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  One of the two unentered Live Oak foxhounds that were spooked upon their arrival at Morven Park for the Virginia Foxhound Show last May has been recovered. Perfect, who never left the Morven Park area, was finally secured in a box dog trap. Her companion in flight, Charter, has been more adventurous in his travels. He has been seen on Zulla Road in Middleburg, and Piedmont huntsman Spencer Allen has been feeding him but hasn’t yet secured him. So long as Charter stays off the busy roads, chances are he will soon be in good hands as well. A much-relieved Daphne Wood, MFH, Live Oak Hounds (FL), has expressed her gratitude to the Morven Park staff, retired huntsman Kevin Palmer, Piedmont MFH Tad Zimmerman, and Piedmont huntsman Spencer Allen for their continued efforts on behalf of these young hounds. Posted June 11, 2014  

The Masters of the Live Oak Hounds very much appreciate the concern of the foxhunting community and the efforts of many in trying to recover the two young foxhounds that went missing from the Virginia Foxhound Show at Morven Park. The good news is that, although they have separated, each has been seen recently. Daphne Wood, MFH sent us the following update as of June 4: “I just spoke to Spencer Allen [huntsman, Piedmont Fox Hounds]. He got within ten feet of  Charter today. He said he was one hundred percent sure it was him. (The picture he has of Charter from the Southern Hound Show is a closeup). Several others have also seen him [in Middleburg], but understandably he is thoroughly terrified because he has made it all the way to Zulla Road and is hanging around between the tennis club and Ardarra Farm. Maybe he can be enticed into the trap we borrowed from the Loudon County Animal shelter. Perfect has recently been seen still at Morven Park near the pond in front of the mansion. Kevin Palmer [former huntsman, Fairfax Hunt] has been wonderful trying to get Perfect. We are putting up a trail camera above a feeding area in hopes of confirming her recent sighting. As we only have the one trap, hopefully Charter will get caught soon so we can take the trap back to Morven Park.” Posted June 4, 2014

In late May, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of next year’s Agriculture Appropriations bill (S.2389) which provides funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the 2015 fiscal year. The bill once again contains an amendment that in effect will continue the ban on the humane slaughter of horses in the U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) offered the amendment to prohibit funding for USDA inspections at U.S. horse slaughter facilities. Their amendment passed by an 18-12 vote. Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) spoke in opposition to the amendment. This sets up the likelihood of a repeat of this year’s congressional action on the current budget that ended a brief interlude of construction planning for new slaughter plants in the U.S. Congress did this very same thing in 2006, but in 2011, the highly respected General Accounting Office (GAO)—Congress’s own watchdog agency—reported bluntly to Congress that their funding cut and the resultant plant closures actually had the opposite effect from that intended. The GAO told Congress that horses were now traveling further (to Mexico and Canada) and in many cases were slaughtered under worse conditions than before, and that their legislation had harmed horse welfare. After receiving that report, in 2011 Congress reinstated the funding for USDA inspections, opening the door for a resumption of horse processing in this country. As a result of that action, the USDA in 2013 gave approval for the opening of horse slaughter plants in New Mexico and Missouri. However, lawsuits filed by animal rights activists repeatedly delayed those openings. HSUS and the Obama administration both lobbied to end horse slaughter in the U.S. Yet unsolved, however, is the issue of how to humanely cope with the more than 100,000 unwanted and abandoned horses that used to pass through those processing facilities each year. Posted May 31, 2014

Over the last ten years, every major equine breed registry in the U.S. has seen a dramatic decrease in the number of registered horses. This will be the subject of a National Issues Forum presented by the American Horse Council (AHC) at their annual convention on June 24, 2014. The forum will address the many questions swirling around this problem: the numbers, the reasons, economic or social, trends, breeds, and industry responses. The annual meetings and panel discussions will run from June 22–25 at the Washington Court Hotel in D.C. AHC’s Congressional Reception will be held on Tuesday night, June 24, on Capitol Hill. This affords members of the horse community to visit informally with their elected representatives to discuss industry concerns. The AHC annual Congressional Ride-In will be held the following day affording yet another opportunity for members of the horse community to discuss important issues with elected representatives and federal officials. Click for detailed schedule of meetings. Posted May 21, 2014

After fourteen years of litigation, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and related animal rights groups settled a legal battle that they started against the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus by agreeing to pay almost sixteen million dollars after a Federal Court determined that their case was “groundless and unreasonable.” This unprecedented settlement—paid for with proceeds received from the many thousands of well-meaning contributors who believe that HSUS is an honorable animal welfare charity—was the final outcome of a lawsuit that HSUS brought against the circus over the care of its Asian elephants. The lawsuit was found “frivolous,” “vexatious,” and “groundless and unreasonable from its inception” by the U.S. District Court. “We hope this settlement payment, and the various court decisions that found against these animal rights activists and their attorneys, will deter individuals and organizations from bringing frivolous litigation like this in the future,” said Kenneth Feld, Chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros. “This settlement is a significant milestone for our family-owned business and all the dedicated men and women who care for the Ringling Bros. herd of 42 Asian elephants. We look forward to continuing to set the standard for providing world-class care for all our animals and producing high quality, family entertainment.” Will the settlement payment deter frivolous actions in the future as Mr. Feld hopes? Unfortunately, not all targets of animal rights activism possess the financial resources to defend and then prosecute these organizations for their excesses. Just this week the state of Utah denied PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) permission to erect a roadside memorial for hundreds of turkeys that were killed in a tractor trailer accident last month. Activists plan to appeal the decision. PETA has filed for similar memorials in other states to promote their vegan doctrine:  chickens in Georgia and cows in New York City. To date, none of the requests have been allowed. Click for additional information on the HSUS settlement and the underlying litigation. Posted May 16, 2014

  A British defense solicitor has called for an end to the hunting ban in England because too many prosecutions are thrown out for lack of evidence. Passion, yes, he says. Evidence, no. A Master and huntsman from the Weston and Barnwell Harriers and his whipper-in were recently acquitted in court of charges leveled by the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS). The League presented a video that their Chief Executive Joe Duckworth said, “Clearly shows evidence of illegal foxhunting.” The judge, however, said the ninety-seconds of footage showed drag hunting, using a cloth soaked in fox urine, and the hounds were stopped before reaching a live fox. The exonerated Master and huntsman, George Milton, has been unsuccessfully accused four times in a period of only twelve months by LACS. He has suffered through two trials costing in the six figures. Milton’s defence solicitor, Jamie Foster, sees the case as another blow for the League Against Cruel Sports. In an OpEd piece in the Western Morning News, Foster writes, “While I have nothing against anyone’s deeply held beliefs, the criminal court is not the place for those beliefs to be relied upon. A court demands cogent evidence, and, yet again, [LACS] was unable to provide it. “In the end, justice was done but at a considerable cost. The League must have spent in excess of £100,000 of charitable donations on the case. The police, the CPS and the court all had to commit public money to it and the taxpayer faces a hefty bill for the legal costs run up by George and Toby in their defence. It is impossible to see how any of this expense can possibly be justified by a case in which a fox, two minutes ahead of the hounds was pursued for less than the length of a single field and would never have been aware of the existence of its pursuers. Surely it is time to repeal this legislation and allow the League to go back to waving placards and gnashing their teeth freeing up the criminal courts to deal with matters that really are in the public interest to prosecute.” Posted May 15, 2014  

Following news of a confirmed case of Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) in Virginia, we learn that veterinarians in Minnesota have declared a voluntary lockdown following an outbreak involving nine horses in that state and in western Wisconsin. EHM is neurological disease in horses caused by Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). The veterinarians recommended that no horses be moved or intermingled in the state for at least two weeks after the last positive case of the virus is confirmed. The timing is such that three hundred stalls likely remained empty at the annual Minnesota Horse Expo this year. Symptoms of EHM start with runny nose and low-grade fever and progress to neurological problems. If not treated, the horse may lose the ability to walk in just a week. Of the nine cases in Minnesota and environs, three horses required euthanization as of mid-April. The Virginia Department of Animal and Consumer Services  recommends the following biosecurity measures for all horses that will come into contact with other horses at shows, trail rides, meets and other events: Minimize direct contact between assembled horses whenever possible.1.    Clean and disinfect equipment, feed, tack, stalls and other surfaces that are shared between horses.2.    Isolate and closely monitor horses that are returning from a show, trail ride or competition for a minimum of 14 days.3.    Clean and disinfect caretakers’ hands, clothing, shoes and vehicles that may be contaminated by other horses or equipment.4.    Consult with your veterinarian about a vaccination schedule for diseases of concern such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis, West Nile Virus, Equine Rhinopneumonitis and rabies. Your equine veterinarian can also provide you with biosecurity recommendations that are specifically tailored to your horses and your facility. Horse exhibitors and event goers can monitor their horses for early signs of infection by taking their temperature twice a day while at shows and reporting an elevated temperature to their veterinarian. Click for more details concerning the Minnesota outbreak. Posted May 6, 2014    http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/25236679/horses-banned-from-expo-due-to-contagious-virus

During his mayoral campaign, Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged to remove the iconic horse-drawn carriages from the city’s streets. The FBI is currently examining that pledge as it relates to contributions to an animal rights group, NYCLASS, and threats made to de Blasio’s chief rival in that mayoral race.  Candidate de Blasio made his pledge to ban the horse carriages in March, 2013. The Daily News has disclosed that a political consultant for NYCLASS threatened to undermine Quinn’s campaign if she didn’t back the carriage horse ban. In April, Quinn, who was leading de Blasio in the polls at the time, refused to back the ban. That same April, two NYCLASS officials gave $200,000 to a PAC formed by their political consultant to carry out the “Anybody But Quinn” campaign. Records show that NYCLASS gave $225,000 to the anti-Quinn campaign in the months of May and June. Records also show that two of de Blasio’s top financial supporters gave $225,000 to NYCLASS. The FBI also appears interested in a $175,000 contribution to NYCLASS given by a union connected to de Blasio’s cousin, labor leader John Wilhelm. The attacks against Quinn—fueled by large contributions made by NYCLASS to the “Anybody But Quinn” campaign—began in April. The ad blitz attacked her candidacy with TV ads, robocalls, and mailings. By late June, Quinn had fallen to third place in the Democratic primary. De Blasio won the primary and later the mayoral election. Click for more details in Greg Smith’s New York Daily News article. Posted April 26, 2014

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s pledge to take the city’s iconic horse-drawn carriages off the streets is facing increased opposition, according to the Associated Press. Recent support for the horse carriages from many quarters has changed the mayor’s timetable on his ban promise from immediate to year-end. Actor Liam Neeson, in a recent op-ed piece in the New York Times, wrote that the carriage horses appear happy and well cared for. “It has been my experience, always, that horses much like humans are at their happiest and healthiest when working,” Neeson wrote. His comments earned him the attentions of a gang of animal rights protesters outside his home. Also, some city unions—usually on the Mayor’s side—broke with him on the subject, fearing tourism losses. Two thirds of city residents are in favor of keeping  the horse carriages, at least in Central Park, according to recent poll. And last week, the city’s print media—New York Times, Daily News, New Yorker—came out in sympathy for the horse-drawn carriages. “Let the horses and carriages alone,” said the Times in an editorial. Click for more details in Jonathan Lemire’s AP article. Posted April 25, 2014

A horse that ran at the Piedmont Fox Hounds Point-to-Point Races on Saturday, March 22, 2014 was later confirmed positive for Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), a neurological disease of horses caused by Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). The affected horse, from Fauquier County in Northern Virginia, was euthanized. There have been no new cases reported as of this date (below), nor have there been any new cases on the affected farm, which is under quarantine. VDACS contacted the owners of three other horses that were in the same race with the infected horse. The horse owners contacted to this point report healthy horses with no indications of disease. VDACS also contacted other owners of horses that may have had off-the-farm contact with the affected horse. Click for updates to this report. What follows is information regarding EHM as released by the Virginia Horse Council: The symptoms of EHM in horses may include a fever, nasal discharge, wobbly gait, hind-end weakness and dribbling of urine. The disease is often fatal. The virus is easily spread by airborne transmission, horse-to-horse contact and by contact with nasal secretions on equipment, tack, feed and other surfaces. Caretakers can spread the virus to other horses if their hands, clothing, shoes or vehicles are contaminated. EHV-1 poses no threat to human health. VDACS recommends the following biosecurity measures for all horses that will come into contact with other horses at shows, trail rides, meets and other events: Minimize direct contact between assembled horses whenever possible.1.    Clean and disinfect equipment, feed, tack, stalls and other surfaces that are shared between horses. 2.    Isolate and closely monitor horses that are returning from a show, trail ride or competition for a minimum of 14 days.3.    Clean and disinfect caretakers’ hands, clothing, shoes and vehicles that may be contaminated by other horses or equipment.4.    Consult with your veterinarian about a vaccination schedule for diseases of concern such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis, West Nile Virus, Equine Rhinopneumonitis and rabies. Your equine veterinarian can also provide you with biosecurity recommendations that are specifically tailored to your horses and your facility. Horse exhibitors and event goers can monitor their horses for early signs of infection by taking their temperature twice a day while at shows and reporting an elevated temperature to their veterinarian. Posted April 15, 2014