a little girl’s horse.

“She’s open to everything she’s been asked of,” Kaeli said of Splash. She was nervous to take Splash on a trail ride at first, but the mare ended up being great. “She was better than the horse I bought to be a trail horse,” commented Kaeli.

Splash enjoying a trail ride.

Kaeli and I went on a trail ride together once and I was thankful to have Splash as my mount. She was very relaxed and happy on the trail, and she also enjoyed splashing in the creek.

Splash is one of the kindest horses I know. She’s never tried to bite, kick, or put anyone in danger. Even though she was placed in a rough situation, she was lucky enough to find people who were willing to put the work into her and give her the love she deserves.

“Many people failed her for her to get where she was,” Kaeli said. Thanks to people like the McCartys though, horses who had no hope are given a second chance.

Instead of escaping the slaughter truck, her only

worries are escaping her stall to get outside.

Splash kisses!!!

The Unwanted Horse Part 2

Irresponsible Breeding and a Crazy Solution that just might Work

In my previous blog post on horse slaughter (read here) I said I was saving responsible breeding issues for a whole different post. Well, here it is.

Over-breeding and irresponsible breeding are huge parts of the unwanted horse problem. Not only are there backyard breeders producing horses that the market does not want, but there are people who can afford nice stock that don’t realize the implications of breeding. It’s not only the breeders’ responsibility to better the breed and have the best interest for the horses they produce, but it is also the breed registries’ responsibility to lead the industry and set standards to improve the breed.

Problem

Let’s start with the problem horses and the undesirable horses.

How often have you heard something along these lines: "She didn't work out as a show horse, so we're going to breed her." "She's too dangerous to train, so she's going to be a broodmare."

I get it. People have to find something to do with their horses that are costing them money, but it's breeding horses like this that contribute to the unwanted horse population. If the mare didn't make it as a show horse, then where would she get those show genes to pass on to her offspring? And if the horse is too dangerous to work with... well, that's the attitude you're breeding for and the offspring will have the same result. Continuing to breed mares because they don’t meet the standard you are looking for and because they are too dangerous to work with will only produce more horses with undesirable traits.

Stallions are also another issue. There are some horses that do not need to stand at stud because A.) they are not a good representation of the breed and B.) they do not produce anything that improves the breed. Again, this only produces more horses with undesirable traits.

And then you get the backyard breeders. Not only are these horses bad representations of the breed, but they are crossbreeds that there is no market for, nor do they fit the tasks the market is asking them to.

So what happens to all these undesirable horses? I can tell you from personal experience what happens to them in the Saddlebred industry, but it’s probably easy to apply it across all different breeds and disciplines as well. Many times these undesirable and problem horses are run through a public sale as a fast way for someone to get rid of them, they go from home to home, they fill up rescues, and many times they end up in a kill pen because no one wants them. I see way too many Saddlebreds in need of rescue, and I’ve seen way too many Saddlebreds get sent back to the rescue after adoption because of various problems.

Not all of the useable horses can even be saved because there are older horses and problem horses taking up room at the rescues. The rescues do not have the means and space to save every horse they come across. I feel like a lot of horses also get discarded because people aren’t willing to give horses they breed for a certain purpose a chance to thrive at something else. Instead of finding that horse’s purpose, they want to get rid of it as fast as they can.

Here’s the thing about breeding: the best stallion and the best mare together will not always produce the best horse, and some of the best horses come from bloodlines no one knows about. Breeding is a gamble, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try our best to improve the breeds we love.

Solution

It starts with the breeders and the breed registries.

Breeders must not only make conscious decisions to improve the breed when mating horses, but they must also know the numbers that the market can handle. If there are more horses than there is demand, the breeder can be stuck between a rock and a hard place. They may not be able to keep on all the horses that they bred, but then what? If no one is buying, putting them through a public sale is the next move. Breeders also need to make sure the horses they are breeding have desirable characteristics, because then they are right back to the problem of horses that aren’t selling. This time though, the horses don’t even have desirable traits to get the chance of going to a good home in a sale.

The breed registries also need to step in and put their best effort forth in improving the breed. Some have already started and have an evaluation program of sorts, but my friend Kaeli McCarty pointed me to one that really caught my attention.

A Friesian at the Kentucky Horse Park

The Friesian Horse Association of North America (FHANA) has Friesch Paarden Stamboek qualified officials from the Netherlands come to North America once every year for a keuring (judging). The evaluations are done in hand, with 60% on quality of movement and 40% on conformation. The first keuring takes place when the horses are foals for entry into the foal book and they are again judged at age three or older when they are allowed to enter the adult studbooks. Different awards and statuses can be given to horses with the distinguished characteristics of the breed. This also helps breeders evaluate the best horses and the best possible matings. When being judged for studbook admission, the officials keep a linear scoresheet with the positives and negatives of each horse.

In order to be an Approved Studbook Stallion, a horse must be sired by such a stallion. Stallions are given four years to demonstrate their offspring are improving the breed, or else they lose their status. FHANA describes the stallion evaluations as a “merciless selection process that insures only the very best stallions will influence the future of the Friesian horse.”

Cross-breeding is also highly discouraged in Friesians.

For more in-depth information on keurings, the different awards, and stallion approval, click here and scroll down to "What is a judging?"

Though the rigorous Friesian evaluations may seem far-fetched for some, I believe the process is something other breed registries should consider modeling.

Think about it. How many times have you seen a purebred Friesian in dire need of rescue? I’ve seen a Friesian cross here and there, but that’s it for me personally. I’ve also never come across a Friesian that I thought was ugly or below standard. After hearing about all the evaluations, I understand why.

So there you have it. That’s my opinion on the whole responsible breeding thing, but what do I know? J

Up Next – The Unwanted Horse Part 3: One of the Lucky Ones

Hard to believe she was a slaughter rescue.

I promise Splash’s story is coming next! I thought I better call it quits for now after writing more than I meant to. 

The Unwanted Horse Part 1

Horse Slaughter Still Banned in the U.S. – Helpful or Hurtful?

Last week I received an email from the American Horse Publications newsgroup via the Humane Society saying "Today the Senate Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment...to bar any horse slaughter plants from opening in the United States. This Senate action mirrors the House action on its version of the agriculture spending bill. It’s a great outcome, and it sets us on a trajectory to sustain a crucial provision we secured at the end of last year to prevent any of these slaughter plants from opening in the near future."

In January 2014, a federal budget plan that did not include funding for horse slaughterhouse inspections was passed by Congress and signed by President Obama. For a timeline of the events leading up to this, click here. (NOTE: This has nothing to do with politics, I am only stating the facts.)

Am I a fan of horse slaughter? Absolutely not.

Do I think we need to have it back in the states? YES.

Right now America faces a huge unwanted horse population. With rescues already overflowing, there’s no place for the horses that people don’t want, can’t afford to take care of, or can’t afford to humanely euthanize. Those people could once sell their horse to a regulated and inspected U.S. slaughterhouse where the horse would be quickly and humanely euthanized, but now horses are being neglected, turned lose, starving, or put in an auction where a much worse fate may await them.

Splash before she was rescued by the McCarty family. Photo courtesy of Kaeli McCarty via CHW Network.

The email I received also touched on the kill buyer problem that the U.S. has. For non-horse people and those who don't know, a kill buyer purchases a horse at auction and resells the horse to a slaughter facility. Since there are no operating slaughterhouses for horses in the U.S., horses are sold to facilities in Mexico and Canada. The horses often suffer long trailer rides that are overcrowded with little food or water, if any. They freeze to death in the winter and die of dehydration in the summer. They also sustain injuries due to being cramped in a small space with a bunch of anxious horses acting out. Over 100,000 U.S. horses are transported across country borders for slaughter every year.

Once at the slaughterhouse, a humane death is not promised. Though some facilities provide a humane and fast death, other places do not. Horses may be shot in the head with a captive bolt which, if not done accurately, can only paralyze a horse and not kill it because of the anatomy. In Mexico, there are slaughterhouses that slit a horse’s throat or stab a horse in the spine to the point of asphyxiation. When not humanely euthanized, a horse may only be paralyzed or left unconscious, creating the possibility for the horse to still be alive when the slaughter process begins.

To make matters worse, horses are not bred and raised to produce meat, so they are not treated as such. It is nearly impossible to think of a horse that has never once received phenylbutazone (bute) in their lifetime. Since horses are still eaten in European countries, the European Union does not allow meat to be imported from horses that received bute at any point in their lifetime.

Bute is used as an anti-inflammatory for horses, but can be deadly to humans. Bute, just one of many equine drugs not safe for human consumption, can cause aplastic anemia in humans, a disease that damages the bone marrow and its stem cells. The effect of that is a deficiency of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Aplastic anemia is even more concerning for kids than adults. Because horse meat is leaner, it was being mixed with other meat and sold in European markets. Europeans were unknowingly consuming it, some with a negative outcome.

Although the European Union does not allow for horse meat contaminated with bute, there is so little testing that the meat slips through the cracks all the time. Canada only tests 1% of the 90,000 or so horses that go through their slaughterhouses each year because of the vast numbers. They also test in the horses' fat cells, but bute is stored in the liver tissue. And Mexico? Testing there isn’t great either.

The United States Federal Drug Administration also bans bute along with other drugs and medication for horses intended for consumption.

While I do not want to say I support horse slaughter in the U.S., I have to say I do for now. I'd rather have regulated facilities here in the states where horses are not placed on miserable trailer rides out of the country. I'd rather know the act was being done humanely where we can control it. It would also prevent horses that are starved and uncared for from standing in a kill pen while in pain, which is especially hard for the older horses. Some older horses that are beyond saving are lucky enough to get rescued from auction and given an hour of TLC before they are humanely euthanized. Others will die in a pen or in transport.

If we want to prevent horse slaughter, we have to take control of the overpopulation problem. I'm not saying slaughter a bunch of horses to fix it, but limit the number of horses bred and breed responsibly (don't worry, I'm saving this great subject for a whole different blog post). If greater efforts were put toward that, then the population of unwanted horses would decrease and there wouldn't be the numbers to warrant slaughter.

Until that horse world becomes a reality, we live in the reality of overpopulation and kill buyers. So yes, right now I support bringing back regulated horse slaughter in the U.S., but I hope one day I can say that I don't.

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Up next: The Unwanted Horse Part 2: Irresponsible Breeding and a Crazy Solution that just might Work

Huge thank you to my good friend, Kaeli McCarty, for helping me find more information on this topic! More of it will be used in part 2 in regards to breeding. Also keep an eye out for the story of Kaeli’s slaughter rescue, Splash!

Splash and I quickly became friends.

Kentucky Derby 2016 Afterthoughts

1.) Nyquist: I called it. I doubted him before on the distance and he proved me wrong in the Florida Derby. He’s a classy horse with a good temperament. I think he just has the heart to win. Congrats on becoming the 142nd Kentucky Derby winner, Nyquist. The colt is now unbeaten in eight races and he joins 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense as one of the only two horses to win both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby. I think he’s got this come Preakness.

Nyquist grazing the morning after his Kentucky Derby win.

2.) Exaggerator: I knew he would be up there and picked him to run third. I used to not care for the horse and thought he was overrated, but he’s grown on me. I was very impressed with his romp in the sloppy Santa Anita Derby. Watch out come Belmont. He’s got a fast late kick to him and ran a great second. The colt came from 15th, fought through traffic, and was gaining on Nyquist to finish 1 1/4 lengths behind the winner. Exaggerator also finished 3 1/4 length in front of the third place finisher.

3.) Gun Runner: Gun Runner hadn’t done much wrong. He won the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby this year and his only loss was at two in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes on a sloppy track. I knew he was good and thought he might run fifth or sixth, but I should have had more faith in him. He’s a better horse than I gave him credit for.

Gun Runner schooling May 5

4.) Mohaymen: I picked Mohaymen to run second and put a line through his disappointing fourth in the Florida Derby. He had been unbeaten up until then, showing talent at two and improvement at three. His Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth wins looked so easy for him, so the Florida Derby was just puzzling. Picking him for second was a little gutsy. He’s a good horse but wasn’t sure he would get it done. He did good to finish a head behind Gun Runner though. I would have liked to have seen him closer to the pace in the Derby. I think settling in 13th out of the gate hurt his chances and he spent the entire race working his way up instead of saving a surge for the homestretch. He will skip the Preakness and Belmont to aim for the Travers in August. I hope he has a couple races to prepare before then.

5.) Suddenbreakingnews: I like this gelding. He’s a deep closer that was fun to watch in the Oaklawn Derby preps. I thought he would finish around fifth or sixth, but wouldn’t have minded seeing an upset win from him. He’s a cool horse, I just thought he might have trouble getting through traffic in a 20 horse field. Props to him for only being a nose behind Mohaymen at the finish line. This horse needs to go to the Belmont.

6.) Destin: I like this horse. He had two great races with wins in the Sam F. Davis and Tampa Bay Derby. His Tampa Bay Derby win was especially impressive when he dueled with stablemate Outwork and pulled ahead to win. I wish he had another Derby prep though instead of so much time off. I don’t know if he was quite prepared for the Kentucky Derby.

7.) Brody’s Cause: At two he won the Breeders’ Futurity and was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but his three year old debut was a disappointing seventh in the Tampa Bay Derby. The colt found redemption in the Blue Grass and ran a great race. Again though, being a closer in the Derby can be tough. I expected him to finish about where he did.

8.) Mo Tom: I love the horse. He deserved to finish better, but I didn’t expect him to get up there. After his LeComte win this year, he got stopped hard by jockey Corey Lanerie in the Risen Star when a horse drifted into his path, then again in the Louisiana Derby when Lanerie tried to make a move up the rail when there was no room. Thankfully Lanerie went wide in the Derby. I think this horse is better than he’s shown on paper.

9.) Lani: What an interesting horse. He left before the rest of the horses for the walk over, was the last into the paddock, and was saddled and on the track with the jockey before the others. Is he really that crazy? He didn’t seem like it. I thought he might finish in the middle, so no surprise here. The Preakness is a possibility for him, but not yet decided.

10.) Mor Spirit: Disappointed. I picked him to come in fourth because he always finishes well. I still think he should have been higher than 10th, but what can you do? He didn’t come rolling near the end like I thought he would.

11.) My Man Sam: He ran a good second in the Blue Grass behind Brody’s Cause, but I didn’t expect much from him in the Derby. He’s only had one win in five races, and that was when he broke his maiden. Maybe not enough experience.

12.) Tom’s Ready: He’s had double the races that My Man Sam has, but the same number of wins. He ran second to Mo Tom in the LeComte and second to Gun Runner in the Louisiana Derby, but I didn’t expect a big run in the Derby from him.

13.) Creator: His Arkansas Derby win showed his improvement. I thought the colt had a shot to run a much better race, but you never know what will happen come Derby day.

Creator schooling May 5

14.) Outwork: He ran a good second to Destin in the Tampa Bay Derby before beating maiden Trojan Nation by a head in the Wood Memorial. I thought he could finish around mid-pack, but ended up a little further back.

15.) Danzing Candy: I like Danzing Candy, but I knew he wouldn’t do too well in the Derby. He’s a fast horse who wants to go out on the lead, and I knew he would be tired out in a tough field of 20.

16.) Trojan Nation: He’s a maiden who got in from a runner up finish in the Wood Memorial (not a bad run though). What did you expect?

17.) Oscar Nominated: His only wins were in a maiden claiming race and a stakes race on the turf, and the Spiral on a synthetic track. Not surprised by this finish at all.

18.) Majesto: His only stakes race before the Kentucky Derby was a second in the Florida Derby behind Nyquist. Again, not much of a surprise here, but he could get better with more races.

19.) Whitmore: He got in with two seconds and a third in the Oaklawn Derby preps, but I didn’t expect too much from this horse either. Didn’t necessarily expect him this far back though.

Whitmore schooling May 5

20.) Shagaf (DNF): He had a pretty good maiden and allowance win before making a slow rally to win the Gotham. He then ran a disappointing fifth in the Wood Memorial. I think his pedigree makes him look better than he really is and I didn’t expect much from him. His jockey pulled him up in the final stretch and did not finish the race. Thankfully the horse was fine, apparently he just didn’t seem completely right.

I Ride and I Write; and I’m Sticking to It

I’m back! I haven’t posted in a long time between the last month of school and other commitments, but I have been writing. The past month I’ve been writing Kentucky Derby articles for Horse Racing Nation and I love it. An opportunity to have my writing published is fantastic on one hand, but on the other…

It’s tough.

I love the horses and I love writing. I’ve even made the decision to go to grad school for communications and journalism to help me advance in the path I’ve chosen that combines the two. There are times when I love writing about horses and I couldn’t be more excited to dive into a topic. Other times… not so much.

POSITIVES

The positives of wanting a life revolving around writing about horses? The obvious is that it’s two things I love. To go further in depth, I love telling the stories of horses. Each horse has their own accomplishments, their own quirks, their own personality, and their own PURPOSE. I love all the unique stories out there and that is why I want to write in the horse industry.

I’ve been lucky enough to write for Horse Racing Nation just over a month now. I grew up in the Saddlebred industry, but began following Thoroughbred racing after the 2014 Breeders’ Cup. Writing at Horse Racing Nation has not only given me an opportunity to get my writing out there, but I’ve learned a lot. I’ve not only learned things about writing in general, but I’ve learned more about the history of racing. I’m very thankful they took me on, and tomorrow I’ve been given the chance to recap a race on the Kentucky Derby undercard, the G1 Humana Distaff.

NEGATIVES

It can be disheartening trying to write my way into an industry I’ve only been following a short time. In person, people have been nothing but encouraging and helpful. Online though… yikes. I’ve seen some nasty stuff in reply to articles I’ve written for Horse Racing Nation. It makes me wonder if I know what I’m writing about. It makes me want to not write. It makes me think I’ll never make it to where I want to be. As much as I tell myself to shake things off, it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes my gut twists at the harsh words.

What I have to realize is… screw them. They’re not out there writing. They’re not putting their opinions and words out there. They’re hiding behind a computer screen with mean words because they don’t have anything good to strive for.

END NOTE

To all those people who voluntarily put your opinion and your voice out there, I applaud you and I have so much respect for you. I’m struggling with this harsh reality on and off, but I’ll keep writing not only to improve myself, but because I was given this passion and maybe even talent for a reason. Keep writing because you have something to say. Keep writing because I need you to write, to remember I’m not alone. And keep writing to prove everyone else wrong. Keep writing, my friends. Keep writing.

“All I really want is something beautiful to say, to never fade away, I want to live forever…”

– Seether

Bella carrying me away from your nasty comments...