(CNN)Animal rights activists are again calling for races to be suspended at Santa Anita Park amid a string of horse deaths that forced the park to temporarily shut down earlier this year. The famed Arcadia, California, racecourse, which will play host to this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships in November, recorded its 26th death since December when Kochees was injured during a race Saturday. The 9-year-old gelding had to be put down Sunday. Track spokesman Stefan Friedman told CNN the track is safe and there will be consequences in Kochees' death. He would not go into detail but said the rules at Santa Anita require that every horse who races be seen by a trainer's veterinarian and by the track's vet. He said two trainers also got the boot last week, again declining to provide details. "Everybody's got to be pointed at the fact that the horse comes first," he said. "If you do not put the safety of the horse first at this track, you will not be welcome here." To read more on this story, click here:Horses Keep Dying At Santa Anita Racetrack. Here's What We Know
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Officials cited Maximum Security for interference and the colt became the first Kentucky Derby winner to be disqualified for violating a state regulation that penalizes horses for impeding the path of another in a race. Stewards, who supervise the outcome of horse races, referenced Section 12 of rule 810 KAR1:016. The rule calls for disqualification if "a leading horse or any other horse in a race swerves or is ridden to either side so as to interfere with, intimidate, or impede any other horse or jockey." Stewards determined that Maximum Security interfered with the path of several horses as the field of 19 rounded the final turn in Saturday's race. To read more on this story, click here:Derby Officials Say Maximum Security Broke Interference Rule
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Racehorses running down the streets at iconic global locations such as Sydney Harbour Bridge or Fifth Avenue in New York... It might sound implausible, but the man spearheading the project has told BBC Sport he hopes agreements for the first such race meetings, on a special artificial surface, will be in place by the end of next month. He is Peter Phillips, the Queen's eldest grandson, and here he outlines details of racing, safety, crowd and betting plans for the 'City Racing' project and how racing's best-known supporter is following the idea... What is this all about? Phillips, who is 14th in line to the throne, has been working on the proposals for five years since staging an equestrian event on a similar surface on Horse Guards Parade in London. He says that leg of the Global Champions Tour demonstrated how safe 'pop-up' conditions for horses in a competitive environment could be installed and removed within three days. To read more on this story, click here:Horse Racing: Plans For Racing On City Streets 'Could Be The Sport's Twenty20'
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FORT COLLINS — His name was Champ, but he was no champion. Severely underweight and riddled with ulcers, the brown horse had been rescued from a Northern Colorado feedlot when Kassidy Webber first met him in 2014. Then a high school sophomore living in Arvada, Webber responded to an ad for Champ at a Colorado horse rescue. The first time she saw him, three months after he had been rescued, she knew immediately that he was the horse for her — it was in his eyes. “That’s what I tell everyone when they ask me (why him),” Webber said. “Everything about him was pretty rough looking, but he had a really kind eye. It’s just in his face.” Taking a chance, she purchased him for an insanely cheap $750 and took him home. Fittingly enough, she renamed him Chance. She spent the following year restoring Chance’s health and trust. Slowly, he gained weight and got used to being cared for and doted on. Over the years, Webber always wondered about Chance’s backstory and lineage. Like all former race horses, he had an ID number tattoo on the inner side of his inner lip, but it was too worn to read or track. To read more on this story, click here:Horse Rescued From Northern Colorado Feedlot Turns Out To Be Descendant Of Triple Crown Winner
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A plaque and photo were dedicated in her honor at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton stables and a statue of her was dedicated on July 26, 2013 at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia. The war horse, “Sergeant Reckless,” was used by U.S. Marines fighting in the conflict to carry ammunition to the front lines of battle. The horse also carried wounded Marines from the front lines to safety — a task the horse did on her own even after being wounded. “Reckless” was eventually brought to the U.S. to live out the remainder of her life following the end of the war.
Staff Sergeant Reckless, the greatest war hero horse in U.S. history, according to Marines.
Sgt. Harold Wadley USMC spoke of serving with "Reckless" at the dedication ceremony held at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Commandant of the Marine Corps General James F. Amos and sculptor Jocelyn Russell talk at the unveiling of her bronze statue of "Reckless".
Commandant of the Marine Corps General James F. Amos, Robin L. Hutton, Mike Mason, and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Michael P. Barrett.
Hundreds of visitors gathered at the National Museum of the Marine Corps for the unveiling of the bronze statue of "Staff Sargent Reckless" the greatest war hero horse in American history.
Hundreds of visitors gathered at the National Museum of the Marine Corps for the unveiling of the bronze statue of "Staff Sergeant Reckless."
Artist Jocelyn Russell bids a final farewell to her creation of Reckless, a bronze statue. Take a look at videos of Sgt. Reckless below:
Epiphysitis, also known as equine rickets, is a condition of the bones that occurs in horses and is recognized by a slight lameness in the animal. It usually affects the longer bones, occurring when joints, such as the knee joint, become enlarged. While there are several theories as to where this comes from, the most respected one is that it is caused by the overfeeding of young horses. When a young horse is fed on a high plane of nutrition, or a high caloric diet, its metabolism becomes unbalanced, sometimes causing growth issues like rickets on the small body. In short, their bones grow too large or too quickly for the rest of their body. It is most commonly seen in Welsh Cobs and fillies that are preparing for an exhibition or show, and generally doesn’t affect every type of horse. Symptoms and Types
Pain in the joints
Swelling in the joints
Knee joint problems (e.g., knuckling of the knee joint, slight lameness)
Knuckling of the fetlock (or the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints)
Abnormal contraction of flexor tendon (allowing the flexing of the joints)
Abnormal contraction of cannon tendon (between the fetlock and the knee joints)
Causes Horses on a high plane of nutrition, whether they be preparing for an athletic event or show, are more susceptible to rickets. Mineral and hormonal imbalances, especially brought on by overfeeding, can also lead to this condition. Diagnosis In order to diagnose epiphysitis, your veterinarian will probably need a great deal of information about your horse, including its medical history and nutritional information. What your horse has been fed is vital in determining the diagnosis. Treatment Most cases of rickets are treated with ease. Since the condition is based almost entirely on dietary imbalance, it is important to establish a nutritional plan with your veterinarian that will allow the horse's body to heal and grow in proportionately. This new diet should balance minerals and vitamins respectively, while lowering the caloric intake of the animal. Prevention Proper nutrition and a well-balanced diet recommended by your veterinarian should prevent rickets in your young foals.
Allison Cederberg and Zero Tolerance didn’t start off as the perfect pair, but you wouldn’t know that watching them top the $10,000 WIHS Adult Amateur Hunter Championship. You also wouldn’t know it was their first time ever contesting the Washington International Horse Show, as Cederberg and “Zero” looked like they’d been riding in the Capital One Arena all their lives. “It’s my first year really doing the indoors,” Cederberg, 22, said. “I’d done [the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in] Harrisburg before, but this is my first year doing Capital Challenge (Maryland), Harrisburg, and Washington. My horse was just amazing; he’s incredible, and it’s amazing to get to be here.” Cederberg, Fort Collins, Colorado, went late in the order for the first round, which saw multiple riders struggle at the last line. It wasn’t encouraging to see two horses eliminated and a handful of others rack up refusals. Cederberg and Zero—a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Roven—Kim)—have been together for six years, and the strength of their relationship helped carry them through to a strong first-place finish in the first round. To read more on this story, click here:Cederberg And Zero Tolerance Have Zero Fear In WIHS Adult Hunter Championship
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The Washington Capitals will be on their western Canadian road trip this week against the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Calgary Flames. Taking their place at Capital One Arena will be the 60th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) which runs from Oct. 23-28. And this year there will be a special nod to the Caps and their Stanley Cup win. David Lauinger, an equestrian designer also in charge of installing and overseeing the footing at the horse show, designed a Capitals-themed horse jump. Yes, horses will be jumping over crossed hockey sticks and giant pucks adorned with the Capitals logo. On the outside wings of the jump, or standards, are two replica Stanley Cups. The jump, which is approximately six feet tall, won’t be used in any official competition, but it will be used during the jumper classes held by WIHS this week. To read more on this story, click here: There Will Be a Stanley Cup-themed Horse Jump at the Washington International Horse Show This Week
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It turns out Bullards Alley's upset of the Grade 1 Canadian International last year was an anomaly. The race lived up to its name Saturday as Desert Encounter out-dueled Thundering Blue for a win in the $800,000 feature at Woodbine. Both the top contenders hail from Europe, with the winner stalking the runner-up throughout. Quite a stretch battle ensued as Thundering Blue, a flashy gray, looked best before chased down by Desert Encounter, who was sprinting on the outside. The final time for 12 furlongs on turf was 2:28.88. "I followed Thundering Blue all the way around," said jockey Andrea Atzeni. "I thought he was the horse to beat." It turns out he was, and now eight times in the last nine years the Canadian International has been won by an overseas entrant. To read more on this story, click here:Desert Encounter Wins The Battle In Canadian International
There has been a lot of news about pets on airline flights lately, so when Southwest Airlines recently updated their statement about traveling with animals, it didn't comes as much of a surprise. However, there was something in there that I wasn't expecting. From the statement. Southwest Airlines welcomes trained dogs, cats, and miniature horses as service animals onboard our flights as long as the Customer is able to provide credible verbal assurance that the animal is a trained service animal. Southwest Airlines does not accept unusual or exotic species of animals. Am I the last person to know that there are service miniature horses? (Let alone, service cats?) I mean, emotional support animals come in all shapes and sizes – peacocks, squirrels, you name it – but service animals are trained and actually act as guides. Horses are smart and seriously intuitive, but I didn't know they could take the place of dogs in, among other tasks, guiding the blind. Which led me down the research rabbit hole to discover that it all makes perfect sense. Here's why. (But first, meet Chunky Monkey, Fancy Dancer, Glitter Bug and Patty Cake.) To read more on this story, click here:Why Miniature Horses Make Such Great Service Animals
As an animal lover, I’m appalled by a dark secret that is being kept for lucrative reasons. Unwanted horses are being imported, by the thousands, in a cruel fashion, loaded in cramped crates then flown across the ocean to Japan. Week by week, the horses are loaded from Edmonton and Calgary airports in Alberta and the Winnipeg airport in Manitoba. Japan imported 6.5 million pounds of horsemeat in 2016. The horses are being used for one specific purpose, a sushi dish called basashi. “The meat needs to be consumed within three days after being slaughtered in order to be eaten as sushi,” Ewa Demianowicz, campaign manager for Humane Society International, told The Dodo. Horses are also used for their oil that is put in beauty products and sold all over Japan and South Korea. To read more on this story, click here: A Disgusting Practice Is Killing Horses By The Thousands And No One Is Talking About It
A young horse who escaped her handler in France did not give customers at a nearby bar a good punchline, but she did give them quite the scare. Guest saw the horse approaching the establishment but did not expect the animal to come through the door. When she did the patrons were shocked. Security footage captured the moment that drinkers had to flee in a panic as the horse burst into the bar. The horse's trainer, Jean-Marie Beguigne, said the horse had dumped her rider at the Chantilly race course stables, less than a mile away, and made a run for it. Mr. Beguigne said the horse had a tendency of trying to escape but said it was “exceptional” that it had made it as far as the bar. The “parched” racehorse ran to the nearest watering hole, which happened to be a sports betting bar near “Chateau de Chantilly.” While the horse’s bar visit happened last month, video of the equine encounter quickly went viral after appearing online this week. “There was quite a panic. I still can’t quite believe it happened,” said the owner, Stephanie Jasmin. There were no injuries and the horse showed no signs of anxiety or trauma.
“The Kelpies” is an enormous installation consisting of two giant horse head sculptures by artist Andy Scott. The 100-foot-tall structures, which were eight years in the making, are inspired by a legend from the artist’s Scottish background that tells of a water spirit that takes the shape of a horse. More than just a pair of broncos to Scott, the sculptures serve as monuments of the artist’s national pride. Long faces: Stunning pictures show 300-tonne steel horse 'Kelpies' glowing in the Scottish night sky as coloured spotlights are pointed towards 30-metre high tribute to country's industrial past Against the backdrop of a moody Scottish dusk, these towering steel horse heads loom 30 metres tall, aglow with shifting colours. The 300-tonne statues, called The Kelpies,( watch over the entrance to the ocean, where the Forth and Clyde canal meets the North Sea in Falkirk. Their patterned skin, made of stainless steel, is held aloft by an intricate steel framework. At night the two statues glow in unison as the glow of upward-pointing spotlights spills out round the gaps in their surface. They borrow their names from mythological horses which haunt lochs and rivers in Celtic legend. Kelpies were said to be able to transform into beautiful women to ensnare travellers. The massive sculptures, designed by Glaswegian Andy Scott, pay tribute to the working horses which once fired Scotland's economic prosperity by dragging industrial barges along the extensive network of canals. Construction work on the sculptures was completed in November, and the towering, luminescent artworks will be opened to the public later this month. Mr Scott has said of his sculptures: 'They are the embodiment of the industrial history of Scotland.' Take a look at these videos: 'The Kelpies' : by Walid Salhab Using a unique hyperlapse technique, this video features footage captured within a live construction site. Filming under these conditions is rarely possible; filming under these conditions using the hyperlapse technique is close to impossible. Created from over 60 days of stop-motion filming across 7 months, and tracking construction through to completion, this film uses over 12,000 individual photos, none of which have been edited or manipulated beyond settings inside the camera. Walid captured 120,000 individual images to create this seven minute masterpiece. Aerial shots of The Kelpies Aerial footage filmed by Alan Corrie, showing The Kelpies with the Forth & Clyde Canal and their surrounding landscape which will be completed by end of April 2014. This amazing footage shows The Kelpies from otherwise unattainable angles and gives a real sense of their scale.
The Kelpies : Artist Statement The title and theme of The Kelpies as mystical water-borne equine creatures was inherited at the outset of the project, almost eight years ago. Since then it has evolved dramatically and in the process the ethos and function has shifted from the original concept. Falkirk was my father’s home town and that inherited link to the town has been one of my driving inspirations. A sense of deep personal legacy has informed my thinking from the outset, with old family connections anchoring me to the project. As an artist I frequently tackle the theme of equine sculpture in my practice. My horse based works are always rooted in a socio-historical relevance or respond to a brief from the client. In almost every project they are related to the site, the audience, history or a combination of themes.
This is the case with The Kelpies. The mythological associations behind the original brief have been absorbed by other sources of inspiration in the creative processes, and the ancient ethereal water spirits have been forged into engineered monuments. The Kelpies are modelled on heavy horses (two Clydesdales of Glasgow City Council actually served as models in the process) and it is this theme of working horses which captured my imagination and drove the project. Clydesdales, Shires and Percherons, the equus magnus of the north. They are the embodiment of the industrial history of Scotland and the Falkirk / Grangemouth area. Heavy horses would once have been the powerhouse of the area, working in the foundries, the fields, farms and of course the canal itself, pulling boats along the Forth & Clyde from coast to coast. Falkirk was also home to reputedly the worlds biggest horse: in the 1930′s Carnera hauled wagons laden with soft drinks around the town (made in Scotland from girders, of course)
The materials of the sculptures are deliberately those of Scotland’s former industrial heartland, steel construction on an architectural scale: equitecture The towering horse heads have an industrial aesthetic with structural columns and beams visible through the riveted laser cut steel plates of the skin, the manes rendered as geometric overlapping slabs of steel. The entire structures are illuminated inside and out to create a stunning spectacle in hours of darkness. They elevate Falkirk and Grangemouth to national and international prominence and bring with them a sense of pride and ownership, having achieved global media coverage. As a canal structure they partner the iconic Falkirk Wheel, and echo its grandeur. They stand as a testament to the achievements of the past, a paean to artisanship and engineering and a declaration of intent for the future of Scotland.
As with all of my works, they will doubtless create many narratives and the original Kelpie myth will inevitably resurface. The title will spark a mystical interpretation in many viewers. That is up to the beholder and of course I welcome the engagement of the widest possible audience in the sculptures. My intent however is built around a contemporary sculptural monument more than an ancient legend. Water-borne, towering gateways into the canal system, The Helix park, and the nation, translating the legacy of the area into proud equine guardians. Andy Scott, November 2013.
WELD COUNTY, Colo. (The CO Dept. of Agriculture) - The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s State Veterinarian’s Office is continuing their investigation into a Weld County horse that tested positive for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) in late August. With the help of records from CDA’s Brands Division and Rocky Mountain Regional Animal Health Laboratory, the State Veterinarian’s Office has determined that approximately 240 horses have been on the quarantined premises during the same time as the index positive animal. Approximately 100 of these horses were sent to 20 other states across the country and steps are being taken to locate, quarantine, and re-test those horses. At this time, no other horses have tested positive for EIA. “We are working to locate approximately 140 horses that went to different premises across Colorado. We are asking horse owners to contact us if they purchased horses in Weld County between July 18 to August 20, 2018,” said State Veterinarian, Dr. Keith Roehr. “We will work with owners to see if their horses came from the quarantined property. This is an important step in the disease investigation.” So far, the investigation has resulted in: The index premises in Weld County is under a quarantine order; two associated premises are also under hold orders. There is no cure or treatment for EIA. Therefore, horse that tested positive in the index case has been euthanized. Fifteen premises are under hold orders in nine Colorado counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Crowley, Delta, Douglas, El Paso, Mesa, Montrose, and Weld. Thirty-seven exposed horses have been located in Colorado. To read more on this story, click here:ALERT: If You Purchased a Horse in Weld County, a Horse Tested Positive for EIA
This is a video highlighting Steve Bacque (aka the Crazy Cranford Cowboy), a former Texas rodeo cowboy who married a lady from New Jersey, moved there, and had no place to keep a horse in the area. So what did he do? Built a reigns-controlled one powered by an electric golf cart motor and named it Charger. Man, sometimes I wish I was a crazy person. Charger can do up to 40 miles per hour (though he has a governor to rein him in to about 15 miles per hour) and can handle up to 600 pounds. Charger even has a wheelie bar in the back, which is "not just for show," Bacque warns. Yes, this motorized horse can pop a (small) wheelie. Charger turns left and right with the reins and even brakes when you pull back on them. A key turns him on, and a gas pedal sets him in motion.
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Group files suit in name of animal; experts say ruling would be revolutionary Estacada, Oregon - Justice is an 8-year-old American quarter horse who used to be named Shadow. And when he was named Shadow, he suffered. At a veterinarian’s exam last year, he was 300 pounds underweight, his black coat lice-ridden, his skin scabbed and his genitals so frostbitten that they might still require amputation. The horse had been left outside and underfed by his previous owner, who last summer pleaded guilty to criminal neglect. And now Justice, who today resides with other rescued equines on a quiet wooded farm within view of Oregon’s Cascade mountains, is suing his former owner for negligence. In a lawsuit filed in his new name in a county court, the horse seeks at least $100,000 for veterinary care, as well as damages “for pain and suffering,” to fund a trust that would stay with him no matter who is his caretaker. The complaint is the latest bid in a quixotic quest to get courts to recognize animals as plaintiffs, something supporters and critics alike say would be revolutionary. The few previous attempts — including a recent high-profile case over whether a monkey can own a copyright — have failed, with judges ruling in various ways that the nonhumans lacked legal standing to sue. But Justice’s case, the animal rights lawyers behind it contend, is built on court decisions and statutes that give it a stronger chance, particularly in a state with some of the nation’s most progressive animal protection laws. “There have been a lot of efforts to try to get animals not only to be protected but to have the right to go to court when their rights are violated,” said Matthew Liebman, director of litigation at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, which filed the suit in Justice’s name. Those “haven’t found the right key to the courthouse door. And we’re hopeful that this is the key.” These efforts have been made amid broad growth in legal protections and advocacy for animals. Three decades ago, few law schools offered courses in animal law; now, more than 150 do, and some states have created animal law prosecutorial units. All 50 states have enacted felony penalties for animal abuse. Connecticut last year became the first state to allow courts to appoint lawyers or law students as advocates in animal cruelty cases, in part because overburdened prosecutors were dismissing a majority of such cases. These developments count as progress, animal rights lawyers say, in persuading lawmakers and courts to expand the traditional legal view of animals — as property — to reflect their role in a society in which dog-sitting is big business and divorces can involve cat custody battles. “Our legislature acknowledged that people care a lot about animals, and that’s something that’s evolving and increasing,” said Jessica Rubin, a University of Connecticut law professor who serves as an advocate in that state’s cruelty cases. “The law, hopefully, is catching up to where our morals are.” But expanding the protections for animals is quite different from granting them legal standing, which courts have not been willing to do. In 2004, a federal appeals court shot down a suit in the name of the world’s cetaceans, in which President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld were sued over the U.S. Navy’s use of sonar. In 2012, a U.S. District Court dismissed a suit filed on behalf of five SeaWorld orcas, which argued that their captivity was a violation of the 13th Amendment’s prohibition on slavery. This spring, a federal appeals court ruled that a crested macaque that took its own photo could not sue for copyright protection, saying “this monkey — and all animals, since they are not human — lacks statutory standing under the Copyright Act.” In New York courts, a group called the Nonhuman Rights Project has for several years sought writs of habeas corpus for captive chimpanzees, arguing that they are “legal persons” — a term that can apply to corporations and ships — and have a right to freedom. While judges have occasionally praised the effort, they have ultimately rejected it, saying chimpanzees cannot bear the duties and responsibilities required of legal persons. Against that backdrop, Liebman says Justice’s case is “more reasonable” than the others. It does not involve the Constitution or historically weighted concepts such as slavery or a writ of habeas corpus. It’s not so, well, silly-sounding as copyright for a monkey. Instead, he and colleagues say, it is a logical next step. Their argument goes like this: While some state cruelty laws were written to protect animal owners or public morals, Oregon’s anti-cruelty law makes plain it is intended to protect animals, which it calls “sentient beings.” What’s more, state courts have ruled that animals can be considered individual victims. And because victims have the right to sue their abusers, the lawsuit says, Justice should be able to sue his former owner. Justice, of course, has no idea he is suing. Sarah Hanneken, an Animal Legal Defense Fund attorney in Portland, says that Justice’s ignorance of the lawsuit is irrelevant. “This whole idea of somebody who has been injured by the acts of another and not being able to speak for themselves in court, so having an adult human do it for them, this is not new,” Hanneken said. “Children are allowed to bring lawsuits, because we recognize that children have interests that laws protect.” According to court filings, Justice’s former owner, Gwendolyn Vercher, surrendered the horse to a rescue organization in March 2017 at the urging of a neighbor in Cornelius, west of Portland. In a letter to law enforcement, an equine veterinarian who examined the horse at the time said he was “severely emaciated,” lethargic and weak. That poor condition probably contributed to a lasting problem — the animal’s penis had prolapsed, and his inability to retract it led to frostbite, trauma and infection. “When I got him, he was a lot worse than I anticipated,” said Kim Mosiman, executive director of Sound Equine Options, which takes in and finds homes for about 100 horses each year. Justice, whom Mosiman fondly describes as “like a grumpy old man,” has gained weight and become more social. On a sun-soaked afternoon at the dusty farm in Estacada, he nibbled grass alongside a retired racehorse named Flick and used his nose to nudge the notebook of a visiting reporter. But the lawsuit says his penis may require partial amputation and that his medical conditions will demand long-term care. “I’m trying to find someone who wants to adopt him,” Mosiman said. “But if they find out they’re going to have to be financially responsible for him, he’s never going anywhere.” Some animal law experts warn that Justice’s lawsuit is extreme, even dangerous. Richard Cupp, a Pepperdine University law professor who has been critical of the chimpanzee personhood cases, said he thinks the horse case has even more radical implications. Allowing Justice to sue could mean any animal protected under Oregon’s anti-cruelty statute — a class that includes thousands of pets, zoo animals and even wildlife — could do the same, he said. (Livestock, lab animals, hunting targets, rodeo animals and invertebrates are exempted.) If this approach were adopted elsewhere, Cupp said, a stampede of animal litigation could overrun courts. “Any case that could lead to billions of animals having the potential to file lawsuits is a shocker in the biggest way,” Cupp said. “Once you say a horse or dog or cat can personally sue over being abused, it’s not too big a jump to say, ‘Well, we’re kind of establishing that they’re legal persons with that. And legal persons can’t be eaten.’ ” Cupp emphasized that he supports Oregon’s progressive animal cruelty laws and rulings. But legislation is a more reasonable way of expanding animal protections, he said. Justice’s case, for example, could be addressed through a law requiring an abuser to cover an animal’s future care. “This would not be bad for society,” Cupp said. “We do need to evolve. We’re not doing enough to protect animals.” Cupp points to a Connecticut law as one that maintains an important distinction between animals and people. It focuses on “the interests of justice,” not the animals’ interests. Geordie Duckler, a Portland animal law attorney who represents Vercher, said he views the horse lawsuit as a publicity stunt, one he does not expect Oregon courts to take very seriously. “There’s a massive chasm between saying a thing is a victim and saying now it must have rights, and the rights are apparently the full panoply of rights, and must include a right to sue,” Duckler said. “There’s no such thing as a right in a vacuum. … As soon as you have animal rights, then you’d better have animal jails and prosecutions against animals.” The slippery-slope arguments are familiar to Mosiman, who calls her group an animal welfare, not animal rights, organization. When she considered Justice’s long-term needs, though, she had no qualms about signing him up as a plaintiff, she said. “It was pretty clear-cut: If he wasn’t starved, this wouldn’t have happened,” Mosiman said as Justice languidly scratched his neck and head against a towering pine tree. “It’s about him.”
This bizarre range of shoes may make the owner feel like they have one foot in the grave. Crafted from dead animals, Iris Schieferstein's outlandish designs fetch up to £3,900 ($5,051.94 U.S. dollars), and have proved a hit with extreme dressers such as Lady Gaga. Some of the most controversial pieces include a pair of sandals sporting stuffed doves with their wings spread wide and a collection of heels fashioned from hollow horse hooves. The 45-year-old designer, from Berlin, Germany, collects carcasses from her local butcher which are discarded after the meat is used for sausages. She spends a week stripping out any remaining meat and bones from the animal's feet and the skin is sent to a tanner to be treated for preservation. The sculptor then sets the skin - complete with fur still in place - around a shoe model before hand-stitching insoles and lining. She said: 'Creating the shoes is ugly work, taking the meat out is not nice, like any taxidermy. 'When I began working with dead animals I would pick them up from the street. 'But they are protected by the government in Germany, and so after ten years they tried to put me in prison. Now I use my butcher.' The horse boots feature horse fur, a zip up the front, an intact hoof and horse bone as a heel. While a pair of snakeskin stilettos feature a replica pistol as a heel with the reptile seemingly eating its own tail. Describing her inspiration Ms. Schieferstein added: 'I love horses and I love shoes so I thought this would be perfect. 'Horses have a beautiful walk and I wanted to recreate that with my footwear.' The footwear has been displayed at numerous exhibitions around the world and have even inspired a range from Dolce & Gabanna. Despite the high price tag the footwear can only be worn for several hours at a time before becoming too uncomfortable. Ms Schieferstein said: 'As yet no company has been willing to produce them for the high street.' Last year the artist made a pair of custom-fit shoes for Lady Gaga.
Extreme dressing: A pair of shoes featuring cream horse fur with a front zip and bone heel
Suffer for your art: The heels can only be worn for several hours at a time before becoming too uncomfortable
Macabre: This pair of snakeskin heels show a snake seemingly eating its own tail
Some of Iris Schieferstein's most controversial designs include a pair of sandals sporting stuffed doves
Sculptor and artist Iris Schieferstein has been using dead animals for her works, here she models a hat made from a dead bird
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She lost everything in the Valley Fire three years ago -- and was able to rebuild. Now, Helen Owen is opening her property to animals displaced by the Mendocino Complex Fire. You can think of it as Noah's Ark -- with dozens of animals being cared for. FOX40 photojournalist Rachelle Riley met up with Owen at her ranch.
Who Benefits from Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy? Most of us who own horses talk about their “therapeutic” value. Being in the barn grooming, feeding, and otherwise caring for our horses reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and improves overall health. Yet, it is the companionship with our equine partners that is the foundation of our growth in relationship to these animals. Being with our horses is the “therapy.” The power of this relationship has not been lost on medical professionals. “Equine therapy” is a popular tool to use with a variety of populations. But what is equine therapy and how is it used? Equine Therapy Defined According to PATH International, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, there are many different types of “equine assisted activities.” In its broadest sense, any interaction between a person and a horse is an equine assisted activity. Equine-Assisted Therapy has a more specific goal. It is a treatment that uses horses to reach rehabilitative goals that are bounded by a medical professional’s scope of practice. Equine-Assisted Therapy is not an activity run by local horse clubs, church groups or trainers. Instead, it is overseen by a medical professional, usually a licensed psychotherapist or physical therapist. Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy, which is used by addiction treatment facilities, veterans’ groups, and trauma centers, is always overseen by a licensed mental health professional. These types of therapies rarely involve riding the horse. To read more on this story, click here:The Therapeutic Value of Horses
