I’m not sure which horse is haunting me the most. There was Jack. Big part draft gelding, 23 years old. Skinny as skinny, with large white saddle sore scars. Someone used him hard and threw him away.

Ginger was 26, from the same place as Jack. Friendly and gentle. She came to the fence to say hello.

The Percheron filly was a black beauty. After her trip to Alberta she might be one of the chosen ones to be shipped live from the Calgary airport. If she survives…

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Trinket's Story,  by Little Brook Farm

I have been rescuing horses for 43 years. There always have been – and always will be – ponies like Trinket neglected in…

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******* This occurred yesterday - didn't have a chance to post - getting prepared for hurricane and other insanities! Please help if you can and forward to any who may be interested - Thank-you! *****

At 5:35 a.m. today I went out to feed all the horses here at Horse Play. When I went to the paddock where Corsair (13 yr old Thoroughbred / Welsh Cob cross) and…

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The 36^th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show is pleased to welcome the return of the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) as a sponsor for the fifth consecutive year at the horse show, which takes place in Bridgehampton, N.Y., August 28 – September 4.  As part of their sponsorship, the ASPCA will host animal welfare events throughout the week that will focus on the issue of homeless and at-risk horses, dogs, and cats.  

 

One of the…

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The Running Horse

A Bi-monthly Newsletter from Horse Play

Jan – Feb 2011…

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Le français suit l’anglais

December 14, 2010

 

Canada's Equine Code of Practice to be Updated by Diverse Committee of Stakeholders

 

Ottawa, ON—Equine Canada is pleased to announce the Equine Code Development Committee of 18 stakeholder representatives from eight provinces has been finalized and the next stage of revising the Code of Practice for Horses, last developed in 1998, can begin. Following the nationally recognized…

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Last week I mentioned about the possible use of electric cattle prods on horses in USA rodeo shows. Over the next two days an extraordinary 27 people e-mailed to assure me that this practise no longer took place. I was heartened but not convinced. Then Barnmice received an e-mail from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) with an official statement entitled PRCA Livestock Welfare Statement – Electric Cattle Prod:



“PRCA rules allow for the use of a livestock prod as…

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Lately there has been a lot of interest in the organization World Horse Welfare.



Public Relations Officer, Hannah Colbourn is a long-time Barnmice member and World Horse Welfare has their own group with us which all are welcome to join.



Hannah was kind enough to forward me the following information, as well as answer some questions about World Horse Welfare's role with the FEI.



About World Horse… Continue

Below is a news release from yesterday. The new EU rules coming into effect in April 2010, require that either slaughtered horses have complete health records showing they have not received banned substances, or a 180 day (6 month) quarantine is required. The new rules will mean that horses coming from auctions and other souces will have to be kept drug free on a feedlot for at least half a year. How will this impact horse welfare and the horse community in general?



Here is the link… Continue

The Kentucky Horse Council (www.kentuckyhorse.org) recently developed an eight page educational guide called Minimum Standards for Equine Care in Kentucky.



The guide is a free resource offered for educational purposes to horse owners, potential horse owners, law enforcement officials, and all horse interested individuals.



The guide features photographs which depict healthy horses receiving good care Minimum Standards for Equine Care in Kentucky and is deemed appropriate… Continue

Didn't the major natural horsemanship names notice?



Way back in 2008, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior wrote a position paper outlining its reasons for eschewing any kind of dominance-based training. Based on the most recent research, their paper is as enlightening to the mindful horse owner as it should be… Continue

A gentleman from LinkedIn posed a question about a pets' bill of rights that got me thinking about the point of having such a thing for horses and its possible uses and abuses.



For a little research, I Googled pets' bill of rights and found a few inane lists by pet care companies ("we have the right to snuggle daily") that included rights obvious to any animal lover but really didn't, um, fit the bill.



I did find something on… Continue

Accreditation move "turning point" for equine welfare



April 15, 2009



A planned accreditation programme for equine rescue groups and sanctuaries in the United States has been described as a turning point for the equine welfare community.

The scheme was discussed during a meeting a recently completed conference in Las Vegas attended by dozens of national and state-based equine protection, advocacy and rescue organisations.



The third annual Homes for Horses…

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We have been trying for several years to provide fresh, clean drinking water for the working animals of Marrakech. ‘Not very difficult, that,’ you might say, ‘Build a couple of good, old-fashioned water-troughs’.

Ah, but you haven’t reckoned with the bureaucracy of the Moroccan authorities, nor the cunning of its citizens.



After several months of petitioning, we did indeed finally get permission to build a couple of troughs around the city. ‘Water is expensive’, they said.…

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Hello - and welcome to my first Barnmice blog.



Wherever I travel, I am asked questions about training the show jumper. It is very encouraging that so many riders are interested in furthering their education, and it is my hope that this series of training blogs will help everyone do just that.



Each week, I shall discuss a different aspect of training, referencing some of the most important points from my training books, but before I start specifically into training,…

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