Horse Talk

[ShrekDawg]

Well, they have a choice. The quickest and simplest solution is to put them down, though some people object to that. The other answer is to confine them in a facility where they are far enough away from any other horses as to not be a threat, and keep them there for the rest of their natural lives.

It seems confining them would be more cruel than putting them down, given they've been wild their whole lives.

 

[Kusanar]

I knew they rounded them up and swam across, used to love all the books and movies lol, but I hadn't realized they did testing or that they were owned. I guess that's not really book material.

But what do they do if they test positive and doesn't the hay and green hurt them because they're so used to eating the seagrass?

And hmmm that makes sense

They did kind of hint that they were owned in the books since all of the money from pony sales went to the fire department and they were the ones that organized the penning and sale.

Hay and grain may not be ideal, but, neither would penning up 200 horses and not feeding them anything for a week....

If a horse fails a coggins test (extremely unlikely this will ever happen on the island) then that horse needs to be put down. They test all of the adult horses every year so that the foals don't have to be tested to be transported and sold as otherwise buying a foal and taking it home would be breaking federal law.

EIA (what the coggins test is for) is transmitted by blood by a very specific fly, in very specific climates, and a lot of horses seem to be resistant to it even if they are exposed. The chances of that exact fly being on the island and biting an infected horse (which there aren't any within miles as the yearly tests prove), and then biting a non infected horse who's immune system was already not doing all that great at that exact moment... that's pretty slim chances...

I remember reading about an experiment done to see how fast it spreads years ago, so I don't remember specific details, but I do remember that they got a herd of horses that had tested positive and a herd of healthy horses, put them in a big field with a fence down the middle, healthy on one side, sick on the other, and left them for a year, when they re-tested, all of the healthy ones were still healthy....

 

[Bunnylady]

According to the USDA, the last time a horse in Virginia tested positive was some time in 2006. North Carolina had one case in 2008, and there were 4 cases in Massachusetts in 2009.

which there aren't any within miles as the yearly tests prove

Ummm . . . . More like, "of the horses that were tested, there were no positive cases detected." I know a negative Coggins is required when transporting a horse of more than 2 years of age across state lines, and (at least in my state) you need proof of a negative Coggins if you are going to take your horse any place where it will be around other horses, but the test itself is voluntary. If a horse isn't expected to be going anywhere, an owner might feel no need to spend $30 or more for the test; I've seen an estimate that less than a third of the horses in this country get tested.

 

[Kusanar]

According to the USDA, the last time a horse in Virginia tested positive was some time in 2006. North Carolina had one case in 2008, and there were 4 cases in Massachusetts in 2009.



Ummm . . . . More like, "of the horses that were tested, there were no positive cases detected." I know a negative Coggins is required when transporting a horse of more than 2 years of age across state lines, and (at least in my state) you need proof of a negative Coggins if you are going to take your horse any place where it will be around other horses, but the test itself is voluntary. If a horse isn't expected to be going anywhere, an owner might feel no need to spend $30 or more for the test; I've seen an estimate that less than a third of the horses in this country get tested.

Yes, but if all of the adults on the entire island are tested yearly, and flies aren't exactly known for flying across the ocean, I would say that they are pretty safe from catching EIA. Also, any horses that are imported to Chincoteague (which as it is a small island I would imagine are relatively few...) have to be tested by law to be put on a trailer and moved, so they shouldn't be carrying anything onto Chincoteague either.

In Virginia, the horses have to have a negative coggins WITH them if they leave the property that they live on, doesn't matter if they are led, ridden, trailered, or if they will be within miles of other horses or not. If I take my horse for a "trail ride" around the neighborhood that they live in, I legally have to have a hard copy of each horses coggins with me and be prepared to show it at any time.

 

[abigalerose]

I think the second to the last pic is a really nice example of fine photography. The way the sun is gently illuminating the horse and the how the building in the background is in the shade, also the pose of the horse has a certain peacefulness and tranquility to it. Very nice and a pleasure to look at.

Thank you! That one is my favorite too

Your photography is amazing and your horse is GORGEOUS! I love palomino's.

Thanks!! Palominos are totally the best, they’re underrated


And guys now i wanna see the pony’s! We actually have wild horses in Missouri too, but’s it’s a similar-ish situation, they’re just feral horses

 

[Kusanar]

And guys now i wanna see the pony’s! We actually have wild horses in Missouri too, but’s it’s a similar-ish situation, they’re just feral horses

I can try to upload some of the ones I took tonight. They're just cell phone photos, so not awesome, but I didn't want to be lugging my good camera around out in the freezing temps and wind.

 

[Bunnylady]

In Virginia, the horses have to have a negative coggins WITH them if they leave the property that they live on

Have you ever, in your entire horse-loving life, had anyone ask to see your Coggins paper when you were riding a horse anywhere? The people organizing a show or other event, sure, but just riding down a trail or road?

The number of horses that are basically pasture pets who go nowhere and do nothing might surprise you; it definitely surprised me. I daresay a lot of their owners don't see a need to spend the money for the test on the off chance that they might take the horse off the property in the next year, if they even know that the requirement exists. Among those who are aware of it, I'd be willing to bet a lot just shrug and say, "they gotta catch me, first." What the law says and what people do are often different things.

The chances of any horse testing positive are reasonably remote these days, but the risk is still there. The 4 horses in North Carolina that tested positive in 2003 were "banks ponies," as were the half-dozen or so in Georgia that tested positive a couple of years earlier. The North Carolina case was particularly poignant, because one of the positive mares had a foal at her side that was (obviously) too young to test.

 

[BridebelieverDD]

Thanks!! Palominos are totally the best, they’re underrated

TOTALLY! A lot of people I talk to think palominos are dumb and I'm like ! But I don't care because I love my little palomino!

 

[ShrekDawg]

They did kind of hint that they were owned in the books since all of the money from pony sales went to the fire department and they were the ones that organized the penning and sale.

Hay and grain may not be ideal, but, neither would penning up 200 horses and not feeding them anything for a week....

If a horse fails a coggins test (extremely unlikely this will ever happen on the island) then that horse needs to be put down. They test all of the adult horses every year so that the foals don't have to be tested to be transported and sold as otherwise buying a foal and taking it home would be breaking federal law.

EIA (what the coggins test is for) is transmitted by blood by a very specific fly, in very specific climates, and a lot of horses seem to be resistant to it even if they are exposed. The chances of that exact fly being on the island and biting an infected horse (which there aren't any within miles as the yearly tests prove), and then biting a non infected horse who's immune system was already not doing all that great at that exact moment... that's pretty slim chances...

I remember reading about an experiment done to see how fast it spreads years ago, so I don't remember specific details, but I do remember that they got a herd of horses that had tested positive and a herd of healthy horses, put them in a big field with a fence down the middle, healthy on one side, sick on the other, and left them for a year, when they re-tested, all of the healthy ones were still healthy....

According to the USDA, the last time a horse in Virginia tested positive was some time in 2006. North Carolina had one case in 2008, and there were 4 cases in Massachusetts in 2009.



Ummm . . . . More like, "of the horses that were tested, there were no positive cases detected." I know a negative Coggins is required when transporting a horse of more than 2 years of age across state lines, and (at least in my state) you need proof of a negative Coggins if you are going to take your horse any place where it will be around other horses, but the test itself is voluntary. If a horse isn't expected to be going anywhere, an owner might feel no need to spend $30 or more for the test; I've seen an estimate that less than a third of the horses in this country get tested.

Yes, but if all of the adults on the entire island are tested yearly, and flies aren't exactly known for flying across the ocean, I would say that they are pretty safe from catching EIA. Also, any horses that are imported to Chincoteague (which as it is a small island I would imagine are relatively few...) have to be tested by law to be put on a trailer and moved, so they shouldn't be carrying anything onto Chincoteague either.

In Virginia, the horses have to have a negative coggins WITH them if they leave the property that they live on, doesn't matter if they are led, ridden, trailered, or if they will be within miles of other horses or not. If I take my horse for a "trail ride" around the neighborhood that they live in, I legally have to have a hard copy of each horses coggins with me and be prepared to show it at any time.

Have you ever, in your entire horse-loving life, had anyone ask to see your Coggins paper when you were riding a horse anywhere? The people organizing a show or other event, sure, but just riding down a trail or road?

The number of horses that are basically pasture pets who go nowhere and do nothing might surprise you; it definitely surprised me. I daresay a lot of their owners don't see a need to spend the money for the test on the off chance that they might take the horse off the property in the next year, if they even know that the requirement exists. Among those who are aware of it, I'd be willing to bet a lot just shrug and say, "they gotta catch me, first." What the law says and what people do are often different things.

The chances of any horse testing positive are reasonably remote these days, but the risk is still there. The 4 horses in North Carolina that tested positive in 2003 were "banks ponies," as were the half-dozen or so in Georgia that tested positive a couple of years earlier. The North Carolina case was particularly poignant, because one of the positive mares had a foal at her side that was (obviously) too young to test.

Oh yeah, they did mention that! Been a while since i read the books.

And hmm that's true. Didn't really think of that. It's either feed them or starve, can't exactly go cutting grass off the island.

And interesting conversation, thanks.

 

[Bunnylady]

My pali and her pally (well, one of them; Syd is peeking in on this one, too).