Thursday, May 31, 2012

Call to Action: The Implied Threat of the BLM « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Call to Action: The Implied Threat of the BLM « Straight from the Horse's Heart

In this day and age there is plenty that is going on to keep one from sleeping well and gaining a good night of much needed rest.  Usually, I am pretty good at holding such monsters at bay and obtaining the required sleep to function properly for yet another day.  But last night was a different story, several words of text and droning voices kept nagging at me through the mist of the night and I could not shake the feeling of dread and the threat of an evil presence as I floated through the fog with my head looking squarely back behind at where I had just been.

The letters of the elusive words rushed by so quickly I could not read them and the raspy voice droning away was unintelligible until this morning when I entered my office and read the words as clear and crisp on my own computer screen from a blurb that I had written, yesterday.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Sweden on Horse Slaughter: Pumped Full of Drugs – Sold as Food « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Sweden on Horse Slaughter: Pumped Full of Drugs – Sold as Food « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Toxic horse meat imported into the EU and Sweden from South America and above all Mexico may contain substances which are directly dangerous to humans.

Bumbled BLM Chopper Meeting Gets Bad Press and Crashes in Poll « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Bumbled BLM Chopper Meeting Gets Bad Press and Crashes in Poll « Straight from the Horse's Heart

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) covert holiday weekend announcement of a planned public hearing on the use of controversial helicopters during much contested wild horse stampedes, to take place only hours later, drew the nation’s ire and resulted in the federal grazing agency conducting the sparsely attended meeting on May 29th  while extending the period for comment until June 12th.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Update: American Public Speaks Out on Lack of BLM Transparency « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Update: American Public Speaks Out on Lack of BLM Transparency « Straight from the Horse's Heart

RENO (May 28, 2012)—Protect Mustangs has discovered that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) scheduled an important public hearing for 10 a.m. the morning after Memorial Day weekend without adequately notifying the public. The hearing is scheduled for 10-11 a.m., at the BLM Carson City District Office, 5665 Morgan Mill Road, in Carson City, Nev. The wild horse preservation group is requesting the BLM reschedule the public hearing—regarding the use of helicopters and other motorized vehicles for roundups and management—in order to give the public at least 30 days notice.

NJ State Senate, Governor Next to Consider Bill Banning Horse Slaughter for Human Consumption « Straight from the Horse's Heart

NJ State Senate, Governor Next to Consider Bill Banning Horse Slaughter for Human Consumption « Straight from the Horse's Heart

TRENTONHorse slaughter is one step closer to being illegal in New Jersey.
A bill designed to prohibit the sale of horses for human consumption passed in the state General Assembly on Thursday with a vote of 72-3 in favor.
The bill specifies in prohibiting horse meat for human consumption.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Sgt. Reckless – The Real War Horse « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Sgt. Reckless – The Real War Horse « Straight from the Horse's Heart

The little horse that could - The story of Reckless is not only remarkable - it is unusual. And once you learn about her, you will see why the Marine Corps not only fell in love with her - but honored her and promoted her every chance they got. And it wasn’t just the Marines that served with her in the trenches that honored her - her last promotion to Staff Sergeant was by Gen. Randolph McC Pate - the Commandant of the entire Marine Corps. You can’t get higher than that in the Marines.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Duquette’s Hometown Mayor Says Horse Slaughter Stinks « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Duquette’s Hometown Mayor Says Horse Slaughter Stinks « Straight from the Horse's Heart

As of late, Dave Duquette, alleged president of the anti-horse/pro-slaughter organization United Horsemen, has been touting the prospect of destroying his local community of Hermiston Oregon by opening up a predatory horse slaughter plant virtually right in his own backyard.  With wide-sweeping boasts of acquiring land, in town, and plans to build a multimillion dollar plant for a product with no market Duquette has run into some local resistance from not only the mainline townsfolk but from the very town mayor himself.  Duquette, along with his partner in horse butchering Sue Wallis, is hell bent on acquiring attention and grasping a spotlight, or even a flashlight, with no regard to whether the attention is positive or negative.  But one thing is now glaringly true, we have been saying it for years and now it comes to us in bold print, “Horse Slaughter Stinks, right along with Duquette and Wallis; it’s enough to make you lose your lunch” ~ R.T.

Friday, May 25, 2012

CBS Lays Egg on Horse Slaughter Report « Straight from the Horse's Heart

CBS Lays Egg on Horse Slaughter Report « Straight from the Horse's Heart

CBS This Morning” highlighted the alleged “plight” of a rural New Mexico slaughterhouse owner who wants to capitalize on butchering companion horses while ignoring and sweeping under the carpet outstanding the USDA suspension of inspectors for cruelty violations.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Tennessee Walking Horse Soring May Be Motivated By Big Money « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Tennessee Walking Horse Soring May Be Motivated By Big Money « Straight from the Horse's Heart

SHELBYVILLE, TENN. — A blue-ribbon Tennessee Walking Horse stallion might be worth $1 million or more when put up for sale, but it can earn that money back for a new owner in a year through stud fees as others try to cash in on his champion bloodline.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

U.S. Covers Up Terrorism on the E.U. « Straight from the Horse's Heart

U.S. Covers Up Terrorism on the E.U. « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Horses aren’t regulated food animals in the United States and so little testing is done for residue or adulteration that there can be absolutely no confidence level of ‘safe’ horsemeat from the U.S.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Colo.-Based Horse Advocacy Group Seeks Fines on NM Slaughterhouse over Waste Disposal « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Colo.-Based Horse Advocacy Group Seeks Fines on NM Slaughterhouse over Waste Disposal « Straight from the Horse's Heart

A Colorado-based horse advocacy group says a New Mexico company seeking to become the nation’s first slaughterhouse for horses since 2007 should face fines for violating laws on waste disposal.
The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/J9Fxis) that the state Environment Department received a letter this week from Front Range Equine Rescue calling for fines against Valley Meat Co. The Roswell-area slaughterhouse has hauled 400 tons of composted cattle parts from its property, after two years of prodding by the state Environment Department.

Abuses Are Rampant in Tennessee Walking Horse Industry « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Abuses Are Rampant in Tennessee Walking Horse Industry « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Shelbyville Farm Center division manager Joe Green, Sr. told The Tennessean, in a story published today, that last Wednesday night’s report on ABC’s Nightline exposing illegal training practices within the show world for Tennessee walking horses painted “a bad picture.” “The good guys have tried so hard to make it right, then that bad guy comes along and tries to ruin it for everybody.”

Monday, May 21, 2012

Horse Slaughter Increased 38% Over Past Year « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Horse Slaughter Increased 38% Over Past Year « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Slaughter supporters frequently use the logic of a cumulative total of horses that would be roaming the streets over a number of years if slaughter ends.
Using their faulty logic, we did the same thing but started with 1990-the highest slaughter count recorded-as the base year and added the number of horses that weren’t slaughtered in subsequent years. With their logic, there should be 6,198,697 horses roaming our streets! Each year reflects the base year minus the number of horses slaughtered in that year. That begs the question, where did all those horses go?

Wild Mares Giving Birth to Litters?(according to BLM population estimates, they do) « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Wild Mares Giving Birth to Litters?(according to BLM population estimates, they do) « Straight from the Horse's Heart

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) continues at a breakneck pace to leave non-viable herds of wild horses on public lands and while it also considers cutting back on livestock grazing (watch out for drought management plans in your area).

Where are Suzy and Echo? « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Where are Suzy and Echo? « Straight from the Horse's Heart

I, Vicky Johnson, have been desperately trying to find my two Mares, Suzy and Echo, that were taken from me on April 15th, 2012 by two people that promised me they would provide them with a good home.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

The Sport of Kings and Drugs « Straight from the Horse's Heart

The Sport of Kings and Drugs « Straight from the Horse's Heart

At the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, racing fans will be watching to see if I’ll Have Another can duplicate its Kentucky Derby victory and claim the second leg of the Triple Crown. Attention should be focused no less on the horse’s trainer, Doug O’Neill, who has a troubled record of sanctions and penalties for administering illegal performance-enhancing concoctions that endanger racehorses.

Noted Wild Horse Photographer Exposes BLM Grazing Threat at Sand Wash Basin « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Noted Wild Horse Photographer Exposes BLM Grazing Threat at Sand Wash Basin « Straight from the Horse's Heart

In the last month, I have visited and photographed the horses of Sand Wash Basin on two trips.  I had the wonderful experience of having Nancy Roberts go with me on one day on each trip, and she is the advocate who has spent the most time out in the herd area with the horses, observing and photographing and keeping track of them, so she had some wonderful stories to share with me about the horses.
Unfortunately I saw sheep, hundreds of them, on the eastern part of the horse range, and even got to watch as the herders had to use a horse (a mustang) to tow out sheep that had gotten stuck in the mud at a waterhole.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Horse Training Abuse Case Gains Momentum as PepsiCo Pulls Support from Shows « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Horse Training Abuse Case Gains Momentum as PepsiCo Pulls Support from Shows « Straight from the Horse's Heart

An undercover video shows horses being struck with sticks and subjected to “soring,” an illegal process in which chemicals are placed on their lower legs in an effort to induce the signature Tennessee Walking Horse high-stepping gait.

Wild Horse Controversy in Kansas? « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Wild Horse Controversy in Kansas? « Straight from the Horse's Heart

WICHITA, Kansas — Deep in the heart of The Flint Hills, the ground gives warning of what is coming; thousands of horses, more wild than their name could ever suggest, thundering across Kansas in a spectacle many don’t even know exists.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Toxic Irish Horse Meat Ending Up In European Restaurants « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Toxic Irish Horse Meat Ending Up In European Restaurants « Straight from the Horse's Heart

The meat of unwanted pet ponies and even former racehorses is being sent from Ireland to end up in restaurants across Europe despite being unfit for human consumption.

Video Reveals Torture of Horses Trained to Win Championships « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Video Reveals Torture of Horses Trained to Win Championships « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Large numbers of the famed Tennessee Walking Horses have been tortured and beaten in order to make them produce the high-stepping gait that wins championships, an ABC News investigation has found.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

It’s Official: BLM’s Welfare Cattle Program Killing Western Public Lands, Wild Horses Not Guilty « Straight from the Horse's Heart

It’s Official: BLM’s Welfare Cattle Program Killing Western Public Lands, Wild Horses Not Guilty « Straight from the Horse's Heart

A new federal assessment of rangelands in the West finds a disturbingly large portion fails to meet range health standards principally due to commercial livestock operations.  In the last decade as more land has been assessed, estimates of damaged lands have doubled in the 13-state Western area where the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducts major livestock leasing.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Some See Companions; Some See Food « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Some See Companions; Some See Food « Straight from the Horse's Heart

I arrived at the Sugarcreek Livestock Auction in Ohio at about 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 11: a Friday. Friday is when Sugarcreek hosts its weekly horse and tack sale. The auction is one of the major “kill auctions” east of the Mississippi River; many of the horses are purchased and shipped to a slaughterhouse, where their meat is then exported, for human consumption, to markets in Europe and Asia.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Wild Horse Mother’s Day « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Wild Horse Mother’s Day « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Our Mother’s Day Message comes to you from our very good friend and fellow Wild Horse and Burro Advocate, Ginger Kathrens of the esteemed Cloud Foundation

Saturday, May 12, 2012

NM Senator Stands Up for Horses « Straight from the Horse's Heart

NM Senator Stands Up for Horses « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Thanks to heart wrenching but honest exposes that have recently uncovered one after another tragedy involving horses in our state, the public wants change. One thing is clear: even though some of us have heard these concerns in one form or another for decades, we are on the edge of a shift in thinking regarding horses. That’s why plenty of people are fighting back against that shift.

WSJ Serves Up Tainted Journalism On Horse Slaughter Plate « Straight from the Horse's Heart

WSJ Serves Up Tainted Journalism On Horse Slaughter Plate « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Wall Street Journal reporters Douglas Belkin and Nathan Koppel are in good company. On May 4, they published an article on horse slaughter so eerily similar to articles appearing in a variety of unrelated publications, even ol’ Rupert Murdoch himself might be left wondering.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Head Fed of Wild Horse Harvesting Machine to Pull Plug « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Head Fed of Wild Horse Harvesting Machine to Pull Plug « Straight from the Horse's Heart

WASHINGTON, DCBureau of Land Management Director Robert Abbey announced today that he will retire from public service at the end of May to rejoin his family full-time in Mississippi. Appointed by President Obama in 2009, Director Abbey’s three-year tenure in leadership of the nation’s largest land management agency marks the culmination of a 34 year career of state and federal service.

Federal Court Forces Interior Department to Consider Scientific Evidence Regarding Wild Horse Management « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Federal Court Forces Interior Department to Consider Scientific Evidence Regarding Wild Horse Management « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Washington, DC – May 10, 2012 – The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has rejected an attempt by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to withhold and ignore critical scientific evidence in its decision-making process for the implementation of a precedent-setting plan to castrate wild stallions. At issue were expert declarations submitted to the BLM from leading experts in wild horse behavior and biology outlining the devastating impacts of castration on the health and natural behaviors of wild free-roaming stallions and wild horse herds.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Canadian Doc Alleges Slaughtered Horses Now Drug Free « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Canadian Doc Alleges Slaughtered Horses Now Drug Free « Straight from the Horse's Heart

The disclosure requirements for horses destined to be slaughtered for human consumption are working effectively to keep restricted drugs and vaccines out of the food supply, says Dr. Richard Arsenault, director of the meat programs division for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Rita Crundwell: Dixon, Illinois Comptroller/Horse Breeder Pleads Not Guilty To Stealing $53 Million « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Rita Crundwell: Dixon, Illinois Comptroller/Horse Breeder Pleads Not Guilty To Stealing $53 Million « Straight from the Horse's Heart

ROCKFORD, Ill. — The former comptroller of a small northern Illinois city pleaded not guilty Monday to charges alleging she stole more than $53 million of the public’s money to fund a lavish lifestyle and create one of the nation’s foremost horse-breeding operations.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Wild Horse Herd’s Fate Lies in Preservation Clash « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Wild Horse Herd’s Fate Lies in Preservation Clash « Straight from the Horse's Heart

COROLLA, N.C. — Come summer, the beaches of this barrier island will be choked with cars and sunbathers, but in the off-season the land is left to wild horses. Smallish, tending toward chestnut and black, they wander past deserted vacation rentals in harems of five or six.
Thousands of them once roamed the length of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the likely descendants from mounts that belonged to Spanish explorers five centuries ago. Now their numbers have dwindled to a few hundred, the best known living on federal parkland at Shackleford Banks.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Montana Therapy Horse Touches Hearts of Local Residents « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Montana Therapy Horse Touches Hearts of Local Residents « Straight from the Horse's Heart

CORVALLIS, MT — His baby pictures are hanging on the wall at the arena.
There are plenty of other pictures too: photographs of him performing in front of the grandstands, some of him walking in a parade.
As nice as those are, though, they aren’t what catch your eye.
That’s reserved for the pictures of children with smiles that stretch wide across their faces. Some hoist blue ribbons. Others beam pure joy.

Three Ways to Improve Relationship Communication Using Equine Therapy « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Three Ways to Improve Relationship Communication Using Equine Therapy « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Equine therapy has certainly been popular for autism, developmental disorders and now veterans with PTSD, but for clinical therapists, the bulk of cases have to do with relationships. The question then becomes, can equine therapy help improve relationships?

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Massive Abuse Makes Kentucky Derby No Bed of Roses for Race Horses « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Massive Abuse Makes Kentucky Derby No Bed of Roses for Race Horses « Straight from the Horse's Heart

It was back in 2008 when a Kentucky Derby horse named “Eight Belles” broke two ankles on national television during the race, and was later euthanized. Thus, it’s no surprise that both fans and the media are interested in the treatment of these high stakes race horses.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Ken Salazar Under Fire…from his Bolo Tie « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Ken Salazar Under Fire…from his Bolo Tie « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is under fire from a source very close to him. We’re not talking, of course, about his inner circle of advisers or political allies, but rather … his bolo tie.
Salazar’s Western neckwear has been expressing its frustration with its owner, who it feels has grown distant of late, on its Twitter feed @kensbolo (described in its bio as “a stylish, jetsetting accessory on exciting adventures within the federal government. Oh yes.”)

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Saving Animals Through Advocacy « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Saving Animals Through Advocacy « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Few causes are able to unite people such as Lorenzo Borghese from ABC’s The Bachelor, actors Bo Derek and John Corbett, school children and animal welfare organizations, but all of these people and groups got together last week to participate in the “Horses on the Hill” event on Capitol Hill. The ASPCA was proud to co-host, along with the Animal Welfare Institute and The Humane Society of the United States, this event in which we publicly urged legislators to stop our nation’s horses from being slaughtered at home or abroad.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The Feds Unnecessarily Round Up Wild Horses, Then Complain About Costs « Straight from the Horse's Heart

The Feds Unnecessarily Round Up Wild Horses, Then Complain About Costs « Straight from the Horse's Heart

It surely cannot be easy these days being Joan Guilfoyle, the (relatively) new director of the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program. On the one hand she works for a federal agency, the Interior Department, which is largely beholden to the powerful industries it is supposed to regulate. And on the other hand, she is responsible, under federal law and policy, for ensuring the survival and management of the nation’s wild horses at a time when relentless political and economic forces threaten to decimate the herds.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Spread the Word: Members Push for Passage of American Horse Slaughter Act « Straight from the Horse's Heart

Spread the Word: Members Push for Passage of American Horse Slaughter Act « Straight from the Horse's Heart

I held a press conference last Wednesday with members of Congress, celebrities and citizen advocates to push for passage of my legislation, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. If passed, this would prohibit the inhumane killing of American horses for human consumption in the United States and stop the transport of horses across the border to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.