NEWS & VIEWS Up On The Hill, continued from page 103
horses bound for slaughter were not being pro- tected because they were being delivered fi rst to an assembly point, feedlot, or stockyard, USDA proposed to redefi ne “equines for slaughter” to include these horses. USDA received over 90 comments during the comment period, includ- ing comments from the AHC.
Rule Changes T e fi nal rule makes several changes. T e pri-
mary change, which was in the proposed rule, broadens the application of the Act by expand- ing the defi nition of “equines for slaughter” to include “any member of the Equidae family be- ing transferred to a slaughter facility, including an assembly point, feedlot, or stockyard.” Pre- viously, the rule only applied to horses moved directly to a slaughter plant. In eff ect, the rule change moves up the point at which the regu- lations apply in the process of moving horses to a slaughter facility. T e rule changes provide equines delivered to intermediate points en route to slaughter with the same protections re- garding food, water, hour limits, and the prohi- bition on double-decker trucks, as those horses moved directly to plants. T is change eliminates the possibility that horses en route to slaughter could be trans- ported to an assembly point in a double-deck trailer and without any of the protections af- forded under the regulations. USDA believed equines were delivered to these intermediate points en route to slaughter in part to avoid compliance with the regulations. T e fi nal rule change eliminates that possibility.
Additional New Defi nitions T is fi nal rule also adds several new defi ni-
tions, which were not in the proposed rule. T ese are defi nitions of: • Assembly Point: Any facility, including auc- tion markets, ranches, feedlots, and stockyards, in which equines are gathered in commerce. • Feedlot: Any facility which consolidates live- stock for preconditioning, feeding, fattening, or holding before being sent to slaughter. • Stockyard: Any place, establishment, or facil- ity commonly known as stockyards, conducted, operated, or managed for profi t or nonprofi t as a public market for livestock producers, feed- ers, market agencies, and buyers, consisting of pens, or other enclosures, and their appurte- nances, in which live cattle, sheep, swine, hors- es, mules, or goats are received, held, or kept for sale or shipment in commerce.
USDA notes that these defi nitions are intended to be consistent with common industry and dic- tionary defi nitions of these terms as well as with the defi nitions established by the Grain Inspec- tion, Packers, and Stockyards Administration. In the narrative adopting the new rule, USDA noted that it will consider all horses delivered to an assembly point, feedlot or stockyard to be
104 | THE EQUIERY | OCTOBER 2011
equines for slaughter and subject to the regula- tions unless the owner/shipper presents an of- fi cial certifi cate of veterinary inspection and the original copy of a negative equine infectious anemia test chart or other documents indicat- ing the names and addresses of the consignor, consignee, owner and examining veterinarian for any horse being shipped, or other evidence
that the horses are not bound for slaughter. In addition, the condition precedent for the
Act and rules to apply requires that the horses in transit are actually “being transferred to a slaughter facility.” Simply shipping a horse to a facility, event, farm, ranch or sale would not subject the horse or the transport process to the Act and the regulations.
Graham Motion Honored by MHIB
On September 6, 2011, the Mary- land Horse Industry Board unveiled the “Touch of Class” award with a presenta- tion to Fair Hill-based trainer Graham Motion, trainer of this year’s Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. Motion currently ranks as the nation’s fourth lead- ing trainer of T oroughbred racehorses. Motion arrived at the Baltimore
County Ag Center in Hunt Valley af- ter having just wrapped up another big month, winning the Grade I Del Mar Oaks in Del Mar, California with Sum- mer Soiree on August 20 and the Grade II Ballston Spa Stakes at Saratoga, New York with Daveron on August 27. As of August 29, Motion had saddled 77 winners from 336 starts with total earnings of near $6.5 million. T e newly instituted awards program honors a Maryland horse/individual/team/organization
L-R Jennifer Rowland Small (breeder of Olympic Gold Medalist and Maryland-bred Thoroughbred Touch of Class, for whom the honor was named). Graham Motion, trainer of 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and fi rst recipient of “The Touch of Class” Award. Maryland Horse Industry Board Chairman Jim Steele
or event who demonstrates the highest standard of excellence in the Maryland horse industry. T e award will be presented a monthly basis to recognize the many outstanding accomplishments of Marylanders and Maryland horses in all equestrian disciplines and equine-related fi elds. “T ere are so many great horses, horse people and horse happenings in Maryland that we thought we should recognize and let people know about them on an ongoing basis,” said MHIB chairman Jim Steele (manager of Shamrock Farm in Woodbine). “T is is a strong, dynamic industry with determined and adventurous people and horses, exhibiting the best qualities of horsemanship all over the world.”
A Touch of Class No person or horse illustrates the ability to excel better than the
Maryland-bred T oroughbred “Touch of Class.” As are most T or- oughbreds in Maryland, the 1973 Yankee Lad fi lly was bred to race, but her propensity to jump out of 6’ high round pens made her breeder, Jennifer Rowland Small, think that the mare she registered with the Jockey Club as Stillaspill may have a career in the show ring. With some early guidance from steeplechase racing legend D. Mikey Smithwick and then renowned show trainer Sylvia Hechter, one thing led to another and soon the petite Touch of Class was long-legged Joe Fargis’ mount for the 1984 Olympic World Games.
Touch of Class posted the fi rst double clear rounds in Olympic history, and was only the fourth horse in history to earn two Olympic show jumping gold medals. Touch of Class was the fi rst nonhuman United States Olympic Committee Female Equestrian Athlete of the Year. Jennifer Small attended today’s inaugural presentation of the Touch of Class award in order to share her personal account of the mare’s accomplishments. T e Touch of Class awards will be presented monthly in recognition of those horses and/or
equestrians that continue to demonstrate that, like Touch of Class herself, while Maryland may be small in size, we are big in talent and accomplishments. T e Touch of Class award will be presented on Oct. 1 at the Maryland Million to the horse and rider featured on this month’s cover: Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz. For more information on Maryland’s latest dynamic duo, please see page 19. If you would like to make a nomination for a Touch of Class award recipient, please email the nominees name, contact information and recent (verifi able) accomplishments to the executive director of the Maryland Horse Industry Board, Ross Peddicord:
peddicrd@mda.state.md.us. 800-244-9580 |
www.equiery.com
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