A horse from southern Patrick County near Route 8 and the North Carolina state line has tested positive for rabies.

This is the first confirmed rabid animal in Patrick County this year, according to a Virginia Department of Health news release.

Additional details about the horse were not available Thursday night.

Rabies continues to be present throughout Virginia. In Patrick County, five animals tested positive for rabies in 2011 (two skunks, one each fox, raccoon and cat) and six animals tested positive for rabies in 2010 (three foxes, one each raccoon, bat and skunk), the release stated.

Since 2006, the number of confirmed animal rabies cases has ranged from 564 to 730 each year statewide.

“This is a reminder that rabies is a real threat in our area,” said Gordon Green, MD, director of the West Piedmont Health Districk. “Although raccoons, skunks and foxes are the animals that most frequently contract rabies, any mammal, including livestock, can be infected by the virus. Virginia law requires rabies vaccinations and boosters for dogs and cats 4 months old and older. Vaccines also are available for ferrets and livestock, so owners should check with their veterinarian for the most appropriate vaccine and vaccination schedule to protect their animals.”

Rabies is almost always fatal, the release stated. The rabies virus is present predominantly in the saliva and nervous tissue (brain and nerve cells of infected animals and is transmitted most often by a bite. It also can be transmitted when saliva or nervous tissue gets into open cuts or mucous membranes, such as the eyes, nose and mouth. Rabies causes an inflammation of the brain and is almost always fatal once symptoms develop.

When a person or animal is exposed, timely treatment is effective in preventing the development of rabies. Contact your doctor or veterinarian immediately to discuss treatment, the release recommended. For animals, depending on their vaccination status and likelihood of exposure, strict isolation for up to six months may be required.

The best ways to prevent the spread of rabies are:

• Vaccinate all dogs, cats and ferrets by 4 months of age, by a licensed veterinarian, and keep vaccinations current;
• Enjoy wildlife at a distance;
• Secure your yard and home and eliminate possible sources of food, water and garbage that can attract wildlife and other animals;
• Do not allow your animals to roam free;
• Avoid contact with stray animals;
• If you are bitten or exposed to rabies, wash the wound thoroughly with lots of warm water and soap and seek medical attention immediately; and
• Vaccinate selected livestock, as recommended by your veterinarian.

For more information, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/Epidemiology/DEE/Rabies or call the West Piedmont Health District at 638-2311.

From www.martinsvillebulletin.com

A thoroughbred gelding named Pastis was boarding at the Sunrise Stables near Lexington. When he didn’t return for lunch on New Years Day, workers knew something was wrong. That’s when they found him with an apparent gunshot wound to the leg. A veterinarian later determined the splintered bone was consistent with a gunshot wound.

Bob Caldwell says his show horse was worth $35,000 to $50,000, but was priceless to him.

“I learned how to ride on that horse,” he said. “And when I wasn’t riding him, VMI Cadets would take him and compete with him.”

Investigators plan to exhume the horse’s remains Friday afternoon in hopes of recovering a bullet to identify the kind of gun used.

Caldwell really wants to find the person who pulled the trigger.

“I can’t tell you how angry I am,” Caldwell said.

Gammon Nuckols manages the stable and calls the incident ‘devastating.’

“We love them all,” Nuckols said of her horses.

In the meantime, she isn’t taking any chances. All the show horses are locked up before the sun sets so what happened to Pastis won’t happen again.

If you have any information about this incident, please call the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s office at 540-463-7328.

Full story:http://www.wset.com/story/16456874/rockbridge-co-sheriffs-office-investigating-reported-horse-shooting

From: www.wset.com 

Grizzlies are high profile this year.

A lingering winter and late berry crop kept bears in proximity to humans longer than normal, perhaps contributing to a stream of headlines about grizzlies killing people and people killing grizzlies.

Meanwhile, a young lady on a big horse charged out of the pack of grizzly stories near Glacier National Park. In a cloud of dust, the 25-year-old wrangler likely saved a boy’s life while demonstrating that skill, quick-thinking and guts sometimes are the best weapons against a head-on charging grizzly.

On July 30, Erin Bolster of Swan Mountain Outfitters was guiding eight clients on a horse ride on the Flathead National Forest between West Glacier and Hungry Horse, Mont.

“It’s the shortest ride we offer,” she said Wednesday, recalling the incident. “We’d already led two trips that morning. It’s always been a very routine hour-long loop, until that day.”

The group included a family of six plus a vacationing northern California man, who’d booked the trip for his 8-year-old son’s first horse-riding experience.

The young boy was riding Scout, a steady obedient mount, following directly behind Bolster, who was leading the group on Tonk, a burly 10-year-old white horse of questionable lineage.

Tonk isn’t the typical trail mount. Best anyone knows, he’s the result of cross-breeding a quarter horse with a Percheron – a draft horse. Bolster is 5-foot-10, yet she relies on her athleticism to climb into the saddle aboard Tonk.

“He was one of the horses we lease from Wyoming and bring in every year,” Bolster said, noting that she’d picked him from the stable in May to be hers for the season.

“He’s a very large horse – 18 hands high. That intimidates a lot of riders. But I’ve always loved big horses. He’s kind of high-strung and spooky, the largest of our wrangling horses. I like a horse with a lot of spirit, and I was really glad to be on him that day.”

Bolster has accumulated a wealth of experience on and around horses of national and even world class. She started riding at 4 years old, became a pro trainer at 15, graduated from high school at 16 in Roanoke, Va., and ran a riding academy for several years.

Seeking a more laid-back lifestyle, she wrangled in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic before moving to Whitefish three years ago to guide tourists during the summer around Glacier National Park and ski through winter.

“It’s the country, the mountains and the idea of seeing lot of wildlife that appealed to me, ironically enough,” she said.

Bolster quickly racked bear experience, too, although until July 30, it was always at a distance.

“At the peak of the season, we were seeing bears daily,” she said. “The wranglers name them so we can let each other know where they are. Usually the bears just keep feeding in the distance or they run away when we come. Just seeing them is a treat for us and our guests.”

Because they guide around Glacier Park, bear awareness is part of the preparation wranglers get when hired by Swan Mountain Outfitters.

“We go over a lot of wildlife scenarios in our training,” Bolster said. “We learn to watch our horses for signals of possible trouble so we can steer clear.”

That’s the key, she said: Avoid trouble with a moose or a bear.

“We can’t use pepper spray when we’re riding because that could blind the horse,” she said. “And using a gun would spook the horses and probably produce more danger than safety.”

That’s how she went to work that day: a young but seasoned pro rider on a new, huge and spirited horse, unarmed in the wilderness with eight dudes.

“It was a pleasant ride until we came around a corner on the trail and my horse stopped firm and wouldn’t move,” Bolster said. “He never refuses to go, so that caught my attention quick.”

But not fast enough to avoid the spike white-tailed deer that burst out of the brush and glanced off Tonk’s left front shoulder.

As Tonk spun from the impact, Bolster saw a huge grizzly bear crashing through the forest right at the group in pursuit of the deer. Horses panicked and guests grabbed saddle horns for the ride of their lives.

“No amount of training could keep a horse from running from a 700-pound charging bear,” she said.

Seven of the horses sensed the danger, scrambled around and galloped back on the trail toward the barn.

But Scout bolted perpendicular to the trail into the timber packing the 8-year-old boy.

“The deer peeled off and joined the horses sprinting down the trail,” Bolster said. “So the bear just continued running right past me. I’m not sure the bear even knew the roles had changed, but now it was chasing a horse instead of a deer.”

The grizzly was zeroed in on Scout and the boy – the isolated prey in the woods.

Adding to the drama, the boy’s father, an experienced rider, could not convince his horse that it was a good plan to ride to his son’s rescue.

“The last thing he saw over his shoulder as his horse ran away was the grizzly chasing his boy,” Bolster said.

With the bear on Scout’s heels, Tonk’s instinct was to flee with the group of horses. But Tonk responded to Bolster’s heels in his ribs as she spun the big fella around. They wheeled out of a 360 and bolted into the trees to wedge between the predator and the prey.

“The boy was bent over, feet out of the stirrups, clutching the saddle horn and the horse’s neck,” she said. “That kept him from hitting a tree limb.

“But all I could think about was the boy falling off in the path of that grizzly.

“I bent down, screamed and yelled, but the bear was growling and snarling and staying very focused on Scout.

“As it tried to circle back toward Scout, I realized I had to get Tonk to square off and face the bear. We had to get the bear to acknowledge us.

“We did. We got its attention – and the bear charged.

“So I charged at the bear.”

Did she think twice about that?

“I had no hesitation, honestly,” Bolster said. “Nothing in my body was going to let that little boy get hurt by that bear. That wasn’t an option.”

Tonk was on the same page.

With a ton of horse, boulder-size hooves and a fire-breathing blonde thundering at it, the bear came within about 10 feet before skittering off to the side.

But it quickly angled to make yet another stab at getting to Scout and the boy – who had just fallen to the ground.

“Tonk and I had to go at the bear a third time before we finally hazed him away,” she said.

“The boy had landed in some beargrass and was OK. Scout was standing nearby.”

Bolster gathered the boy up with her on Tonk, grabbed Scout’s lead and trotted down the trail.

“The boy was in shock,” she said. “I looked back and could see the bear had continued to go away through he woods, but I had another five or 10 minutes of riding before I got back with the group.”

Not until she reunited with her riders – all OK and standing in various stages of confusion with their horses – did she start to shake.

“I looked at Tonk, and he was wet with sweat and shaking, too,” she said.

She was especially concerned for the boy’s father, who probably suffered the most terror in the ordeal.

“He was fine, and I got my biggest tip of the season,” Bolster said. “My biggest hope is that the boy isn’t discouraged from riding. This was a one-in-a-million event.”

For the next few days, the outfitter shut down the trail rides and Bolster joined other wranglers and a federal grizzly bear expert to ride horses through the area looking for the bear.

“They tracked it for a long way and concluded that it kept going out of the area,” she said. “Judging from the tracks and my description of how high the bear came up on Tonk, the grizzly expert estimated it weighed 700-750 pounds.

“This was a case of us being in the wrong place as a bear was already in the act of chasing its natural prey. He was probably more persistent because he was really hungry.”

Bolster and the other wranglers vowed to have bear spray on their belts to make sure they can defend their guests during breaks on the ground.

“But when you’re riding, the horse is your best protection, if you can stay on,” she said.

“Some of the horses I’ve ridden would have absolutely refused to do what Tonk did; others would have thrown me off in the process. Some horses can never overcome their flight-animal instinct to run away.”

In those minutes of crisis, the big lug of mongrel mount proved his mettle in a test few trail horses will face in their careers.

Tonk’s grit moved Bolster. She wasn’t about to send him back to Wyoming with the other leased horses.

“Two weeks ago, I closed the deal and bought him,” Bolster said as she was wrapping up her 2011 wrangling season.

“After what he did that day, he had to be mine.”

There is a fund for Tonk set up through Swan Mountain Outfitters, www.SwanMountainOutfitters.com   Erin Bolster, c/o Swan Mountain Outfitters, P. O. Box 130278, Coram, MT  59913.

From www.Spokesman.com by Rich Landers

The following is a partial list of upcoming seasons for the more popular species. For a complete list and regulations consult the 2011-12 Hunting & Trapping Regulations and Information found on the DGIF website http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/ 

Archery

•Bear: Oct. 1 – Nov. 18.

•Bobcat: Oct. 1 – Oct. 31.

•Deer, Early Archery: Oct. 1 – Nov. 18.

•Turkey: Oct. 1 – Nov. 12

Firearms

• Coyote: Sept. 1 – March 10 public lands, continuous open season on private lands.
• Crow: Aug. 20 – March 17 Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday on Private Lands.
• Crow: Sept. 1 – March 10 Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday on public lands.
• Dove: Sept. 3 – Oct. 10, Oct. 25 – Nov. 5, Dec. 26 – Jan. 14.
• Duck, Coot, Merganser, & Gallinule: Oct. 6 – Oct. 10, Nov. 19 – Dec. 3, Dec. 10 – Jan. 28.
• Groundhog: Sept. 1 – March 10 public lands, continuous open season on private lands.
• Grouse: Oct. 29 – Feb. 11. West of I-95, closed East of I-95.
• Opossum: Oct. 15 – March 10.
• Raccoon: Oct. 15 – March 10.
• Rail: Sept. 10 – Oct. 1, Oct. 3 – Nov. 19.
• Sea Duck: Oct. 6 – Jan. 31.
• Skunk, Striped: Sept. 1 – March 10 on public land, continuous open season on private land. Spotted Skunk closed.
• Snipe: Oct. 6 – Oct. 10, Oct. 22 – Jan. 31.
• Snow Goose: Oct. 6 – Feb. 4.
• Squirrel: Sept. 3 – Jan. 31.
• Turkey: Oct. 29 – Nov. 11, Nov. 24, see regulations for last segment.
• Woodcock: Oct. 29 – Nov. 12, Dec. 16 – Jan. 14.
• Youth Turkey Hunting Day: Oct. 15.
• Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day: Oct. 22.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) today announced 2011’s first positive case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in a horse.  The horse was from Berryville/Clarke County. It had been vaccinated for WNV but was due for a booster in September.

A nasal swab and serum sample was submitted to VDACS’ Regional Animal Health Laboratory in Warrenton for suspicion of Equine Herpes Virus infection, but it tested positive for West Nile Virus. Onset of symptoms was August 30. The horse was treated for symptoms – low-grade fever, ataxia, hypermetria (lifting its feet excessively high) and intermittent central nervous system depression – for 24 hours and then euthanized on August 31.

Dr. Joe Garvin, head of VDACS’ Office of Laboratory Services, urges horse owners to check with their veterinarians about vaccinating their animals for WNV. “This is our first case of West Nile Virus in a Virginia horse this year,” Garvin said. He adds that, so far, Virginia has not had any cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). “Both WNV and EEE are mosquito-borne diseases,” he said, “and we generally start seeing our first cases in August and September. Since both diseases are preventable by vaccination, it may make sense for horse owners to go ahead and vaccinate now even though it’s late in the year. Mosquito season in Virginia can run through November.”

The WNV vaccine for equines initially requires two doses administered three to six weeks apart. The vaccine takes four to six weeks from the second dose for optimal effectiveness. Horse owners should consult with their veterinarians to choose a re-vaccination schedule to protect their horses effectively. Prevention methods besides vaccination include destroying standing water breeding sites for mosquitoes, use of insect repellents and removing animals from mosquito-infested areas during peak biting times, usually dusk to dawn.

The virus usually lives in wild birds of many different species.  Mosquitoes transmit it from bird to bird.  Occasionally a mosquito that has bitten an infected bird will then bite a human, horse or other mammal and transmit the virus to them. Transmission between horses and humans is extremely unlikely. Continuous, effective mosquito control can minimize the risk of exposure of both horses and humans to West Nile Virus and other mosquito-borne diseases.

Currently, no drugs exist to treat WNV specifically in horses or humans. Treatment for an infected horse consists of supportive therapy to prevent the animal from injuring itself throughout the two to three weeks of the disease. A veterinarian can prescribe treatment tailored to the particular case.

WNV can cause a horse to go down and be unable to get up without help. Animal owners should consult their veterinarians if an animal exhibits any neurological symptoms such as a stumbling gait, facial paralysis, drooping or disinterest in their surroundings. Currently, there are live-animal tests for WNV in horses and chickens, but none for other animals, although testing can be done on any dead animal. Animal owners
should consult their veterinarians or the nearest VDACS Regional Animal Health Laboratory for advice or information should an animal exhibit symptoms of WNV.

The following Web sites provide more information on WNV and how to protect humans and horses:
Horses:
http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/wnv.html
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/wnv/
Humans:
http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/DEE/Vectorborne/factsheets/westnilevirus.htm

This event will be sponsored by The Friends of C.F. Phelps WMA and The Battlefield Back Country Horsemen and conducted by the DGIF Management Staff. Refreshments will be provided. For more information contact the  Friends of C.F. Phelps at Friendsofcfphelpswma@gmail.com

What kind of new-wave, extreme, 21st Century barefoot religion is this?  Actually, it’s from the 2400-year-old treatise On Horsemanship by Xenophon, a soldier, historian and pupil of Socrates.

“A stable with a damp and smooth floor will spoil the best hoof which nature can give,” said Xenophon.

The Greeks didn’t shoe their war horses, yet rode them over some of the harshest terrain imaginable.  Horses just don’t need shoes.  Right?

Well-respected Natural Horse Care advocates like Jamie Jackson, executive director of the Association for the Advancement of Natural Horse Care Practices seem to make that case.

“It is only through human ignorance of the horse’s natural state that led us to the incorrect, and harmful, conclusion that shoes are necessary — or useful.  They aren’t, and, moreover, contribute significantly to the lameness we see everywhere around the world,”Jacksonsaid in a message on the home page of the AANHCP website.

If you want to see an old-school farrier bend a horseshoe with his teeth, toss that quote at him.

In 2009 my wife and I tookN.C.State’s two-day Equine Hoof Care and Shoeing Short Course.  One of our instructors was a gnarly old farrier with a keen sense of humor and a quick trigger.  Someone asked about the Barefoot Trim (a.k.a. Wild Horse Trim or Natural Trim, etc.) and this old steel-pounder turned red and started spitting.

He sputtered things like “Mustang Roll” and “foot butchers” while telling stories of city folk who’d been to weekend Barefoot Trim workshops and had the audacity to tell him, a professional with 20-plus years of farrier experience, that he was hurting horses by putting shoes on them.

That night I researched the Mustang Roll, a trim that bevels the bottom edge of the hoof wall to facilitate breakover.  To my horror, some poorly trained trimmers were basically removing several INCHES of hoof wall at the toe and doing considerable damage to the horse.

Gee.  I didn’t want Barefoot Trim foot butchers coming near my horses.  But the next day, when I watched this “professional” hit a scared horse in the face with farrier’s rasp, I had to rethink the veracity of anything he told me.  To be fair, I know many farriers, and they’re all wonderful pros.  This guy was the exception and his view on barefoot trimming had lost all credibility with me.

But when I researched Natural Horse Care Practices, I noticed that the Barefoot Trim acolytes were often just as extreme, albeit in a more organic, 60’s hippy kind of way.  These zealots blame shoes for almost every equestrian problem or illness.  To read the musings of some barefoot prophets, freeing the horse from its steel bonds of human ignorance would cure any disease, correct all poor conformation and heal all lameness. In fact, if all horse owners drank the barefoot Kool-Aid, we could retire the national debt, cure cancer and bring about world peace.  OK, I made that last part up.

My horses have been barefoot for years and they are doing just fine.  I have friends with lots of horses, most of which are shod, and they are all doing great too.  Honestly, until I began researching this article, I had never really tried to find the truth.  I’m still looking, but here are some things I’ve discovered.

First and foremost, Natural Horse Care Practices are about much more than going barefoot and working to mimic the wear patterns of wild horse feet.  It’s about providing a more natural environment with 24/7 turnout, a better diet and using riding methods that work with a horse’s natural gait and don’t cause harm.  You can find out more about Natural Horse Care Practices at websites like AANHCP.net or ISNHCP.net.

But, using “natural” as the mantra of horse care dogma is bullheaded.  Saying there’s never a good time to shoe a horse is like saying broken limbs never need casts or kids should walk to school without shoes.  There’s also nothing “natural” about vet care, medicine, bits, saddles or even riders.

It’s a myth that farriers don’t believe in barefoot horses.  The Farrier andHoofcareResourceCenter(horseshoes.com) is filled with positive comments on the topic.  Among the most articulate is Rick Shepherd of Western Hill Forge, who says many horses do fine barefoot.

“Yes, horses get on fine without human intervention, and have for thousands of years.  The ones with poor genetics, conformation, environment, or heavy work load (like running from lions) become part of the food chain, and don’t get to create any more like them.  A domestic horse’s life and a wild horse’s life are totally different, so they have different needs,” said Shepherd.

Stall boarding, poor conformation, breeding for characteristics other than hoof quality, working a horse in unnatural surfaces (concrete, asphalt, etc.) can all require a farrier or veterinarian’s intervention.  Shod healthy trumps barefoot lame.

It’s a myth that farriers are against barefoot horses because barefoot trims bring in less money.  Shepherd writes that he makes a “much higher hourly wage trimming than shoeing.”  Without the expense of shoes, nails, forge, gas, large truck and extra tools, trimming is often more profitable.

I’m a horse owner, goat farmer, former paramedic and journalist.  I have a finely tuned BS detector and I always knew both extremes in the barefoot controversy were, at the very least, over-stated.

Nobody recommends that you take a two-day course and then fire your farrier, but it’s also a myth that smart laypeople can’t soundly trim a healthy horse’s hoof.  My wife has trimmed our horses’ hooves since 2009.  It’s back-breaking, detail-oriented work that is far, far harder to do well than it first appears.  That’s why I leave it to her.

Our horses also have 24/7 turnout and daily exposure to varied terrain, including gravel, so when we finally splurged to have farrier and friend Rick Gentry trim our horses, he did very little, saying my wife had been doing a great job.

As with almost all social controversy – political, economic and religious – the truth is somewhere in the middle.

And that’s where I found Gentry.  Gentry is a Natural Horse Care Certified Practitioner, and all he does is trim hooves.  But he’s no butcher.  In fact, he said that 15-20-percent of his business is fixing the over-trims of other farriers.  He doesn’t look down on shod horses or farriers who pound steel, he simply sees the advantage of going barefoot when it makes sense.

“There’s a big misunderstanding,” he said.  “If the only thing you’re going to do is pull your horse’s shoes, you’re not going to be successful.”

Gentry is an advocate of helping the whole horse be as natural as possible, focusing more on diet, turnout and good riding habits than style of trim.  He recognizes the need for boots or even shoes when horses are ridden over terrain harder and rockier than what they’re used to.  In fact, he’s blunt about owners who take unshod horses to rocky areas they’re not accustomed to.

“It’s animal cruelty,” he said.  “You can’t take a horse to a rougher terrain and expect them to do fine.  You’ve got to be judicious.”

Even Xenophon knew that a sound horse had to be gradually conditioned to work/ride in hard, rocky terrain.

Gentry’s vet is Dr. Kirsten Tillotson of Tillotson Equine (tillotsonequine.com) inRoxboro,NC, just a few miles south of theVirginiaborder.  She’s also my vet, and is very well respected in SouthsideVirginia.  Her view of the barefoot/shoeing controversy is that both have their place.

“For many clients, barefoot trimming is perfect and they often have the healthiest feet.  For upper level performance horses that are competing on many different types of footing, hard, soft, uneven, etc, barefoot is often not sufficient support.

“Take an upper level dressage horse.  These horses typically perform on very good footing and as long as the horse is managed appropriately (this is very important) and it does not have any underlying hoof defects or diseases, then this type of horse can and does well barefoot.

“Take a jumping horse that jumps sometimes on uneven terrain or in rings that vary from soft to hard.  I don’t believe it is in this horse’s best interest to ask that much without rigid support on their feet.

“Take a horse that works on asphalt for a living, my guess is that if barefoot, too much of the foot would be worn off with the exercise that it does,” said Tillotson.

Gentry and Tillotson are beacons of reason and commonsense in a debate that’s often dominated by dogma.  In the end, you have to make rational decisions about the very specific needs or your horse, using all the resources available to you.

It’s about your horse, not your ideology.

Alan Keck

As always, comments and suggestions are welcome at akeck@hotmail.com.

###

The AINS is home to feral ponies believed to be descended from domestic horses brought to barrier islands in the late 17th century by mainland owners eager to skirt fencing laws and livestock taxes. Currently, the ponies residing on Assateague are split into two main herds: one on the Virginia side and one on the Maryland side of the island, and are separated by a fence at the state line. The National Park Service manages the Maryland herd.

The animals have become popular attractions for visitors to the AINS. Highly habituated to humans, the ponies have become deft at breaking into visitors’ food supplies and can become aggressive with humans they perceive as threatening their territories, said AINS spokesman Carl Zimmerman.

Under one new regulation intended to prevent unsafe human-horse interactions, visitors may not willfully be within 10 feet of a wild horse, Zimmerman said. The new rule also expands the existing ban on touching or feeding the horses by prohibiting any human actions intended to attract horses, such as offering food.

The second new regulation requires that park visitors avoid leaving food in tents and on picnic tables where ponies might access them easily. The regulation is intended to prevent ponies from consuming food items that, if consumed in significant quantities, could be harmful to them. Under the rule visitors and campers must store food and food-related refuse in hard-sided, lockable containers such as a car trunk or a cooler with a secure latch.

“That means something other than the normal cooler latch,” Zimmerman said. “Some of the horses have figured out how to open those (conventional latches) pretty easily.”

Zimmerman said the new regulations are part of AINS administrators’ ongoing efforts to ensure visitors enjoy the wild ponies safely.

“Trying to reduce problems between people and horses is nothing new,” Zimmerman said. “All our efforts are concentrated on education.”

by Pat Raia

From www.TheHorse.com Article 18529

By Matthew J. Lohr, Commissioner, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

When many people think of Virginia, they think of horses. The images in their minds may range from red-coated riders chasing foxes across the fields to thoroughbred races. Personally, I think of Mister, Tommy and Magic, the horses my father-in-law keeps on his farm and the ones my son and daughter ride. From 4-H Pony Clubs to million dollar race horses, we have them all in Virginia, and we love them dearly.

You may know some of our more famous horses. Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner, and Misty of Chincoteague probably come to mind first, depending on whether you’re an adult or a third grader. Both of these horses have achieved the status of Legend, but they were once living, breathing animals on Virginia farms.

Secretariat is memorialized in photographs, video clips and a movie released last year. My daughter Caroline loves that movie. The foaling shed where he was born still stands at Meadow Farm in Caroline County. The farm is now the site of the State Fair of Virginia, but they have been careful to preserve the shed.

Misty’s memorials include a commemorative plaque and statue on Chincoteague Island on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and two horseshoe prints set in concrete at the Island Roxy Theater where the famous horse attended the 1962 movie premiere. But the real attraction on the island is Misty’s preserved and mounted body. Her body, along with that of her foal Stormy, is on display at the Beebe Ranch.

I have mixed feelings about the stiff, glassy-eyed body of Misty on display, but of course Misty is not the only horse to be stuffed and kept around the house. Roy Rogers did so with Trigger, but contrary to popular opinion, Robert E. Lee did not have his horse Traveller stuffed and mounted. For a time Traveller’s skeleton was on display at Washington and Lee University in Lexington. In 1971, the university ceremoniously interred his bones just outside the campus chapel in which Lee and his family are buried and marked the spot with a gravestone.

The Civil War yielded other famous horses: Stonewall Jackson’s Old Sorrel, Maj. Gen Jeb Stuart’s Virginia, Maj. Gen Fitzhugh Lee’s Nellie Gray and W.I. Rasin’s Beauregard, the mount Rasin rode to Appomattox. Perhaps a little less famous but also notable was Fleeter, the horse of Belle Boyd, famous Confederate spy.

Yes, we love our horses in Virginia. They add so much to our lives on a personal level, and they certainly have added to the history and legends of Virginia. When I look at the big picture, I see just how much they contribute to our state’s economic well-being, as well. A lot of people don’t think of horses as part of agriculture, but they are a very important part. In fact, they are Virginia’s 8^th top agricultural commodity.

We recently announced that the horse industry in Virginia has an annual economic impact of $1.2 billion, according to a study released by the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia  The equine industry’s influence is felt in all parts of the state and we see a very positive effect on jobs, recreation, tourism, retail sales and state and local taxation. The horse industry in Virginia generated $65.3 million in state and local taxes in 2010.

The largest areas of economic impact are in Northern Virginia with more than 1,600 horse-related jobs in Fauquier and Loudoun Counties alone. However, the largest employment impact in the state is in Rockbridge County—the location of the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington. If you’ve never been to an event at the Horse Center, I strongly encourage you to go. You’ll find something for every taste, from the dramatic Arabian Costume Class show or a freestyle dressage exhibition to mule and draft horse shows. I could see my daughter standing on the back of a horse and commanding it with her toes to jump through a ring of fire, so I think we’ll confine our visits to rodeos, team penning or carriage class events for now.

As you can surmise, both participants and visitors to these events bring economic activity with them, not to mention a lot of jaw-dropping fun. Hotel nights, gas purchases and meals are just part of the economic mix. Some 939,000 people attended 1,200 Virginia horse shows and competitions last year, generating $25 million in revenue. Out-of-state participants spent an average of $3,100 per event in Virginia. Many of these events have accompanying trade shows and horse owners can swipe a lot of credit cards to buy new tack, riding outfits or the current year’s horse calendar and an I Love Horses mug.

Even though we have horses on our farms, I was surprised to realize that Virginia horse owners spend $873 million annually on horse-related expenses, including feed and bedding, boarding, training, tack, capital improvements and labor. These expenses average $4,060 per horse. Maybe I was surprised because my father-in-law boards and trains his own horses and he is teaching my children to ride at no cost to me.

As important as this economic activity is, here’s the area where I really take my hat off to horses. Virginia has an estimated 215,000 equines and some 41,000 equine operations, and the growing number of farms with horses is offsetting a more significant decline in farms in general. According to the Census of Agriculture Statistics, while the number of farms in Virginia decreased between 1997 and 2007, the number of farms with horses actually increased from 10,972 to 13,520 during that same period. I’m not suggesting that horses are reversing the decline in farmland, but they are the only positive side of that equation that I am aware of. So for all horses do for us, I welcome them – visitors and residents alike – to the Commonwealth.

Note: The full equine economic impact study is available on the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center website, www.coopercenter.org/econ  (click on the link in the News and Events section). Highlights of the survey can be found on the Virginia Horse Industry Board website, www.vhib.org