Re: I.J. Anti-horse Letter needs response....

["Lee Proctor" <proctor@proctor.worldonline.co.uk>]

Horses can't get Foot and Mouth disease so they won't be foaming at the
mouth spreading the virus.  They can only carry it on their hooves and
bodies in the same way as humans can.

Sarah (in England unfortunately in the thick of it)

----- Original Message -----
From: "KIMBERLY PRICE" <kmprice51@hotmail.com>
To: <buceye@pacbell.net>; <babsii@earthlink.net>; <corinne@saber.net>;
<babs@wenet.net>; <ELISEG01@AOL.COM>; <greymare@jps.net>;
<hapytrails@hotmail.com>; <romander@foothill.net>;
<mlsmith@marin.k12.ca.us>; <rountree@cc.ucsf.edu>; <ridecamp@endurance.net>;
<robin_everett@yahoo.com>
Sent: 24 March 2001 05:16
Subject: RC: I.J. Anti-horse Letter needs response....


> Letter published in the I.J. today, 3/23/01:
>
> Horse left the barn
> Fire roads and single track trails are too precious to all of us to
> risk contamination by hoof and mouth and mad cow disease by horses.
>
> The equestrian community in Marin transports and breeds horses from
> all over the world.  Once here, these horses often share pastures and
> animal feed with sheep and cattle -- perfect conditions for the
> transmission of these diseases.
>
> If hoof and mouth takes root here on our wonderful water resource, it
> can be quickly spread by other horses and also by the native deer
> population.  We might be looking at culling thousands of native deer
> and tule elk to eradicate it.  We might also be looking at the
> slaughter of Marin's dariy cows.
>
> Water quality could be threatened if fire roads and thousands of
> miles of single track trails must be sprayed with pesticides.
> Already, hoff and mouth has jumped to France and Holland, and prudent
> cattlemen in this country are taking this threat very seriously.
>
> What are we doing in Marin to make sure that equestrians who
> admittedly have little control over their animals under the best of
> conditions are not riding trails astride animals weighing many
> hundreds of pounds -- and foaming mad with an infection that poses a
> significant safety threat to other trail users such as children and
> the elderly?
>
> It would be prudent to restrict access to all fire roads and single
> track trails by horses for six months unless the horse rider can show
> upon demand that the horse has been examined by a vet or state
> agricultural official to be free of these dreaded diseases.
>
> In six months, review the situation to determine if it is safe to
> allow horses back on the trails.
>
> Certainly the policy of allowing horses to defecate throughtout the
> reservoir system should also be replaced by a poop and scoop policy
> since pathogens are easily transmitted inthis manner.
>
> Written by M.P. Fitzgerald, San Geronimo
>
> To Write a Letter to the I.J.:
> Must be 250 or less words.  Allowed to be edited by I.J. staff.
> Must include name, address, daytime phone number and be verifiable.
> Write to:  Reader's Forum, Marin I.J., P.O. Box 6150, Novato 94948-
> 6150, Fax 415-883-5458, Email: opinion@m...
>
>
> Please feel free to spread this around.  This letter is obviously
> intended to promote panick about a disease which is not here by a
> person who doesn't like horses (or poop) on the trail.
>
> Thanks!
> Kimberly &Mystery the Morab ("I'm only fertilizing the flowers!!")
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
>
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
> Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
> Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>