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“I'm kind of sorry now so many were caught, 'cause I have a lot of respect and admiration for the mustang. The fact that he'd give us back the same medicine we'd hand him, with sometimes a little overdose, only made me feel that in him, I had an opponent worthy of the game. Even though I'd get sore at them when they'd put it over on us and rub it in a little too hard,
the satisfaction I'd get at catching some wise bunch didn't last very long when I'd remember they'd be shipped, put to work and maybe starved into being good by some hombre who was afraid of them and didn't savvy at all. For they really belong, not to man, but to that country of junipers and sage, of deep arroyos, mesas---- and freedom.” - Will James, cowboy and author
Topics on This Page
First Honors of 2010
First Honors of 2009
2009 Humane Horse Business Innovation Nominees
 2008 Best Humane Business Innovation Award National Black Farmers Association "Project Wanted Horse"
Topics on Their Own Pages
(See Table of Contents on the Left)
“The most beautiful, the most spirited and the most inspiring creature ever to print foot on the grasses of America.” - J. Frank Dobie, Texan Folklorist, writing about the Mustangs.
Many horsepeople in America today do not understand the close relationship between commercial horse breeders, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the mustangers (people who make a living capturing and selling wild horses off the public ranges), cattle ranchers, and auction yards. This situation developed when, following the vast expansion of the Department
of Agriculture during the 1930's under FDR's "New Deal", and the demobilization of our Remount Service after World War II, The Remount Purchasing and Breeding Headquarters Offices were closed and the Army Horse Breeding Program was transferred to the Department of Agriculture by Act of Congress on 1 July l948, along with the Remount Depots, equipment and breeding stock. The Program was
liquidated by the Department of Agriculture the following year, and all stocks sold at public auction.
During the 28 years the Plan was in operation by the Army, 1921-1948, a total of more than 700 stallions had been placed throughout the country and 230,000 foals were produced. Without doubt it resulted in immeasurable improvement in the horse stocks of the country and added untold wealth to its economy. The breeding program was transferred, rather than shut
down entirely, so that horses and mules could be available to the Department of Defense, for overseas programs, one of which was in progress at the time. Indeed, two such humanitarian opportunities involving equines were initiated and conducted by our military.
At the time of transfer of remount depots to the Department of Agriculture, when that agency assumed responsibility for the Horse Breeding Program, a Foreign Aid Program was underway to purchase process and ship 1000 pack mules to Greece. This program was enlarged and by the time the last military personnel left Fort Reno, Oklahoma, in December l949, approximately
10,000 head of mules had been purchased and shipped to Greece.
In 1951 another program of this type was inaugurated and through mutual agreement the animal processing facilities at Fort Reno were loaned to the Department of the Army by the Department of Agriculture and approximately 12,000 horses and mules were purchased and shipped to Turkey. This program ended in May 1954.
However, the Department of Agriculture bureaucrats, and elected politicians continued to have close relationships with the breeders and determined not to let the stock horse industry collapse due to the loss of its primary customer. Instead, they chose to classify these horse businesses as "livestock" operations as if they were producing the animals for
consumption, in order to enable them to qualify for USDA benefits designed for distressed Dust Bowl farmers and ranchers. Without a sufficient recreational, or sport market besides racing to use the product, the economic reality was then, and is today, that the horses not trained to saddle or hitch are "harvested", like other "livestock" through the slaughter process. Tremendous
marketing strides were made to promote recreational horse sports by the AQHA and other breed industry groups. To their credit, hundreds of thousands of Americans have enjoyed recreational, family, and competitive sport relationships with horses as a result in the ensuing decades. However, the growth of equine-related sports and recreation were never enough to keep pace with the improved production efficiencies, government financial production incentives, and veterinary reproduction advances
(the most lucrative veterinary work).
To follow the misery of the horse since it left the protection and management of the U.S. military, one need only follow the money and the civilian government bureaucracy. Give control of the American horse back to the consumers, the free enterprise system, and the Department of Defense, and the deplorable waste of intelligent, sensitive, useful equine life
for profit in the guise of "helping the small farmer" would cease.
 Del Camino has extensive experience caring for
senior (age 15 and up) horses. One of the rewards of operating a
large riding academy was being able to offer well-trained horses the
opportunity to retire from strenuous competition or other work, cease
frequent travel, but continue to have plenty of appropriate exercise,
social interaction, and affection. Coupled with careful nutrition, farriery, and veterinary care, this environment enabled horses of many
breeds trained in various disciplines to age gracefully and enjoy their
golden years.
Nearly 4 Million
Pleasure Horses in the U.S.A.
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Today's American equine
population includes an historically high
percentage of seniors. We can attribute this to many factors, but it
is a trend that has created a growing demand for attention by feed
manufacturers, veterinarians, equine dentists, farriers, barn managers,
trainers, horse retirement facilities, and all the other service providers.
Of the 6.5 million horses in the United States today, 60% are
pleasure horses, according to the American Horse Council. As
the role of the horse in America has
changed dramatically from laborer to recreational partner, so has the viewpoint
of his caregiver.
When the small farmer represented the bulk of
rural America, and rural America represented the majority of the U.S.
population, retirement for the occasional aged horse meant, quite
literally, "turning him out to pasture" for the day, instead of
working the fields or pulling the
 loaded wagon into town. The cavalry
mount, artillery horse, barge or city drayage horse rarely became
"aged." But then, life expectancy for people was much
shorter due to hard work, disease, lack of dental care, warfare, accidents,
and childbirth. For the racehorse, and the infirm due to accident,
the local county abattoir was a mercy. The small businessman who ran
it was a member of the local community. He handled many different
animals. His methods were humane, because everyone in the county
would know if they were not. In a society built by immigrants
escaping poverty elsewhere on earth, nothing went to waste. The
tanner, the candle maker, the soap maker, the rope maker, and myriad other craftsmen
depended upon him. In America, there is no tradition of eating
horsemeat, as there is in other countries. While the butcher came to the
abattoir for other animals, not so the noble horse. Still, it was a
culture of usefulness at every stage of life, fulfilled with dignity and
husbanded with respect. A horse that was suffering from illness or
injury simply did not receive antibiotics, stem-cell grafts,
or hyurlonic acid injections to get through the rough patch and heal.
Diseases that used to bring him down are nearly eradicated by regular
vaccinations and treatments Better nutrition and dental care prolongs
every bodily system. [Note: every statement of historical fact made in this summary is proven. Email us if you need unbiased scholarly or statistical citations.]
 As the baby boomers look
forward to decades of "senior" living, so, too, do our horses. Today's pony doesn't teach
a generation to ride, but two, or even three generations. [Ponies
represent only 3% of the horses aged 15-19, but 30% of the horses
aged 30 and up.] Often, an adult couple begin
riding as their teenagers empty the nest, and are still caring for their
horses two decades later. The horses have replaced the children for
many never married and divorced adults, just as dogs and cats do.
Except for one teensy, weensy,
problem. A horse doesn't fit in your "senior living"
apartment. A horse doesn't fit in your car. A horse has big
feed requirements. You can't take him to the groomer, the groomer has
to come to him.
The aging people learn to wear
hearing aids, and eyeglasses. They learn to wear support stockings
and dentures. They drink Ensure and take Senior Multi-vitamins and MSM
and glucosamine and chondroitin and baby aspirin. They learn to use a
cane, buy a special contour support mattress and gel inserts for their
shoes and rub creams on their achy joints. They are active and enjoy
working much longer than their grandparents. Grandma loves to do her
volunteer work, even if she has to give up her knitting and uses audio books
instead of reading. If they are horsepeople, when they can no longer
ride, they learn to drive.
And so it is with our senior
citizen horses. They are loved and valued family members. They are useful
well into their twilight years, because we didn't wear them out or break
them in their youth or their prime.
Deserving, beautiful, if only
in the eyes of the owner who has shared so many trails with them, our
senior horses look to us. It is our job to maintain their quality of
life. It is our job to learn what is, and is not, an acceptable
quality of life. Lastly, it is our job to ensure they do not suffer
when that quality cannot be maintained.
One of the missions of Del
Camino is to help horse owners find timely information that guides them
through this journey. We want to keep our seniors as fit, as active,
as contented as possible, as long as possible. It can be done.
We dedicate our work to a few
of many beloved Del Camino horses: Freckles, who left us at age 43,
Miss Cricket, who delighted children until age 38, Captain Oliver
"Ollie" who fought Cushing's until age 32, and Brandy's Prince,
and Smokey, both of whom had Cushing's which caused laminitis at age 26.
Thank you for having graced our
lives, and taught so many people the joy of horsemanship.
We are still kicking ourselves
for not taking videos of our wonderful seniors over the years. But
this one on YouTube of a 32 year old Tennessee Walker mare encountering a
motorized wheelchair should inspire you!
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Most breed and show
associations, and many businesses that produce, sell, market, auction,
transport, or otherwise trade in horses contribute to many worthwhile
charities, and use their events and businesses to give back to their
communities. However, few have adapted to the reality that horses live
two or three decades with proper care, or help support horses that meet the
American Horse Council definition of "unwanted." This definition
declares all horses "unwanted" that have "reached the end of their economic
or recreational life." Here we honor those who may profit from the
horse, but do not see it exclusively as a fiscal commodity, but as a valuable
asset to society, worthy of our appreciation and compassion for its own
positive qualities.
"Where man has left his
footprint in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization, we will find
the footprints of the horse beside it." - John Trotworth Moore
"A good man will take care of his horses and dogs, not only while they are young, but also when they are old and past service." - Plutarch
"One of the saddest lines in the world is, 'Oh come now - be realistic.' The best parts of this world were not fashioned by those who were realistic. They were fashioned by those who dared to look hard at their wishes and gave them horses to ride." - Richard Nelson Bolles
"The technologies which have had the most profound effects on human life are usually simple. A good example of a simple technology with profound historical consequences is hay. Nobody knows who invented hay, the idea of cutting grass in the autumn and storing it in large enough quantities to keep horses and cows alive through the winter. All we
know is that the technology of hay was unknown to the Roman Empire but was known to every village of medieval Europe. Like many other crucially important technologies, hay emerged anonymously during the so-called Dark Ages. According to the Hay Theory of History, the invention of hay was the decisive event which moved the center of gravity of urban civilization from the Mediterranean basin
to Northern and Western Europe. The Roman Empire did not need hay because in a Mediterranean climate the grass grows well enough in winter for animals to graze. North of the Alps, great cities dependent on horses and oxen for motive power could not exist without hay. So it was hay that allowed populations to grow and civilizations to flourish among the forests of Northern Europe. Hay moved
the greatness of Rome to Paris and London, and later to Berlin and Moscow and New York. " -Freeman Dyson, Infinite in All Directions, Harper and Row, New York, 1988, p 135
NEW! The Animal Guardian Network, a 501(c)3 non-profit in Arizona that assists rescues and also assists "financially disadvantaged
pet guardians." Services offered to pet owners who are low-income or who have experienced unexpected financial hardship in the down-spiraling economy include neutering, veterinary care, humane euthanasia, fostering and rehoming. They hold innovative fundraisers and are gaining sponsorship from community businesses.
 The Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign is
a partnership initiative of Intervet/Shering-Plough pharmaceuticals and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) to provide equine vaccines to 501(c)(3) Non-Profit horse rescues, retirement and rehabilitation facilities and sanctuaries for their Spring or Fall vaccinations. There is no limit to the number of horses the agency can receive vaccines for. The
agency must be following the AAEP Guidelines for a rescue or sanctuary, and work with an AAEP member veterinarian who jointly applies with the non-profit for the vaccines. Here is the FAQ Brochure .PDF:
 Intervet AAEP Rescue Vaccines 2009 FAQSheet.pdf
 Pfizer Animal Health & Stable Management magazine present the 2009 Giving Back Contest. Top Prize of $10,000! Equine professionals running a profit-generating business in the equine field are eligible, not
non-profit organizations. The contest is about using your equine business to give back to the community, either locally or globally. Visit Stable Management to view Giving Back's 2008 winners and get complete 2009 contest details. Entries must be received by June 15, 2009.
Julie Goodnight - Host of RFD-TV's Horse Master with Julie Goodnight show, for donating tickets to NARHA (formerly North American Riding for the Handicapped Association) centers and members to attend her 2009 Clinics in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Colorado, California, and Hawaii.
Pat and Linda Parelli - for teaming with the HSUS and local horse rescues to train a horse rescued from slaughter at their 2009 clinics, then, after the 3-day training, assist in finding the horse an adoptive home. The goal is to spotlight the trainability and desirability of the "Unwanted" sound, healthy young horses.
 Special
Honors to the North American Peruvian Horse Association. This breed
has a website page specifically honoring their senior horses, not just the
occasional magazine article about a particular famous show horse.
 Special
Honors to the Queen City Dressage Circuit for offering a Jack Benny (20-24)
and George Burns (25+) Senior Dressage Year End Award to the Horse/Rider
pair that rides at least 1 Test on the annual circuit. This award is
sponsored by Dr. Nancy Nicholson. Her own dressage horses are 21 and 31
respectively.
 Special
Honors to the East Valley Arabian Horse Association, Phoenix, Arizona
for their ongoing annual support of Castaway Treasures horse rescue in
Tucson, Arizona. Despite years of research, this is the only horse
show or breed association we have ever found that donates a dime of money,
or a minute of time to assisting a horse rescue, sanctuary, adoption, or
emergency care effort for horses without the requirement that the funds be
used for disaster assistance only (such as the USET fund started after
Hurricane Katrina to which individual members may donate if they so desire.
USET will receive one of these "Trailblazer" awards when the wealthy
organization itself contributes to a more general equine rescue or
retirement or emergency medical care fund.)
 Special
Honors to the Addis Equine Auction Company, the leading auction
company for Arabian horses since 1987. According to our research, this
is the only horse auction company in North America that contributes a dime
to equine welfare. Addis has a small fund to pay for humane euthanasia
of Arabian horses (their specialty) whose owners cannot afford it. Addis also requires a reserve
on horses that exceeds the prices slaughter agents will bid. Mr. Bill Addis is perhaps the
most forward thinking and practical businessman in the commercial horse
industry, in our humble opinion.
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Special Honors to the UC
Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, for inaugurating their pioneering
program Tender Loving Care. This program provides for the veterinary
supervision and care of a horse whose owner has predeceased him or her, and
ultimately benefiting the endowment trust of the school.
Special Honors to Worley's Hauling of Corbin, Kentucky, for offering
a discount on "Rescue Horses."
Worley's is a coast-to-coast equine transportation firm serving
the United States and Canada. Operated by Bill and Mari Worley,
Worley's Hauling specializes in "special needs horses" including foals,
weanlings and yearlings as well as other horses with special needs due to
age, diet, blindness or crippled limbs. The Worleys transport donkeys,
ponies and miniature horses as well as full-sized horses, llamas, alpacas,
ostriches, domestic pets, birds, and exotic animals.
 Special Honors to Hoofprints.com, founded in 1986, an online supplier of Farrier Greeting Cards and Unique Products for the Equine Professional, and unique Equestrian gifts and art. Hoofprints.com is taking advantage of the eBay charity giving mechanism for their
listings. "We've gotten numerous calls, and emails about Billy - and we were inspired to ask you all who are so inclined to consider supporting equine rescue. Whether you take an extra one into your barn, or offer up financial support to others who do... HoofPrints has designated 50% of selected
EBAY AUCTION proceeds to go to our friends at
Crosswinds Equine Rescue. Look for the little charity icon when placing your bid." according to Gina Keesling, owner, in her November Hoofprints Newsletter to customers.
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 Special Honors to The Kentucky Horse Council for its innovative emergency horse feeding program for Kentucky horse owners who have diligently cared for their horses but due to a financial crisis such as a job loss or medical incident need help feeding up to two private horses for a month while they rebuild.
The innovative program, The Equine Safety Net, demonstrates that the Kentucky Horse Industry recognizes the concerns of ordinary Kentucky horse owners, even though its primary mission is the protection and development of the commercial Kentucky horse industry.
 Special Honors to the New Mexican Horse Project. This small band of patriotic American horsepeople has made a truly significant contribution to saving our Wild Horses with intelligent, concrete action that partnered with private and commercial resources to identify, provide sanctuary for, and enable the
American public to understand and appreciate an important historical and natural resource of our land.
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They carefully documented the 400 year history of the true mustang.
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The conducted scientific DNA analysis of the wild horses and compared them to 400 year old horse remains in New Mexico archaeological sites to confirm that they were indeed wild horses that had survived without human intervention and without overpopulating, and were NOT recently released or abandoned feral domestic horses.
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They found land owners willing to set aside land to provide a sanctuary range of the size and habitat necessary for their continuance without human intervention for another 400 years. One preserve of the three they have so far is 10,000 acres set aside by the Campbell Farming Corporation. Another 640 deeded acres, with an option on 1280 more for expansion, is the
Cindy Rodger Lopopolo Wild Horse Preserve, where cancer sufferers can enjoy the wild horses.
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They are carefully developing trails, campsites, lookouts, and rest areas around the perimeter for eco-tourism to enable people to view the wild horses without interfering with them.
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They have membership and sponsorship and volunteer programs to maintain the sanctuary trust lands.
So this proves that the American people who care about preserving our heritage and this uniquely important and beautiful wild animal that is part of it, can do so without the debilitating haggling and decades of zero progress or even backsliding that government management produces. Typical American ingenuity. The movers and shakers of the
New Mexican
Horse Project made up their minds that this needed to be done, then went out and did it. No fuss. No muss. No fanfare. (But you will be able to see documentaries about the project on Animal Planet and National Geographic, a news story on CNN, and a movie.) Power to the People!
More at http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/57690-01-04-06.html and for the eco-tourism part Soul Counseling Vacation Packages
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 Special Honors to Texas racehorse breeder and anti-slaughter advocate Mrs. Madeleine Pickens. A naturalized American citizen, T. Boone Pickens' wife has had it with the BLM removing wild horses from herd management areas, then paying Kansas and Oklahoma ranchers to house them in pastures for years, then
wanting to sell them to slaughter because they can't be adopted. She's going to adopt all of the thousands of animals the BLM has warehoused, purchase land to set aside as preserves, fund the hiring of rangers to protect them and establish eco-tourism centers for Americans to be able to view them. It appears that if a few New Mexicans can set aside three preserves for New Mexico's
several hundred mustangs, the billionaire's wife can do the same for America on a grand scale. No single American has set out to do so much singlehandedly for Conservation and Wildlife since President Theodore Roosevelt. If Mrs. Pickens succeeds, and there is nothing to prevent her from doing so, some folks might want the visage of a woman added to Mount Rushmore. Another
stirring example that it is the Americans themselves, not the government bureaucracies, that solve problems or make things happen.
Annual Best Humane Business Innovation Award to the National Black Farmers Association for launching its Project Wanted Horse. On August 8, 2008, the association founder and president, Dr. John W. Boyd, Jr. testified before the House Committee considering H.R. 6598, the Prevention of Equine
Cruelty Act that would ban the interstate shipment and export of American horses for slaughter for human consumption. In doing so, this fourth generation farmer, representing 94,000 American black farmers, announced the partnership of the NBFA with the Animal Welfare Institute formed in June, 2008 to provide homes for the horses that the AHC and the pro-slaughter lobbyists claim are
"unwanted" and that the only humane alternative to them being abandoned in droves to starve to death is to ship them thousands of miles to be slaughtered.
"Project Wanted Horse" will ensure that horses rescued by equine protection organizations, from the slaughter pipeline, or from an abusive situation are placed on farms operated by NBFA’s 94,000 members across the country. AWI will oversee the placement of horses with NBFA members. Each placed
animal will be accompanied by a legally binding contract, ensuring quality lifetime care and that they will not be resold only to end up on the path to slaughter.
“As a working farmer and horse owner I felt it important to speak out for these magnificent
animals who have played such an important role in the lives of African-American farmers,” said Dr. Boyd. “When learning about the issue, people advocating horse slaughter kept saying horse slaughter is an important industry to famers and horse owners. I had to take a stand and tell Congress this was just not true. The industry exists out of greed and those advocating horse slaughter could care
less about horse welfare.”
During the recent hearing, former slaughterhouse lobbyist and US Congressman Charlie Stenholm claimed to be speaking on behalf of all agriculture and livestock interests, but Dr. Boyd discounted that. As an active farmer and head of a 94,000 member organization made up of working farmers, Dr. Boyd told the Committee that until recently he didn’t even know that horse slaughter even existed, but
that neither he nor his organization support the practice. He also refuted claims of horses being abandoned en masse as a result of the closure of the remaining US-based horse slaughter plants in 2007.
“Even if horses were being abandoned, that has nothing to do with slaughter and we certainly shouldn’t be collecting info on it to defend horse slaughter. We should go after those abusing animals, not reward them,” stated Dr. Boyd.
If each of the 94,000 black farmers rehomes one horse per year, and the horse breeders continue to pump 100,000 per year into the slaughter pipeline, we only need 6,000 horse training, showing and boarding stables or local show associations to each take ONE horse per year to recycle the industry's discards! It is a travesty of hypocrisy, complacency, and ineptitude that breed show
associations all over the country made up of amateur horse enthusiasts who profess love for their Paint, Quarterhorse, Thoroughbred, Arabian, Appaloosa, or imported warmblood, or child's pony, and pay dues that go to the AHC pro-slaughter lobbyists, cannot organize well enough to do what a group of farmers formed in 1995 has already done for America's treasure — the horse.
It is also tremendously revealing that none of the major American horse publications carried the story of Dr. Boyd's testimony, nor the press release announcement of the NBFA Project Wanted Horse in partnership with the Animal Welfare Institute. They do run every opinion article written by Agricultural college teachers promoting "harvesting" of "unwanted" horses as a "necessary evil."
Are these publications suppressing ground-breaking news of genuine interest to the owners of 60% of America's horses, in order to please their advertisers? Decide for yourself. Go ahead, Google "Project Wanted Horse" to see what horse publications carried it: one in New Zealand and NONE in the United States, as of October 17, 2008. Neither did they carry the press release from the
Animal Welfare Institute, explaining how they will coordinate America's horse rescues and the NBFA to match horses to farms with the aid of professionals.
 Compare this to the horse media coverage of the "Unwanted Horse Coalition," a front group for the American Horse Council which hopes to dissuade amateur horse owners from attempting to market their horses via normal means first, and instead immediately dump their animals on horse rescues and therapeutic riding centers. Additionally, the AHC, agricultural school staff, and the UHC publicize horse
abandonment and hoarding, which has always occurred, as being directly related to closing U.S. slaughterhouses and owners being unable or unwilling to care for their aged companions, in an attempt to actually encourage such behavior to make their case. Despite industry expertise in how to effectively sell a horse, these groups publish pamphlets and write articles urging people "not"
to abandon their horses (thus planting the idea) but to surrender them to rescues or therapy centers. Without the "helpful" suggestions of the AHC, UHC, and agricultural schools, most horse owners would try to sell their horse normally. However, by encouraging people to flood the rescues or abandon their horses, these groups hope to create a situation where rescues
and livestock officers are overwhelmed and capitulate to the "need" for horse slaughter. At the same time, they brag that new foal registrations, their revenue stream, are on the rise, including the hot new embryo transfer industry - clones.
Honorable Mention to Back Country Horsemen of America (BCHA) which does not support a specific breed, but donates thousands of hours annually to maintain trails throughout the country, and represent horsepeople on county, state, and federal issues affecting access to public lands.
Honorable Mention to Josephine Abercrombie, prominent horsewoman, philanthropist, and thoroughbred racing industry notable. Ms. Abercrombie, at the age of 78, has stepped out of the shadows of the official industry organization to which she belongs, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA)
and the umbrella group to which it contributes money for lobbying, the American Horse Council (AHC). In so doing, Ms. Abercrombie, owner of Pin Oak stud and a trustee of the Breeders' Cup, assembled a "blueblood" group of Thoroughbred owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys, reining horse champion trainers, and even a former President and First Lady of the United States of America (Gerald R.
Ford) to write a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, in support of H.R. 6598, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 which would criminalize the transport, intra and interstate, of horses for the purpose of slaughter. Unfortunately, the bill will not make it to the floor of the House for a vote during the 110th session, a technical scheduling maneuver
by the Democrat majority leader Nancy Pelosi, who controls the schedule, thus effectively silencing the voices of millions of American horse owners and ignoring the will of the people. Pelosi sent the bill, that passed the Judiciary Committee, to the Agriculture Committee instead of to the floor for a vote. This is because Democrats up for re-election on November 4th received
campaign contributions from pro-slaughter groups opposing the bill, and want to avoid angering them by voting for a bill to save horses that the general public supports.
Nevertheless, Ms. Abercrombie exemplifies what Thoroughbred owners, Arabian owners, Quarterhorse owners, and millions of hunter/jumper, dressage, reining aficionados, U.S. Pony Club members, barrel racers, and NARHA therapeutic riding center operators must do: end the charades that their breed or professional association represents their opinions or interests concerning the slaughter
of America's horses, and send their own messages. Read Ms. Abercrombie's letter, and who else signed it, on Ray Paulick's blog, here. Also, Mr. Paulick has an excellent blog article listing the
Thoroughbred racetracks and associations that are anti-slaughter and trying to do something about it.
Honorable Mention to Let Em Run Foundation, working to protect The Comstock wild horses in Nevada by partnering with government, businesses and the community, funded through creative efforts and eco-tourism.
To recommend a business or group
for special recognition for its equine philanthropy, please
email us. Soon there will be so many "traditional horse industry"
associations and businesses bridging the gap between producers and consumers
that we will need to turn this page into a section of its own!
Del Camino
does not endorse, approve, guarantee, warranty, or otherwise recommend any
product, service, vendor, book,
article, website, webzine, magazine linked on this page
The Del Camino Products and Services catalog offers some horse
products of interest to owners of senior horses.
Here's an easy online calendar from Intervet for tracking health records. It can be an excellent tool to collaborate with your boarding or retirement farm, a good link to include in a packet for others who may horse-sit while you are on vacation, and is certainly a cost-free way to get started with good records on your
horses from the beginning. Even though to focus is on broodmares and foals, there are excellent tools for keeping adult horse records on vaccinations, worming, trimming and other maintenance:
The AAEP has issued updated
vaccination guidelines as of January 2008.
UC Davis School of Veterinary
Medicine Center for Equine Health
Technical Large Animal Emergency
Rescue -
Horse Welfare Statistics -
Need to get the word out to volunteers, donors or members about what your group is doing?
Equinezone Horse Supply -
Equine Now
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