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‘By Showing Compassion For One Life, We Can Mend Many More’: Merck Research Horses Find A New Job

Merck Animal Health's equine division periodically conducts research on their product's efficacy. But what happens to the study horses when the research is complete? Click below to find out how Merck made sure the horses used in an EPM study had a soft place to land—specifically one where they would still be helping.

Watch below to see where they ended up.

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New York Poised To Pass Legislation To Make Transfer Of Thoroughbreds For Slaughter Illegal

A bill that would seek to interrupt the slaughter pipeline for Thoroughbreds in New York has passed the state's senate and gained bipartisan support, according to a report by the Thoroughbred Daily News. Senate Bill 1442, which is sponsored by Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-15th District), would prohibit the slaughter of racehorses and breeding stock, and would make it illegal for a person or other entity to “import, export, sell, offer to sell or barter, transfer, purchase, possess, transport, deliver, or receive a race horse or race horse breeding stock with the intent of slaughtering or having another person, corporation, association or entity slaughter such race horse or race horse breeding stock.”

The bill also prohibits similar actions in cases where the person knew or “should have known” that the horse was intended to go to slaughter. It additionally requires breeding programs to designate money to go to aftercare.

The bill would give the New York State Gaming Commission the power to take action against the licenses of anyone found to be in violation, and could also stop breeders from receiving breeders' awards in the state.

There is currently no other law in any other state that makes it illegal for someone to sell or transfer a racehorse for slaughter. Horse slaughter itself is not illegal in the United States, but has not taken place commercially for more than a decade because there is no funding allocated for federal inspections of horse slaughter plants. It remains legal for horses to be exported to Canada or Mexico for the ultimate purpose of slaughter. Anti-slaughter policies are in place at some racetracks, but their enforcement is considered a private property matter and racing commissions do not participate.

Addabbo said the state's owners and breeders came to him with the idea for the bill, and he anticipates no problems with the bill passing the New York State Assembly.

BLM Announces First Wild Horse Adoption Of 2021

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility will kick off BLM Wyoming's 2021 adoption schedule with an event Feb.19 and 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The BLM will offer approximately 80 wild horses during this adoption, including mares and geldings, in age from yearlings to five-years old. The horses were gathered in 2020 from the Lost Creek, Green Mountain, Crooks Mountain, Antelope Hills and Stewart Creek herd management areas.

The offered horses will be available for adoption on a first-come, first-served basis. Any person wishing to adopt a wild horse must fill out an application, be able to conform to the BLM's minimum adoption requirements and have their application approved by the BLM. BLM specialists will be on hand to answer questions and assist with the adoption applications.

“Wyoming wild horses make great companions and trail animals,” said Supervisory Wild Horse Specialist Jake Benson. “We want to see them all adopted into good homes.”

To reach the holding facility from I-80, take Elk Street Exit 104 and go north one mile, then turn right onto Lionkol Road and follow for a half-mile.

In response to COVID-19, visitors will be asked to follow CDC guidelines including keeping six feet apart while standing in line during the application process, wearing masks and respecting each other's space.

To learn more about BLM Wyoming's wild horse adoption program or the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility, click here.

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Virtual International Forum For The Aftercare Of Racehorses Series To Take Place April 2021

The International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) announced today that it will be hosting its fifth forum as a virtual series on each Tuesday during the month of April. The sessions, which will include a combination of prerecorded content and live discussions, will be held on 6, 13, 20 and 27 April at 7 a.m. EST and will each last approximately one hour. The timing has been selected so that people can dial in wherever they are in the world – evening for the Australasian time zones, middle of the day for the European time zones, and early morning for the American time zones. Recordings of the events will also be made available on the IFAR website.

Expected topics to be covered during these sessions include owner and trainer responsibility, traceability, the use of racehorses in equine-assisted therapy, case studies for aftercare progress in different racing jurisdictions, and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on racehorse aftercare. The full list of topics and speakers, which will include representatives from around the world, will be announced at a later date.

“Although the continuing effects of COVID-19 have prevented us from being able to host a traditional live IFAR conference, we are looking forward to being able to reach an even wider global audience to discuss aftercare and its importance to the racing industry,” said Di Arbuthnot, chair of IFAR. “We wanted to advise the racing and breeding industries of our plans as soon as possible so that interested parties could save these dates in April for what promises to be an enlightening series of presentations and discussions.”

IFAR has previously been held in conjunction with the Asian Racing Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2020; the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation's General Assembly in Oslo, Norway, in May 2019; the Asian Racing Conference in Seoul, South Korea, in May 2018; and the Pan American Conference in Washington, D.C., in May 2017.

IFAR is an independent forum that recognizes geographical and industry differences among racing countries and is designed to enhance Thoroughbred aftercare worldwide. Working with the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, IFAR will raise awareness of the importance of welfare for Thoroughbreds, improve education on lifetime care, and help increase demand for former racehorses in other equestrian sports.

For more information on IFAR, click here.

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