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Nevada: Horse owners protest design of fences at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument
8NewsNow.com - Full Article
by: Greg Haas
Posted: Aug 5, 2022
National monument angers longtime residents over trail access
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — They say that good fences make good neighbors, but apparently the kind of fence is just as important to horse owners who live along the border of the new Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument.
An informational meeting Thursday night about how to make suggestions for the budding park bogged down in a debate about the National Park Service’s fence design. The meeting played out at the Clark County Shooting Complex at the north end of Decatur Boulevard, with a handful of vocal residents sitting alongside volunteers from a group called Protectors of Tule Springs...
Read more here:
https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/horse-owners-protest-design-of-fences-at-tule-springs-fossil-beds-national-monument/
The All-Important Equine Prepurchase Exam
Thehorse.com - Full ArticleWhat to expect when a veterinarian performs a prepurchase exam on a prospective equine partner.
Posted by Chris White, DVM | Jul 13, 2022
Prepurchase exam steps, ethics, and best practices
You’re in the market for a new horse and find one across state lines that checks all the boxes; he’s the right age, within your budget, and you love what you see in the seller’s videos. Why spend time and money performing a prepurchase exam (PPE) on this unicorn? In this hot market, you want to snatch him up right now!
“I think of prepurchase exams as an information-gathering mission for the prospective buyer prior to making the decision of purchasing a horse,” says Rachel Roemer, DVM, owner of Great Bay Equine, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. “I perform them to look for any indication of existing issues that may limit performance in the future for whatever desired job...”
Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/1113827/the-all-important-equine-prepurchase-exam/
Utah: BLM plans to gather wild horses west of Cedar City, and you’re invited
Spenser Heaps/Deseret News photo
KSLNewsRadio.com - Full Article
Jul 28, 2022, 5:00 PM | Updated: Aug 2, 2022
BY DEVIN OLDROYD
Digital Content Producer
CEDAR CITY, Utah — The Bureau of Land Management Cedar City Field Office plans to begin gathering operations to remove excess wild horses from an area west of Cedar City.
Operations will begin on August 7, 2022. The Bureau aims to gather wild horses from within and outside of the Blawn WashHerd Management Area and Bible Spring Complex Area.
According to a news release, this area can support 80 to 170 animals. The current population of wild horses in the area sits at 831...
Read more here:
https://kslnewsradio.com/1972550/blm-plans-to-gather-wild-horses-west-of-cedar-city-and-youre-invited/
California: Park district working to retain access to horse trails
TheCamarilloAcorn.com - Full Article
July 30, 2022
By Makena Huey
makena@theacorn.com
The Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District is planning negotiations with nearby homeowners to protect access to the Las Posas equestrian trails.
District staff said they hope to move forward in a way that benefits the district, the homeowners and the broader community.
“If all goes well, we will have them sign and extend the 30-year agreement,” Administrative Analyst Dylan Gunning said during the July 14 long-range planning committee meeting.
The trails surround Las Posas Equestrian Park, 2084 Via Veneto, which the district has owned since 1972...
Read more here:
https://www.thecamarilloacorn.com/articles/park-district-working-to-retain-access-to-horse-trails/
Prince Edward Island: Extended equestrian access on Confederation Trail includes West Prince routes
PEICanada.com - Full Article
Jillian Trainor jillian@peicanada.com
Jul 28, 2022
Usually, when Connie Gaudette takes her horse Maggie for a ride, it’s through dirt roads, fields where she had permission from farmers, through wooded land, or the beach.
“Prince Edward Island has the largest equestrian community of any province in Canada, between the harvest races, the saddle horses, the show horses, and the draft horses,” she said. “And we have limited areas where we can ride roads are not safe, too many accidents happen on roads.”
A pilot project from the provincial government is hoping to change that by granting equestrians access to certain rural sections of the Confederation Trail in an effort to see how the integration of horses on the trail will impact it...
Read more here:
https://www.peicanada.com/west_prince_graphic/extended-equestrian-access-on-confederation-trail-includes-west-prince-routes/article_0658b4e2-0ce6-11ed-a00e-c39db26b7b53.html
New York: One Of The State’s Most Popular Horse Trails Is Here In CNY
WIBX950.com - Full Article
If you're looking to go horseback riding this year, you don't have to look too far to find one of the best spots in New York State.
There's no better trail to bring your horse on than the Brookfield Trail system in Madison County. With over 100-miles of multi-use trails, you and your horse could spend hours exploring the beauty of rural Central New York. The trails are actually maintained every year primarily for horseback and carriage riding...
Read More: One Of The State's Most Popular Horse Trails Is Here In CNY | https://wibx950.com/one-of-the-states-most-popular-horse-trails-is-here-in-cny/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
Meet Moss Rock Endurance: Amanda Johnson
“This just fell into my lap at the right time.”
by Merri Melde-Endurance.net
August 4 2022
It was a most unlikely career pivot.
“I had been doing accounting for 16 years,” Amanda Johnson, of Moss Rock Endurance, said. “But I was always too loud to be an accountant. I was always too in-your-face. I love numbers. I’m such a nerd, but none of us are exciting.”
And then her husband asked if she wanted to move from Black Forest, Colorado, to Penrose. “All of a sudden I had an opportunity to start a business.”
Lisa Douglass, Amanda’s neighbor in Black Forest, had owned Moss Rock Endurance, creating custom tack products for distance and trail riders. “I had bought tack from her for the last 6 years, which is how long I’ve been riding. She’s all I knew. She’s the best tack I’ve ever known, and she retired last year.
“Suddenly I had an opportunity to buy myself a job. And because I haven’t been in horses my whole life like some of these other riders, I knew that if I wanted to get into this, I couldn’t go be a vet. I couldn’t go be a farrier. I couldn’t do anything specialized that requires that knowledge.
“But saddles and tack - something that I believe whole-heartedly in is saddle fit. It’s one of the most important things as a rider to me. And this Beta Biothane (TM) tack, I think, is just bang for your buck. I just love it. It’s all I know because of Lisa. And before she retired, she taught me everything she knew.
“I had never sewn a thing my life. My mom finished laughing when I said ‘I’m going to sew tack!’ And she was like, ‘Yea, good luck.’ And I’m unstoppable now.”
That “in-your-face” quality Amanda describes is really pure enthusiasm and passion for her products and for people and their horses.
“I. Love. It. Horse people are great, because we’re all crazy about the same thing. And you always want to try to make it better. We changed a couple things. We added a lot of things to the lineup. Before, there were no horse head collars. There were no little knickknacks - padded nosebands and things. We added sponge leashes. And I like bling. It makes me extremely happy, so I try to add bling to a lot of things. I try to see what everyone needs and try to fill in those blanks.”
Amanda would not be Moss Rock Endurance without her mom, Sue, who helps with the sewing and creating, and accompanies her daughter and her business to Endurance rides. “Thank God for my mother! I couldn’t do this without my mom! She helps me in every way possible. My mom is my rock. She helps me with everything.
“When I cry over sponge leashes, she picks up the hardware and she makes them for me. She’ll cut pieces for me so that I can sew. She will set me up an assembly line so that I can crank it out and we can get orders in. She’s fantastic.”
Saddle fit is also something Amanda loves, though originally, she had no plans to actually carry and sell saddles.
“After I bought the business from Lisa, Marlene calls me.” Marlene was the original creator of Moss Rock in 2003. “Marlene says, ‘I am so excited you’re going to be doing saddles!’ I said, ‘I’m not doing saddles! I don’t like treeless saddles!’ And Marlene said, ‘Great! I’m sending one! It’ll be to you in 3 days!’ I said, ‘Marlene, no,’ and she hangs up!”
Amanda received the Ghost treeless saddle she didn’t ask for, and she was sold. “I love the Ghost and Cavallin treeless saddles. They changed my world. I now have 34 on order. They’re handmade in Italy in a small shop.
“I stand behind them 100%. There’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all in any world, but man, has it solved some really tough-to-fit saddle problems for me.”
Moss Rock is primarily a business dedicated to designing and making custom Beta Biothane (TM) tack for all sizes and shapes, and it now includes the Ghost treeless saddles. Amanda’s long term plan is to expand the business to not only meet the growing needs of Endurance, Competitive Trail and those who simply enjoy riding trail, but to also encompass those in the sports of Dressage, Hunter Jumper, Grand Prix and Eventing.
Watching Amanda interact with customers-turned-friends with her genuine, unstoppable enthusiasm, despite the hard work it’s obvious she has found her true calling in life.
“This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I thought I knew what busy was. I was really good at staying busy. This is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I’m exhausted all the time.
“But I love it! I love horse people. This just fell into my lap at the right time.”
Endurance.net is happy to have Moss Rock Endurance as a long-time advertiser!
Track improvements for Tevis Cup endurance ride after two horse deaths
Photo by George Lamson
Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article
August 3, 2022
Horsetalk.co.nz
An investigation is under way by organisers of the Tevis Cup endurance ride over three serious incidents at the California event, in which two horses died from injuries sustained while falling from the trail.
California’s 100-mile Western States Trail Ride (WSTR), popularly called the Tevis Cup, is organised by the Western States Trail Foundation (WSTF).
Three horses fell off the trail during the 2022 event in mid-July; one died of his injuries while two others required rescue. One died in veterinary care a few days after the ride.
“We are deeply saddened … and very concerned that we had three separate accidents this year. (We) will dedicate time, resources, and money to figuring out what happened in these incidents,” the WSTF Board of Governors said...
Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2022/08/03/track-improvements-tevis-cup-endurance-ride/
Advocates for wild horses dispute BLM’s reasoning for roundup in northwestern Colorado
AspenPublicRadio.org - Read and listen
Aspen Public Radio | By Halle Zander
Published July 21, 2022 at 8:53 PM MDT
On July 15, the Bureau of Land Management started rounding up wild horses on land between Rangely and Meeker in the Piceance-East Douglas Herd Management Area, or PEDHMA.
The ongoing roundup, or what the BLM calls a "gather," was originally set for September, but BLM officials announced in June they were moving the event up two months.
The BLM cited the poor condition of the wild horses, and the high numbers of horses roaming in the 190,000-acre PEDHMA.
To improve these conditions, the federal agency is seeking to remove 1,050 wild horses from the area.
But wild horse advocates say the horses are not in poor condition, and that cattle are causing more problems on the range than the horses...
Read more and listen here:
https://www.aspenpublicradio.org/environment/2022-07-21/wild-horse-advocates-dispute-the-blms-reasoning-for-northwestern-colorado-round-up
July Mongol Derby Day 10: That’s all, folks…until next week
Equestrianists.com - Full Story
Holly Conyers
1st August 2022
We can’t quite believe it’s over. 10 days of top drawer thrills and spills later, all of our riders still out braving the steppe have ridden across the finish line, on another stupefyingly sunny day. A massive congratulations to all who participated for a superhuman achievement. We are busy totting up the final placings taking account of all those penalties and extra riding hours you’ve been reading about all week, but for now here is a rundown of the day’s action.
Closest to finish camp as the sun came up this morning were Lena Haug (LHA) and Kayleigh Davenport (KDA), camped just 10km shy of home. Holding their overnight position against those starting behind them at HS28, they were the first to storm across the finish line this morning, to raucous applause from the gathered crowds gathered. So raucous, in fact, that one of their two baffled mounts executed a swift about turn about 50 feet short of the line. Blip swiftly sorted, the two rode over the line together, hand in hand and enormous smiles plastered over their faces...
Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/july-mongol-derby-day-10-thats-all-folks-until-next-week/
WSTF Action Plan
July 29, 2022 Teviscup.orgJuly 29, 2022
The Western States Trail Foundation Board of Governors (WSTF BOG) joins the entire endurance community in grieving the accidents that occurred at this year’s Tevis Cup ride.
Three horses fell off the trail: one died of his injuries while two others required rescue. Ultimately one of those also died in veterinary care a few days after the ride.
We are committed to reducing the likelihood of future accidents and improving potential outcomes. To that end, we have identified two key areas on which to focus our time and resources.
• The WSTF BOG will work to improve emergency response with faster and more effective strategies. The horse-rescue teams WSTF contracts with will be on-site, stationed along the course and focused in areas identified as higher risk. We will also stage rescue equipment and provide veterinarian support to all rescue efforts. Our standard helicopter and ambulance infrastructure will continue to be on call.
• We will survey the trail and identify areas that are most in need of repair. Working with our partner, the Western States Endurance Run, and in cooperation with two primary agencies – Auburn State Recreational Area and the US Forest Service, we will review every foot from Last Chance to Francisco’s with the goal to improve the trail bed – widen it, stabilize the base, and remove obstacles as much as possible – specifically for horse safety. The higher risk areas will be prioritized and we’ll attempt to complete them as soon as possible.
As we continue to gather information on this year’s incidents, we realize that additional changes and recommendations/actions may be added to the above items. The Tevis Cup is an iconic ride like no other and – while there is an inherent risk to this trail, as there is to many others – we are committed to minimizing these incidents while at the same time being ready to respond as quickly, appropriately, and effectively as possible. Our goal is the best possible outcome should they occur.
We will keep our community updated as these changes are implemented, and as further actions are identified.
July Mongol Derby Day 9: Coming in hot
Equestrianists.com - Full Story
Holly Conyers
31st July 2022
The podium positions may have been decided yesterday, but Day 9 of the July 2022 Mongol Derby brought plenty more action and emotional scenes as the rest of the field continued to bomb across the steppe towards their goal. On another summer sizzler, 11 more incredible riders made it across the finish line, with the rest of the field inbound tomorrow.
Riding hours were extended until 20:00, in order to try and allow as many knackered, creaking bodies to get themselves across the finish line and into a hot shower sooner rather than later. We would like to say this is solely for their benefit, but we also have the crew coming into close contact with riders to think about, now that riders are generally smelt before they are spied coming into horse stations...
Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/july-mongol-derby-day-9-coming-in-hot/
July Mongol Derby Day 8: Here come the girls
[More ...]
Holly Conyers 30th July 2022
Day 8 of the July 2022 Mongol Derby will go down as one of the most thrilling in Derby history. In scenes of unbelievable drama that went right down to the wire, Deirdre Griffith (DGR) and Willemien Jooste (WJO) held their nerve and rode a tactical blinder to snatch victory from right under the noses of Chris Walker (CWA) and Patrick Heffron (PHE), who had been clinging onto the lead since Day 4. Timing their move to perfection, the ladies, who had been snapping at the erstwhile leaders’ hocks for days, overtook them at HS27, the second last horse station before the finish line. A few hours of almost unbearable tension later, and they crossed the line holding hands to take joint first place. A stunning performance by two outstanding horsewomen and athletes. We salute you, ladies. Read on for the blow-by-blow account of how the day’s drama unfolded...
Read more at:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/july-mongol-derby-day-8-here-come-the-girls/
American and South African win world’s toughest horse race
Equestrianists.com - Full Story
Holly Conyers
29th July 2022
Day 7 draws to an end on the July 2022 Mongol Derby, and the tension has ratcheted up a notch at the head of the race. Overnight leaders Chris Walker (CWA) and Patrick Heffron (PHE) have ridden their pants off today to cling onto their advantage by a nose, camped at HS25. Still tantalisingly close behind them but just out of reach remain Deirdre Griffith (DGR), Willemien Jooste (WJO) and Tiffany Atteberry (ATA), riding hard and fast to reach a campsite between HS23 and HS25. Can the gents cling on until the finish line, just three horse stations away, or do the girls still have enough time to run them down?
Read more at:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/july-mongol-derby-day-7-battle-of-the-sexes/
American and South African win world’s toughest horse race
July 331 2022
After a two year absence, the world’s longest and toughest horse race, The Mongol Derby, has been thundering across Mongolia’s steppe for the last eight days. In one of the closest ever races, an American and South African rode in joint winners yesterday.
Based on the ancient horse messenger system used by Genghis Khan, in a country where the horse is king, at 1000km the Derby is the toughest test on the planet for equestrian endurance riders. Whilst horses are changed roughly every 35km, at checkpoints strung out throughout the country, riders must endure being in the saddle for up to 200km a day and face the challenges of riding over twenty-eight different semi-wild horses, with varying temperaments and bucking abilities, the inevitable falls and mishaps that happen along the way and navigating through challenging terrain, from giant sand dunes to freezing mountain passes.
After the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 editions, the twelfth Mongol Derby kicked off on the 23rd of July and looked set to be one of the most fiercely contested races to date, with 46 riders, from ten different nations, competing for the prestigious win.
Day one saw young Kiwi pair, Sam Edney and Annie Hackett, take an early lead, as other racers suffered navigational errors and falls. By the end of day two riders had found their groove, and four had caught the Kiwis, as six riders bunked down together at station six - the race is made up of twenty eight stations, strung out along the route. Riders aim to be at one by the end of the riding day, but can opt to, or unintentionally, wild camp or try and find a friendly Mongolian family with space in a ger.
By day three riders were pulling out of the race with bruised and battered bodies (some chose to ride on with broken bones) whilst others served time penalties for riding past cut-off times the night before. The names changed, but the end of the day still saw six riders neck and neck, amongst them experienced riders Irishman Patrick Heffron and Brit Chris Walker...
Read the rest at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Mongolia/2022MongolDerby/
Royal team rider wins French race
GDNonline.com - Full Article
Fri, 29 Jul 2022
SHAIKH Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa won first place in the 160km race of the Jullianges International Endurance Championship in France, leading the Royal Endurance Team to victory in an event which featured elite European jockeys.
The victory was praised by His Majesty the King’s representative for humanitarian works and youth affairs and Royal Endurance Team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa...
Read more here:
https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1128667
2022 Tevis Cup photos - Lynne Glazer
2022 Tevis Cup photos in California by Lynne Glazer:
https://www.photo.lynnesite.com/Tevis
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