Horses, Ponies and Fails: Compilation

Top horses to be cloned?

Lynn Roberts / AP

Rocky Mountain Fly (12) with jockey Stevie Gillum aboard, narrowly edges Political Option (3), with John Hamilton in the irons, to win the Louisiana Champions Day Quarter Horse Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans on Dec. 8, 2012.

By Mike Brunker, Investigations Editor, NBC News

Horse race fixers have long used “ringers” to pull off betting coups, but a new kind of ringer — genetic duplicates cloned from the DNA of yesterday’s champions — could soon be barreling around a racetrack near you if two Texas horsemen have their way.

In a lawsuit set for trial Tuesday in Texas, the horsemen are asking a federal judge to force the American Quarter Horse Association to register cloned horses and their offspring, arguing that it is violating antitrust law by refusing to do so.

A decision favoring the plaintiffs — Jason Abraham of Canadian, Texas, and Gregg Veneklasen of Amarillo — could clear the way for the sons and daughters of clones to compete in sanctioned quarter horse races at scores of racetracks in the U.S. and elsewhere. The clones, who would not themselves race under the request for relief put forward by the plaintiffs, would in many cases be genetic duplicates of quarter horse royalty like Tailor Fit, a two-time world champion — and a gelding — who now has a young copy named Pure Tailor Fit.

Debate is raging over how cloning could impact the American Quarter Horse — an agile horse bred for speed rather than stamina. Quarter horse racing, which generated more than $ 300 million in wagering at U.S. racetracks in 2012, is the second most popular form of equine racing after thoroughbred racing, and quarter horses also are prized in rodeo events for their athleticisim. Stallions like Pure Taylor Fit can bring in $ 1,500 or more per mating.

Whether or not the pro-cloning argument carries the day in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Amarillo, equine clones will be appearing before the year is out in other equine sporting venues — including non-breed specific rodeo competitions like barrel racing and reining, polo matches and equestrian events leading up to the 2014 Olympics, according to backers of the technology.

Cloning critics say allowing the procedure could concentrate the genetic pool and undermine efforts to improve the breed.

In a statement on its website, the AQHA says it intends to vigorously defend its ban, arguing that as a voluntary private association it has the right to set rules favored by a majority and citing a recent survey that found 86 percent of its members oppose cloning.

It also said that accepting clones would render useless its use of DNA to track horses’ lineage, because clones would possess the same DNA as the original. 

“Clones don’t have parents,” it said. “Cloning is not breeding.”

In 2006, a Texas company called ViaGen impregnated a mare with a cloned embryo produced from the DNA of Royal Blue Boon, an animal that earned its owner hundreds of thousands of dollars in competition. NBC affiliate KFOR covered the story at the time.

Researchers clone animals by transplanting the genetic information from a cell in a donor animal — either dead or alive — into an unfertilized egg cell whose genetic information has been destroyed or physically removed. In the case of horses, that egg is then implanted into a surrogate mare, where — if everything goes smoothly — it develops into a viable foal.

Commercial cloning of farm animals like cattle and pigs is increasing, but questions remain about the technology.

The Roslyn Institute of Edinburgh, Scotland, which created the world’s first cloned animal — Dolly the sheep — in 1996, “no longer undertakes research related to cloning of animals” and notes that some physical abnormalities have been observed in clones.

“Cloned animals have, in some cases, displayed growth defects although exactly why is not known,” it says on its website. “The growth defects are probably a result of the in-vitro culture conditions and due to changes in chromatin in the nucleus, but further research would be required to fully understand this.”

But the potential for defects isn’t what riles many quarter horse breeders and owners about the lawsuit, which seeks damages and an injunction that would prevent the AQHA from barring clones from the official breed registry.

A former AQHA president made “intimidating remarks and references to the immorality of cloning” and vowed that the “AQHA will allow cloning over my dead body” at a meeting of the organization last year, according to the complaint.

‘An uneducated voice’
Veneklasen, who is both a plaintiff in the lawsuit and a veterinarian who has participated in the cloning of many horses, argues that a few influential AQHA members have swayed opinion against the technology and kept a proposal to drop the cloning ban from being considered.

“The loud voice is an uneducated voice and an opinionated voice,” he said. “And four or five voices are all that people are getting to hear.”

Veneklasen argues cloning would strengthen the quarter horse breed by re-introducing genetics from past champions who are deceased or otherwise unable to breed, possibly because they were gelded before reaching their prime. He also said it could help reduce diseases prevalent in quarter horses by enabling breeders to “silence detrimental genes.”

But many opponents within the AQHA say it would have the opposite effect.

“From a breeder’s standpoint … we try to continually further improvement of the American quarter horse through selective breeding: Pick the best sire, match him to the best mare to produce the best foal,” said Micah McKinney, an AQHA member who operates Reliance Ranches in Llano, Texas. “I think that copying what already has been done would be going backward in the progression toward a better breed.”

Art Caplan, head of the medical ethics division at New York University’s Langone Medical Center and an NBC News contributor, said opponents like McKinney are right to be concerned, but are unlikely to prevail in what he described as an “ethically complex” case.

]]>

Top horses to be cloned?

Coming out on Top Of Competitive Trail Riding

Competitive Trail Riding is usually called CTR. It\’s an equine event where riders cover distances of between 15 and 40 miles a day over rough country. Lots of participants give up after the 1st day, but others stick fast to it for three days. The contest aims to assess functional coordination between rider and their pony, and to judge the physical fitness of the riders and their horses at the end of the competition. The event can be physically demanding, and riders and their horses are subjected to thorough physical examination before and on completion of the event. Since there is a factor of risk to riders and their horses, these events adhere to high safety standards; there\’s a panel of vets on the spot and all judges are experienced veterans.

It\’s very clear that the fittest pony and rider team wins the event. It is easy to say that all of the tough work is performed by the horse, but that assumption would be unfair to the rider, who is also subject to a great deal of strain and wear and tear. Every horse-rider pair is accompanied by a team of trainers, diet gurus, horse handlers and carers and others. They are united in their common goal of maintaining the pony in top condition. The rider\’s role obviously is mostly directing and controlling and taking the simplest routes, such as would subject the pony to minimum hardship. You cannot achieve success in events like this without fully focused commitment. In all facets of mental and physical health, the pair must be at the top of their capabilities.

When competing in these events, remember that:

- horses are naturally scared animals. As prey animals, they tend to see potential danger in lots of things. Therefore, the more your pony is desensitised to objects around, the better he will behave in the event. This suggests predicting all possible objects that could spook your pony and getting your pony accustomed to these objects. Obviously, this involves convincing him the objects are in no way dangerous to him by exposing him to them continuously and in non threatening cir***stances. All this is often done in a safe setting like an arena;

- you ought to be fully acquainted with your pony and his needs and moods. You should be able to read every nuance of his body language like an open book. You should also be very mindful of old injuries and situations where the pony was frightened. Point them out to the judges of the event because if you don\’t the judges will negatively mark them at the end of the event. You are answerable for intimate understanding of your pony and everything needed to keep him secure and in the very best of health;

- while the horse\’s fitness is of ultimate concern, you as the rider will additionally need to face lots of difficulty and therefore you should stay fit. When you\’re fit and at ideal weight, you are less of a strain for the pony. Make sure you are following regular diet and exercise programs;

- when at the event, you need to ensure you are dressed appropriately and in conformity with relevant rules imposed by the event organizers;

- keeping your horse snug and free from irritations is of supreme concern. Give him the best kit and gear available. Maintain all gear and tack in spotless working condition. Leave no stone unturned in terms of guaranteeing your horse\’s perfect health and comfort;

- proper pre-event training is critical. You need to work your pony up to the event slowly and with a proper plan. Proper training will keep both of your horse and you at the apex of your abilities. While you do need to train hard and regularly, make sure you do not over exert your pony or yourself. Start by covering five to seven miles of increasingly rugged terrain 5 week days;

- while training your pony, you should make sure he is able to alter his footing as required and attune to varying terrain conditions;

- while training, you must also get your pony used to vicinity and constant physical contact with humans. He will be touched and examined continually while at the event. You need to make sure that doesn\’t distress him;

- while coaching, you should get your horse accustomed to both running and still water of diverse tastes and compositions. Your horse will have to be given food and water at regular intervals thru the day, and it is essential that he"s given training to ignore horses? Natural disinclination to drink water from unfamiliar sources.

Horses are Heather Toms

passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of

articles with other horse lovers visit HorseHorses

Coming out on Top Of Competitive Trail Riding

Summer Horse Camps for Children

If your kid is typical of today\’s urban youngsters, the possibilities are high that she or he may never have physically touched a pony. Seeing horses on the telly or in flicks, or reading about them in books is not a replacement for the real thing. Your youngster may be obsessed with horses, but has not had any opportunity of doing something about it. If truth be told, it isn\’t just kids, but adults also who are thrilled by horses. There is not any special qualification to be a \’horse person\’, you could be a Harvard star or a high school dropout, an out of doors type or an inside one.

When your youngster starts clamoring for some pony riding as the summer draws near, let your thoughts go to the chance of sending him to a summer pony riding camp. You may be favourably inclined to the prospect, not just because it will give you and your other half some remission from a child who can otherwise raise cain during vacation days. You are now pondering how to choose the right camp for your youngster; you are aware that there are a considerable number of options, but you know little about any of them. You are naturally nervous about the various aspects of sending your youngster away to a camp: the safety factors, the price factors and your child\’s adaption capabilities. What sort of facilities do the camps offer? Are the horses they have safe for beginner kids? Have they provision for instant medical help if anything goes wrong?

I\’ve got some answers for you to chew on. It\’s very clear that summer horse riding camps are targeting horses and pony riding. Camps last for durations starting from a single day to 8 weeks. Some camps run for even longer. A lot of them are coeducational. Horse riding camps offer your child a superb opportunity to learn to look after other living anamils. A lot of camps include horse care and feeding (under correct supervision) as an element of the curriculum. These camps have school room sessions where children learn elementary lessons concerning riding, feeding, handling and taking care of horses. These camps give part of every day to lessons on riding skill development, while various other activities comprise the rest of the day.

Plenty of camps concentrate on teaching the English riding style, implying the primary focus is on rider safety. It is mandatory for riders to don helmets and riding boots when they\’re on or round the horses. Though these camps feature very well trained horses that don\’t pose any jeopardy to the kids, inadvertent accidents do occur; you are exposing children of a few score pounds to beasts of a few hundred pounds. Kids are comprehensively instructed on all of the cues necessary for communication with the horses. Horses of various breeds, like Arabians, Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses can be found in these camps. The majority of these camps are found on actual horse farms, with genuine pastures, stables and arenas. A large amount of these farms are sited in gorgeous natural settings, with board fences of white and all the other amenities that can be found in pastoral farms. Children are often given accommodation in cabins.

These camps employ really experienced trainers, who are there full time. They ensure that kids are able to benefit from quality learning. All of the other camp staff are well qualified at their specific roles. College students are commonly used as counselors, and these advisors take time out to prepare kids interested in careers in the world of horses.

Horses are Heather Toms

passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of

articles with other horse lovers go here

Summer Horse Camps for Children

The easy way to Feel Your Horse\"s Hind Legs On The Ground

Are you an ok rider that you mostly know when your horse\’s rear legs are grounded? This is a ability that you simply cannot do without. It is essential that you give leg aids just when your horse\’s rear leg is grounded? Actually at the precise moment it is prepared to take off. This is the one exact moment when you can have an effect on the hind leg.

I know where my horse\’s rear legs are by sensing the position of his hips. When a given rear foot is aground, his hip goes higher. I get the feeling of my seatbone being pushed forward.

Here\’s a little advice to help determine when your horse\’s rear leg is aground:

1. When waking, keep your eyes shut. Get your concentration on the inside seatbone. I have known folks describe this as a feeling that their seatbone is \’higher\’ others say it is the same as the seatbone being \’pushed forward\’. Try to tune up your sense of timing by saying \’now, now, now\’ each time you sense your seatbone has been pushed forward. This way, you\’ll be able to get yourself sensitized to the moment the hind leg is on ground.

2. Get a friend to keep track of one hind foot and roar \’now\’ each time it is aground. Ensure you are aware of the feel underneath your seat every time. That way, you\’ll soon become adept at it.

3. If you\’ve no one to help you out , watch the horse\’s shadow, or make use of a mirror. Ensure you are getting it correct by calling off footfalls and checking now and then with the shadow or the mirror to confirm if you are doing fine.

4. Closely watch other riders and horses and with regard to one specific rear leg, keep watching the position of the hips of both the rider and the pony when that leg is grounded.

5. At the canter, learn how to sense when the inside hind leg is grounded by studying the horse\’s mane. The mane flops up at the canter\’s 2nd beat, when the inside hind leg is grounded. Repeat the word \’now\’ to oneself every time you see the mane flop up. This way, you can synchronize whatever you are observing with the word \’now\’ and whatever you are feeling beneath the seat.

Horses are Heather Toms
passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers visit HorseHorses

The easy way to Feel Your Horse\"s Hind Legs On The Ground