Meg Cicciarella

Meg Cicciarella is a freelance journalist who lives and writes in Homer, on Alaska's banana belt, the Kenai Peninsula. Her articles have appeared in local, regional, and national newspapers and magazines.

Articles by: Meg Cicciarella

Illinois Slaughter Bill Stalled; Possibly Dead

Illinois HR649 amendment 4, which would ban equine slaughter for human consumption in the state and make it illegal to transport horses into or out of the state for slaughter, passed the Illinois Senate (as SB1921) in late May. However, it was defeated in the House by nine votes and has been referred to a rules committee as a result of objections from some representatives. No further action

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Slaughter Legislation Stuck In Committee

Legislation designed to prevent horse slaughter at the national level could be indefinitely stuck in committee.

In January 2003, U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, a Republican from New York, proposed HR 857, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. HR 857 seeks to prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption; the sale, possession, and trade of horseflesh for human consumption; and th

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Beaten Arkansas Horses Recovering

Two Arkansas Quarter Horses, a 3-year-old filly named Puddin’ and a 5-year-old mare called Fat Girl, were seriously injured when they were attacked Aug. 6 while owner Patrice Swan was away. The two were brutally beaten with unknown blunt objects wielded with tremendous force, probably baseball bats or ax handles, by unidentified attackers who have not been captured. The injuries to both horse

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Colorado Fires Cause Evacuation

Equine evacuation plans were put to the test in Colorado when the Overland Fire in canyons northwest of Boulder grew so quickly that within just a few hours, 3,500 acres were engulfed and indefensible. The fire started early on Oct. 29 near Jamestown, Colo., and spread east. By Oct. 30, wet weather and crews had extinguished the fire.

Officials from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office

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Colorado Fires Cause Evacuations

Equine evacuation plans were put to the test in Colorado when the Overland Fire in canyons northwest of Boulder grew so quickly that within just a few hours, 3,500 acres were engulfed and indefensible. The fire started on the morning of Oct. 29

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Beaten Arkansas Horse Recovering

Puddin, the Arkansas Quarter Horse filly who in August along with her pasture-mate was viciously beaten while restrained in her paddock, underwent surgery Nov. 13 at Oklahoma State University/Stillwater. The surgery was an attempt to relieve scapular nerve pressure so severe it caused disfiguring shoulder muscle atrophy and left her incapable of walking normally.

Puddin’s 90-minute

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Arkansas Horses Recovering from Brutal Beatings

Nearly three months after they were selected from among several other horses and viciously beaten, two Arkansas Quarter Horses, three-year-old buckskin filly Quarter Horse Puddin’ and five-year-old sorrel mare Fat Girl, are alive but remain seriously injured. The horses were attacked Aug. 6 in the town of Guy, while owner Patrice Swan was gone for 90 minutes helping a neighbor with a

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Parelli Natural Horsemanship University is Country’s First Approved Private Vocational School of Its Kind

Approval of the Parelli Natural Horsemanship University in late June as a private occupational school by the Colorado Department of Higher Education distinguished Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship (PNH) as the first such institution in the country to do so, according to Neil Pye, dean of instructors and of the group’s international study centers. Key to the unanimous approval given by Colorado’s

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Safe Horse Handling

Colorado State University (CSU) and Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship have agreed to jointly create a safe horse-handling program for veterinary students, veterinarians, and horse owners, educating them about how to work around horses on a daily basis for routine veterinary care and in the event of an emergency.

The project is a result of the parties’ mutual dedication to educating

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Effects of Imprinting

Results of Texas A&M University’s research into imprinting’s effects on six-month-old foals conclude that neither the frequency of imprinting sessions nor their timing after birth influenced foals’ later behavior. Some veterinarians disagree with the findings.

The study, published in the Equine Veterinary Journal, was conducted by Jennifer L. Williams, PhD, and colleagues in

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