Steroid usage continues to be a topic of discussion not just for human athletes but also for the equine industry. Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland have already adopted language regarding the use of anabolic steriods and other prohibited practices which are listed under their "Conditions of Sale". There are also indications that other sales will begin to adopt policies regarding the use of anabolic steroids in horses entered into sales.
There is a very interesting article regarding steroids written by Kimberly Brown called, "The Steroid Debate" which is posted on http://www.thehorse.com/ (Posted May 1, 2008)
By now, many of you are aware of the Kentucky Derby win by Big Brown and the catastrophic breakdown of the filly, Eight Belles. Over the weekend the internet was flooded with both videos and comments about each event. An article written by Thoroughbred breeder, Jim Squires for The New York Times asked the question, "So Where Does The Horse Racing Industry Go From Here?" The article touches on a number of interesting points as people struggle to understand how something like this could have happened to Eight Belles. The article can be found at www.nytimes.com/2008/05/05/sports/othersports/05rail.html (Posted May 5, 2008)
Congratulations to Mr. Red McKenzie who is one of 22 nominees put forward by the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame's Thoroughbred and Standardbred Nominating Committees. Nominated in the "People" category, R.A. (Red) McKenzie is still very active as a trainer in the Alberta Thoroughbred industry and has been a blacksmith, jockey and breeder. Winners in each category will be announced on May 20th with the induction ceremony hosted at the Mississauga Convention Centre on August 20th. We wish Red the best of luck! (Posted May 8, 2008)
Back in January at the Horse Breeders and Owners Conference, Norm Luba presented a topic on "Looking Back to Move Forward." In this presentation he talked about seven broad categories of issues that needed to be looked at. One of these was sociological changes with the issue of animal activism and the caution that as an equine industry we needed to be aware of these groups. In reading the online article "Horse Industry: Don't Discount Animal Rights and Welfare Groups" which is posted on http://www.thehorse.com/ it seems that Norm knew what he was talking about. According to the article, the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) has a membership of 10 million and in 2006 received $82.4 million in contributions and grants and spent $17.5 million on campaigns, litigation and expenses. PETA claims a membership of 1.8 million and in 2007 had $28.5 million in contributions. Both these groups are well funded and have the ability to lobby quite strongly for the causes they support. Right now it appears their focus is on Thoroughbred racing. (Posted May 9, 2008)
On Sunday, the Calgary Herald had an article on the increasing costs for horse owners in the U.S. The article, "Horses Saddled With Food Shortage" quoted the financial manager of Mill Ridge Farm saying that prices for hay, grain and bluegrass seed had increased 40 per cent in a year. An article posted on http://www.thehorse.com/ back on April 22 said the USDA was reporting that the number of hay acres were down, the existing hay supply was lower and that input costs were higher leading to speculation that hay would cost at least $100 a tonne more than over the previous five years. Between the higher costs and shortages of feed, it appears that increasing numbers of horses in the U.S. are being neglected or abandoned. (Posted May 12, 2008)
Now that it looks like spring might be finally here, many people have begun looking at their pastures for the upcoming year. There is a lot of information available for horse owners regarding pasture management. On line, the publication "Manure and Pasture Management for Horse Owners" can be found at http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/agdex9377 or there is also an article entitled, "Pastures Made Perfect", in the 2008 issue of the Alberta's Horse Community Guide. Another article was also just recently published in Horse-Canada.com called "Creating Perfect Pasture". There are a wealth of articles on this subject that can be found by searching on line or by contacting the Horse Industry Association of Alberta.(Posted May 13, 2008)
It's definitely an interesting time to be involved with Thoroughbreds! With the Preakness on Saturday, there's no question that millions will be watching to see the outcome and another catastrophic breakdown could have a huge impact on the industry. An article posted on http://www.thehorse.com/ entitled, "Gallup Poll: Significant Minority Support Horse Racing Ban" reviews the results of a survey conducted from May 8-11 with 1,017 respondents. NBC has also announced that they have planned a round-table discussion during Saturday's coverage of the Preakness that will discuss the challenges facing the Thoroughbred racing industry. (Posted May 16, 2008)
The May 17th issue of The Blood-Horse had a interesting article about how the eastern tent caterpillar populations are the highest since 2001. This is a concern as in 2001 the eastern tent caterpillar was considered a major factor in MRLS (Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome) with approximately 20% -30% of the Kentucky mares aborting that year. According to a post on Wikipedia, MRLS was responsible for a $500 million loss to Kentucky and the horse racing industry. So far there have been no reported cases of MRLS this year. (Posted May 29, 2008)
Please check the Horse Racing Alberta website at http://www.thehorses.com/ for an Industry Advisory regarding the status of the new track at Balzac. (Posted May 30, 2008)
