Dec 2007 - Remembering Jean King: Never Say
Never
by Stephanie Lawson
Jean King was an extraordinary woman.
The daughter of big band leader Fred Waring was a noted microbiologist who
contracted tuberculosis of the bone in 1976 through her work as a researcher.
Confined to a wheelchair, she founded Independence Dogs to help herself and
others in her plight. Through that work, training and placing dogs to help the
disabled, she touched hundreds of lives. Through her close friendships she
touched many more.
Read full article >>
Dec 2007 - New Equine Organization Empowers Cancer Patients and Their Families
by Suzanne Bush
Can horses heal broken spirits? Can they lift the troubled souls
of human companions and set them on trails toward peace and
reconciliation? Are horses miracle workers, or are they stoic
teachers that lead humans to unleash the power of their own
imaginations and spirits? If you ask Shiree Sansone of Chester
County, PA, the answers are emphatically yes, yes, yes and yes.
Sansone and her business partner Barbara Rosoff turned their
lifelong love for horses into an opportunity for cancer patients—and
their families—to experience the therapeutic benefits of working
with and riding horses.
Read full article >>
Dec 2007 - Barn Safety Expert Offers Fire Prevention Tips
by Suzanne Bush
Since the beginning of 2006, hundreds of thousands of animals—horses,
cows, dogs, pigs, chickens, turkeys, goats and sheep—have died in barn fires
in the United States. Nearly 500 of those animals were horses. Laurie
Loveman, an expert in barn safety who is also a firefighter, has dedicated
much of her life to helping people prevent barn fires. Loveman, an avid
horsewoman, is a member of the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA)
Technical Committee on Fire Safety in Animal Housing Facilities.
Read full article >>
Dec 2007 - Buying Frenzy at Standardbred Sale Generates $70 Million
Standardbred Horse Sales Co. conducted its 69th
Annual Sale at the PA Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg November
5-10. A total of 2,041 horses were sold during the six-day event
for $70,579,500, with an average of $34,581. Gross sales
shattered the previous record of $66.7 million set in 2006. The
buying frenzy was supported by slots-enhanced racing and
breeding opportunities in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario,
and by the strength of the Euro and Canadian dollar.
Read full article >>
Dec 2007 - Morans Take the Reins of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup
by Terry Conway
Around Unionville learning the ways of horses is a family affair. The
skills are treasured and honed for generations. Traveling along winding country roads, emerald fields roll away in
every direction, punctuated by naturally wooded creeks and grand,
historic horse farms. Much of the land is dotted with rambling old stone
houses with a horse trailer half-hidden behind a barn.
Read full article >>
Sept 2007 - Take The Reins Supports Melanoma Research
by Nancy Degutis
When an owner loses a battle against her horse's melanoma, it
can seem the odds of finding a cure are the same as they were
for David when, in Biblical times, he took the field against
Goliath.
Melanoma is a slow growing skin cancer that is usually fatal
to its equine victims, most often grays. But one woman used her
misfortune to found an organization that educates about the
isease and is backing research to find a cure for it someday
soon.
Read full article >>
Sept 2007 - Horse Nobody Wanted Wins National Pony Club Eventing Championship
by Stephanie Lawson
Susie Weidman doesn't know much about the
mare she named Leap of Faith. Just that the 16 hand thoroughbred, who may be
in her 20's, got herself kicked out of Linden Hall's lesson program for her
unruly behavior. That she somehow ended up in the barn of Susie's dad's
co-worker, Phil Shober, and his wife Geri, in Reinholds, Lancaster County.
And that Susie wanted her in the worst way.
Read full article >>
Sept 2007 - Horses in the City: Bringing the Country Downtown
by Suzanne Bush
It was a heartbreaking scene in Central Park when one of New York City's most iconic institutions closed on April 29, 2007. Claremont Riding Academy, which had operated in the city since 1892, had reportedly been losing money for years. Owner Paul Novograd, who also operates a riding school in Maryland, told the New York Sun newspaper that the stable was no longer financially viable. Maintenance costs for the 115-year old building, combined with insurance costs and a decrease in the number of Central Park riders forced Novograd's hand.
Read full article >>
July 2007 -
Bonnie Mosser, Heading to Pan Am Games, Realizes Her International Dream
by Nancy Degutis
It's been Bonnie Mosser's dream since childhood to make it into international competition. She almost did it in skiing, her passion as a teenager. This summer, at age 44, she will finally realize her dream when she represents the US, not on a pair of skis but on the back of her own horse.
Read full article >>
July 2007 -
Sheikh Buys Breeding Rights to Hard Spun
by Terry Conway
Thirty seconds after Hard Spun demolished a field of seven in a stakes race at Philadelphia Park last December, Rick Porter's phone rang. His answer tone is the opening notes of the Rocky movie music.
Read full article >>
July 2007 -
Carriage Trade: Paul Martin Drives 'Em, Sells 'Em and Succeeds at Both
by Nancy Degutis
While some people are said to be born with a silver spoon in their mouth, Paul Z. Martin Jr. was figuratively born with reins in one hand and a holly driving whip in the other. "When I was a young lad in the 50's and 60's, my father was well known in the horse and pony business. He used to run the largest pony and horse sales on the East Coast in Blue Ball and New Holland," said Martin, now the president of Martin Auctioneers Inc., the business his father founded. Memories abound of those days, ones that included times "when (the late) Jim and Gaye Robinson of Westchester brought their coach and four to dad's farm in Blue Ball to hook up and drive around Lancaster County. That always stuck in my mind," recalled Martin, 57.
Read full article >>
April 2007 -
Is There a Doctor in the House?
Experts Say "Maybe Not for Long"
by Suzanne Bush
"Call the vet." "Ask the vet." "Get the vet to look at it."
Because horses are often clumsy, and because they're far more fragile than one
might think—given their size and apparent strength—vets are integral partners in
equine activities. Horses injure themselves while chasing each other in the
pasture. They colic. They roll in the mud and inadvertently cut themselves on
exposed branches or sharp rocks. They get colds and fevers and all sorts of
ailments that can seem deadly but are usually resolved easily. Calling the vet
is prudent when horses get hurt or sick. But what would happen if there were no
vet to call? What would happen to a beloved horse in need of emergency care?
That question is being asked more frequently as America confronts a looming
shortage of large animal vets.
Read full article >>
April 2007 -
USDA Considers Instituting Private Quarantine Facilities
by Suzanne Bush
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced
amendments to regulations concerning importing horses. The objective is to
develop standards for establishing permanent, privately-owned quarantine
facilities. Currently there are three quarantine facilities operated by the
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), but these facilities,
widely dispersed geographically, are being stretched by rising imports that have
dramatically increased demand for the quarantine services. APHIS quarantine
facilities are located in Newburgh, NY, Miami, FL and Los Angeles, CA.
Read full article >>
Feb 2007 -
Switching Teams: Phillip Dutton Becomes US Citizen
by Marcella Peyre-Ferry
The United States Eventing Association's (USEA) Leading
Rider Award for 2006 went to Phillip Dutton, plus his mount Tru Luck (owned
by Annie Jones and Shannon Stimson) was the USEA's 2006 Horse of the Year.
That is not surprising news, since Dutton took the USEA
Leading Rider of the Year title in 1998, and 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
and 2005 as well as being the 2005 number one FEI World Event Rider. What
makes this year's award different is that it comes just as the successful
rider changes his nationality from Australian to American.
"There's no one reason. It seemed like a good time while I
still had some good effort to give," he said. Dutton attributes his change
of nationality to a variety of factors. "I've been here nearly 15 years.
This country's been pretty good to me. I feel closer to the events here and
I do have a lot of students here."
Read full article >>
