EasyCare would like to remind everyone to take a moment today to say a big thank you to all the men and women both past and present who have served our country to keep us "the land of the free and the brave." The United States currently has 170,000 men and women stationed in Iraq, 26,700 in Afghanistan and another 92,000 in other areas of the world.
If you would like information on how to help our troops you can go to www.uso.org or to www.nationalserviceresources.org.
In Oatman, Arizona, burros wander around the town and are a major draw for the half-million tourists that visit the tiny town annually, but it is the tourists that are making the burros - chubby! The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has asked the tourists to kindly refrain from feeding carrots and other goodies to the portly beasts as reported by MSNBC recently. The BLM is hoping that a reduction in the "all-you-can-eat" lifestyle will encourage the critters to return to their natural habitat and a healthier diet in the desert.
Jerry Love, of the Oatman Chamber of Commerce says, "It's a matter of educating the public, but it is not going to happen overnight". The BLM's efforts include asking storeowners to stop providing treats, telling tourists not to feed the animals, and putting up signs like "Give Burros Care, Not Carrots."
Store owner Jolene Brown said the burros aren't taking kindly to their new weight-loss regimen--some of the grumpy burros kicked in the door of her shop and chewed on some of her books. "I'm sure they can learn to forage, but people come from the entire world to feed the burros," Brown told the AP.
Happy Labor Day from EasyCare! EasyCare will be closed on Monday, September 7th for the Labor Day holiday. For all you riders needing spare parts or maybe some new Epics or Old Mac's, it is not too late to give us a call. We do have next day shipping available for all your last minute accessory or hoof boot needs!
Happy Trails!
A college football player in Kansas will miss this season due to injuries sustained in a zebra attack.
Yes, Zebra attack. Kansas.
It seems that the player, Joe Windscheffel a linebacker/safety for Pittsburg State Gorillas was working at a farm near Lawrence, Kansas when he was asked to move four Zebra to another pasture, MercuryNews.com reported.
The male Zebra charged the 225-lb, 6'2" linebacker and bit his arm, dragging him until two other farmhands came to assist. Windscheffel sustained a compound fracture.
Susan Walker, one of our hoof care professionals in Poland, ME is hosting a "Hoof Care for Horse Owners" clinic on Sunday, May 3rd. There are two times; 10:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. or 1:00 p.m to 3:00 p.m. The topics covered will be routine hoof care, what a healthly hoof should look like, how to pull a shoe, how to deal with chipped/torn hoof walls and abcesses - symptoms and possible treatments. The fee for the clinic is $20.00 per person. For more information or to sign up, please contact Marissa Stewart at mstewart@ridingtothetop.org or call 207-892-2813 ext 21.
You can find Susan Walker listed on our EasyCare Hoof Care Providers search by clicking here.
ABC Hoofcare, located in Jacksonville, OR has started a new Yahoo group for learning about barefoot trimming and equine care.
The group is dedicated to the education and welfare of our barefoot equine friends. A great resource for the professional trimmer with advanced case studies and topics, as well as the non-professional needing help in understanding the hoof. Topics will include all barefoot trimming methods with results through humane care.
This forum encourages open discussion for the greater good of equines. Opposing ideas are welcomed and you should feel free to ask any question you might want help with regarding our equine friends hoof and health. This site encourages individuals to feel safe to provide their experience or help, and share with others who will appreciate your time.
They encourage farriers, veterinarians, beginners and professionals interested in learning about hoofcare and problem solving for our equine friends.
To sign up for this great new Yahoo group click here.
This week in Poland, police pulled over a driver who had stuffed a pony foal into the back of his Fiat Uno, according to an article from the Austrian Times. The driver had purchased the foal and was transporting it to his farm, about 150 miles away!
According to the report, the driver tried to outrun the cops, but between the backseat being strapped to the roof of the car, the three men wedged into the front seat, and the 260 lb pony in the back, the poor Fiat just couldn't take it and the engine conked out.
Police fined the driver and confiscated the pony until it's owner can arrange for proper transport.
The Southern Ladies Aside team is counting itself lucky after an accident involving one of their horses and a Secret Service truck.
Mouse, an Appaloosa ridden by Deb Fuller, was just entering the parade route when an opening car door spooked him.
Instead of spinning, Mouse backed up right into a truck! The gelding slid his hind leg between the bumper and the vehicle and was trapped. Workmen had to take the truck apart to free him. Veterinarians arrived on the scene immediately and sedated the horse.
The vets were able to get Mouse in the horse ambulance and back to the equestrian center where they determined that nothing was broken although he did need a few stitches.
(AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
A United States horse trainer is showing the world that scent-detecting horses can take their place alongside dogs in search and rescue operations.
Terry Nowacki, of Minnesota, has been running courses for the last seven years showing how horses can be trained to follow scents-anything from people to narcotics.
"It works so good it is unbelievable," says Nowacki, who recently completed a course for search and rescue personnel in British Columbia, Canada.
Nowacki, a horseman with 48 years of experience, says riders generally take more training than the horses. Horses quickly learn through reward-based training what to do, but up to 80% of the effort goes into teaching the riders.
"To the horses it is just a game," he says. "They have known all their lives how to follow scents. What we do is show people how to read the signs and allow the horse to follow the scent. The reason it hasn't caught on is that people don't understand how to read the horse correctly. This is the whole key to it."
Nowacki says it is important to distinguish between ground scent, which the likes of bloodhounds are trained to follow, and air scent, which is the horse's forte.
"In traditional horsemanship, we make them do what we want," he says, pointing out that riders of air-scenting horses need to drop their reins and let the horse get on with the job. "It kind of goes away from traditional horsemanship."
Horses in normal conditions have an effective scent range of up to 60m, more than enough for finding people alongside forest trails, or in long grass or brush. The range can be nearly 400m in ideal conditions.
The University of Minnesota Horse Team will begin offering quarterly "Lunch and Learn" Webinars (Web-based seminars) on a variety of horse-related topics. The Webinars will be held on the third Wednesday of January, April. July, and October from noon to 1:00 p.m., Central Standard Time. There is no charge to participate in the Webinars.
The Webinars will feature University of Minnesota faculty presenting research-based information on a variety of topics including horse health, nutrition, forage utilization, manure management, and general care. During the webinar, participants can submit questions via an online chat that presenters will address at the end of the Webinar. The Webinars will also be archived on the University of Minnesota Horse Web site and can be viewed at any time.
The January Webinar (Jan 21) will feature Krishona Martinson, PhD, University of Minnesota equine extension specialist, presenting "Optimizing Your Hay Supply." The April webinar (April 15) will feature Molly McCue, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, presenting "Equine Genetics."
To participate in the Webinars, participants will need an Internet connection (DSL/Cable or higher recommended; dial-up is not recommended), a supported operating system and web browser, Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher (Adobe Flash Player 9 or higher for Linux and Solaris), a sound card, and a computer with speakers to hear the audio. Test your web browser. If you are having difficulty, make sure the URL is correct, and make sure your mute is off and your volume is turned up. Contact umconnect@umn.edu with additional questions or problems.
To join the Webinars, go to umconnect.umn.edu/horseWebinars and enter as a guest. Please login to the Webinar 10 minutes before the scheduled start time.
Whether good times or bad......God's creatures, human and animal.....all have a purpose in life.
Happy Holidays to All.........
Tim Flach, an award winning photographer pays homage to the diverse faces and moods of the horse in a stunning compilation of 200 full color photographs that capture the equine world from a variety of perspectives, from purebred Arabians in the Royal Yards of United Arab Emirates, the purebreds of Iceland, the zebras of Kenya, the Haflingers of Austria to a herd of wild Mustangs racing across the Utah plains.
This book is a must-have for any horse lover and would make a great Christmas gift!
Calling all horse owners, equine associations, veterinarians, breeders, state and local law enforcement, rescue/retirement facilities and other facilities using horses. Please complete a survey on Unwanted Horses.
This is a fast growing problem with tens of thousands of unwanted, neglected and abandoned horses in the United States. No accurate figures document how many unwanted horses actually exist, their age and sex, the breeds represented, how many are purebred versus grade, their most recent use, their value or what happens to them in the long run. This problem of unwanted horses is being studied through a nationwide initiative of the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) with help from you. The survey will be helpful in filling gaps with actual data. "A comprehensive view of the problem depends on representation from all corners of the horse industry" says Chairman of the UHC, Dr Tom Lez. President of American Horse Council, Jay Hickey, states "The downturn in the economy, rising costs of hay, the drought, the costs of euthanasia and carcass disposal, and the closing of the US's slaughter facilities have all made the problem worse". No one knows the magnitude of this problem but the first step toward getting a solution is to Make sure you tell your friends about this survey. Just send them a link to this blog and ask them to participate. An independent research firm developed the questionnaire and is hosting the online survey site at http://survey.ictgroup.com/uhcsurvey/ The American Association of Equine Practitioners defines the term "unwanted horse" as: Horses which are no longer wanted by their current owner because they are old, injured, sick, unmanageable, fail to meet their owner's expectations, or the owner can no longer afford or is incapable of caring for them."
gather and examine the facts. The goal of this survey is to get the input, observations, opinions and suggestions from anyone and everyone involved with horses. The data collected will help bring awareness of the problem and detect any trends. This data may also provide solutions that could bring an end to this problem.
This young filly needed to be freed from the tree after curiosity got the better of her and she wedged her head between separate sections of the trunk.
The horse, called Gracie, was unable to free herself and could have been in danger were it not for a passer-by who was able to come to the rescue after he heard the horse whinnying.
Jason Harschbarger, a neighbor in the town of Pullman, WV, arrived at the scene which resembled the image of Winnie the Pooh getting stuck in the honey tree. Mr. Harschbarger was able to carefully set Gracie free by using a chainsaw to slowly cut the wood around her neck. Fortunately for Gracie, she was able to escape her ordeal with only a few minor injuries and, according to Mr. Harschbarger, is on the road to recovery.
It remains unclear why Gracie put her head into the gap.
Join EasyCare at the Equine Affaire! The 11th annual Equine Affaire in the northeast is November 13th-16th at the Eastern States Exposition Center. EasyCare will be located in the Better Living Center in booth 434. The hours are 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thurs-Sat and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday.
Stop in our booth and say hello to Cathie and Chris, and let them know if you have any questions about any of the EasyCare product line. If you have any boot fitting questions or problems - they are there to help!
To get more information about this exciting event just click here. Hope to see you there!
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