by Anthony Marr When Charles Darwin first revealed his theory of evolution, his friend Thomas Huxley exclaimed, “It is so simple and obvious! Why didn’t I think of it?!” It is because Huxley, like most people, thought inside the box, meaning within the confines of an established concept, while Darwin not only thought outside the box, but […]
Big win over the “big lick” walking horse industry in 2018 federal budget
“Big lickers” kicked, but Congress kicked back WASHINGTON D.C.––Winning increasingly often against initially steep odds, BillyGoBoy and friends opposed to soring horses to make them step higher appear likely to enjoy the last horse laugh over the walking horse show industry. Walking horse shows have been infamously dominated for decades by trainers who––defying the […]
Could soring horses leave top Republicans limping in red-state Tennessee?
Political columnist & senior attorney both think so CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee––Could being associated with soring horses to induce the “Big Lick” goose step favored at walking horse shows cost the Republican candidates the 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections? Roy Exum thinks it could. And attorney Clant Seay, a 72-year-old walking horse show breeder turned […]
Did Trump kill rules to protect walking horses?
Horse advocates fear the worst WASHINGTON D.C.––Reports differ as to whether the Donald Trump administration has killed or just delayed new Horse Protection Act of 1970 enforcement regulations meant to protect walking horses from soring. The new regulations, introduced by the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service on January 13, 2017, just a week before […]
810 allegedly starving horses impounded from Wild Horse Annie’s charity
International Society for the Protection of Mustangs & Burros and Friends of Animals were leading foes of PZP for wild horses LANTRY, South Dakota––The International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros, a leading opponent of contracepting wild horses, has surrendered custody of about 810 allegedly neglected horses, some apparently at imminent risk of […]
Kentucky Congressman who fought for walking horses resigns
Ed Whitfield stood against making horses goose-step SHELBYVILLE, Tennessee––Congressman Ed Whitfield, a Kentucky Republican known for his attempts to reform the walking horse industry, on August 31, 2016 gave participants in the 78th annual Tennessee National Walking Horse Celebration something extra to celebrate by announcing his resignation from Congress, effective at 6 p.m. on […]
Pimlico death again raises question: why do bettors favor beaten horses?
Did “a right-handed rousing” contribute to winning horse’s apparent cardiovascular collapse? BALTIMORE, Maryland––“Rallied under a right-handed rousing” by jockey Horacio Karamanos, according to the Pimlico Race Course chart-writer, the official record-keeper for the race, Homeboykris charged from behind to win the first race of the May 21, 2016 card culminating in the Preakness Stakes, the second […]
Wildlife contraceptive researcher Jay Kirkpatrick, 75
Developed PZP for use in 85 species Jay Kirkpatrick, 75, for more than 40 years a leading developer of contraceptive vaccines for wild horses, deer, elk, and other wildlife, died on December 16, 2015 in Billings, Montana “from a brief but serious illness,” family and friends said. Kirkpatrick, originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, spent […]
Last Chance Mustang, by Mitchell Bornstein
St. Martin’s Press (175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010), 2015. 300 pages, hardcover. $26.99. Reviewed by Debra J. White Chicago attorney and horse trainer Mitchell Bornstein has a history of handling difficult clients both in court and in the stable. Samson is perhaps his biggest challenge and reward. A survivor of a Bureau of […]
Connecticut shelter investigated for allegedly adopting out dangerous dogs
STAMFORD, Connecticut––A fatal attack on a Dachshund named Dulce by a pit bull named Banks on June 4, 2014 reminded Stamford, Connecticut that the Stamford Animal Shelter has operated on a restricted basis for nearly six weeks while three city agencies investigate allegations that it improperly adopted out dangerous dogs. Laurie Hollywood, the Stamford […]