A New Study Demonstrates a Powerful American Horse Industry

The American Horse Council’s study, The Economic Impact of the Horse Industry in the United States, was released on June 28.

Among the fascinating facts: the American Horse industry supports our economy to the tune of $39 billion and provides 1.4 million full-time jobs. There are an estimated 9.2 million horses in the United States. And quarter horses lead in the estimated number of horses by breed at 3,288,203, followed by Thoroughbreds at 1,291,807. http://www.horsecouncil.org/

Bipartisan House subcommittee - horse racing

Good news--maybe. A bipartisan House subcommittee is supposed to meet on June 19 to investigate the problems in horse racing. The ambitious witness list is made up of vets, owners, trainers, breeders, and officials. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25105381/

My article on Equestrian Ink Blog

Blogwatch: If you enjoy fiction about horses, you'll want to go to . This is my guest article on the exciting new blog Equestrian Ink, hosted by six excellent writers: Laura Crum, Jami Davenport, Kit Ehrman, Toni Leland, Mary Paine, and Michele Scott. Lots of good reading suggestions and inside information about writers who love and respect horses.

You can read my guest article at http://equestrianink.blogspot.com/2008/04/youre-writing-novel-about-what-by-guest.html

Comments from reader

A mention of a correspondent who wrote to say she is enjoying my novel. She represents people to whom this website is dedicated, those who have a lifelong love of horses and are devoted to their well-being. Mary writes, "I am 83 years old and have had horses all my life and showed Tennessee Walking Horses from 1950s to 1970s."

Big Brown - Triple Crown at Belmont Park

This Saturday, June 7, Big Brown will run the third leg of the Triple Crown at Belmont Park. He's won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness and has a chance to be the 12th Triple Crown winner, the first since 1978. It's a thrilling prospect, but at the same time, we know that American race horses are in trouble, breaking down in increasing numbers and sometimes having to be euthanized, the tragic fate of Eight Belles, the second-place winner of the Kentucky Derby. If you'd like to read my thoughts on the danger racing horses face and what should be done, click on Protecting Horses on my website.

If you'd like to respond to my article, I'll pick the best letter, and the winner will get a free copy of my novel, The Case of the Three Dead Horses. I'll reprint the letter for everyone to enjoy and react to but withhold the full name of the winner for security purposes. Please feel free to disagree with me or bring up new points.

The contest ends July 4, 2008.

Stem cell help for horses?

Wonder if stem cells can help horses with bad legs? Click on Protecting Horses on my website.

Good news and Bad: slaughterhouses

First the good. The three slaughterhouses in the United States that killed horses for their meat to export to European and Asian markets are all closed. Courageous state legislators brought about the downfall of the Beltex Corporation, Ft. Worth, Texas; Dallas Crown, Kaufman, Texas; and Cavel International, DeKalb, Illinois. All were foreign-owned. The Animal Welfare Institute tells us that over 100,000 horses died in 2006 in these three factories.
The bad news is that horses are still dying for their meat, transported into Canadian and Mexican slaughtering facilities. To read more, go to www.awionline.org/legislation/horse_slaughter/index.htm

American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act

The AHSPA legislation is still mired in the ponderous movement of legislation in Congress. Readers remember that this law ends the killing of horses for their flesh and forbids "the domestic and international transport of live horses or horseflesh for human consumption." On September 7, 2006, the House of Representatives approved the legislation (HR503) by a vote of 263-146. While introduced into the Senate that year (S311), senators failed to act on it by the end of the year. Then on April 25, 2007, the bill was reported favorably by committee to the full Senate, but is not scheduled for a vote. Later last year, on August 2, 2007, the House passed an amendment to the 2008 Agriculture Appropriations bill that took away funds from the federal program that required horses intended for slaughter be inspected. The reasoning is that without this inspection, horses cannot be killed. The amendment, which must still go to the Senate, is considered only a temporary solution while the sponsors of the AHSPA fight to make it permanent. www.awionline.org/legislation/horse_slaughter/index.htm.

Attention, everyone who has a Cushing's horse:

My excellent correspondent, Tamara, wrote to me about how she cares for her rescued Morgan who suffers from Equine Cushing's Syndrome, This is a hormonal disorder that causes horses to grow abnormally thick coats and shed in an equally abnormal way. Read what Tamara has to say by clicking on Protecting Horses above. We hope her letter helps all those who own ECS horses.