New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson wants his state to be the first to establish a state-owned sanctuary for wild horses. On Sept. 16 Richardson announced he would use $2.8 million in funds awarded to the state under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to purchase the 12,142-acre Ortiz Mountain Ranch from the Nature Conservancy, an international land conservation or

A herd of 40 allegedly maltreated horses are under rehabilitative care after their removal from a Clarkesville, Ga., property on Monday. Habersham County Director of Animal services Jason Smith said county animal control authorities and personnel from the Lil One’s Ridin’ Ranch horse rescue removed the animals after county officials assumed an earlier Georgia Department of

More than 80 horses are residing at a Salt Lake County, Utah, equestrian center after a wild fire forced them from their homes this past weekend. The fire broke out early Sunday afternoon when a training exercise at Camp Williams, a Utah National Guard training base, went awry, said Lieutenant Colonel Hank McIntire, public information officer for the Utah National Guard.

A bill that would establish permanent population levels for a wild horse herd residing on North Carolina’s Outer Banks is pending in the U.S. House of Representatives’ Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans, and Wildlife.

Anyone who abuses, teases, or otherwise interferes with a police horse in Kansas City, Mo., could face criminal charges and penalties including fines of up to $500 and 180 days in jail, according to a new ordinance that went into effect in that city last month. The law also protects dogs used in the police department’s canine unit. Kansas City Police Department Public Informat

A California company that uses green screen technology to produce digital images of horses and other animals for use in print and film advertisements and other applications has partnered with the American Humane Association, a national organization that monitors the care of animals used in film and television projects to ensure they are photographed in safe, low-stress environments.

The Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners will reconsider a proposed rule that would prohibit so-called “lay equine dentists” in that state from using motorized or air-powered files to float horses’ teeth without the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian. General Council Nicole Oria said the board voted to reconsider the proposed Sept. 10 because veterinarians

Two Florida men accused of poaching two horses and butchering them for their meat will soon decide whether they will accept a plea deal in the case or go to trial for multiple felony charges. Miami-Dade County law enforcement authorities arrested Luis Miguel Cordero on Sept. 15, 2009, as he attempted to

Former Ohio Arabian horse trainer Robin Vess, who was found guilty on multiple animal cruelty charges in April, has lost her bid for a retrial. Animal welfare authorities charged Vess with 42 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty in February after they discovered 37 animals living in filth without food or water on her Oak Harbor farm. One horse was found dead, another five were eut

A Virginia veterinarian faces multiple animal cruelty charges for allegedly neglecting 18 horses that were removed from her Franklin County property last month. Captain Aleck Beeman of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department said law enforcement authorities seized the animals on Aug. 16 after neighbors complained about their condition. “Veterinarians body scor

More than 40 of the 80 horses removed from a Kansas equine rescue in July are available for placement in new permanent homes. Sheriff’s deputies and veterinarians removed the horses from the Winding Road Equine Rescue and Retirement facility on July

A Florida woman faces a felony charge for failing to inform state agricultural authorities that a horse on her property tested positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA). EIA is an infectious, potentially fatal viral disease transferred from horse-to-horse by biting insects such as horseflies and deer flies. Infected horses display acute or chronic symptoms including fever, anemia, edema, and gen

Hurricane Earl isn’t expected to take a swipe at Massachusetts’ east coast until Saturday, but on Tuesday boarding barn operator Dausha Campbell didn’t waste time preparing for the storm’s arrival. “We feel like we’re a great big target,” said Campbell, owner of Serendipity Stables, in Plymouth. “Fortunately, we’re on pretty high ground and

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has asked the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council (NAS/NRC), an independent, nonprofit group that advises government agencies on scientific issues, to review the agency’s Wild Horse and Burro Program management operations. The NAS/NRC would review technical aspects of the program, including science-based animal population