EquineTeleseminar

How to Help Horses Gain Weight

Horse owners often have to consider controlling their horse’s weight. Most of the time, the horse will weigh too much, but there are situations when horses need to gain a little bit of weight. For very active horses, keeping a steady, high weight total is extremely important. Here are some tips on how to make help a horse gain a little bit of weight if it needs to.

Adopt-A-Foal Update

We have gotten some requests for an update to our Feedlot mare situation... so here's the latest... We have some volunteers making a run to Lubbock this weekend to pick up these babies...They'll be traveling back this way at night/early morning hours due to the heat during the daytime...it will be a long trip home since they will be stopping every couple of hours for the babies to get their bearings and balance back... and of course,  to nurse.    

• The Bay Mare and paint foal have been spoken for, but it isn't a done deal yet...we have one person in line waiting to see how that one hashes out...if they do become available, we will not be able to pick them up this weekend, but would most likely get them in the next couple of weeks.
• The Bay Mare and colt have been adopted and will be quarantined at their new home rather than with us.
• The Chocolate Paint Mare sadly lost her foal, but thankfully has been adopted.
• The Roan mare and paint filly have been adopted by the same family that is taking the Chocolate paint mare.
• We have three people vying for the Chestnut Mare and foal...I am waiting on applications to process...but there  isn't a done deal yet.
• The Chestnut mare in foal and the Grey Arabian Cross mare are still available and need to find loving new homes...please mention them to anyone that you know that may be interested...We will forward more information on them (estimated age, health, foaling status, personality, etc.) once we get them settled here and looked at by our Vet, Dr. Melissa Hubble.

We would appreciate donations of new or used halters for both the mares and foals.... or certificates to purchase them at Spring Creek Feed Store (Melissa Hardee 281-252-5400) or Steinhausers (Connie Swetlick 281- 356-2530). We have plenty of leadropes. If anyone has a small oval stock tank that they want to get rid of...please get in touch with us as we are having to, as part of the 2 month quarantine, keep these girls in separate pastures with separate water sources.... (actually, we need two more stock tanks but having a used one given to us would help us enormously!)

Thanks to everyone for showing their support and forwarding this flyer on our behalf... Believe it or not, we have been contacted by people from all over the country! In some cases, people got our email/flyer after already reading it from some else! You guys are awesome!

Download aafer_flyer_feedlot_mares.pdf

Marian & Dan Mastin

Morgans In Southern MN

Horses in need:
1.   these horses are in St. Paul, Minnesota.
They are to be auctioned tomorrow night!!!
http://www.clrc. ca/cgi-bin/list.cgi? _association= 91&_list=ownedby&_ id=5276716
This is a link to some Morgans that are going to auction in St Paul.To far for me but I thought someone might be interested.
Renee

Habitat For Horses Action Alert

         

                   

Habitat for Horses Action Alert

Keep Texas Horses Safe

Action Needed for Texas Legistlation   Texas horses are  once again in need of our aid. A number of bills are in need of our attention. The focus is on SB 911 and HB2543 with the potential to bring horse slaughter back to Texas. We need your help to keep that from happening. Also attention is need for HB2328 with the potential to improve current animal cruelty laws in.   Read on for further details.

Adopt-A-Foal Update

Well here I was, early Sunday afternoon, ready to send out this email that I had typed up announcing the birth of Mara's foal "Luna" (detailed below) and along comes "Quinn"...our third and final foal ...for a while anyway!

 

Quinn is the precious new colt of a Belgian/ Quarterhorse cross mare (Baby Girl) that recently, due to some unfortunate circumstances, "bounced back" to us. She had been bred, against our wishes, to an unregistered paint with similar coloring to hers. We will be trying to find a good home for each of them independently or preferrably, together. Quinn is a hearty, "little" guy with his mare's gentle disposition. When we acquired BG originally, we were told that she was rideable and has been on a few trail rides. In having a Vet check her out, we were told that Baby Girl was approximately 8 years old (so she's about 10 to 11 years old currently) and that she has a degenerative condition in one of her front feet, although she wasn't showing any signs of favoring it ...and still doesn't.  BG stays very calm in situations where most horses would completely freak out... For example, one day she was trying to get into the hay bales on the other side of some slick wire and got her front feet over the first two strands of wire (so she couldn't move backward) and had the third strand across her chest (so she couldn't move forward)...instead of panicking, she just stood there in the shade until someone noticed that she wasn't moving and came to help her. She's really got a great personality and is beautifully dappled.

 

Luna arrived on Saturday night at 11:45pm..and is a rare and beautiful grulla filly! It was a difficult first delivery for Mara and once again Dan "pulled 'er through"!! Mara is a wonderful mom and is attentive and very protective... Luna is a gorgeous baby and is all legs, has a high energy level and a somewhat timid but sweet personality.

 

To remind all of you...Neither O'Hara or Mara had much in the way of positive people contact prior to our receiving them on March 12th... Mara has always been the more timid of the two, but is a sweet, curious mare coming, slowly but surely, to trust us more with each new day! This delivery certainly put her trust to the test, but she is doing very well in allowing us access to Luna to provide assistance in balancing on those long legs...(it's amazing what a great bribe her grain can be! LOL).

Once again, our friends, Millard, Heather and Liberty Baker, took some great snapshots off of our webcam and have posted them on the site below...hope you all enjoy them! 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/millardbaker/sets/72157600182184945/show/

There is still much to be done and we need your help... Let's start getting word out about these mares and their babies so that we can provide them the proper care and find them some wonderful homes!  Please review the attached Adoption Agreement and forward or distribute it to those you know to be qualified applicants.

Thank you for your continued friendship and support! We'll be posting more pictures soon...

Marian & Dan Mastin

Habitat For Horses Action Alert

New Texas Animal Cruelty Bill Strips Protection >From Horses

Due to damaging floor amendments added to the Texas HB 2328 during the House debate, HB 2328 now provides less protection for horses than our current Animal Cruelty Statute. HB 2328 has now gone to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, and it is imperative that everyone contact these Committee members and urge them to correct the damage done to this bill on the House floor. Listed below are the things that need to be done to give our horses the protection they need and deserve. 1) The proposed new law separates "livestock" laws from "non livestock" animals and places equines in the livestock section. Horses and other equine animals need to be moved from the section on cruelty to "livestock" animals to the section on cruelty to "non livestock" animals. This has no effect on the tax laws related to equines.    2) The offense of "tripping a horse" which has been in the Animal Cruelty Statute since 1995 needs to be added back into the bill.    3) The offense of "cruelly transporting or confining a horse" needs to be added back into the bill.    The talking points for each of these requests are attached. Remember, when contacting these Senators, please be respectful and polite. We need to get these folks on our side by helping them understand what we consider cruel acts.   Contact information for the members of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee:   John Whitmire (D), Chair, Dist. 15 - Houston  Capitol Phone: 512-463-0115  Capitol Fax: 512-475-3737 Email: john.whitmire@senate.state.tx.us   Kel Seliger (R), Vice Chair Dist. 31 -Amarillo  Capitol Phone: 512-463-0131  Capitol Fax: 512-475-3733 Email: kel.seliger@senate.state.tx.us   John Carona (R) Dist. 16 - Dallas  Capitol Phone: 512-463-0116  Capitol Fax: 512-463-3135 Email: john.corona@senate.state.tx.us     Bob Deuell (R) Dist. 2 - Greenville   Capitol Phone: 512-463-0102  Capitol Fax: 512-463-7202 Email: bob.deuell@senate.state.tx.us   Rodney Ellis (D) Dist. 13 - Houston  Capitol Phone: 512-43-0113  Capitol Fax: 512-463-0006 Email: rodney.ellis@senate.state.tx.us   Glenn Hegar (R) Dist. 18 - Katy Capitol Phone: 512-463-0118  Capitol Fax: 512-475-3736 Email: glenn.hegar@senate.state.tx.us   Juan Hinojosa (D) Dist. 20 - McAllen  Capitol Phone: 512-463-0120  Capitol Fax: 512-463-0229 Email: juan.hinojosa@senate.state.tx.us   The mailing address for all Senators in Austin is: P.O. Box 12068 Austin, Texas 78711-2068 REASONS TO MOVE HORSES TO THE NONLIVESTOCK SECTION HB 2328 does not give horses any protection against violent acts of animal cruelty. As currently written, HB 2328 gives horses less protection than they have under the existing "loophole ridden" animal cruelty statute. For example, under HB 2328 it is still legal for a person to intentionally kill or seriously injure his own horse. It is also legal for a person to intentionally kill, seriously injure or poison someone else's horse. It is also legal to transport or confine a horse in a cruel manner (i.e. in a manner than inflicts unjustified pain and suffering).      Talking Points:          The livestock cruelty statute does not reflect the emotional bond most horse owners have with their horses today nor the typical role that horses play in our lives.  In today's culture, horses are often exposed to urban and suburban environments which in turn expose them to the same horrific acts of animal cruelty perpetrated on other companion animals such as dogs and cats.    Horses are much more than just a livestock animal and are very different from food animals such as cattle, swine, goats, sheep and poultry. Horses are our companions; they are animals we use for entertainment such as pleasure riding, hunter jumping, barrel racing, pari-mutuel racing, carriage rides, etc. They also protect us as part of the equine police force. They also help heal our wounds by providing us with therapeutic riding treatments. Animals that play such an integral part in our day to day lives deserve the maximum protection possible against animal abusers.    Just recently a horse was dragged by its owner behind a pickup truck at over 30 mph until the hoofs were bleeding and the horse collapsed and died. Because of "loopholes" in our current law and in HB 2328 the perpetrator will go unpunished. Also, there have been numerous recent attacks against horses throughout the state while in their paddocks. In one case, two A&M students clubbed a horse with a polo mallet; cut her throat and stabbed her multiple times; finally, in one last horrific act they impaled her through the heart with a broken golf club. Under our existing statute and under HB 2328 this is not a crime!    By giving horses the same protection from violent acts of animal cruelty as we give our other companion animals, no horse owner will loose his/her agricultural property tax exemption or the right to administer drugs to his/her horse without a prescription.    It should also be noted that farming, ranching and other agriculture activities are totally exempt from prosecution under HB 2328 and will not be negatively affected by giving horses more protection. REASONS TO KEEP TRIPPING A HORSE AN ANIMAL CRUELTY OFFENSE   Horse tripping is a rodeo event held exclusively at Spanish style rodeos.  The two horse tripping events: include roping on foot and roping from horseback. Each is described below: Manganas a Pie (Roping on foot) a charro (horseman) on foot (pie) has three opportunities to rope a wild mare by her front legs and cause her to fall and roll once. The wild mare is chased around the ring by three mounted charros. Points are awarded for time and rope tricks as long as the horse is roped and brought down. Extra points are given for the tirón del ahorcado (hanged pull) in which the rope is around the charro's neck and he uses his body to cause the mare to fall and roll. Points for all three attempts are cumulative. Eight minutes are given. Manganas a Caballo or (Roping from horseback) a charro on horseback has three opportunities to rope a wild mare by her front legs and cause her to fall and roll once. In 1994, the Texas Attorney General ruled these events result in torture to the horse. In 1995, the Texas legislature outlawed it.  Tripping a horse for purposes of identification or veterinary treatment is legal and exempt from prosecution under current law. Such practices often result in broken legs, necks and backs. If the horse survives, it usually suffers serious, lifelong injuries. The sole reason for this practice is to show one's "machoism" or masculinity. The American Quarter Horse Association is opposed to "tripping" and wants this removed from the bill. No 'true" horseperson would allow this to happen in front of them. It is by far the worst form of intentional torture inflicted upon a horse, yet the Texas legislature seems to think it should be allowed. REASONS TO KEEP CRUELLY TRANSPORTING OR CONFINING A HORSE AS AN ANIMAL CRUELTY OFFENSE   Tied to a tree for weeks on end? Never allowed to leave a filthy, dark, hot stall? Crammed into a 16' horse trailer with 9 other full size horses? Those are conditions under which we have assisted law enforcement in seized horses under the definition of "cruelly confined" and "cruelly transported." Why would anyone want to allow someone to intentionally or knowingly transport or confine his or her horse in a cruel manner - which, according to the cruelty statute, means a manner that causes or permits unjustified or unwarranted pain or suffering?  That's exactly what the House version of this bill allows. On a Personal Note   The operations of Habitat for Horses is centered on assisting law enforcement throughout Texas and other states in dealing with complaints related to abuse and neglect of horses, mules and donkeys. Our trained investigators know and understand Texas animal law and handle these cases on a daily basis. We are the largest equine organization of this type in the United States and assisting law enforcement is the core of our business. The link to "Loopholes" on the left side is to a file showing many examples of the now existing loopholes with which we  and other humane groups must deal as we aid law enforcement with the current criminal law. This new bill almost completely destroys even the minimal criminal protection currently existing for equines. Within the current law, any person beating or killing your horse or their horse is safe from criminal prosecution and no effort is being made to remove that exemption. The term "shelter" is being removed from the current law, so horses have absolutely no protection from 105 degree days on blazingly hot sand lots or the freezing blizzards such as Texas experiences in the Panhandle. There is no doubt that this new bill is condemning these horses to a cruel death. Few will argue the fact of cruelty when a horse is beaten to death by a bunch of teenagers, tied to a pickup and pulled down a paved road for three miles, chased and tripped with a rope around its legs while "macho" men and women laugh and drink beer, yet the Texas legislature is preparing to allow these very things to happen. In fact, they are not only prepared to allow it, they are purposely and willingly giving the horse abusers the right to act! Without the ability to prosecute on criminal charges, law enforcement will seldom be willing to seize horses under our civil code, Section 821 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, thus these changes effectively destroys our investigation division. In addition to all of the above, HB3930, a totally different bill, is designed to reinstate the right to appeal when any animal is seized under Section 821 and given to a nonprofit. This action, once denied by Pine vs. State and reinforced by an 18 horse case in Galveston involving Habitat for Horses, would result in any nonprofit animal welfare organization maintaining the animals for however long it took, even years, for the case to work its way through the appeals process. That was the sole reason for removing the right to appeal - so animals could be rehabilitated and moved on to new homes. We need every member of this organization, and every person who remotely cares about the welfare of horses to call their Senators, plus those Senators on the Committee, and to not stop until this bill is changed or dies in Committee. The folks in Austin need to understand how passionate we are about horses and to understand that the citizens of Texas are not going to accept changes that strip away the bare minimal protection that horses currently enjoy and watch as those who abuse horses are given the okay by our legislators to kill, injure and intentially maim our horses. Please pass this along to every person you know and ask them to pick up the phone or send a fax. It's time that our elected officials in Austin hear our words loud and clear. Habitat for Horses is a 501.c.3 with members throughout the United States. Our mission is to provide education for horse owners, to work with law enforcement as an aid to enforce local animal cruelty laws, to rehabilitate equines within our organization and to adopt them to homes that understand the true value of the majestic equines in their care.   Sincerely, Jerry Finch Habitat for Horses P.O. Box 213 Hitchcock, TX 77563 866-434-5737

Adopt A Foal Update

Hi Everyone,

Well, it looks like we are in the home stretch... as you can see from the pictures, the girls are synchronizing their rolling to help position their babies (its pretty funny to see them when they get stuck on one side 'cuz they can't get their big bellies to roll all the way over!) and "bagging up" (look closely) so it won't be long now! We are guessing that Mara will deliver first, but they seem to be very competitive with one another....so we shall see...

We have put a camera up in the barn to monitor their progress and thought it'd be fun to include you all in the "mare stare"... the IP address is as follows...  http://65.67.157.112 .
We also have it hyperlinked on our website. You can locate it at the top of the Available Horses page. Anyone watching them that sees anything of concern should feel free to contact us immediately at 281-356-6644.

We have had lots of phone calls inquiring about these two beautiful mares and their foals but no firm commitments as yet, so please help us to get the word out... as you can see they are really something and their personalities are just wonderful. O'Hara is the calmer of the two, but Mara is gentling down nicely is very curious about everything. They both are easy feeders and love their grain! They will now walk up to the fences and both want to be scratched and loved on. O'Hara follows me around the pasture as I pull up grass to hand feed to her...the booger thinks I'm her walking deli delivery! LOL

We hope you enjoy the photos and the web cam...Please take a few moments to review some of the things, we've listed below, that we really need right now... perhaps some of you can help us out by pooling with friends and/or family to donate some things from the list to us. We have recently purchased some extra lead ropes and halters, our feed bill has taken a huge leap (them bigguns can eat!),  we have had to add some additional crossfencing to keep the mares and foals separate from all other horses and unfortunately, have had a lot of medical expenses to cover....so we could really use some assistance in obtaining these items.
# Large Two-wheeled Wheelbarrows - 3               
# Wash Rack Mats
# High Quality Hay
# Salt Blocks
# Wood Shavings (or) AirLite Animal Bedding
# Stall Rakes - 6
# Motor Oil - Least expensive, several quarts (to paint on wood fencing to discourage chewing)
# Purina Horseman's Edge Sweetfeed 12% or 14%
# Purina Omelene 300
# For-A-Flex Complete Vitamin Supplements
# Strongid C2X - 50 lbs.
# Cash Donations
# Gift Cards/Certificates (to local Feedstores or Tractor Supply)
Please help us however you are able to...as always, we appreciate your support!
Marian & Dan