Appaloosa

Appaloosas are found in nearly every discipline. Setting speed records on the race track, excelling at advanced levels of dressage, jumping, games, reining, roping, pleasure, endurance and as gentle family horses - any of these roles can be filled by the versatile Appaloosa. Their eager-to-please attitudes and gentle dispositions make them a pleasure to work with in any area.

Humans have recognized and appreciated the spotted horse throughout history. Ancient cave drawings as far back as 20,000 years ago in what is now France depict spotted horses, as do detailed images in Asian and 17th-century Chinese art.

The Spanish introduced horses to North America as they explored the American continents. Eventually, as these horses found their way into the lives of Indians and were traded to other tribes, their use spread until most of the Native American populations in the Northwest were mounted (about 1710).

The Nez Perce of Washington, Oregon and Idaho became especially sophisticated horsemen, and their mounts, which included many spotted individuals, were prized and envied by other tribes. Historians believe they were the first tribe to breed selectively for specific traits - intelligence and speed - keeping the best, and trading away those that were less desirable.

When white settlers came to the Northwest Palouse region, they called the spotted horses "Palouse horses" or "a Palouse horse." Over time the name was shortened and slurred to "Appalousey" and finally "Appaloosa."
During the Nez Perce War of the late 1800's, Appaloosa horses helped the Nez Perce avoid battles and elude the U.S. Cavalry for several months. The tribe fled over 1,300 miles of rugged, punishing terrain under the guidance of the famed Chief Joseph. When they were defeated in Montana, their surviving horses were surrendered to soldiers, left behind or dispersed to settlers. Nothing was done to preserve the Appaloosa until 1938, when a group of dedicated horsemen formed the Appaloosa Horse Club for the preservation and improvement of the diminishing spotted horse.

Now an international breed registry, the ApHC - along with the Appaloosa Museum and Heritage Center - is located in Moscow, Idaho. More than half a million Appaloosas are on record, with about 10,000 new horses registered and 26,000 members annually. Moscow also is the source of the official publication of the ApHC and Appaloosa horse, the Appaloosa Journal, a monthly, award-winning magazine.

As Appaloosa numbers grow, so do ApHC programs and services. There are more than 600 ApHC-approved regional shows and a World and National Show annually. To make owning an Appaloosa challenging and fun, these shows offer numerous awards in three main competition levels: youth, non-pro and open.

For those who just want to enjoy the outdoors on horseback, there is the saddle log program which requires no special travel or equipment, but simply spending time with your Appaloosa. The organization also sponsors four week-long trail rides each year complete with entertainment and catering.

There is something for everyone in the world of Appaloosas. Many are fine-tuned show horses and well-conditioned athletes, but some also hold the distinction of being reliable family horses. Often chosen for children's mounts because of their level heads and even temperaments, Appaloosas win hearts as quickly as their color turns heads.

Veteran champion Todd leads Olympic horses into the ring

HONG KONG (AFP) — Veteran Olympic champion Mark Todd came out of retirement at dawn on Saturday when he became the first rider to compete in the equestrian events being held in Hong Kong.

At 6.30 am (2230 GMT) Todd, 52, rode his grey gelding Gandalf into the dressage arena at Shatin for the first stage of the three-day eventing competition.

"I didn't expect to be number one, it was just the luck of the draw," Todd said.
"I'm used as cannon fodder. They said send the old bugger out there first and see what happens."

He scored 49.40 penalties -- three judges take points away for mistakes, and their penalties are averaged -- putting him in the middle of the field in the first round.

Todd said he could not have hoped for a better performance from his 10-year-old horse, adding: "There were no obvious mistakes."

It seemed a fitting start for the equestrian events, after his electrifying announcement only a few months ago that he would return to elite competition after eight years out of the saddle.
Todd won individual eventing gold medals in Los Angeles in 1984 and Seoul in 1988, and retired after claiming individual bronze in Sydney in 2000.

He was named "Rider of the Twentieth Century" by the International Equestrian Federation.
His return to Olympic riding reportedly followed a few glasses of wine at a dinner party early.
"Until February I hadn't really jumped a fence for eight years. I'm not where I was eight years ago but hopefully I'm good enough," he said.

"Eight years has slipped by very quickly and it has been a little hard to get back into gear. But it's great to be back."

Todd, like many riders and vets here, expressed concern about the heat and humidity.
The Aug 9-21 equestrian events -- dressage, jumping and three-day eventing whigh includes a gruelling cross-country course -- are being held here because Beijing could not guarantee a disease free environment for the horses.

The events are being staggered across the day, with sessions early in the morning and late at night, ostensibly to beat the heat.

Todd, speaking to reporters as he streamed with perspiration, said even at dawn he was feeling the heat, and expected the cross-country from Monday to be a "physical and mental" challenge for both riders and horses.

A total of 71 riders in 24 teams are scheduled to compete in the three-day eventing. Two horses were withdrawn Friday -- one each from Chile and Brazil -- after failing a veterinary inspection.
The Australians are considered main medal contenders, with the husband-and-wife duo of Clayton and Lucinda Fredericks leading the charge.

Britain, along with France and the United States who also won medals in Athens in 2004, is also viewed as a strong medal chance.

Love of horses turns into business for 2 women

Two Southeast Valley women who met while volunteering at a local rescue ranch are hoping to make a business out of their love of horses.

Kim Goetz, a freelance writer who covers the equestrian lifestyle for the Gilbert Republic, and Rachelle Schroeder have been operating 2 Mares Horse Care since November.

The two take care of horses while their owners are out of town. They charge $20 per visit for up to four horses.

Goetz and Schroeder talked about their business while tending to a six-horse, one-goat and two-dog Gilbert acreage one morning last week.

Why did you choose to start the business?

Goetz: We both have kids in school (Goetz, of Gilbert, has two children 5 and 9, while Schroeder, of Chandler, has three - 6, 9 and 10). This allows us to be full-time mothers. We get up and do this before anyone is up and in the evening after everyone is back home.

Unfortunately, we started the business right when the economy started to head south.
Schroeder: When your kids are young, your life is focused on them. But as they grow a little older, it's good to have an interest outside my family.

We both grew up around horses and we wanted to do something around horses. We love doing this.

Goetz: This is the first job I've had that's not related to my broadcast journalism degree. It's nice to sweat and get your hands dirty.

Why should a horse owner hire you?

Schroeder: People are cutting back on vacations and we want to make it affordable for backyard horse owners to be able to go on vacation.

Goetz: Taking care of other people's animals has a lot of responsibility. You have to know what you are doing, especially with horses. We look for problems and give preventive care. We check on other animals but focus on horses - feeding, watering and mucking.

How did you come up with the 2 Mares Horse Care name?

Schroeder: We were thinking about calling it Two Fillies ... but we are a little beyond that.
Goetz: Besides, wouldn't you rather have a mare taking care of your horse than a filly?

Expert says training horses is all about speaking their language

PRESCOTT VALLEY -

Donning full Western wear, complete with leather chaps, Pat Parelli paced the dirt-covered floor in front of a nearly packed house at Tim's Toyota Center Saturday, dispensing advice about how horse riders can better relate to their animals.

The professional horseman brought his all-day "Way More Than Riding" USA Tour to Prescott Valley, which concludes today with a private session open only to members of the tour's Savvy Club.Parelli's unique approach is rooted in love, where humans develop a relationship with a horse by speaking its language while maintaining a deep-seated trust.

By taking an active role in a horse's life, a rider or owner can create a bond over time and train the animal to have faith. On Saturday, hundreds packed the center to listen to the nationally-renown Parelli demonstrate how to care for a horse and help it form good habits.

Parelli and his wife, Linda, travel this country and Great Britain, teaching crowds how to forge bonds with their horses without instilling fear. Pat said his first rule is doing whatever it takes to get his horse to like him. Essentially, that means spending time getting to know the horse in the stables or on the range.

The key, he says, is to not put your thoughts into the animal's actions. For instance, while humans crave praise, recognition and material possessions, horses prefer being fed and petted.

When a horse is unpredictable, blows up, bucks and bolts, it's likely that a rider has not learned how to correct the behavior. Rather than get defensive, it's important to learn the horse's language. Many times this is as easy as dismounting the horse and looking into its eyes."Learn the horse's language on the ground where you have the powers of observation," he said.

The first step toward accomplishing this goal is to play with the horse "on line" - or on the ground with rope. A rider then should play "at liberty" - interacting with the horse at a distance without physical contact every day to make one's love for the animal clear.

"It's important to get the relationship going first," Parelli said.

With on line play, it's all about gently using ropes to get the horse to both come to you and retreat through non-verbal commands.

From there, a Parelli rider goes "freestyle," or rides a horse without contact and lets go of the reins, albeit correcting if necessary. Once a rider has accomplished this step, he or she can advance to "finesse," which is similar to dancing with a partner without any cues.

Linda Green, a three-star horse instructor from Phoenix who attended the event, said she has learned plenty from Parelli's presentations.A field instructor for 11 years, Green sponsors clinics and lessons. She focuses on developing and maintaining trust between riders and horses.

She said it's tougher as an instructor to understand humans' behavioral tendencies and make them jibe with a horse. "The thing that appeals to people about this event is the horse psychology - understanding the horse's mind, what they want, why they want it, and how to get along with them," Green said. "By understanding their psychology, the main goal is to keep safe so you can enjoy this animal."

Alain Martignier, Parelli's tour director, agreed. He said most of Parelli's students approach him for guidance because they want better results from a problematic horse. "We put the relationship with the horse number one, because if it's good, the horse will do whatever you want," Martignier said.

On Saturday, Parelli instructed his son's horse, Aspen, to play within the confines of a circular green gate to the accompaniment of popular music. He would use a so-called "carrot stick," or a long, thin pole, as a tool that prompted Aspen to gallop around the perimeter of the circle and move back and forth.In one routine, he took a long rope line and gently wrapped it around Aspen's neck before having him step up onto a short platform. Aspen also showed Parelli how he could push a large inflatable green ball around the ring either with his nose or front legs.

Afterward, Parelli ditched the rope and rode Aspen without any reins. Instead, he used his hands or waved the carrot sticks in different directions to get the horse to move without running into anything. At Parelli's command, Aspen jumped over barrels and sidestepped through a row of the objects with ease.

Later, Parelli attached a line between two carrot sticks and prompted the horse to jump rope as they rode. He lifted the line over Aspen's head as the horse brought up his legs before repeating the motion several times.

Dozens await Hendra virus test results

As many as 50 people must wait until Friday before they can be cleared of incubating the potentially deadly Hendra virus.

On Tuesday morning, Queensland Health re-tested 25 staff of a Brisbane bayside veterinary clinic at the centre of the worst Hendra virus outbreak since 1994.

Two horses died from the virus about a fortnight ago and two staff at the clinic are in hospital after contracting the virus last week.

Authorities say it takes 14 days for the virus to incubate and a negative test the second time round would clear individuals of the potential of contracting the virus.

The results are expected to be released on Friday.

About 25 vets, nurses and auxiliary staff of the Redlands Veterinary Clinic had samples taken at the clinic on Tuesday.
A Queensland Health spokeswoman said 25 more people, who were not clinic staff but were associated with the infected horses, were being tested at their homes.

Some were interstate and were advised to see their local GP for testing.

Clinic owner Dr David Lovell said staff were happy to see a conclusion to the saga.
"We are still all very concerned for the two who have contracted the virus," Dr Lovell said.
"I haven't received any updates but it is an upsetting situation that nobody is taking lightly.

"Anything that could potentially attack the nervous system makes it doubly difficult to handle."
Queensland Health said veterinarian Ben Cunneen and a nurse were in a stable condition at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.

Meanwhile, two more horses on a north Queensland property are suspected to have contracted the virus in a separate outbreak.

One horse was put down on Monday after becoming seriously ill at the quarantined property at Cannonvale, near Proserpine, making it the second horse to die at the property within two weeks.

A third horse has also been reported ill.

Tests on the deceased horse will determine whether it had contracted Hendra virus, Biosecurity Queensland chief vet Ron Glanville said.

Initial tests on seven staff at the Cannonvale property have returned negative results. Further tests will be taken on Friday.

Tests are also being taken on Wednesday on the remaining horses at the Redlands Veterinary Clinic, with results expected late this week or early next week.

Hendra virus is known to be transmitted from fruit bats to horses and from horses to humans.
But there has been no human to human transmission of the virus.

Trainer Vic Rail and 14 horses died from the virus during the last major outbreak in 1994.

Wild Horses May Face Death Sentence

Wild Horses May Face Death Sentence
by John McChesney

Morning Edition, July 21, 2008 ·

With the price of hay up and horse adoptions down, a federal agency may begin killing wild horses to deal with surplus numbers. Letting evolution take its course doesn't cut it these days, the Bureau of Land Management says, prompting wild horse advocates to rally around this symbol of the old West.

On a recent afternoon, a group of journalists and BLM officials gather in a mountain-framed valley about 100 miles north of Reno, Nev. Someone whispers, "here they come" and over a mile a way a small plume of dust can be seen against sage-covered mountains, followed by flashing helicopter blades.

Soon dark dots emerge in the valley, then flowing manes and tails, as the chopper pilot herds the horses into a funnel-shaped trap.

A wrangler releases a so-called "Judas horse," who has been trained to lead the wild ones into the final approach to the trap. The captives mill about, wild-eyed and confused. They look sleek and fit.

Suddenly there's a "whack" — as a mama rears up and protects her foal with a double-hoofed kick to an encroaching mare. It's one of the ways the new social order is solidified.

"There's a social hierarchy here, you know different family bands and now we've got 'em all mixed together in this kind of situation where they're getting kind of rustled around," explains wild horse specialist Glenna Eckel of the BLM.

Maintaining Nature's Balance

The federal agency is responsible for managing about 250 million acres of public lands throughout the West. "Protecting, managing and controlling wild horses" falls under these responsibilities, and every year the organization captures about 10-12,000 horses, about half of them in Nevada alone. Not enough, according to ranchers; too many, according to animal rights activists.

Letting Darwinian nature take its course just won't work in this case, Eckle says. That's largely because wild horses don't have a natural predator — their population doubles every four years.
"Yeah, horses die. But before all that happens you've potentially ruined your soils, you've destroyed your plant communities," she explains. "The wildlife and the other critters" — meaning deer, elk and cattle — "that rely on this country are probably long-dead or moved out of the country ... it's a bigger, more complex picture than just horses."

But once they are captured, BLM faces another dilemma; what to do with the horses. Currently there are about 30,000 in holding facilities; nearly equal to the number left in the wild.
Weighing Adoption, Euthanasia And Slaughter

Adoption is certainly the most palatable option. At the BLM's wild horse adoption center in Palomino Valley, just north of Reno, horses thrash about in a steel-walled channel, which leads to a veterinarian station where they will be vaccinated, de-wormed and branded with a cold iron dipped in liquid nitrogen.

The transition to captivity comes with its risks. Last year the center lost 180 of about 1,000 horses to salmonella; accustomed to feeding on brush, bacteria multiplied in their stomachs when they were switched to hay.

Adding to BLM's fiscal woes, the cost of hay doubled in Nevada in the last year.
The real problem however, is that the horses aren't going anywhere.

"Our adoption record is clearly down," says Suzie Stokke of the Nevada BLM. "It's been on a downward trend for the last decade. We used to adopt about 8,000 animals annually. Certainly the economy, fuel prices, hay prices, all those things are having a factor in terms of our adoption market."

So the bureau is looking at unpopular options, such as "sale without limitation" — a euphemism for selling horses for slaughter — or euthanasia.

"To use euthanasia as a convenience to cut down numbers of healthy horses — to me, the public's not going to stand for it," insists Dr. Michael Kirk, an equine veterinarian with the Nevada Commission for the Preservation of Wild Horses.

He says euthanasia should only be used to prevent suffering. Chris Heyde of the Animal Welfare Institute agrees and points a finger back at the BLM.

"The reason we're in this position is simply because of horrendous management of the program by the Bureau of Land Management. We've been screaming about this for decades — that the system is broken and sadly in the last 10 years, it's gotten even worse because of their proposal to do mass roundups."

Heyde says the BLM has a built-in conflict of interest; the agency is the tool of cattlemen who graze cows on the same public land used by wild horses.

Third-generation rancher Ron Cerri, president of the Nevada Cattlemen's Association, says BLM's roundups have to continue.

"Right now the West, in particular Nevada, is facing a drought," he says. "Stopping [roundups] would lead to the ranges being overused. It would lead to horses starving. It would lead to horses dying for lack of water, and it just isn't something the public would want to see and not something that ranchers would want to see."

BLM and others are no doubt counting on public pressure to increase the budget for care of this national symbol. Meanwhile a lot of fine horses remain in BLM corrals, waiting for someone to adopt them.