The American Quarter Horse Journal Now Includes Horse-Racing Stories and Information

Magazines Merge: After 20 years of separation, AQHA’s Journals reunite, starting in January.

The American Quarter Horse Journal, December 16, 2009 – For more than 20 years, The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal has been a stand-alone publication serving racing owners, breeders, trainers and fans. It wasn’t always that way. Starting with the first issue of The Quarter Horse Journal in 1948, racing has always been an integral part of the American Quarter Horse and the American Quarter Horse Association.
Starting with the January 2010 issue, the Racing Journal will again be a part of The American Quarter Horse Journal. The Racing Journal section — Q-Racing — will join the other discipline sections: halter; rail and pattern; reining, cutting and cow horse; and ranching, rodeo and ropes.
“This decision was not an easy one to make, and many different scenarios were considered before the AQHA Executive Committee and Racing Council approved this change,” said Jim Bret Campbell, AQHA’s senior director of marketing and publications. “Many consumer publications have had to restructure how they do business or have gone out of business altogether. After considering all of the options, allowing this change seemed the best way to continue serving our members, subscribers and advertisers.” Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9583

Tags: American Quarter Horse, AQHA, equestrian community, equestrian disciplines, Horse Racing

Qualifying Points Approved for the 2010 AQHA World Championship Show

The American Quarter Horse Journal, December 29, 2009 – The qualifying season for the 2010 Bank of America Amateur and FedEx Open World Championship Show is under way, and the recommendations for qualifying points have been approved by the American Quarter Horse Association Executive Committee.

AQHA’s in-house World Show Committee uses a formula to determine the qualifying points that includes information on entries for the previous World Show. The committee then presents the recommendations to the Executive Committee for approval.

Qualifying points for the 2010 AQHA World Show will remain the same as in 2009, with the exception of progressive working hunter. For 2010, the progressive working hunter class will require four points to qualify to compete at the World Show compared to the six points needed for 2009. The qualifying period for the 2010 AQHA World Show began August 1, 2009, and will conclude July 31, 2010. To check your current points, visit www.aqhamembers.org.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9579

Tags: American Quarter Horse, AQHA, AQHA World Championship Show, Driving, equestrian competitions, equestrian disciplines, hunter/jumper, Reining, Western

The Fight Continues for Wild Horses – Your Action Needed

Demand Halt to BLM Calico Wild Horse Roundup

BLM to Begin Secret Calico Roundup on Private Land – No Public Observers Allowed

The Fight Continues for Wild Horses – Your Action Needed. Please join IDA and Sheryl Crow in calling on President Obama to halt the Christmas-week roundup of thousands of Nevada horses.

IDA continues to work diligently to stop the pending Bureau of Land Management (BLM) roundup of 2,700 horses in the Calico Mountain Complex in northwestern Nevada. Despite our efforts, the roundup is set to start today, but there is still time to save most of the horses! We won’t stop fighting – but we need your help to stop this massive assault on America’s wild horses.

What YOU Can Do

Please take these THREE essential steps today! Only a huge public outcry will save these horses from the trauma of being stampeded with helicopters over treacherous winter terrain into capture pens, where they will be torn from their family members before being loaded onto trucks destined for possibly illegal BLM wild horse warehouses in the Midwest.

1.      Paste the letter below (please feel free to personalize) to President Obama in the web form found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/.

2.      Follow your email with a phone call to the White House (both numbers) to appeal to the President to halt the BLM’s cruel Calico wild horse roundup. See letter below for details on what we are asking of the President.

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414

3.      Forward this message to five friends and family and ask that they take a couple of minutes to help the horses – every public comment and phone call counts. You can help us increase the number of active wild horse advocates.

For more information, see the most recent Associated Press story and IDA’s statement on the recent federal court ruling in our lawsuit to stop the Calico roundup.

LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA (Paste the letter below (please feel free to personalize) to President Obama in the web form found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/):

December 28, 2009

Dear President Obama,

I urge you to stop the largest scheduled roundup of wild horses in years – those living in the Calico Mountains in Nevada. Please halt the Interior Department – Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) pending cruel round up of over 2,500 horses who are living peacefully in more than 500,000 acre public land complex.

Last week, a federal court judge ruled that the BLM’s stockpiling of western wild horses in mid-western holding facilities may be illegal and consequently suggested that BLM postpone the Calico roundup. In addition, several appeals are pending with the Interior Board of Land Appeals – including a formal Motion to Stay (stop) the roundup – and your White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) charging that the BLM has flagrantly violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in its failure to assess the impacts of its massive capture and removal plan.

Over the weekend, the BLM made public its plan to begin the roundup in secret on private land from which the public will be barred, thus violating a BLM pledge made just three weeks ago at a packed public meeting in Reno to conduct these roundups with full public transparency.

Wild horse society is complex and consists of tightly knit family bands. President Obama, as you enjoy the holidays with your lovely family, I urge you to take a moment to remember the wild horse families in Nevada’s Calico Mountains that are about to be shattered forever by the BLM’s cruel round up plans.

With a simple phone call, you Mr. President can stop the terror that is about to befall the majestic wild horses of northwest Nevada. Please act today.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

(your name)

In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 85,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA’s efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi, Mumbai, India, and Cameroon, Africa.

In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible.

In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel. (415) 448-0048 Fax (415) 454-1031
idainfo@idausa.org

Tags: BLM, Bureau of Land Management, Equine Protection, Horse Care, Interior Department, Mustangs, National Environmental Policy Act, wild horses

FEI World Cup Dressage 2009/2010 – Round 6, Mechelen

Imke Schellekens-Bartels and Hunter Douglas Sunrise (Ned) made it a back-to-back double of victories in the 2009/2010 FEI World Cup Dressage series when heading the line-up for the second time in seven days at Mechelen in Belgium this evening.

IMKE AND SUNRISE PRODUCE THE MAGIC AGAIN IN MECHELEN

Mechelen (Bel), 27 December 2009 – Dutch rider Imke Schellekens-Bartels made it a back-to-back double of victories in the 2009/2010 FEI World Cup Dressage series when heading the line-up with Hunter Douglas Sunrise at Mechelen in Belgium again this evening.  Just seven days ago the same partnership claimed the honours in Frankfurt, and today they were still full of Christmas sparkle when holding multiple-champion Isabell Werth from Germany back in second place with Warum Nicht, while The Netherlands’ Jeannette Haazen and Nartan slotted into third.

This latest result, achieved on only her second outing in the current series, rockets Schellekens-Bartels up to third place on the league table with a total of 40 points and leaves her just one point behind her fellow-countrywoman Adelinde Cornelissen who, despite a disappointing day today, now shares the top-spot with Germany’s Monica Theodorescu on a score of 41.

Schellekens-Bartels knows, however, that she cannot afford to rest on her laurels.  “Only three Dutch riders will be allowed to compete in the Final at Den Bosch,” she said this evening, “so we all really have to fight hard for the marks and to take a place at the Final.” Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9514

Tags: dressage, equestrian competitions, equestrian disciplines, FEI, FEI World Cup Dressage

BLM to Start Calico Roundup on Private Land – No Public Observers Allowed

Las Vegas Protest Planned for Sunday, December 27th

Photos: Calico Wild Horses – October 2009 by Craig Downer

The Cloud Foundation just learned that the Calico Roundup, arguably the most controversial roundup in the BLM’s history, will be held for the first two weeks on private land where no members of the public will be allowed to view the operation. According to BLM over half of the 2+ month long roundup will take place on private land. The immediate reaction from the public and those planning on attending on Monday is that this is unacceptable and leads to further suspicions of BLM misconduct. Wild Horse and Burro Chief Don Glenn’s statement that the public is welcome to watch any roundup at anytime and offer that the public will be accommodated at a safe distance (so to not further disturb the horses) has fallen flat. Calico cannot be conducted in secret like the Buckhorn Roundup but by working off private lands the BLM can operate in secrecy as apparently the private landowners will not allow any member of the public to be present. The BLM will try to make it possible for public to observe but first two weeks appear to be out. The public should contact Lisa Ross in the Winnemucca office to learn more about observing this massive roundup – 775-623-1541.

The following is a press release from a Nevada resident about a protest in Las Vegas. This is not a Cloud Foundation event; however we support the right of the public to gather and speak out peacefully on behalf of our wild horses and would like to inform you of this protest, albeit on short notice.

Protest the Inhumane Winter Roundup of Nevada’s Wild Horses

Where: The Entrance to Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Nevada

When: 1pm, Sunday, December 27, 2009

Contact Person: Arlene Gawne, 702-277-1313, Artistfromafrica@Hotmail.Com

On Monday, Dec. 28, 2009, the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) intends to roundup approximately 2,400-2,700 of the estimated 3,000 wild horses in the Calico Mountain wild horse complex of Northern Nevada. They will be driven by helicopters in icy winter conditions, over rocky ground, for long distances. Some horses will be injured or die just as they have in recent BLM helicopter roundups. (Press Release continued here.)

TAKE ACTION: Please fax President Obama & Senator Reid today. A Free fax service is available at www.faxzero.com – no fax machine needed! You can fax the White House at 202-456-2461 or call 202-456-1111. Fax Senator Reid at 202-224-7327 or phone his DC office at: 202-224-3542.

The Cloud Foundation

107 South 7th St

Colorado Springs, CO 80905

719-633-3842

Tags: BLM, Bureau of Land Management, Calico Roundup, Cloud Foundation, Equine Protection, Horse Care, Mustangs, protest, wild horses

Sheryl Crow Calls on Obama & Reid to Grant America’s Mustangs a Christmas Reprieve

Two More Wild Horse Foals Are Killed in Most Recent BLM Roundup

Colorado Springs, CO (December 24, 2009) — Sheryl Crow asks Senator Reid and President Obama to grant a Christmas reprieve until the American people and Congress can find a better way to manage our living legends of the West. Now they are being managed into extinction. The Cloud Foundation also reports two more wild horse deaths, during the recent Paisley Wild Horse roundup in southern Oregon (December 16-18).

“I’m asking President Obama and Senator Reid to stop the Calico roundup of the American wild mustangs in Nevada NOW until Congress decides how to manage our living legends of the West.” – Sheryl Crow

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9461

Tags: BLM, Bureau of Land Management, Cloud Foundation, equestrian community, Equine Protection, Mustangs, Sheryl Crow, Wild Horse roundup, wild horses

Lawsuit to Protect Wild Horses Continues Despite Denial of Injunction Against Massive Roundup

Advocates Call on President Obama to Give America’s Wild Horses a Christmas Reprieve

Cloud from an IDA Photo

Washington, DC (December 23, 2009). . . . Wild horse advocates today celebrated a partial victory as U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman ordered a lawsuit challenging a Bureau of Land Management roundup of thousands of wild horses in Nevada forward, but denied a preliminary injunction to stop the removal of horses, which is scheduled to begin December 28.

Judge Friedman’s 25-page decision indicates that he found merit in IDA’s argument that the BLM’s practice of stockpiling tens of thousands of horses in long-term holding facilities in the Midwest is not authorized by law, and invited both parties to expedite briefing on that issue. Based on that preliminary finding regarding long-term holding facilities, Judge Friedman stated that “the agency’s [BLM] best option may be to postpone the [Calico] gather,” but he said that was for the BLM to decide while also noting potential harms in such a delay.

The decision is available at https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2009cv2222-25

Advocates are now calling on President Obama to give the horses a holiday reprieve after filing complaints with the Department of Interior and White House Office of Environmental Quality (CEQ) alleging multiple violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

“The President should order a halt to this roundup until the legality of the long-term holding facilities is determined. The BLM itself says this is not an emergency roundup, so there would be no harm in waiting for adjudication of this enormously important issue,” said William J. Spriggs, of Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, which filed the case on behalf of IDA, ecologist Craig Downer and noted children’s author Terri Farley.

“We are on strong ground in charging that the BLM’s policy of stockpiling tens of thousands of horses in the Midwest, off their rightful Western ranges, is contrary to law, the intent of Congress and the will of the American people,” Mr. Spriggs concluded.

Meanwhile, IDA is turning to the Administration in an effort to save the wild horses living in the Calico Mountains Complex which is comprised of more than 500 thousand acres in northwestern Nevada. Beginning December 28, the BLM intends to wipe out 80-90 percent of the estimated 3,000 horses there by stampeding them with helicopters over dangerous winter terrain into capture pens, then loading them on to trucks bound for government holding facilities in Kansas, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Just four years ago, the BLM rounded up more than two thousand wild horses in Calico in the winter of 2004-2005 and shipped 1,623 horses to short- and long-term holding.

“This is a Christmastime appeal to President Obama on behalf of America’s wild horses,” said Elliot M. Katz, DVM, IDA President. “While the President is enjoying the holidays with his lovely family, In Defense of Animals asks him to think of the horse families who are about to be torn apart forever in the BLM roundup. With the stroke of a pen, he can stop the terror that is about to befall the majestic wild horses of the Calico Mountains in Nevada.”

IDA is asking the Administration to halt the roundup, charging that the BLM violated NEPA by failing to adequately assess the environmental impacts of its massive wild horse capture plan. Over 10,000 public comments were submitted in opposition to the Calico roundup, which the BLM has stated will cost taxpayers $1.7 million.

Despite promising to deliver change, the Obama Administration has continued the Bush Administration’s policy of removing tens of thousands of wild horses from their rightful Western ranges, often to make room for increased grazing of privately-owned livestock on public lands. The BLM currently warehouses 33,000 wild horses in government holding facilities – the legality of which Judge Friedman has just questioned – yet intends to round up and remove 12,000 more horses a year from the West for the next three years. After that time, the number of wild horses held captive in zoo-like conditions will far exceed those left in the wild.

Contacts: William J. Spriggs, Esq., 202-452-6051; Eric Kleiman, 717-939-3231

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization located in San Rafael, Calif. dedicated to protecting animals’ rights, welfare, and habitat through education, outreach, and our hands-on rescue facilities in Mumbai, India, Cameroon, Africa, and rural Mississippi

Reblog from IDA – http://www.idanews.org/ida-breaking-news/lawsuit-to-protect-wild-horses-continues-despite-denial-of-injunction-against-massive-roundup/ 

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Tags: BLM, Bureau of Land Management, Calico Mountains Complex, Calico Mountains in Nevada, Department of Interior, National Environmental Policy Act, National Environmental Policy Act - NEPA, Nevada, South Dakota, The Cloud Foundation, Washington D.C., White House Office of Environmental Quality -CEQ

Mongol Derby Winner Secretly Paid to Ride

British Racing Association voices views over “Impossible Situation”

London Newspaper reports rise of “Chav Adventure” holidays

He was the only Mongolian rider in the Mongol Derby and, according to the original press reports, he won. Yet in an exclusive interview with the Long Riders’ Guild, the winner revealed that, unlike the other contestants, he had not been asked to pay a large fee to ride. In fact, the organizers of the race had secretly hired him to participate, so as to offset claims that the Mongol Derby was an act of equestrian colonialism.

It was supposed to be a get-rich-quick pony picnic, one which saw affluent foreigners paying to risk their lives in Mongolia in an equestrian endurance race allegedly based upon the mounted accomplishments of Genghis Khan’s relay riders.

Instead the Mongol Derby became a battleground over equestrian ethics, with an unprecedented international protest being raised about the welfare of the horses, the last minute financial involvement of a discredited foreign ruler and now the revelation that the race organizers secretly paid the only Mongolian rider to participate and – according to him – then robbed him of his victory. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9458

Tags: equestrian competitions, Equine Protection, FEI, Horse Care, Horse Racing, Mongol Derby

First Moonflash Defends in Sunland Championship

The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal, December 24, 2009 – First Moonflash returns to the scene of his most impressive wins when he defends his title in the $400,000 The Championship at Sunland Park (G1) over 400 yards on Saturday afternoon.

The New Mexico-bred First Moonflash (First To Flash-Nagano Moon by Major Rime) has raced primarily against state-bred company, but has scored his only two wins over open competition at Sunland Park. He won last year’s Championship at Sunland Park in a world-record :18.735 for 400 yards. Later in the meet, he raced to victory in the Bank Of America New Mexico Challenge Championship (G1) by three lengths with another incredible time — a world record :20.274 for 440 yards.

Owned by Pierre and Leslie Amestoy and Maria Gonzalez, First Moonflash then made his only trip outside of New Mexico in his 24-race career. He finished fifth in the Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1). Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9439

Tags: American Quarter Horse, AQHA, equestrian competitions, Horse Racing

Previews: Lassie and Laddie at Hialeah Park

Sweet Matchup in Hialeah’s Lassie Stakes

The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal, December 23, 2009 – The stakes-tested fastest qualifier Sing A New Song meets the elegantly bred second-fastest qualifier Seaside in the $100,000-added Lassie Stakes for juvenile fillies Sunday afternoon at Hialeah Park.

Jose Angel’s Sing A New Song (Make It Anywhere-Kasmania by Chicks Beduino) returned from a more than two-month layoff to set the :19.677 fastest qualifying time to the Lassie over 400 yards, the top time by the equivalent of about three lengths.

That impressive trial win and her stakes resume established before her layoff should set her up as the Lassie favorite. The Manuel Mata-trained miss was second in the Heritage Place Juvenile and qualified for the Speedhorse Gold and Silver Cup Futurity (RG1). Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9429

Tags: American Quarter Horse, AQHA, Hialeah Park, Horse Racing