Horses, other animals rescued after Palm Beach County floods

Jennifer Swanson of Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue leads one of her 43 horses to a trailer for transport to dry quarters in Wellington. (Mark Randall, Sun Sentinel / August 28, 2012)

By Lois K. Soloman, Sun Seninel - August 30, 2012

Unable to stand for long in almost 2 feet of water, more than 30 horses have been led out of their flooded stalls on a farm in the Acreage over the past few days.
It was just one of many rescue operations that have occupied the owners of horse farms in western Palm Beach County, where rain dumped by Tropical Storm Isaac has flooded homes and roads and closed schools. Palm Beach County has estimated about $80 million in damages to homes, public facilities and businesses, with $1.4 billion in destruction to local agriculture.

The flooding left many animals homeless, wandering or standing in high water, including dogs, pigs, lambs and cows, said Dianne Sauve, director of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. She said she received about 60 animal-emergency calls on Wednesday morning alone, including a request to remove a drowned pig, horses that needed water and hay, cows in deep water and a farm with dogs, chickens, horses and emus whose owner was not on the property.

Several sites have volunteered temporary shelter for needy animals. Gary Vandenbroek, general manager of the Gulfstream Park-owned Palm Meadows west of Boynton Beach, said owners of 30 horses have taken him up on his free offer and he expects about 10 more in the next few days.

Click here to read the full article on the Sun Sentinel.com

Humane Society Offers Reward For Reports of Walking Horse Soring

Story from The Tennessean at www.tennessean.com

SHELBYVILLE, TENN. — The Humane Society of the United States is launching a hotline and reward for people to call in tips about abuse of Tennessee walking horses ahead of the breed’s national show in Shelbyville next week.

The Horse Protection Act prevents a form of abuse called soring, a practice of using chemicals and chains to train horses to perform high-stepping gaits for shows and competitions. The group says its number and $10,000 reward are posted on a billboard near the site of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. To read the full article, please click here.

Are Your Horses Vaccinated Against the Threat of West Nile?

Make Sure Horses Are Vaccinated With Threat Of West Nile

From WBIW.com: Last updated on Monday, August 20, 2012(UNDATED) 

West Nile is still here, and the State Board of Animal Health wants to make sure that your horse is protected. It's been 10 years since West Nile first hit, but Dr. Sandy Norman with the Indiana's Board of Animal Health says if you own a horse, stay up on shots for the animal.

Norman says about one in three horses that contract the mosquito borne disease, die, but acting quickly can save the horse's life. Norman says the best time to get your horse vaccinated is the spring, but now is also a good time since the Culex Mosquito, the main culprit behind West Nile, loves a long stretch of warm weather, like we've had recently.

Norman says three horses in Indiana have died this year, but those are just the confirmed cases. About one in three horses will die from the illness, but the chances of survival are better if the horse is treated as soon as symptoms like dizziness and disorientation show up. Last month, four mosquitoes taken from a batch near the Huntingburg Waste Water Treatment plant tested positive for the West Nile virus. Mosquitoes have also tested positive for West Nile in Martin, Spencer, Orange, Pike, Daviess and Knox counties this year.

Saudi show jumpers buy horse power for Games

By Sarah Edmonds
 LONDON | Mon Aug 6, 2012 8:07pm EDT

(Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's surprise bronze in Olympic team show jumping means a slightly mysterious organization called Saudi Equestrian has achieved a goal set in 2009 - to buy great horses and succeed in London.

Saudi Equestrian has bought top jumpers from the United States, Great Britain and continental Europe in the past two years - the horse power that helped propel Prince Abdullah al Saud, the king's grandson, and his team mates to Games success.

The Saudi team were in front after Sunday's first round when even reigning world champions Germany failed to make the cut. Then they defeated reigning Olympic champions the United States and stalwarts such as Sweden and Switzerland in the second to win their first-ever team equestrian medal. Their best prior Olympic result in horse sports came when rider Khaled Al Eid won individual jumping bronze at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, something the team described as inspirational.

To view the full article click here on www.reuters.com

Olympic dressage horses primed and ready

By: Horsetalk.co.nz - News

With the Olympic eventing competition reaching its dramatic conclusion on Tuesday, the equestrian world now turns its attention to the discipline of dressage, which gets under way on Thursday morning at Greenwich Park.

British dressage team member Carl Hester and Uthopia - Horsetalk.co.nz

The first inspection of the dressage horses took place on Tuesday night, and all 50 were given the thumbs up to start. On Thursday morning dressage action gets under way at 11am local time, when Denmark’s Anne van Olst and Clearwater will be first into the arena in the Grand Prix.

In a change to the previous format, the team medals will be decided by the combined scores of the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special. The top 18 horse-and-rider combinations, and those tied for 18th place, will then qualify for the Freestyle Final which is a stand-alone competition from which the individual Olympic champion will emerge.

The Grand Prix will run over two days, Thursday 2 and Friday 3 August and the top seven of the 10 competing nations will qualify for the Grand Prix Special team medal-decider on August 7. The Freestyle Final will bring the equestrian events at London 2012 to a close on Thursday August 9.

To read the full article on Horsetalk.co.nz please click here.