Horse Owners are Helpless in Iceland

Iceland's Volcano
Impact on Agriculture

Ellie Ross






I know this is off topic, however I felt it was important to draw some attention to the situation in Iceland where horses are trapped by the toxic ash that blankets their land.

The area hardest hit near the eruption is one that is agriculturally significant, is heavily populated by horse breeders and other livestock. Breeders in this area raise their horses and livestock in a free range manner so there is no where for these animals to be housed and shielded from the toxic ash clouds swallowing up the land. Reports state that some areas are pitch black in darkness during the day and most horse owners are left helpless. Winds are not expected to change for at least 2-3 more days.

Sounds of the eruption, combined with the lightning and bird cries are being described as 'something from a horror film'. This is the time of year when birds are migrating. Farmers report witnessing entire flocks of geese fly directly into the ash clouds, cry and then fall to their death.

'The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority released an announcement this morning, asking that all horse owners who keep their herds outside be on the alert due to ash fall. Where there is significant ash fall all horses must be sheltered indoors.'

The volcano emits toxic flouride gas and has a devastating effect on livestock and humans. The last time this volcano erupted in 1821, it lasted two years. This gas is easily absorbed through skin and eyes and a quantity as small as 28 mg per kilo of body mass is fatal.

Flourine poisoning will affect calcium levels in horses causing severe damage to teeth and bones in growing foals as well as hypocalcemia in pregnant mares - a life threatening condition. (One can only imagine the impact it has on children and pregnant women)

In past eruptions, it is not the eruption itself that causes the highest deaths amongst animals and humans, it is the toxic gases and ash that follow, continues for months and causes massive devastating effects on resources.

In 1783 it poisoned the vegetation, pastures etc. This resulted in a loss of approximately 80% of the sheep and 50% of the horses and cattle.

One fifth of the human population perished from starvation. Extreme winters followed the eruption due to the sulphuric gases. This combination of extreme winter and lack of livestock/vegetation/crops proved devastating.

The present volcanic eruption could continue to cycle through ongoing periods of rest and eruption over several months ultimately impacting water, hay and feed supplies.

So while most media reports seem to focus mainly on the impact on air travel, there are far more significant impacts occurring that could lead to a repeat of events in 1783.

Click here- http://dagskra.ruv.is/sjonvarpid/4497965/2010/04/17/0/ to see a local news report in Iceland. The report is not in English but language is not needed to understand the desperation of such an event. (Video will take a moment to load, middle of the video is just reporter talking but beginning and end provide a clear picture of a not so clear future)

Spring 2010 -

Spring 2010
by Ellie Ross

A quick note first and I'll post a proper Blog later -

Does anyone have any information on the following Thoroughbreds -

1. T.V.Girl
2. Wooden Sticks

Any information about their history would be beneficial to their future!

Please don't post in comments - Email me privately at
fielddogs
@
gmail
.com

Thanks Everyone!

November 27th 2009

AUCTIONS AUCTIONS AUCTIONS

ellie ross




What to do with so many horses becoming displaced?

There are many nice horses going through OLEX and other auctions. Just two weeks ago, I acquired two very very lovely, well bred, sound and sane Grey Thoroughbred mares. They are what so many people say they want. Over 16hh, moderate bone, nice build etc. There were others as well but simply put, I can not buy all of them.

The week before I acquired a 17hh, large boned TB gelding that was lacking groceries, to say the least. A monster size of a TB.
I am very happy to announce that this Big Red horse has moved on to his new home and would like to thank my friend S.K.B. for her generous offer to foster him for a few days and a bigger thank you to the person that can see the potential in this horse and happily took him home.

Just this week a lovely reining horses went through the ring. Sound, good body condition, appeared sane etc. Sold for 49 cents a pound.Do the math! He weight about 1150lbs...

Prices at OLEX are still low overall. Some horses unable to even fetch as little as 2 cents per pound. Several horses go through with no information. Its a hip tag and a weight. That is it.

It is understood that this is a meat sale. It is not marketed as a riding horse sale and that is clear, however, there are on average only two meat buyers and the balance of the people there are potential horse buyers. Doesn't the horse deserve a voice? A little blurb about its age, history, experience, anything? Its not the sale that is at fault, it is the owner of that animal. My grey mares came through with only their age and breed. The Big Red Gelding came thru with nothing at all. Just his weight.
All of these horses are broke to ride. All of them are sane. All of them have a history and if it was revealed, could have resulted in more people being interested in them. This is not limited to these three horses but to all the horses that continuously go through that ring that hold the potential to be some one's horse. I should note that this information sharing should not only be limited to the good history but the bad as well. I have endured injuries, as I'm sure many others have, 'taking chances' on these horses. We take the good with the bad but a little information would go a long way.

With so many auctions occurring and so many auctions under fire, one must remember this very important point - that auction is the horses opportunity to get bought for homes vs. heading to slaughter. Without those auctions, these horses would not gain any exposure and would essentially just disappear. Out of sight, out of mind. The Claremont Auction occurs every two weeks and while the setup is less than ideal in many horse owners' views, it is exposure and it is an opportunity. There were some off track TBs at the last sale hosted there. None were 'fresh' off the track from this season. Three had gone on to be polo ponies, another was a very well schooled mare that had been a well cared for, loved broodmare and the last had clearly been off the track long enough to get soft, grow a mane long enough to form a large collection of burrs. There was a lovely sporthorse type mare there, a very very attractive medium jumper pony, some registered APHA babies, QHs galore etc. The arena provides an opportunity to demonstrate the horses under saddle and the prices fluctuate. Some prices truly reflect the value of the horses while others were, in my opinion, a steal.

This Saturday is going to be one very packed schedule of horse auctions-

Some upcoming sales Saturday Nov 28th -

• Wainfleet Horse Auction hosted by Nelson Bilyea
  52119 Misener Road
  Wainfleet, ON L0S 1V0 Call for details (905) 899-1559
  

• Waterloo County Horse Sale
  Held at OLEX, but it is not an OLEX sale
  Info at http://www.waterloocountysales.com/about.htm
  This sale is mainly buggy horses and work horses geared towards the Mennonite and Amish Communities however there are often some nice ponies and riding horses as well. Tack sells first. The St.Jacobs Farmers Market is on next door so makes for a full day out.

• Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society Sale
  Held at Woodbine
  Info - http://www.cthsont.com/mixedsale.php
  All Thoroughbreds of all ages and has had some great vendors present in the past.

Upcoming December 7th-
Appeared in the Acton Tanner

"Innkeepers Act Sale" It reads : I, Arthur McKenna will sell by Public Auction under the "Innkeepers Act", the property of Viviane Chagnon and Dominic Polsinelli of 136 Winges Rd #6, Woodbridge, Ont L4L 6C3
Notification and advertising have been completed as required by the "Innkeepers Act" by advertisement and registered mail sent to Viviane Chagnon and Dominic Polsinelli.
Public Auction to be held on the 7th day of December, 2009 at the hr of 11am at 14324 Fourth Line Acton Ont, L7J 2L8
Offered for Sale will be five horses known as Great Expectations (stallion), One Way Love colt (bay colt), One dark bay filly, One dark bay yearling filly, and One thoroughbred racehorse
Lien on the horses is approximately $10,000 calculated to the 7th day of Dec, 2009
Arthur McKenna (Innkeeper) Oct 20, 2009


Auctions can be quite intimidating to many that are not familiar with the process, bidding etc. Often people don't understand what the auctioneer is saying and then hesitate to bid when they don't even know what price they are coming in at. Please know, that I am always more than happy to assist anyone at any auction that I am attending, so please don't be shy.
Email - fielddogs @gmail .com (remove spaces)

Its for the horses...

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends south of the border.

Fall 2009

FALL 2009 SUMMARY
Ellie Ross

Well its been a while since I've updated the blog and I sincerely apologize.

The number of horses drastically plummeted at OLEX over the summer months as did the prices. For a while there it seemed that it wasn't worth the gas for people to ship their horses into the sale.
Some poor condition horses couldn't even sell for 2 cents a pound and were marked as ' no sale'. This gives the consignor the opportunity to take the horse back or have it culled at OLEX. Basically one must remember that it is a meat business. An underweight horse weighing 800lbs, that should weigh 1100lbs, takes up just as much room on the truck as the 1500lb horses so, its space that costs more than the payout at the plant. Essentially - it cost them more to ship the horse than they will get in meat.

The longstanding trend of Standardbreds being the most popular breed at the kill auction continues. Many look racing fit and several others look like they are coming off a breeding program. Many of these horses make great buggy horses for the Mennonite and Amish communities. It should be pointed out that once they are unable to perform their jobs as Buggy Horses, they more often than not, end up back at OLEX.



Current meat price, at OLEX, for the horses over 1000lbs, but are not draft type, is between 25-30cents a pound. Heavy horse prices have been hovering between 15-25 cents. Some horses are being sold by the pound, at either the discretion of the auctioneer or request of the consignor.



There have been large lots of horses coming into the kill auction containing feedlot horses from out west. These are horses that were born and raised solely for the purpose of slaughter. Most of these are not horses that can be safely handled.

There have also been large lots of horses coming up from the US that are predominantly Paint and QH youngsters. Mostly under the age of two. The body conditions vary from lot to lot. I have seen some very nice looking babies going through the sales and selling for as little as $23.00

I hear many stories about kill buyers at other auctions and if I had to compare, I would have to say that we should consider ourselves fortunate at the OLEX market. The main buyer consistently opts out of bidding on horses if a non-meat buyer commences bidding. In addition, any horses in his pen are available for negotiation with him immediately after the sale. Cooperation for which I am grateful for.

If you are on Twitter, I often 'Tweet' live from the sales. This past summer I tweeted live from OLEX, The Amish School Fundraiser Auction and even the Exotic animal auction. FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER .
For those of you that don't know what Twitter is - Click here for description.

We've had a very busy summer recovering and homing OTTBs mainly, from a variety of sources that include auctions, feedlots and direct from the Racetracks. I'm very happy to announce that at least 4 of these horses will be showing on the Trillium circuit next year!

Speaking of showing... I will be personally showing an OTTB at the Royal Winter Fair on Sat. Nov 14th. Please be sure to say hello to the Dark Bay Gelding 'Our Select' (affectionately known as Prince), that was so kindly arranged for me to have direct from the Racetrack.
You can't miss him with those 4 white socks and foal face! See photo -

At the request of several individuals, here is a repeat of the
News Video done by The Record's Matt McCarthy -

(not graphic)

If anyone is interested in acquiring an OTTB or would like assistance at an auction, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'm always happy to assist with bidding, selection etc. I know auctions can be most confusing and this prevents many from purchasing. Feel free to contact me -
fielddogs@ gmail .com (remove spaces)

Until next time....

QUEEN's PLATE RUNNER- Needs a Home

2008 Queen's Plate Runner
'Silver Jag'
by 'Point Given' (2007 Horse of the Year) is in need of a home asap.

He's 16hh, well built, chestnut stallion.
4 years old.

He's off in the hind end. Owner does not wish to release papers for fear of someone running this horse into the ground.
They are trying to do the right thing here. Please help find a suitable home.

HE HAS A HOME! THANK YOU TO ALL THAT EXPRESSED INTEREST!

SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY PLEASE !

Time is of the essence here. A home was setup and they backed out last minute. His stall is booked for another horse at Woodbine and he HAS TO MOVE OUT. He is free to the right home.

OLEX JULY 7th 2009

OLEX July 7th, 2009

Ellie Ross

Well it will be a full house (spectators) for the entire summer at OLEX auction as the Tuesday farmers market is open and the tourists are drawn to the sale. Some treat the sale as a sort of petting zoo, others are totally oblivious to what 'type' of sale this is and a few are just there to take photos.

There appeared to be a reporter present today but no one could advise what publication she was from.

The mare in the photo was a lovely OTTB mare with papers that had evented, shown dressage and was being offered up as a companion or broodmare due to a career ending injury. Sadly, she went for meat.

Just over 40 horses in today's sale and one Llama that was in great shape, friendly, halter broken and sold for only $45.

Tweeting live from the auction today on Twitter provided some opportunity for inquiries of horses present. Please note, that the auction happens fast. Very fast, so there is very little time to discuss or consider horses. If I post something of interest, it is imperative that you contact me immediately.

Notables -

• There was an emaciated medium grey pony today that a local rescue org purchased to give him some TLC. 15 cents a pound.
  
• A lovely TB mare that was bombproof, clean legs and oh so quiet- she was a steal at only $575!
• Lovely qh yearling for only $100
• A mare with foal on her side and IN FOAL. A pkg deal for only $260
• A very nice cremello paint mare, sound but no info
• Very very quiet lg pony rode through but was swayback. $325
• Pretty palomino mare, sound but no info 37 cents sold to a horse dealer
• Standardbreds going through for 15-31 cents per pound

Only one meat buyer was present today.

Next Tuesday there is a scheduling conflict. There is the Welsh Pony dispersal at Carson's as well as OLEX.

Preview is at 11 and the sale is at 3. I will do my best to cover both sales but no guarantees!

For anyone interested- there will be over 70 Sec.B Welsh ponies offered by Cllynncopa Stud
See catalogue http://www.davidcarson.on.ca/pdf/2009-07-14-Cllynncopa.pdf

Follow me on TWITTER

ellierosscanada

EU says You Must Promise that you will NOT EAT YOUR HORSE!

'I promise I will not eat my horse'

June 24, 2009

by Neil Clarkson _ Horse Talk

The media has been having a field day over European Union legislation requiring horse owners to supposedly undertake that they will not eat their horse.

"I hereby declare that I will not eat my horse or pony," the mass circulation tabloid, The Sun, headlined its take on the story.

Describing the new EU rules as barmy, The Sun reported that horse owners must sign a pledge not to eat their pets - or face up to two years in jail.

United Kingdom Independence Party leader Nigel Farage was quoted as saying: "I'd like to be a fly on the wall when the Queen and Princess Anne are asked to sign a form saying they're not going to eat their horses."

Bloggers and the like have taken up the story with glee, providing yet more grist for the mill for those who delight in the obscure, quirky and sometimes downright bizarre twists and turns found in the growing mountain of EU regulations.

The "pledge" is part of EU regulations around horse identification which come into force in Britain on July 1.

The regulations recognise the fact that horses regularly enter the food chain in continental Europe.

The regulations will require all foals born after July 1, and horses born before June 30 that have not yet been issued with an equine passport, to have a microchip implanted by a veterinary surgeon when their owners apply for a passport.

Compulsory microchipping will aid accurate identification as it provides a permanent link between the horse and its lifetime passport, Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs explains.

The microchips, to be placed in a horse's neck by a veterinarian, will match the passport.

"Horse passports will clearly identify those horses which are not eligible for the food chain if they have been treated with substances which are potentially harmful to humans.

"By strengthening the current passport system we reduce the risk to human health, avoid the withdrawal of key veterinary medicines, and protect the horse meat trade in this country."

Microchipping will also help recover and identify stolen and abandoned horses, as well assist with welfare cases.

The new EU regulation provides for a standardised format to exclude a horse from the food chain if certain medicines are used, or to suspend its slaughter for human consumption for six months if treatment is carried out with another set of listed medications. The passport must accompany an animal to slaughter.

The so-called pledge is actually about opting an animal out of the food chain.

The regulations state: "An equine animal shall be deemed to be intended for slaughter for human consumption, unless it is irreversibly declared as not so intended in Part II of Section IX of the identification document, by the signature of:

1. the keeper or owner on his/her own discretion, or

2. the keeper and the veterinarian responsible, acting in accordance with Article 10(2) of Directive 2001/82/EC."

A horse's passport can therefore be marked accordingly, or at a later date by a vet should medications be used that disqualify the animal from the food chain.

Actually, seeing the Queen and Princess Anne signing isn't so hard to imagine after all.

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2009/06/146.shtml