Clare Tone

By Kay Coyte Published July 22, 2013 Washington Post This weekend marks the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, the day an agreement was signed to end the fighting in the peninsula now divided into North and South Korea. On Saturday, men and women who fought in Korea will be honored in Washington. But the day before, another kind of leatherneck (a nickname for a Marine) will be honored: a little red horse. Her name was Sergeant Reckless, and the Marines “drafted” her to pack ammunition to the battlefield and carry the wounded back to safety. But here’s the thing: She did it on her own. She kept climbing those jagged hills even after she was wounded. The soldiers came to love her so much that they brought her home from Korea after the war to live at Camp Pendleton in California. On Friday, “Operation Reckless” at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico will feature the unveiling of a life-size statue of Sergeant Reckless, a real war horse. “She was one of them, and that’s why they’re honoring her,” said Robin Hutton, of Ventura, California, who has written a book on the mare to be published this year. “She wasn’t a horse; she was a Marine.” You might think that Sergeant Reckless was the inspiration for last year’s movie “War Horse.” But that was based on a children’s fiction book about an English farm horse on the front lines of World War I. The story of Sergeant Reckless is just as epic, and all true. Lieutenant Colonel

Be sure to get a Brand Inspection From the Colorado Horse Council Contact Newsletter This time of year sends many Coloradans outside to enjoy our warm days and cool evenings; horseback riding is often a favorite summer activity and the Colorado Department of Agriculture reminds horse owners that state statutes require a “brand” inspection if they plan on buying, selling or transporting horses. Horse owners may purchase permanent horse travel permits for horses that are shipped frequently more than 75 miles within Colorado or across state lines. This can be a great financial savings since the permit is good for travel purposes for as long as the applicant owns the horse. “The Department typically sees an increase in the number of horses being bought and sold this time of year,” said CDA’s Brand Commissioner, Chris Whitney. “There has also been an increase in the number of horses in urban communities and folks need to remember to contact us for a transfer of ownership inspection.” In 2012, approximately 4,400 permanent horse travel cards were issued and 36,300 brand inspections were performed for horse sales statewide. Inspections include identifying the animal and certifying that the shipper or seller is the legal owner prior to issuing a certificate. The Division of Brand Inspection’s primary responsibility is to protect the livestock industry from loss by theft, illegal butchering, or straying of livestock. The division is assigned five principal regulatory responsibilities: Record and administer livestock brands Inspect livestock and verify ownership before sale, transportation beyond 75 miles, transportation out of state, or slaughter.

After posting the article on rabies I was saddened to hear of a beloved equine who was lost due to rabies. Our deepest thoughts are with you and your family. For those who have not vaccinated for rabies please consider discussing this with your veterinarian. I am reposting this from Sarah Reidy: Dear R.M.F.C. Members , This weekend brought the saddest news , one of our fellow members, avid participant in all of the the quadrilles Shari MacCallum  lost her trusted Fjord friend Finlay tragically to rabies. Finlay was  only seven years old , a beautiful horse, beautiful mover with a ton of bravado and cuteness. A rabies outbreak has been on the rise in Larimer County, and is moving rapidly both west and south. None of us really knew the real danger until now . Shari wants to tell all of us how important this vaccination is, she does not want anyone to go through what she had to endure. Vaccinations are only good for one year, a horses immune system is weak and the vaccination needs to be done annually. Shari will now have to take precaution for her own health and get the vaccination herself, this is no small task,  it is a series of shots over many weeks. Shari and Finlay were a lovely pair, and Finlay will be sadly missed. Our condolences Shari.
  Sarah Reidy  

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MUSEUM May 22, 2013; 09:30 AM San Bernardino County Museum scientists excavating an Ice Age mammoth skeleton from the Tule Springs area north of Las Vegas have found a skull and lower jaw of an ancient horse never before reported at the site or in Nevada. Horses are not uncommon in the Tule Springs fossil record, but not Equus scotti, a large horse common in much of western North America during the Pleistocene Epoch, or Ice Age. Las Vegas-area volunteers were instrumental in the discovery. “Our research funding from the Bureau of Land Management includes a strong public outreach component,” said Kathleen Springer, the museum’s senior curator of geological sciences and lead scientist for the research program in the upper Las Vegas Wash. “Because of this, we set up Nevada’s first paleontology-based site stewardship program, getting local citizens involved in our research. And now it’s paid off — in a big way.” Springer discovered the fossil site in 2003, during survey conducted by museum scientists and funded by the Las Vegas district office of the Bureau of Land Management. The original find — a tusk and tooth of a mammoth just peeking out at the surface — suggested that multiple parts of the skeleton might be present. In 2012, Springer’s mammoth site was selected for excavation as part of the BLM’s celebration of 50 years of science at Tule Springs. The presence of multiple bones made it ideal for excavation by site stewards working with museum paleontologists. Brushing through desert sediments at the

By Jean West-Watanabe The natural training approach to equine behavior has highlighted many new things about horses and their innate behaviors and instincts. One of those behaviors is that horses will store pain and stress in their bodies, learning to block pain out mentally so as not to show signs of weakness. Both domestic horses and their wild relatives are as inclined to do this for as long as they can, because they are prey animals and weakness can often mean death. It’s the very thing that predators look for when stalking herd animals. Horses will avoid showing weakness even in the comfort of their own backyards or barns. By the time a horse eventually favors a limb, leg and neck flexion have been compromised, the problem has reached an intolerable stage of pain and stress, and attention is needed immediately. What most people don’t know is that the stress and pain have already been stored there for quite some time, and early intervention can be helpful in preventing performance issues. The Masterson Method is becoming a nationally known therapy for innovative bodywork and is excellent in releasing this stored pain and stress for a better performance horse.  It all began in 1997 in Fairfield, Iowa, where Jim Masterson, the renowned equine bodyworker for USET Endurance Teams, FEI World Cup and World Games competition horses, began to take interest in Equine Massage. Jim noticed that horses would show neurological responses to light touch, releasing tension and stress from their body. Deep eye blinks, quivering lower lips,