August 5, 2012

A group of horse owners and equestrian clubs in New Mexico are in favor of the establishment of a horse slaughter facility in their state. The group says that the closing of the last such facility in the U.S. five years ago has caused “needless suffering under the cruelest conditions.” In a letter to Governor Susana Martinez, New Mexico Horse Council President Rusty Cook wrote that an informal survey of the council’s membership showed that ninety-four percent favored humane slaughter. Cook wrote that there were insufficient facilities for unwanted horses in the state, and she estimated that one thousand horses a month are being shipped through New Mexico to slaughter facilities in Mexico. She said that a slaughterhouse in New Mexico would help alleviate the overpopulation of horses and would provide economic benefits to the state in the form of jobs and products, both foreign and domestic, such as meat, dog food, and glue. The governor and other groups, including animal rights activists, oppose the proposal. An application to the USDA has been filed by a New Mexico meat packer to provide such a facility. The USDA is evaluating slaughterhouse applications from New Mexico and Missouri, but has indicated that there will probably be no decisions made until after the presidential election. Read further details in the Associated Press report on CBS News. Posted August 5, 2012

The tough and talented Connemara pony sometimes falls victim to a debilitating problem of hoof wall separation in which the hoof wall splits away from its underlying structure. Though some Connemara breeders have argued against the theory of a genetic cause, researchers at the University of California, Davis have recently proven a genetic link and are working to identifying the genes responsible. The researchers discovered a strong association between those ponies affected by the disease and a genetic variant appearing in at least one percent of the Connemara population. The work of sequencing genes in this region is currently underway. They believe that their work will ultimately lead to the development of a genetic test which could eliminate this ruinous syndrome from the breed over the long term. Connemara Hoof Wall Separation Syndrome is insidious because the mating of healthy parents can produce an affected pony. The research results have been welcomed by the Connemara Pony Research Group, an association formed to initiate the research and educate owners and breeders about the condition. The group is encouraging Connemara owners and breeders worldwide to provide samples from their ponies to the researchers (who require large numbers of samples) in order to hasten the day when a test for the disease will be available. More details may be seen in Horsetalk.co.nz. Posted August 5, 2012