Horse Bitscuits: Lazy Dog Cookie Company Launches Equine Treat To Benefit Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation

Lazy Dog Cookie Company launched its first horse and pony treat – Horse Bitscuits – on Jan. 1, 2023.  Made in the U.S. and formulated with all-natural, sugar-free ingredients, the Cherry Vanilla Peppermint cookie will retail for $8.99 per 14 oz bag with 15 percent of profits donated by Lazy Dog Cookie Co. to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF).

Horse Bitscuits are now available for purchase at local Saratoga retailers including Benson's Pet Supply, Impressions, Cheshire Horse and AgWay. Customers across the United States may purchase Horse Bitscuits online through LazyDogCookieCo.com and on the TRF website and soon on Chewy.com.

“As a company, we have always believed in giving back to the animals we love” said Lazy Dog Cookie Co-Founder, Amy Augustine.  “We first learned of the work of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation in 2021 when we attended their annual summer fundraiser here in Saratoga. The more we learned about their work, saving horses and changing lives, the more we wanted to get involved. On our first visit to the Saratoga backstretch, we realized that horses like cookies as much as dogs and that's where it all began.  Today, we are proud to introduce our first-ever horse treat and to support the horses of the TRF with every bag we sell.”

TRF Executive Director, Patricia Stickney, shared “the TRF is immensely grateful to Amy and Keith for including us as a beneficiary of their new product and promoting our mission of saving horses and changing lives.”

Lazy Dog welcomes inquiries from interested retailers and product ambassadors. A Saratoga launch party is planned on March 10 at the Principessa Elena Society. Details will be announced on Lazy Dog and TRF Social Media.

About Lazy Dog Cookie Co.:  Since 2001 The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Inc products are made with simple beneficial ingredients that not only make them viciously delicious but are also naturally nutritious. The company's entire product line is wheat, corn and soy free and Made in the USA. The brand never uses any fillers, preservatives or anything artificial.

For more information: https://www.lazydogcookies.com 

About Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation: Founded in 1983, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation is a national organization devoted to saving Thoroughbred horses no longer able to compete at the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse, and slaughter. As the oldest Thoroughbred rescue in the country, the TRF provides lifelong sanctuary to a herd of 425 retired Thoroughbreds throughout their lifetime. In 2023, we celebrate four decades of Saving Horses and Changing Lives with gratitude for all who have made this possible. 

Best known for its pioneering TRF Second Chances program, the organization provides incarcerated individuals with life-changing vocational training through its accredited equine care and stable management program. At eight correctional facilities across the US, including one juvenile justice facility, this program offers second careers to its horses and a second chance at life for program graduates upon release from prison.  

For more information visit: https://www.trfinc.org/ 

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Study: Foals Need Three Weeks To Recover From Stress Of Weaning 

Weaning – when a foal is separated from its mother – can be a stressful time for young horses. Not only is the colt or filly forced to become independent, he or she must also shift from drinking a mare's milk to other food sources, all while enduring a change in location, management, and social structure.

In commercial equine operations, weaning is often done when the horse reaches a certain age or during a specific time of year. 

A research team led by Drs. Kristin Delank and Sven Reese sought to determine how long it takes for foals to recover from the stress of the weaning process. The scientists tracked metabolite levels from cortisol (a stress hormone) in feces, as well as behavioral changes, and determined that foals need a minimum of three weeks to acclimate to their new situation.. 

The researchers created a study using 10 foals housed at the Baden-Wuerttemberg stud farm in Germany. All the foals in the study were raised as a group with other mares and foals in open housing and on pasture until they were weaned. There were nine Arabians and one warmblood; four fillies and six colts. 

The foals were divided into three groups to be weaned based on their age and development. On the day they were weaned, a vet sedated the foals, which were then moved about 11 miles away from their dams. The new facility continued with the same feeding and turnout schedule the foals had while at their dam's side. 

The first group was mixed with fillies and colts; the next two groups were divided by gender. All foals were observed between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. from one day before to three weeks after weaning. The observer documented every behavior each foal showed every five minutes. 

The scientists discovered that each foal had a hormonal stress response to weaning, determined by the cortisol metabolites found in their fecal samples. Additionally, the foals were significantly less active after weaning, spending a lot of time resting and lying down; the foals also vocalized more the day immediately following weaning. 

The scientists found that foal's cortisol metabolite values had not returned to normal three weeks post-weaning, indicating that they need at least three weeks to get used to their new situation. 

The research team notes that it is impossible to wean foals without inducing stress, but that the process should focus on long-term foal welfare.  

Read more at HorseTalk

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Pegasus World Cup Recognizes Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance As Charitable Partner For Seventh Straight Year

As part of 1/ST's mission to prioritize the care and safety of Thoroughbred racehorses before, during, and after their racing careers, the 2023 Pegasus World Cup presented by Baccarat will recognize the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) as its Charitable Partner for the seventh consecutive year. The 2023 Pegasus World Cup will feature three Grade 1 stakes races – the $3 million Pegasus World Cup presented by Baccarat, the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf presented by Qatar Racing and the $500,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf presented by Pepsi.

“1/ST is happy to once again welcome and recognize the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance as our honored Charitable Partner of the 2023 Pegasus World Cup,” said Nicole Walker, Vice President, The Stronach Group and TAA Committee Member. “Thoroughbred aftercare has always been a top priority for 1/ST. We are proud to support the TAA and the wonderful work they do for our equine friends.”

As part of the Pegasus World Cup race day celebrations on Saturday, January 28, 1/ST will present a check to representatives from TAA's Board of Directors and accredited organizations in the Winner's Circle immediately following the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf race.

“1/ST's dedication to accredited Thoroughbred aftercare is unfailing,” said TAA Operations Consultant, Stacie Clark. “We are honored to be included for another exciting year of the Pegasus World Cup and would like to thank Gulfstream Park for being such gracious hosts to the TAA and its accredited organizations.”

Since the inception of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance in 2012, 1/ST has donated over $1 million to support the TAA's mission to retrain, retire, and rehome Thoroughbred racehorses. 1/ST executive Nicole Walker served five consecutive years as a TAA board member and is currently an active member of the TAA Communications Committee. 1/ST RACING & GAMING's Chief Executive Officer Aidan Butler joined the TAA board and executive committee in 2022.

The 2023 Pegasus World Cup will be broadcast live on NBC with a 90-minute show from 4:30 to 6 P.M. ET and can be streamed live on NBCSports.com and Peacock.

For more tickets and more information about the Pegasus World Cup, please visit Pegasusworldcup.com or follow on social @PegasusWorldCup #AllForOne.

For more information or to donate to the TAA, please visit Thoroughbredaftercare.org.

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Rillito To Test StrideSafe Sensors At 2023 Mixed Meet

Rillito Park in Tucson, Ariz., will test StrideSafe technology at its 2023 meet in hopes of improving the track's safety record and using the system on racing Quarter Horses for the first time.

Rillito general manager Mike Weiss announced the project at the most recent Arizona Racing Commission meeting, held on Jan. 12.

StrideSafe is a device which uses three accelerometers and GPS to identify changes in a horse's high-speed movement. So far it has been utilized prospectively in New York, where it collected data from 6,626 starts. The device generated 12 percent of what its users called “red alert” flags from its data collection. During the same period, there were 20 fatal breakdowns, 18 of which had generated red alert ratings in the horse's final race.

Read more about StrideSafe in our reporting from this year's Global Symposium On Racing

“After the Rillito Park research, major tracks around the world could potentially employ StrideSafe biometric sensors to identify horses with a potential for significant injury to horses and riders,” said Weiss.

Rillito struggled with fatal injuries during its 2022 season. The track made local headlines when its opening weekend saw multiple fatalities. The track saw seven deaths from 63 races in the first four weeks of its meet.

The 2023 StrideSafe project will be managed in part by students at the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program to help analyze the sensor reading information. Readings will be taken on at least 1,000 Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, and organizers hope all entries in all races during the meet will have the sensors on board.

Rillito's field safety stewards' aides will also work together to identify horses they think should wear StrideSafe in workouts and be subjected to a pre-workout examination by track regulatory veterinarians.

Longtime racing steward Dan Fick will assist in overseeing the StrideSafe project and will determine next steps after a horse receives a red rating, which would likely include placing on the veterinarian's list.

The total cost of using the technology for the upcoming mixed meet, which runs Feb. 4 through April 2, is about $45,000. Weiss said Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has pledged a donation of $30,000 to cover part of the costs, and Rillito Park Foundation has agreed to shoulder the remaining $15,000.

“I believe it will be worth it,” Weiss said. “We are going to be a track that the entire world will be looking at.”

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