The Growing Voice of the Horse Community

The Greater Houston Horse Council is a non-profit organization formed to promote the interests of the entire horse industry, especially in the Greater Houston area.

Through education, group action, public information and the development of a close working relationship between equine organization and individuals, GHHC aims to heighten public awareness of the importance of the horse industry to the economic, social and cultural well-being of the Greater Houston area.

HOW TO JOIN THE GREATER HOUSTON HORSE COUNCIL

Fill out the application form (Join Online!, to the left) and print it out. Mail it with your check to the Greater Houston Horse Council at PO Box 924551, Houston, TX  77018.

Unfortunately we are not set up to allow for on-line payments at this time.

Vesicular Stomatitis Outbreak


Once again, vesicular stomatitis has made its appearance in Texas. With it come travel restrictions and added headaches for horse owners. To see the latest information about VS and other diseases of importance to horse owners, visit the Texas Animal Health Commission web site.

Local Horse Stolen!

A horse was recently stolen in the Sugarland area, Harris County, TX.

To view a flyer, with excellent photos, use the following link:

http://netposse.com/stolenmissing/pineyTXApril09.html .

If you would like to help locate this stolen horse, print out a flyer and post at you local feed store, veterinarian's office, boarding stable, etc. If enough people did this, there would be no place to hide a stolen horse.

Pony Stolen from Bingle Road in Houston


If you see this animal, call the Houston Police Department at 713-222-3131.




A Note about NAIS (National Animal Identification System)

For those interested in the subject of NAIS, here is a link to an interesting article: http://deltafarmpress.com/legislative/nais-coordinator-0520/

Within the article you will find a link that will let you submit your own comments to the USDA. There is also a link to a cost-benefit analysis.

Stronger Penalties for Livestock Theft

June, 2009

HB 1865 (SB 1163 on the Senate side) passed and has been signed into law. It calls for stronger penalties for stealing livestock, including horses. Previously, it was only a state jail felony. After September 1, 2009, theft of livestock will be a third degree felony, with stronger penalties.

Our thanks to Sen. Kel Seligor and Rep. Lois Kolkhorst for introducing this bill into the Senate and the House, and to the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) for working for its passage.

Equine Dentistry Bill Died in Committee

House Bill #378 was bill that would have excluded equine teeth floating from the Texas Veterinary Practice Act (TVPA). That would have allowed your equine dental practitioner to legally continue floating your horse’s teeth.

The Farm Bureau supported this bill. They saw it as a personal property issue – you should have the right to choose who floats your horse's teeth.

This was also about the right to work of 500+ Texas Equine Dental Practitioners. Now they will only be able to work under the supervision of a veterinarian. (Can anyone guess what that will do to the cost of the services?)

Representative Tara Rios Ybarra, DDS opposed this bill. She has two vets from her district strongly opposed to this bill.

There are NO core classes at Texas A & M, or any other Texas university, that teach equine dentistry. There are electives, but nothing that is required. A certified equine dental practitioner has had training and specializes in your horse’s teeth. There is a shortage of large animal veterinarians in many areas.

The equine dentistry bill died in committee. Someone’s interest has been served, but it wasn’t that of the horse owners of Texas

Pundt Park Equestrian Trails Open!


March, 2009

We are thrilled to announce that Pundt Park now offers equestrian trails along Spring Creek. This park, not far from Intercontinental Airport offers some of the most beautiful trails in the whole area—maybe THE most beautiful.

We want to thank Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole for making this trail opportunity available to equestrians.

The trail head is located at 4129 Spring Creek Drive. For more information, call 281-353-4196.



Commissioner and Mrs. Eversole join horsemen in a tour of Pundt Park
on opening day.



Riders crossing Spring Creek



Riders enjoying a sandy beach along Spring Creek

Buyer Beware!


By Pauline Singleton

If the phrase “Buyer beware! wasn’t in use by the time the horse was domesticated, it surely came into being shortly thereafter. For as long as men have been buying and selling and trading horses, it has been necessary for would-be buyers to exercise caution.

One reason why was illustrated by a court case involving a Texas horse trader, Terry Saulters.

The law (49 TEX. ADMIN. CODE § 49.3) defines a dealer as a person who buys or sells animals in commerce on his own account, as an employee or agent, or on a commission basis. Saulters clearly meets that definition of a “dealer.” He purchases two or three thousand horses a year, by his own account, including horses from out of state.

The State of Texas imposes certain responsibilities on dealers. Among other things, dealers must maintain records which shall include the buyer’s and seller’s name and address, county of origin, number of animals, and a description of each animal, including sex, age, color and color markings, registration number, if any, and any individual identification such as tattoo, brand, or microchip number. Dealers must keep such records for at least two years.

The potential utility of such records if obvious. Accurate records would be very useful to law enforcement agencies searching for stolen horses. They would also be very useful for certain disease control programs.

A paint gelding which Saulters brought to GLG Horse Sale tested positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA, swamp fever, or sometimes called “Coggins”), an infectious, incurable viral disease. Horses testing positive for EIA are subject to quarantine regulations, and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has the authority to investigate such cases and enforce quarantine (TEX. AGRIC. CODE ANN. (Code) § 161.061).

When approached by a TAHC investigator, Saulters was unable to produce a record for the horse in question. He indicated that he had boxes and boxes of records (apparently not organized) going back to 1998, but he felt that it would be pointless to try and find that particular record. He would only say that he bought the horse in the parking lot at the Navasota Livestock Auction.

The disappointing thing about this is that TAHC staff members had made earlier attempts to educate Saulters about the record keeping requirements (other violations had come to their attention), as early as 2004. Still he was either unable or unwilling to comply.

As a consequence of an infected horse being traced to his operation, his Mclennan County premises were quarantined. Surely every reader understands that when a premise is quarantined, animals may not come and go from said premise (except with a special permit).

In spite of the quarantine, Saulters purchased a horse in Oklahoma and brought it to his quarantined premise. Then the Oklahoma horse was sold to a Louisiana woman. She expected to receive EIA test docmentation, and when she did not, she evidently reported this violation.

As a result of the above infractions, the TAHC finally imposed an administrative penalty of $2,000. Saulters declined to sign the agreed order or pay the penalty, so the case was refered to the State Office of Administrative Hearings. The case was heard by Georgie B. Cunningham, Administrative Law Judge.

Still Saulters could not or would not produce a record for that paint horse, although he told the judge that the purchase records surely was in his records “somewhere.” He also told the judge that it would be “crazy” to fine him $2,000 because the situation had already cost him a lot of money. He alleged that he lost about $10,000 because he had to kill 30 horses rather than feed them through the quarantine period.

Judge Cunningham was not impressed by this argument and found that Saulters had violated the law requiring record keeping and had violated the quarantine. He was ordered to pay the $2,000.

The sad thing about all this is that the TAHC was not able to discover the source of the paint horse’s EIA infection. Somewhere, there is an infected horse (or horses) which was the source of this infection, and this horse (or horses) should not circulate among healthy horses.

Clearly, there is a lesson here. Any buyer would be wise to demand a negative EIA test AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. Had Saulters done so, he could have saved himself a lot of trouble and a lot of money. And imagine a buyer coming home from an auction with a new horse, and having it just long enough for the kids to fall in love with it, only to discover that it is EIA positive and cannot fulfill their dreams because it must the quanantined or destroyed. These situations are best AVOIDED! A fresh Coggins, drawn just before the horse changes hands, is always a good idea. Having to undergo a quarantined period would be a great financial blow to any dealer, trainer, breeder, or stable operator. If your finantial or emotional investment in your horses is large, don’t risk that investment by being careless when you purchase a new horse.

Fortunately, EIA is growing less and less common. But it’s still out there. Buyer beware.

Details for the above were taken from the State Office of Administrative Hearings Docket No.554-06-3074; In the Matter of the Texas Animal Health Commission’s Notice of Violation Issued to Terry Saulters.

DONATING TO VICTIMS OF HURRICANE IKE


Money is needed to assist the many victims, both animals and humans, of Hurricane Ike. Before donating to a group you don’t know, investigate it. There are always a few out to take your money, with no intention of spending it on charitable causes. Those wishing to donate money to relief funds to help animal victims (and their owners) may wish to consider one of the groups discussed below:

The Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation has developed a tax-deductible relief fund to support efforts to provide emergency animal shelters, treatment of animals injured by the hurricane; and the rescue, recovery and reuniting of lost animals with their owners.



Any excess funds will be used to provide additional support to organizations, such as the Texas State Animal Resource Team, which are currently providing assistance to animals due to this disaster or will be providing assistance to animals in need due to future disasters. A link to the Texas Veterinary Medical Association’s foundation fund is on the TAHC’s web site at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us, or it may be accessed directly on the Texas Veterinary Medical Association’s web site at http://www.tvma.org/ .


The Texas Agrilife Extension Service continues to raise funds and is purchasing basic items to support surviving, displaced livestock, including hay, troughs and panels. To make a cash or credit card donation for “Operation No Fences: Hurricane Ike Horse and Cattle Relief” call 979-845-2604 or go to http://agrilifevents.tamu.edu and follow the prompts. 


Habitat for Horses’ facility for rescued horses (located in Hitchcock, Texas) suffered extreme damage. Those wishing to donate to this group may visit their web site at http://www.habitatforhorses.org/ .

The above is NOT meant to be a complete list of trustworthy charities, of course. It is a good starting point, hopefully.

Horse Slaughter Article


(Aug. 08) President Carter Miller requests no links to the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association on the subject of horse slaughter.

Horse Slaughter in Mexico

October, 2007
Now that the horse slaughter industry in the United States has been shut down, more horses are being sent to Mexico. Slaughter numbers in Mexico are up 300 per cent. Those horses meet an extremely brutal death. Their spines are severed with daggers to render them quadriplegic. They are then hoisted up by a hind leg and their throats are cut. Nothing renders them unconscious, until they finally bleed out. We have delivered them into the hands of barbarians (Editor's opinion).

WE ARE LOOKING FOR SPEAKERS!


We hope to have speakers at most GHHC meetings this year. Do you have a presentation that would be of interest to horsemen and horsewomen? Do you know someone else who does?

If you are interested in speaking to us at one of our meetings, contact Marcella Bonny

MEETING PLACE

Since January, 2006 we have been meeting at the Carriage House Restaurant. Begining with the January 2007 meeting, the meeting time is changed to 7:00 pm. Check the "GHHC Meetings" page (to the left) for details (including a link to a MapQuest map).

NAIS

THANK YOU SGF WINNING WAYS FARM

HORSE SLAUGHTER


Greater Houston Horse Council
info@GHHC.com
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