Horsey Talk

Ascot dress code move backfires

Ascot are to give a full refund to premier enclosure customers following a public relations blunder over their new dress code policy at Saturday's meeting.

Racegoers who did not conform with the rules were given an orange sticker to signify they had been warned that similar attire would not be acceptable at future meetings.

The move did not go down well with punters, and Ascot officials have accepted it was a bad move.

In a statement, Ascot chief executive Charles Barnett said: "It is clear that we let down many of our premier enclosure customers yesterday with a well intentioned but misguided policy.

"No customer should be expected to pay for such an experience and we have taken the view that all premier enclosure visitors yesterday will receive a full refund.

"We have worked very hard for many years to establish ourselves as a benchmark for customer service and are making this statement today to reinforce that we will not allow our reputation as a welcoming sports venue to be tarnished by an isolated lack of judgement on our part.

"We will work through the logistics of the refunds tomorrow. Most people will have booked in advance or paid by card on the day, but we will look after cash customers too and anyone who still has their admission badge should hold on to it."

Racecourse Attendances
Hit Record High in 2011

Figures just released by the Racecourse Association reveal that 2011 was a record year for racecourse attendance. The number of people going racing across the country rose again for the third consecutive year, with total attendances hitting a record high of 6.15 million visits, the first time that the six million mark has been reached since 2004. Average daily attendances saw a rise of 1%.

Whilst other sports have seen a fall in gate receipts in 2011, racing has maintained its appeal as an attractive day out, with the figures showing a total rise in racecourse attendance of 6.6% against 2010. Such good news will be welcomed across the industry in the light of dwindling Levy income and a drop in the amount of corporate sponsorship and hospitality that racecourses are seeing.

Stephen Atkin, Chief Executive of the Racecourse Association commented, ‘I am very pleased to see racecourse attendance on the up for a third year in a row and to break the previous record is fantastic. Financially it is a very difficult time for people at the moment, so it is a vindication of the exemplary work being done on Britain's Racecourses that more and more people are enjoying a day out at the races.'

Woman found guilty of causing six of her horses to suffer

Teeny Tiny Tony arrival Hall Farm small

A woman from Kent has been found guilty of causing neglect to six of her horses and sentenced to a five year ban from keeping horses after they were found in a 'terrible condition'.

Suzanne Hefferman also known as Sue Williams, 43, of Sidcup, Kent was found guilty at Bromley Magistrates of 10 offences brought by the RSPCA under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

On Friday 3 December 2010, World Horse Welfare Field Officer Claire Gordon visited the site on North Cray Road, Sidcup with RSPCA Inspectors Vicki Dawe and Becky Timberlake after the RSPCA received an emergency call regarding two collapsed ponies.

Hefferman and Veterinary Surgeons Jane Morgan and Robert Pascoe from Bell Equine Vets were on site and attending to a collapsed, emaciated Shetland mare called Ugly Betty (pictured left) who required immediate euthanasia to relieve her suffering.

Subsequent examination of all the horses led to five more being removed and warning notices issued to ensure the care of those remaining. Those animals removed were all in an emaciated condition and covered in lice.

Only three of the five survived as Annie (a young brown filly - pictured right) and Scary Mary (a brown Shetland mare) were euthanised that weekend as they were in such a poor condition and could not be saved.

However, Oliver (a piebald colt - pictured below), Rocky (a skewbald colt youngster) and Teeny Tiny Tony (a brown miniature Shetland foal) were rescued and taken to World Horse Welfare's Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Snetterton, Norfolk. Hefferman was found guilty of failing to meet the needs of the horses by failing to provide them with a suitable environment and failing to provide a suitable diet, and of causing unnecessary suffering by failing to provide the necessary veterinary treatment for emaciation, diarrhoea, hypothermia and oedema. She was sentenced on the same day.

Claire Gordon said: "The conditions of the livery yard were the worst I have ever seen. The stables were filthy and saturated with urine and had clearly not been mucked out for several weeks.

The ponies were found without food or water and many were emaciated or in poor bodily condition. They all had huge parasite burdens being riddled with lice and worms. A subsequent post mortem examination of Ugly Betty found only sand in her intestine. There was only one bale of hay, which had been left outside uncovered under the snow, which was insufficient for a yard which had 30 horses and ponies stabled there.

"It was clear that no one had attended to the horses for several days as there was no evidence of footprints or any disturbance in the snow, which was about a foot and a half deep at the time.

Oliver having successfully completed his rehabilitation >>

"I am pleased that Ms Williams has been found guilty and received a ban on keeping horses as the ponies were in such a terrible condition at a time when the weather was so bitterly cold. She has shown no remorse throughout and failed to acknowledge the failings in the care she provided to her horses despite repeated advice and warnings from myself and the RSPCA in the preceding months."

Teeny Tiny Tony (pictured Left), Rocky and Oliver have been undergoing rehabilitation at World Horse Welfare's Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Norfolk. Rocky and Oliver have successfully completed their rehabilitation and are now ready to be rehomed.

RSPCA inspector Vikki Dawe said: "There is no excuse for the neglect that these horses were subjected to. We are always looking for good homes for horses in RSPCA care so we would urge prospective owners to contact us and World Horse Welfare to talk about rehoming horses."

Photos courtesy of World Horse Welfare

SPORTS FORUM TO DISCUSS
FUTURE OF EQUESTRIAN SPORT

The 2012 Sports Forum, which will be held in Lausanne (SUI) from 30 April to 2 May, offers a unique opportunity to discuss issues related to the future of equestrian sport. The Forum is open to the National Federations and all FEI stakeholders, including members of the media.

Delegates will hear detailed presentations on proposed rule changes for Jumping, Eventing, Endurance and Veterinary matters.

The Sports Forum will give all stakeholders the opportunity to join the debate and have their say on key issues, before the proposals are put to the vote at the FEI General Assembly in November.

Registration for the Forum opens on 6 February. The registration process closes on 15 March.

Nine World Cup points for
Davison and Hiscox Artemis

Richard Davison and the Countess of Derby’s Florestan sired 13 year old Hiscox Artemis added a further nine points to their Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage tally at Amsterdam CDI-W.

Richard and the German gelding scored 71.255% in the grand prix to take up tenth position and earn themselves a place in the freestyle, where their score of 75.975% boosted them into eighth.

“I’m really pleased with him, especially in the grand prix.” Richard said, “I was very happy with his freestyle and he gave two good, consistent tests. It was a really strong competition; there was a buzz in the collecting ring and everybody knew that they had to be at the top of their game. It’s exciting to be a part of that.”

The pair did enough to hold on to seventh place in the league standings, and will be looking to build upon this success at Gothenburg CDI-W, 24-27 February.

2011 WAS A VINTAGE YEAR FOR BRITISH FLAT RACING AS WORLD THOROUGHBRED RANKINGS CONFIRM

No less than 12 of the world's top 16 Flat horses, eight of which were home trained, raced in Britain during the 2011 season, as revealed by the World Thoroughbred Rankings.

The world's best horse, Frankel (rated 136), led the way with seven other British-trained horses below him amongst those rated 124 or above -
Canford Cliffs (127), Rewilding (127), Dream Ahead (126), Excelebration (126), Nathaniel (126), Twice Over (125) and Workforce (125).

The four overseas stars in the world's top 16 to race in Britain were
Cirrus Des Aigles (128) and Goldikova (124) from France and So You Think (126) and St Nicholas Abbey (124) from Ireland.

Only Australian sprinting sensation Black Caviar (132), the brilliant German-trained Arc winner Danedream (128), Singapore star Rocket Man (125) and the American-trained Breeders' Cup Classic winner, Drosselmeyer (124), did not race in Britain in 2011 amongst the world's top 16.

All 12 of those that did race here finished first or second in British Group 1 races, providing a vintage year for the top level of Flat racing in this country which was presented in a more coherent way through the introduction of the QIPCO British Champions Series.

The Series, which signposts the top 35 races in Britain, climaxed with the new QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot in October. With £3m in prize money across its five Group races, it was the richest day's Flat racing ever staged in Britain.

Rod Street, Chief Executive of British Champions Series, said:

"It was a sensational year for Flat racing in this country. The introduction of the QIPCO British Champions Series to showcase our top races and the creation of QIPCO British Champions Day as the new climax to our season were truly blessed by the star quality of the main participants.

"With Frankel staying in training alongside a plethora of the other top horses from last year and with the world's second best horse, Black Caviar, on course to make her European debut at Royal Ascot in June, we could be set for something just as spectacular in 2012."

22 show horses worth over US $ 1 million die in barn fire

With snow on the ground and the temperature hovering around 20 degrees, Art Hahn made sure every door in the New Jersey barn where he kept 22 trophy show horses was closed securely before he headed home.

“Everything was locked up so the horses would stay a little warmer,” Hahn said.

But shortly before 2 a.m. the following morning, Hahn awoke to a neighbor pounding on his door. He looked across the street at the barn: it was engulfed in flames.

Fire and police officials were quickly dispatched to the 40-acre farm in Lafayette Township, but it was too late. All 22 horses inside died.

Hahn said one of them was Mr. Hollywood, a black, 4-year-old stallion that was being trained to compete in Western reining competitions, in which riders guide horses through elaborate and precise patterns of circles, spins and stops.

Hahn, 77, and his wife, Betty, have raised horses for more than half their lives, and “he was my last hurrah,” Art Hahn said.

The trophy horses, valued between $10,000 and $60,000 each, competed and won in shows on the Eastern Seaboard, he added.

Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire, New Jersey state police said. But Hahn said investigators told him it appeared to be electrical.

“I’m still in shock,” he said. “This is just devastating.”

The Hahns’ farm, Heritage Acres, was established in 1979. Located about 50 miles northwest of New York City, the farm has attracted horse enthusiasts from all over the county.

The barn contained an indoor riding ring that was used year-round, Hahn said. All that remained amid the snow-covered grounds were a few wooden beams.

It “burned right down to the ground,” Hahn said. “Put me right out of business.”

He and his wife are planning on selling the property: “We’re going to retire. I’m 77 at this point — it’s too old to start over.”

Lameness Is Most Common Reason For Euthanasia In Older Horses, According To Horse Owner Survey

A research project funded by equine charity The Horse Trust has found that lameness is the most common reason for euthanasing a geriatric horse.

This research is the first in the UK to provide data on the causes of death in geriatric horses. Although post-mortem studies have provided some data regarding causes of death, "old age" was previously reported as a common reason for the euthanasia of adult horses.

The research was carried out by Joanne Ireland at the University of Liverpool and led by Dr Gina Pinchbeck. Ireland surveyed horse owners living in the North-West and Midlands areas of England and North Wales who have a horse aged 15 years or older. 918 owners of geriatric horses were followed in a cohort study and 118 mortalities were reported during the 18 month follow-up period, of which 111 were euthanased.

The researchers found that 24% of horses were euthanased due to lameness; an additional 12% were euthanased due to laminitis - a common cause of lameness. After lameness, colic was the next most common cause of euthanasia, with 21% of owners citing this as the main reason.

In an earlier stage of the project, the researchers had found that half the geriatric horses surveyed suffered from lameness, but only 24% of owners reported the problem.

Jeanette Allen, Chief Executive of The Horse Trust, said the data provided by this research is likely to provide useful information for both horse owners and vets to enable them to improve the welfare of older horses.

"As there are a significant number of geriatric horses in the UK, it is vital that we understand more about the health problems that affect them," said Allen. "We hope that more owners of older horses will give their horse an annual health-check to enable the horse to have a longer, healthier life."