Oasis Ranch, Inc.

Horse Slaughter

2011-01-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal this week about horse slaughter. There were some pretty interesting facts about horse slaughter. Some horses are selling for as little as $10 in the US and being slaughtered in Mexico. Over 50,000 horses per year are being slaughtered there under poor conditions. Some horses are not selling at all and are being abandoned to slowly die of starvation.

Now we would like to think that every horse we have known has a great home but we know that is not the case. Even in our area we see horses that are thin and poorly cared for. There is one horse down the road that has had a big wire cut and nothing has been done about it. A friend in San Diego County says that one veterinarian group in her area is euthanizing over 1,000 horses per year and that few people are spending money for surgeries or illnesses. There are areas of the country where horses have simply been abandoned. Rescue organizations have to pick and choose what horses they will save.

We don't like to picture horses being slaughtered. But in other parts of the world, horses are specifically raised for slaughter, just like cattle are raised here. In Sweden, there is a government program where they raise 40 Galloway horses per year; 20 horses are sold for riding and 20 horses are sold for eating. We were told this by the official government veterinarian while we were juding a show in Sweden. He thought it was a great program. In Australia, even the cheapest, ugliest recipient mares cost $500 a piece because they are worth that by the pound.

Every day in the US horses die that are abandoned, starved, and mistreated. Some people mistreat horses because they don't care and some people mistreat horses because they simply cannot afford anything better. We don't like to see horses die, but we would rather have them die quickly and humanely than die slowly. We think horse slaughter needs to be reinstated with humane transportation and humane killing. The horse would have a better fate than many horses have now.

Take a look at the Wall Street Journal article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703808704576062064022541024.html

Can you get rabies from your horse?

2010-12-26T17:06:00.000-08:00

What do you give your horse for his annual vaccinations? The AAEP recommends four core vaccinations: tetanus, sleeping sickness, West Nile virus and rabies. Most people also give flu and rhino, but don't bother with rabies vaccine because the incidence is so low. But rabies is the one you can get from your horse.

If you check on your horse and he is a little dull or depressed, maybe not eating, what do you do? Take his temperature? Look in his mouth? Maybe press your finger to his gums? What could be wrong? Guess what? If he has rabies and you have any minor cuts on your hands, or get his saliva in your eyes, nose, or mouth, you have just been exposed. Symptoms can vary from a depressed horse to a violent one. The only way you can tell for sure is when your horse dies. And if he has rabies, he will die. Like shots? You will need a series of painful shots if you are exposed.

Now you horse may just have a fever or just feel bad. But if he has not been vaccinated, how do you know? What if he has rabies and you don't notice any symptoms? Wouldn't it be simpler to just vaccinate for rabies and be sure?

If you have already vaccinated your horse for rabies, congratulations! Share this with a friend. But if you have not vaccianted your horse for rabies, talk to your veterinarian. It is not an expensive vaccine but even if it was, it is worth it. The chances are small, but why take a chance?

For more information:

http://www.aaep.org/images/files/Adultvaccinationtablerevised108.pdf

http://americashorsedaily.com/rabies-in-horses/

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/pubs/asc125.pdf

December

2010-12-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

Wet weather is here in California but it is not cold compared to the rest of the country. It is cold compared to Australia where Marilyn spent most of November breeding mares. Daylight starts there about 4:30 am and by the afternoon it was 85 degrees. The first day Marilyn checked over 60 mares. It was fun to see the horses there but even more fun to get back home and back to riding.

We have some really nice two year olds that we are riding and some really nice yearlings that we are starting. We hope to have some photos soon of the two-year olds under saddle.

Anyone watching the sales at the NRHA and NCHA futurities knows that the prices are still down except for few horses in each session. Maybe we should re-phrase that - the prices seemed high on a few more until you add up the costs to get the horse there. There were embryo transfer foals by sires with stud fees of $7500 or more that brought less than $10,000. Obviously not a very good investment if the goal was profit.

There are still a lot of people who enjoy their horses and want to raise a good one out of their good mare. And there are a lot of people who want to ride better. It is a good time to breed your mare as stud fees are dropping and trainers have fewer horses in training, which means they have more time to help you. Give us call if you would like some help buying a horse, choosing a stallion, selling your horse, or choosing a trainer. We can help you make plans so you can enjoy your horses even more.

It is a good time to increase your knowledge and horsemanship skills. Pete will be doing a Non-Pro/Amateur/Novice Rider Cutting and Herd Work Clinic in January. Because Pete's cutting horses are so solid, getting plus scores for smooth cuts, herd work and loose reins, people have been asking him to do a series of clinics. Before we got so busy breeding mares, Pete did clinics for both basic horsemanship and cattle on the east coast and in Europe. He does an excellent job explaining things that you maybe had a hard time understanding before. And if you have ever met him you know he is a walking, talking encyclopedia of horse pedigrees. Give us a call or send us an email for more information. There will be a limited number of slots.

If you have not already signed up for our mailing list and newsletter you are missing out on our specials. Go to our contact page at www.oasisranchinc.com and join the mailing list. The next special will be coming out soon.

2010-05-31T22:12:00.000-07:00

Cmon Tell Us had a beautiful brown filly by Tulare. Dazzling Patty Doc and Dazzling Susie Doc both had colts by Rey Posado Gold. Aprils Slew (TB) had a bay colt by Before The Bell. Only one more mare to foal!

Breeding Season is winding down. We have a few mares that just foaled and a few old mares left to breed but everything thing else is in foal.

We are hoping to get to a few shows now. We have some really nice show horses that we look forward to showing.

The Oasis Ranch, Inc . Production Sale will be held at the ranch on October 9th. We will be offeing some great yearlings and a few two year olds, broodmares and show horses. We will be selling horses until we catalog. As usual, we will sell everything in the catalog unless they get sick or hurt before the Production Sale. No games at our sale. Make sure you mark you Calendar!

New foals

2010-05-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy week with several new foals. Pinkaboo has a sorrel filly by Tulare. Electric Blue has a blue roan colt by Yellow Roan Of Texas via a recip mare. Chic Chic Chicarita has a sorrel filly by Imacockadoodledude. Jeanie Chexx has a bay filly by Master Kaweah. Seems Like Old Times has a red roan filly by Yellow Roan Of Texas. Miss Buena Jay has a sorrel filly by Master Kaweah. Lenas Blue Frost has a palomino colt by Rey Posado Gold. Kittyichi is in foal to Olena Oak.

New mares checked in foal:
Hollylena Telesis is in foal to Yellow Roan Of Texas. Miss Tangy Cash is in foal to Yellow Roan Of Texas. Smokes Elegant Lady is in foal to Tulare. Olenas Best Bay is in foal to Cisco Grove. Jeanita Chexx is in foal to Tulare.

We have had very few mares that needed to be bred on more than one heat. We have also had a very successful year with embryo transfers and plan on doing a few more this year. Come take a look at our lab and breeding facility and think about sending your mare to us for next year.

2010-05-07T21:44:00.001-07:00

New Pregnancy Checks

2010-05-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

World Champion and World Champion Producer JEWELS MADERA is in foal to Yellow Roan Of Texas. Jewels Madera LTE $30,894: 4th, NCHA Super Stakes Non-Pro Classic; 3rd, NCHA Non-Pro Challenge; AQHYA World Champion Cutting Horse. Sister to PLAYBOYS MADERA ($581,282: NCHA Non-Pro World Champion; dam of PLAYBOY MCCRAE, $260,295: NCHA Open Futurity Champion); half sister to MADERAS FIRST JEWEL ($69,303). Dam of 9 money-earners, including–
SMART LITTLE MADERA. $74,122:Isemi-finalist in the NCHA Open Futurity (Sale Incentive winner); top 10, NCHA Open Derby; 4th, Raleigh Open Derby; finalist in the Southern Open Derby; money-earner in the Memphis 4-Year-Old Open Futurity; 4th, Augusta Open Classic. Also dam of SMART MADERA. $20,620: NRCHA Hackamore World Champion.

How Did You Know by King Fritz Two is in foal to Before The Bell.

Grace Personified is in foal to Imacockadoodledude.

2010-05-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

About half of our foals have been born and we are really excited about the whole group so far. Sometimes that means long days and long nights but it is worth it.

The OUTCROSS...do we need it ? Where do YOU think it will come from ?

2009-04-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

As most of us realize,in both the Quarter Horse performance and the Quarter Horse racing industries there is obviously a preponderance of one or two families being heavily used in linebreeding programs. For the sake of today's post let's concentrate more on the performance horse side of the breeding. Take a look at the sale catalogs from any of the last few NCHA Futurity Sales and it's obvious that the majority of the horses that are listed come from mainly one line of one family of horses...granted these horses are incredibly athletic and very trainable (as a general rule) however they also concentrate some negative aspects into the gene pool (and I'm not merely referring to Herda, but also physical unsoundnesses).
The issues are... do YOU think we need some new blood, and WHERE do you think it should come from? The Thoroughbred race horse? The AQHA race horse? Or a different line of proven AQHA performers forgotten when the Doc Bar craze took over? ...first let me admit I'm a big fan of the race horses, from both breeds, BUT we have to remember the MOST important trait of the Quarter Horse performance horse, the thing that every maneuver either starts with, or includes is the STOP... How much of the stop are we going to sacrifice with the straight race horse and what are the odds of picking the one particular family that will not only have stop, but will pass it on ?

So here's the question... or questions for you...Do you think we need an outcross ?(if not, why?)...Where do you think it would best come from,of the three examples I mentioned ? Do you have a suggestion for a prospective outcross other than the three I mentioned ?

Fall Pregnancy Checks and Artificial Lighting

2008-11-29T11:44:00.000-08:00

It is time to pregnancy check mares to make sure they are still in foal. It is also time to put any open mares under lights. The artificially extended daylight should be for 16 hours. We run our timer from 6:00 am until 10:00 pm, although we turn off the lights and turn the mares out for the daytime unless the weather is bad. Mares under an aritificial lighting program should begin cycling after being under lights for 60 days.