Equine Licensing and Registration...HB 427.......Chickens next???

[pmitch10]

This Tuesday make your voice heard in the Legislative Bldg. in Concord at 1:45 I believe. Check out nhequestrians.com for all the information.

They are trying to make mandatory rabies shots by a state veterinarian and make you pay $25 to register each horse with the town.

If this passes I am sure they will not limit it just to horses.......what about cows, chickens, llamas, goats, sheep, etc.....you get the picture.

Please if you cannot attend at least email those that are on the local housing and welfare committee and let your concerns be made known.......thanks!

We have cows, chickens and one horse.......I can't imagine registering them all.......what would that do to small farms and even larger ones?

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

We had to "register" our horses when we had them in our back yard years ago. Small town, south of Boston.
This isnt new. Cost was $20 per horse a year. Enforced by the BOH and the towns animal control officer. Larger stables pay all types of fee's and such basically "registering" them as well.
With all the cuts being made to local aid the cities and towns are looking for "new" ways to bring money in. It isnt all about NAIS all the time

 

[pmitch10]

Well....you don't have to agree to it is all I am saying. This is not done in NH and shouldn't be started. NH is known for its fields and agricultural communities.....lets not jeopardize that.

We are still able to make a difference as individuals if we will but stand up for our liberties which the government in all its bureaucracies is slowly eroding away until what? We have become a communist nation???

Take a stand for that which you are still able to take a stand for NH citizens!

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

I think that the US is FAR from becoming a communist nation.

Liberties are not being taken away by having people register their horses and needing to have a rabies vaccine administered. It is only common sense that they be vaccinated against rabies in the first place. And I can not imagine that the "state vet" is going to really be the one to do all the horses in the state.

Individual vets can/ will and do and then they have the record of it being done. Do you really think that the state or federal government cant and already does not get this information when they want it? It isnt like human medical records that are "private"

Horses are a luxury. And with the failing economy many more are going to be abandoned, sent to auctions and such. Those that arent are at risk for NOT getting the needed vaccinations. Which could lead to an outbreak of rabies, which could then be spread to the humans that come in contact with them also. Usually young children. All the states are looking at severe losses in income for basic programs and needed safety systems. Cuts have already been being made. So. the question will become.
Register your horse for a minimal amount and make sure all the horses are safe from getting rabies? (NOT PRETTY BTW) Help the state/town pay for other things. Like maybe teachers,police, fire, Who knows? Or let the horse owners out there that cant afford to have their horses properly taken care of (and you know they arent about to sell their horses!) Expose them and other innocent people and animals to rabies?

Again. It isnt always about NAIS or even about ones "liberties" being taken away. Sometimes it is about the PUBLIC good.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Sometimes it is about the PUBLIC good.

Hmm. I wonder. Can you quote me ONE instance of someone acquiring rabies from a HORSE?!?

Rabies vaccination of horses is to prevent the horse from having to endure a hideous death from rabid wildlife bites that the animal can be exposed to while grazing in a pasture. They do not roam the neighborhood the way many country dogs do. There is no need to register horses except to make money for the city/county government that requires the licensing. The license fee is one more cost to be add to the many other costs that are slowly making it impossible for poor, ordinary kids to own a backyard horse. Why should horse ownership be limited to the upper middle class folks who can afford all these inflated costs? Horse ownership can teach responsibility to kids. It's far better to have them so busy with their horses that they don't have time for the millions of temptations out there that can ruin their young lives. But that isn't gonna happen if we keep piling on these extraneous costs of ownership.


Rusty​

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

Quote:
Hmm. I wonder. Can you quote me ONE instance of someone acquiring rabies from a HORSE?!?

Rabies vaccination of horses is to prevent the horse from having to endure a hideous death from rabid wildlife bites that the animal can be exposed to while grazing in a pasture. They do not roam the neighborhood the way many country dogs do. There is no need to register horses except to make money for the city/county government that requires the licensing. The license fee is one more cost to be add to the many other costs that are slowly making it impossible for poor, ordinary kids to own a backyard horse. Why should horse ownership be limited to the upper middle class folks who can afford all these inflated costs? Horse ownership can teach responsibility to kids. It's far better to have them so busy with their horses that they don't have time for the millions of temptations out there that can ruin their young lives. But that isn't gonna happen if we keep piling on these extraneous costs of ownership.


Rusty

No But why on earth would one take a chance? And if not for the human public good, then what about other horses? And their owners? I for one, would be put in jail for assault if my horse were to contact rabies because some jackass didnt get their horse vaccinated.

I guess it is just me. But then again I also choose to vaccinate my child. As well as my dog and cats. And yes my horse is vaccinated yearly.
I just do not see a problem with paying a fee, to a state, town or city to keep a horse. IMHO they are no different than dogs and cats. But hey. You want to take a chance. You dont want to pay a minimal fee for a "luxury"? Even if it is an animal.. fine.
But heavens dont come a whining should something happen or if rates go up for other things, or if your services get hacked because there is no money to run them. You can not have it both ways. Not in this day and age.

also. If a $20 fee is going to keep a family from owning a horse in their back yard. Then just maybe they should not own a horse in the first place. They are not cheap animals to keep. They are expensive. $20 bucks is a drop in the bucket when it comes to horse keeping(atleast proper horse keeping) with the rising costs of feed, hay, grain, bedding. farrier(trimming now costs on average $40 For a TRIM) Vet. Then any emergency care that might arise. If you keep a horse in your back yard there is fencing and continual maintenance there. Board out and you have fees.

We had horses in our back yard in the late 80s through the 90s. We were in no way "rich" but we were upper middle class. When I started working I paid for the horses upkeep along with my folks. I did the work (still do the mucking etc. And I do the vaccinations as well. I am more than qualified to do it.) Horses are NOT for everyone. And not everyone should have one. They are a LUXURY. Not a right.
there are many programs out there for kids to get into that are intersted in horses. From the basic care to riding. You can lease a horse.

Sorry. But there are other ways for kids to learn "responsibility" other than having Trigger or sugar in the back yard

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
Only mammals get rabies. You won't have to worry about the chickens in this thread.

My sheep and goats get a rabies vac every year. I give it to them. I have a box of vaccine in my fridge now.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

Quote:
Only mammals get rabies. You won't have to worry about the chickens in this thread.

My sheep and goats get a rabies vac every year. I give it to them. I have a box of vaccine in my fridge now.

i think he was talking about the licensing part of it.
But since many people have to pay a fee to keep chickens where they live. That is already being done

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Rhett and Sarah's Mom, please go back and reread my post. NOWHERE am I suggesting that horses should not be vaccinated against rabies. NOWHERE. What I am saying is that vaccinating them is for THEIR protection, not ours. And since it is for their protection (like all the rest of the vaccinations that they get) there is no compelling need to license them. We do not allow our horses to roam the streets the way some dog owners do. Dogs are licensed to protect the public from the ones that DO roam and make sure they will not spread rabies to the rest of US. Being carnivores it is in their nature to bite, whereas a horse will kick you LONG before he will bite you.

How many loose dogs have you seen this week? How many loose horses?

And just because I do not license my horses, it does not automatically follow that I do not vaccinate or worm them. I, too, have been keeping horses for awhile now. Try 50 years. And breeding for 30.

Right now there are thousands of horses in need of homes because of this economy. Licensing fees will just add to the problem, not because they are so prohibitive but because every horse owner only has so many dollars to spend to keep on keeping his horse. I don't know about you but my feed costs have doubled since last year. My vet fees are up. I finally went back to trimming my own again because I cannot afford both the farrier AND the glucosamine my old mare needs. I, too, do my own shots and worming. Add a license fee on top of all that? I don't think so.

And since suddenly it has become so expensive, should I now just put my horses down or ship them off to auction? Several of them are old and nobody wants them but me (and I have had them for their whole lives). You want to tell THEM what a "luxury" they are? So I eat eggs and pbj to stretch the cash.

And, no, I DON'T think they need a license!

Rusty

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

I have no idea if there have been any cases of it happening. BUT it IS POSSIBLE.
If a horse has rabies. And a person dealing with THAT horse were to have a cut and saliva got into that cut. remote possibility yes. Then a human could indeed become infected from a horse.
And mare are the ones more apt to kick and strike. Stallions and gelding are more apt to bite.

No loose dogs. Thankfully. But my horses would take off if the fence went down for a moment. And there are currently TWO loose horses in the New England area. And reports of several dozen loose in the southern states as they are being dumped. FACT. Not fiction as the economy gets worse and the plants have been closed

Licensing would be TWENTY or so dollars per YEAR. Not month. Not week. A YEAR! So give me a break that that would hurt someone with room in their back yard that wants horses. I have had them in my back yard. I have boarded out AND I have run a 60 plus stall facility in the south.
If that small amount would be prohibiting someone from owning a horse. Than GOOD. It should. Costs arent going to go down. they are only going to increase.

Myself, and several other responsible horse owners would have our horses put down rather than suddenly find that keeping them, as they should be kept was going to be nearly impossible. And my horse is w well trained semi retired TB. I would rather him be in the ground than be owned b someone who would think that $20 a year is going to put them in the poor house.

I dont care how long you have been "in horses" and the fact that you have bred or done breeding with them means little as well. The fact is that they are a luxury. NOT everyone should own one. They are simply NOT chickens. They are a bigger responsibility than many people have any right to take on. Kinda like how some people should not have children. And yes. I think they should license for that as well. Or at least make a person(s) take a class.

Many state and towns have a "fee" to have horses. It isnt a big deal. It isnt "scary" Big Brother. Its a way to get money for the state. Many here are raising the cost parking tickets. I pay an excise tax yearly on my vehicle. I am not whining about it and saying No No No. I know it is because the state uses that money for other things. But having a car is a luxury as well. One that I and my dh work our tails off to have.

So maybe a am a communist. Woopie! I will support what ever I can that will bring money into the towns/states to help things keep running. And yes. I even support taxes!!!!!!

And good for you on the eggs and pbj. How many people will just NOT do that? Check out Another Chance for Horses. How many do you think were back yard buddies? or bred by someone that thought they would be for the rest of their lives?

Rhett would love to have a license on his halter. Hell I would chip him in a nano second f it meant keeping him safe