e-HAHS: Hooved Animal Humane Society

Updated May 4, 2005

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e-HAHS, the electronic newsletter of the Hooved Animal Humane Society June 1, 2005 Volume 4, Issue 6

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**In the News: HAHS Impounds Horses
**Events: Adoption Open House
**Animal of the Month: Connie and Maury
**Horse Health: Rabies, Herpes and VS-Oh my!
**How to Help: Enter the 2005 Help a Horse Have Hope Raffle!
**Links: Keep up with federal legislation to prevent slaughter
**FAQ: Is it okay for horses not to be on grass?

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**In the News: HAHS Impounds Horses

On Friday, June 3, the Hooved Animal Humane Society assisted the Illinois Department of Agriculture in seizing seven horses from a facility in Marseilles, Illinois. The Lasalle County Sheriff's Department, Lasalle County Animal Control, and Lazy Maple Equine Rescue were also present. Four mares, two foals and one stallion were confiscated after months of investigations demonstrated that the owner was unable to comply with Notices of Violation of the Humane Care for Animals Act. The owner has also not complied with the Dead Animal Disposal Act. She has appealed the impoundment and a hearing is set for next week in Springfield, Ill.

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**Events: Adoption Open House

Join us on Saturday, June 18 at the HAHS Farm in Woodstock, IL, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. to meet the horse (or horses) of your choice. This event gives the serious adopter, who has already met HAHS' adoption criteria, a chance to learn a little more about the personality and suitability of a particular horse for a particular discipline. For more information contact HAHS at 815-337-5563 or info@hahs.org or visit our website at www.hahs.org.

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**Animal of the Month: Connie and Maury

These two-year-old horses were relinquished together in December 2004. They are beginning to recover from the neglect they suffered during their early years but Connie has already developed ringbone, a kind of arthritis in the lower front leg, and will never be a riding horse. Maury has been gelded and, because of his more high-strung nature, is now in training to accept basic handling. To see pictures, visit our website at www.hahs.org

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**Horse Health: Rabies, Herpes and VS-Oh my!

Outbreaks of rabies in Illinois, herpes in Kentucky and VS (vesicular
stomatitis) in Texas and New Mexico have caused state veterinarians to institute measures to prevent the spread of these reportable diseases. To see what your state department of agriculture is doing to protect your horse, visit www.rma.usda.gov/other/stateag.html

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**How to Help: Enter the 2005 Help a Horse Have Hope Raffle!

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**Links: Keep up with federal legislation to prevent slaughter

The best way to stay up-to-date on legislation to protect our horses, including wild mustangs and burros, from slaughter is to visit the website of the Library of Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov/ By typing in a keyword such as horse or slaughter, you can read amendments, see how your legislators voted, and even find contact information for your representatives and senators so you can share your thoughts as a constituent.

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**FAQ: Is it okay for horses not to be on grass?

Q: Every day I drive by some horses that live in a small dirt lot. Shouldn't they be on pasture?

A: Unfortunately, there is no state law in Illinois mandating that horses have a certain amount of acreage per head or even that they get turned out every day for fresh air and exercise. In the Humane Care for Animals Act, owners' duties include food, water, shelter, veterinary care and "humane care and treatment." While it could be argued that keeping horses stalled for long periods of time or only allowing them outside on small lots is inhumane, what we're really dealing with here is an owner's preferences on horsekeeping, not the law. Most equine veterinarians would recommend that most horses be turned out as much as possible and have forage in front of them throughout the day, as this is how horses are designed to live. But there are times when free movement or free access to grass is not in the best interest of the horse, which may be the case here.