Texas Department of Agriculture proposes new rules concerning Texas Equine Incentive Program

Gene Richards, Assistant Commissioner for Marketing and Promotion, says that for the first five years the proposed rules are in effect, the benefit will be to provide an incentive for owners of Texas-bred horses to enter foals in Texas horse events.

            He hopes that this will encourage further development of the horse industry in Texas and enhance the quality of certain breeds of Texas-bred horses.

            Richards says that the collection of incentive fees from owners of stallions will lead to an increase in state revenue. That actual increase will be based on the number of breeders of Quarter, Paint and Appaloosa horses whose stallions have bred more than five mares during the 12 month period preceding the filing of a breeders report with their respective breed associations.

            The owners of eligible stallions will initially pay a $30 fee to the program per mare bred.

            In order for a foal to be eligible for the program it must have been bred in Texas, the foal’s stallion must stand stud in Texas during the entire breeding season, the mare must conceive and foal in Texas and a registration report must be filed with the TDA.

            Beginning on January 1, 2011, a point system will commence for the granting of incentive awards to be paid to the owners of eligible foals. The amount and type of incentive awards will be based on the funds that are available on a calendar year basis.

            For the owner of a foal to receive incentive awards, the foal must be a Texas-bred horse, the program fee must have been paid, the foal must participate in Texas horse events, the foal must be at least two years old to accrue points for sanctioned events other than racing, and the foal must be at least three years old to accrue points in racing events.

            Participation in this program is not mandatory, however the owner of a stallion that has bred six or more mares in the 12 months preceding the breeding report may elect not to participate in the program by submitting a written notice to TDA 30 days before the breeding report is due. If you are an owner of a stallion that has bred six or more mares and you choose not to participate in the program, please complete and return the Opt Out Form before Oct. 31. This form will serve as written notice to the agency that you do not wish to participate in the program, allowing you to opt out for one year. A new form must be filled out each year you choose to opt out.

The earliest possible date of adoption for this program would be November 8, 2009.

            Texas stallions owners are encouraged to visit www.texasagriculture.gov/equineincentive to read the full text of the proposed rules, look over the frequently asked questions and access the forms to opt in or opt out of the program.

If you have any questions regarding the Texas Equine Incentive Program you can contact Amanda Lyles, state marketing coordinator for livestock, at (512) 463-7560 or TexasLivestock@TexasAgriculture.gov

            Any comments on the proposed rules of the program should be submitted in writing to Gene Richards

    Assistant Commissioner for Marketing and Promotion

                Texas Department of Agriculture
       

    P.O. Box 12847
      

    Austin, Texas 78711.

Comments must be received no later than 30 days from the date of publication of the proposal in the Texas Register, which was October 9^th. 

John Ward Earns Million Dollar Rider Status

The National Reined Cow Horse Association honored John Ward as the newest Million Dollar Rider at the opening ceremonies of this year’s Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Finals.

Along with receiving the signature memorial Carol Owens bronze, Ward joined the ranks of previous Million Dollar riders like Bob Avila, Ted Robinson and Jon Roeser.

Ward won his second NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity title on the home-bred Black Pearl in 2008. His first championship was ten years earlier with Masteroani.

            When Ward was notified of his new Million Dollar Rider status he said, “This is great! That means that no matter how I do at the Futurity, I still get a prize on Sunday!”

            A big congratulations also goes to Ted Robinson, Pat Hubbert, Jon Semper, Smokum Oak and Jernigan Peake on being inducted into the NRCHA Hall of Fame.

Stolen Paint Horse Found After Year-Long Search

Maximum Reflections, better known as Max, was taken from his pasture in Flat Rock, Illinois, August 23, 2008, leaving Keith Caughran’s stepdaughter, Kaitlynn, devastated. Since that time, Caughran has done everything possible to help locate the horse, from buying a computer and learning to navigate the Internet, to offering his truck as a reward.
   A few days after Max’s theft, Caughran filed a report with Stolen Horse International on their web site, NetPosse.com. This is the only nonprofit organization dedicated to public education regarding stolen and missing horses, and assistance in recovering those horses. After a stolen horse is reported, a personal webpage is posted on NetPosse.com, allowing the public to quickly find contact information and learn of updates in a case. Then, a flyer is created and an IDAHO Alert, the equine version of an AMBER Alert, is issued. NetPosse volunteers network via the Internet with horse owners and equine communities to notify people about the stolen or missing horse.
    “We actively work around the clock and follow countless leads for the horses listed on the site,” says Debi Metcalfe, founder of the program. “That one call makes every moment of worry and wonder worth it for the horse owner and for our volunteers. This is why we do what we do.”
   A year ago, SHI issued a press release pleading for Max’s return in which Keith said, “Our family is just stunned. We cannot believe he is gone.” Kaitlynn said, “I cannot concentrate in school, focus on homework, watch TV or even go to sleep without thinking about him. He was my best friend and my whole life.”
   Since experiencing the loss of Max, the Caughran family never gave up hope that they would one day find Kaitlynn's. The family was at a horse show on Sunday when they received the call.
   “We were all crying,” Susan Caughran says. “We just couldn’t believe that after all this time we finally got the call we had been waiting for.”
   It turns out that Kim Gully of Springfield, Mo. bought Max about a month ago through an advertisement on Craigslist. Gully’s cousin saw a stolen horse flyer with a picture of Max this weekend at Farmfest, an event at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. Gully says she knew that buying a horse over the Internet had its risks, but she never dreamed that she was buying a stolen horse for her 7 year-old daughter MacKenzie. After a brief Internet search, Kim’s fears were confirmed as she found out the rest of the story about her daughter’s new horse.
   The Caughran family is so thrilled to be getting Max back that they are giving MacKenzie another horse as a replacement.
   “I always thought Max would be found. I personally never gave up and encouraged Susan and Keith to do the same, especially when there seemed to be no hope,” Metcalfe says. “As I would expect, Keith and Susan have a mixture of emotions. It has been 58 weeks and they never gave up, nor did Stolen Horse International.”
   However, Metcalfe points out that the Caughran’s aren’t the only victims in this case. The Gully’s are suffering, too, as they prepare to part with Max.
   It is estimated that thousands of horses go missing each year. But, with the help of volunteers through NetPosse.com, there is hope for other victims like the Caughran’s.
    NetPosse’s Executive Coordinator Angela Kirby says she was astounded to see the rodeo grounds in her hometown of Montgomery, Ala., plastered with Max’s flyers last March.
    “I am sometimes amazed by the outpouring of support victims receive from horse owners across the country, but it is so reassuring,” Kirby says. “We always tell these horse owners not to give up no matter how many days or weeks have passed.”
   To help reunite other families with their missing and stolen horses you can visit www.netposse.com. Anyone can print a flyer to post in areas like feed or tack stores, auction barns, restaurants or even convenience stores. You don’t have to be a horse owner to help.
 

 For more on Max and his homecoming, visit: http://netposse.com/stolenmissing/MaxIL stolenAug08.htm   

   You can contact Debi Metcalfe for more information at 704-484-2165, PO Box 1341 Shelby, NC 28151, stolenhorse@netposse.com.

Driftwood Horses

If you are a horse lover, you have probably received a mass e-mail featuring Heather Jansch’s artwork.  This talented sculptor/artist, located southwest of the United Kingdom, utilizes her fourteen acres of lush woodland to provide inspiration for her life-sized horse sculptures.

“I use landscape to create new things without restriction,” Jansch says. “It is an exciting ongoing sculptural project in its own right.”

After seeking the advice of international artist and teacher, Arthur Giadelli, Jansch was inspired to use her combined love of horses, the country and creating artwork with natural materials to develop a style that was truly her own. Jansch says the idea came “out of the blue, it came in on the tide.”

She uses driftwood her assistant collects from beaches, along with other wood from riverbanks, woodlands and generous local estates.

“Driftwood is often a mix of soft woods and so it is not always durable,” she says. “It is fine for small interior works, or for pieces that will be cast in bronze. If a piece is for exterior display, it needs to be made from dense hardwood like oak.”

She says each sculpture is different, and as a result, can require its own innovative means of construction. However, Jansch views the occasional complication as a blessing in disguise.

“My best work often comes when my creativity is stretched,” she says. “New challenges, experiments, possibilities and ideas are what keep me alive.”

The larger life-sized sculptures have a steel frame, which is coated in fiberglass, to help disguise the steel and stop the wood from slipping once it is first held into position for Jansch to see. Then, each piece of wood is tied with wire and screwed into the frame with stainless steel screws. Wood filler and stain conceals the metal screws and preserves the natural feel of the driftwood.

Jansch says that sometimes it can be difficult to utilize such a rigid material to recreate muscle tone and the curves of a horse’s conformation.

“It can be excruciatingly difficult,” Jansch says. “Especially when using oak, which I guess is why few people work this way, but I have many years of experience and a great assistant with good muscles and I use power tools.”

The hooves of the driftwood horses are made out of either recycled copper or lead. If someone intends to display a piece outside, Jansch recommends that it be treated annually with preservative, much as one would spray a garden fence.  

“I cannot say exactly how long they will last, but there are still Elizabethan timber frame houses standing,” she says.

While Jansch typically doesn’t create a sculpture with a certain breed in mind, many of her pieces do evoke an Arabian sensibility, with good reason.

“I keep Arabians; they are hardy and agile,” she says. “I ride badly and do not compete, but my horses are ridden barefoot and bitless.”

Jansch says she does not publicize her prices because there is great variation when it comes to the size and complexity of a piece. Currently, there is a waiting list for privately commissioned sculptures.

However, her gallery and sculpture garden are open to the public each year in September, when over a thousand plus visitors flock to the United Kingdom to have the opportunity to see the driftwood equines.

She also has a book available which utilizes a diary format to take the reader through a year in the life of an artist.

“The book is an intimate window into my creative life. It was a hugely enjoyable adventure that resulted in a book with a very handmade feel. In diary form, it takes the reader through a typical year richly illustrated with drawings and photos of my work in the stunning landscape that inspired them.”

While it is not yet available outside the United Kingdom, Jansch’s book can be purchased on her website, www.heatherjansch.com.