Important Message For Lusitano Owners

By Administrator on March 20th, 2009
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If you own an APSL inscribed or revised stallion born on or before 1994, please read the following message from the IALHA/PSL working group. This affects ONLY stallions revised with APSL in Portugal.

Dear Lusitano Owners and Breeders,

In January of 2009, the APSL (Portuguese Lusitano Studbook) notified the IALHA that they will be requiring all stallions born 1994 or before to have their DNA collected and their identification re-certified. The APSL is updating their studbook and enhancing their database with DNA on the horses that were born before this technology was used in Portugal.

All stallions, worldwide, that are in the APSL studbook and are still breeding mares must have this done this year or they will be considered deceased and their offspring will not be registered into the Portuguese studbook after 2009. Even if the stallions have their DNA already on file in existing databases, such as the IALHA, they must be retested at this time.

This procedure will require that a licensed veterinarian visit the horse and take a sample of his hair and, at the same time, draw a detailed diagram of the horse’s markings, whorls, brands and scars on the official APSL markings diagram. The vet must be sure to submit the hair sample him/herself to the UCDavis lab and sign and date the markings diagram. The markings diagram must be submitted to the IALHA office for proper forwarding , along with the DNA report issued to the IALHA by UC Davis, to the APSL office in Portugal .

Please call the IALHA office and ask for Lila. She will order the hair kit and make sure that you have the proper markings form . The standard fee will apply for the hair kit, the form is free, and the office will charge a $25 office fee to include sending the documents to Portugal. The total paid to the IALHA for this process will be $80 (an owner with more than one stallion will only pay the office fee once along with the hair kit fee for each horse). You will be given a step- by- step info sheet that must be followed to complete this process.

This is a very important request from the APSL and we would like to ensure that all stallions that are in this age group get their information filed in a timely manner. Please submit your documentation to the IALHA office no later than May 15, 2009. This will allow UC Davis time to process the DNA tests so that the information can be delivered to Portugal by the end of June, 2009.

Please call the IALHA office with any questions (ask for Lila).

Thank you,
IALHA/PSL Working Group

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AHC Urges Land Managers to use Stimulus Funding for Equestrian Trails

By Administrator on March 10th, 2009
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The American Horse Council has asked the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to use stimulus funding for trails.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 signed into law on February 17 appropriates over $1.7 billion for the NPS, USFS, and BLM that can be used for the maintenance and construction of trails and other infrastructure improvements on public lands.

The AHC recently wrote to NPS Acting Director Dan Wenk, Chief of USFS Gail Kimbell, and BLM Acting Director Mike Pool urging the agencies to allocate a significant portion of stimulus funding to address the current backlog of needed infrastructure improvements on public lands, including maintenance and construction of trails and other facilities that are open to equestrians.

The AHC cited the importance of public lands and trails to recreational riders around the country and the economic impact of the recreational riding community on the national economy. “The recreational horse industry contributes $11.8 billion a year directly to the economy and directly employs nearly 130,000 people nationwide. Indirectly the industry contributes an additional $20.1 billion and generates another 307, 000 jobs. That is significant and extremely important in these economic times,” said AHC President Jay Hickey.

The NPS, USFS, and BLM have yet to finalize spending plans for this recently appropriated money. “An opportunity exists for equestrian groups to provide input to land managers in their states and communities on how this money should be spent,” said AHC Legislative Director Ben Pendergrass, “and recreational riders must work with these federal agencies to ensure that equestrian trails are among the projects to benefit from these funds.”

The AHC encourages members of the equestrian community who use these public lands to contact their local Ranger Districts, Forest Supervisors, BLM field or District offices and NPS Superintendents to work with them to identify projects beneficial to riders in their area. “This is a great chance to improve trails for equestrians and stimulate the economy,” said Hickey.

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