February 3, 2012 – Chicago (EWA) – A poll conducted in January by Lake Research Partners for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) found that 80% of Americans are strongly opposed to horse slaughter. The highly respected research group based its survey on 1,008 voters giving the results a 3% margin of error. The poll found opposition was consistent across all sectors, including horse owners.
The findings are all the more remarkable given the huge media effort that was mounted by the horse slaughter lobby following the closing of U.S. based horse slaughter plants in 2007.
While the effort appeared to have worked on Congress, causing them to restore funding for horse slaughter inspections, it had the opposite effect on voter opinion. A similar poll performed a decade earlier indicates that opposition to horse slaughter has increased by almost 10%.
GEORGETOWN, KY – NOVEMBER 21, 2011 – Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility and 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, has received a second $50,000 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The announcement was made today by Old Friends founder and president Michael Blowen.
In 2009 Old Friends was one of five organizations chosen to participate in the ASPCA’s “Rescuing Racers Initiative,” a $1 million granting opportunity made possible by a generous donor designed to support horses impacted by the racing industry. Old Friends also received a $50,000 grant in 2010.
The majority of the funds will be used to construct four new paddocks on Old Friends’s Dream Chase Farm in Georgetown, KY, allowing the organization to provide safe retirement for even more Thoroughbreds.
Equine Welfare Ambassadors and World Class Riders Will Take Center Ring on November 6
LEXINGTON, KY — Sunday, November 6 has been officially designated as “ASPCA Day” at the Alltech National Horse Show in Lexington, Ky. and to celebrate, the ASPCA is holding a parade of rescued horses that will be highlighted in the competition arena preceding the finals of the prestigious ASPCA Maclay National Championship competition.
The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition, will run November 2-6, 2011, in the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park, site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Horses from the Kentucky Horse Park Mustang Troup will begin the parade. These mustangs were once completely wild on the plains of North Dakota and were later rounded up and removed from their native land. Rescuers have since worked to rehabilitate and train them, and they are now much more accustomed to humans and have become trustworthy riding and performance horses.
Dear Animal Advocates,
In early April, we asked for your help reaching out to members of the U.S. House of Representatives to make sure that Congress doesn’t shortchange the enforcement of animal-protection laws as it negotiates the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2012. Your efforts paid off — well over 100 representatives from 32 states (as well as non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories) pledged to stand up for animals! Now it’s the Senate’s turn to do the right thing, and we need your help once again.
Two U.S. senators, Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and David Vitter (R-LA), are asking their Senate colleagues to co-sign a letter of support to protect important humane laws like the Animal Welfare Act. The letter will soon be submitted to the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.
As you know, with every budget item under intense scrutiny, this is an uphill battle — and we don’t have much time. Senators must sign the Boxer-Vitter letter by no later than May 27.
The Animal Welfare Act, the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the Horse Protection Act are among the most important pillars of animal protection that our nation has, and we must make sure their enforcement is properly funded.
Lexington, Kentucky – May 17, 2011 – The 2011 Alltech National Horse Show has made the move to Lexington, Kentucky, and along with the glitz, the glamour, the prestige and the big money classes at this classic American tradition, the show will also feature one of the nation’s longest running and most coveted national championships, the ASPCA(R) (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Maclay National Championship.
The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th edition, will be staged at the Alltech Arena at the world-renowned Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, site of last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The show runs from November 2-6, 2011, with the Maclay Finals taking center stage on the final Sunday.
Over the years the ASPCA Maclay Finals have been termed the “proving ground of champions” and the ultimate test for America’s young riders. And in the case of this classic test of horsemanship skills, that’s certainly more fact than hype.
“It’s the culmination of a long year of competition, it’s the final national championship, and with all of the history behind it, it’s just a great event to be a part of,” said top trainer Missy Clark, who, during the course of her stellar career as one of the nation’s very best teachers, has sent nine different ASPCA Maclay National Champions to the ring. “If you look back at the names on the Maclay trophy, you see so many names of riders that have gone on to do great things in their careers. If you can get through the Maclay Finals, you can go on and do anything. If you win that class, you’ve got the goods; you’ve got the ingredients to do great things.”
Dear Animal Advocates,
As Congress focuses on reducing spending, we need your help to make sure it doesn’t slash funding for enforcement of vital federal animal-protection laws. While the amounts required to support these laws are quite modest, all programs — whatever their focus — are vulnerable.
Two members of Congress, Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), are asking their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to co-sign a letter of support to protect the ongoing funding of important humane laws like the Animal Welfare Act. The letter will soon be submitted to the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. It’s an uphill struggle, particularly this year with so much budget tension.
We don’t have much time: Legislators must sign the Smith-Blumenauer letter by Wednesday, April 13.
The Animal Welfare Act, the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the Horse Protection Act are among the most important pillars of animal protection that our nation has, and we must make sure their enforcement is properly funded.
Dear Animal Advocates,
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the agency that oversees our country’s wild horses and burros, is asking for comments by March 30, 2011, on a plan that it views as a “new direction” for wild horse management. Since the BLM continues to ignore the public and members of Congress who want to insure the well-being of our wild horses and burros, we’re asking you to weigh in on its proposal and make it very clear what the agency should and should not be doing.
We at the ASPCA are concerned that the BLM’s proposed changes do not go nearly far enough. Its “strategy” continues to focus on the removal of wild horses from public lands, rather than restoring the millions of acres that should be theirs. Moreover, the BLM’s plan continues to fall short in not providing adequate transparency during roundups and not using the most humane methods possible. These are but some of the important reasons we need you to raise your voices during this brief period when the BLM is inviting public comment.
What You Can Do Visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center right now to learn more about the BLM’s new wild horse proposal and to quickly send an email containing your comments to Bob Abbey, the agency’s director. Please keep in mind, comments are being accepted only until March 30, so there’s no time to waste.
Thank you for your continued support of our nation’s imperiled wild herds.
Dear Animal Advocates,
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) continues to mismanage the care of wild horses and burros. The agency’s current policies allow inhumane methods of gathering and confining equines, and could spell the end for these national icons. But there’s still an opportunity to help save our wild horses. U.S. Representative Dan Burton of Indiana has succeeded in passing an amendment to the Interior Appropriations Bill to cut $2 million from the BLM’s annual budget in order to pressure the agency to end its ill-conceived efforts.
This amendment was adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives and will soon be considered in the Senate. Please let your two U.S. senators know that they should support the Burton amendment to cut $2 million dollars from the BLM’s budget—this cut saves money and our country’s wild horses.
Since early December, we’ve been keeping you up to date on our work in Fulton County, Arkansas, rehabilitating more than 100 neglected horses rescued from a horse trader’s farm. The horses have spent a little more than a month under the ASPCA’s care at a temporary stable in Mountain Home, Arkansas, receiving veterinary attention, good eats and treats, and the chance to run and play in a pasture.
The tireless work of our Field Investigations and Response Team is paying off. All the rescued horses have been putting on weight and are “getting better by the day,” says Kyle Held, ASPCA Midwest Director of Field Investigations and Response.
But it’s not just professionals who are making a difference for these amazing horses — community members continually visit the stable to lend a hand. A local reporter for the Baxter Bulletin shows up every morning to feed carrots to a few of his favorite horses, and sometimes four or five individuals show up in one day to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Area businesses and residents have had pizzas and other food delivered to the stable to help keep us going strong, and donations continue to pour in to the local supply store, Orscheln Farm & Home, to help defray the costs of feed, horse tack, insulated clothes and other necessary items.
On December 9, 2010, members of the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response (FIR) Team arrived at a farm in rural Fulton County, Arkansas, to rescue more than 100 neglected horses. Most of the horses were starving, and many had open wounds, untreated fractures, infections and other ailments.
The ASPCA, called to the scene after a seven-month investigation by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, immediately set to work to provide the horses with food, water and veterinary care, and has continued to work day and night to care for the horses. Many team members missed holidays with their families to stay and care for the horses, and the group even endured severe Arkansas weather to ring in the new year by the animals’ side. “There is no doubt in any of our minds that this is where we belong — we owe these animals a second chance,” says Kat Destreza, ASPCA Southeast Director of Field Investigations and Response.
The team’s round-the-clock work mucking and stripping stalls, maintaining a strict feeding and watering schedule, and administering medications (and lots of carrots) has paid off. Most of the horses are responding well to veterinary care, and they’re regaining strength every day. “The horses are still under quarantine and are not yet available for adoption,” says Kyle Held, ASPCA Midwest Director of Field Investigations and Response, “but we’re hoping once they become available, the community will open their arms and offer these beautiful animals permanent homes.”
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February 3, 2012 – Chicago (EWA) – A poll conducted in January by Lake Research Partners for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) found that 80% of Americans are strongly opposed to horse slaughter. The highly respected research group based its survey on 1,008 voters giving the results a 3% margin of error. The poll found opposition was consistent across all sectors, including horse owners.
Funds to Provide New Paddocks for More Retirees
LEXINGTON, KY — Sunday, November 6 has been officially designated as “ASPCA Day” at the Alltech National Horse Show in Lexington, Ky. and to celebrate, the ASPCA is holding a parade of rescued horses that will be highlighted in the competition arena preceding the finals of the prestigious ASPCA Maclay National Championship competition.
