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Thought there would be interest in this . . . 
Stacy

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Dear All,

Please excuse the mass mailing, but the message would be the same to all of
you....

At the end of this is an article I've written about some proposed studies that
I think are important.  However, I'm not that widely known as an author.....
I'm asking two things:
1.  Please write your own letter.  You are from all parts of the country and
it will have some impact.
2.  Get it printed in your local club newsletter or paper.  I'm not asking for
payment for this piece (been a volunteer too long, I guess), except to know
where it will be running.  If you can get me a copy of the article as it is
printed it would be VERY much appreciated.
I think this is important and what to get the word out to as many horse owners
as possible.
Thanks to all of you!
Kandee


Across the country people make jokes about California being the land of fruits
and nuts and the strange ideas and happenings that occur in that state.  This
time, however, a group of California equestrians is leading the way in
proposing to create research that will help us all keep our horses and
continue riding them without becoming criminals.

Their initial meeting was held last December 7th when a dozen equestrians met
near the San Francisco Bay to discuss the possible regulatory threats to
equestrian facilities and to the preservation of horses in our lives and in
public places, including trails.  The honored guest was Rob Atwill, DVM, the
senior researcher at the University of California Veterinary. Medicine
Teaching & Research Center at Tulare, CA.   Attendees were affiliated with
water quality agencies, the farm bureau, environmental science groups,
American Endurance Ride Conference, North American Trail Riding Conference,
various boarding stables, state park commissions, trails committees, and
writers.

Each person spoke of their concerns and then developed a list of all the
topics that they saw as affecting horse facilities or that seemed probably to
come up in the future.  They then tried to link their concerns to a possible
research project that would be needed to develop sound "horse science" to
provide the facts, data, and verifiable conclusions to allow horse owners and
riders to educate the appropriate authorities regarding the impact of their
activities.  These studies would be used to refute some of the claims made by
radical environmentalists and keep horse keeping a reasonable pursuit.

The topics that came out of this initial meeting include:

The federal government operating under the mandates of the Clean Water Act and
various state Environmental Protection Agencies and others are taking an
intensive look at the effects of horses and horse keeping across the country
regarding the effects of horses, in general, and manure, in particular, on the
environment.  One proposed research project would study the effects of horse
facilities and manure on ground water.  This includes the effects of nitrates
and phosphates leaching from manure, as well as ammonia in urine flowing
directly into the ground.  Another study would have roughly the same focus,
but would concentrate on surface water and what the effects of the
insecticides, shampoos, sprays, and vermifuges (wormers), if any, that horse
facilities may contribute directly to water pollution.

Why should such a study matter to you?  Within the last several years the
State of Wisconsin proposed fencing all streams to prevent livestock from
contaminating the water.  This proposal was not considered unusual by staffers
of state EPA agencies I discussed it with.  Horse keeping facilities with as
few as three horses on five acres could be considered a source of non-point
pollution in some of their minds.  Non-point pollution sourcing is a growing
investigation in many areas.  This could mean that if your barn is "up-stream"
you are the source of the pollution.

The subjects of erosion and sedimentation are deeply involved in trail
development, clean water rulings, and access to horse keeping and riding
areas.  When stream banks become eroded from pasturing horses or trail use, it
affects the water quality and habitat for fish and wildlife alike.  Both state
and federal agencies are now taking a hard look at private lands and the
effects that erosion and sedimentation cause on public lands.

Coupled with this examination of the causes of erosion and sedimentation is
the establishment of buffer zones and buffer planting and the effect of stock
keeping, including horse facilities, on what is known as riparian habitat.  A
riparian area is what we would call the banks of a stream, lake, or other
permanent or seasonal body of water.  In many areas, what was habitat is now a
mowed pasture and wildlife in general and occasionally endangered or
threatened species have been forced out of an area.

Weeds are simply plants that are growing where people don't think they belong.
Good lawn grass is a weed when it grows in the garden.  Do horses bring
"weeds" with them in their manure?  This has long been a controversial topic.
The "science" that led to many areas requiring the use of certified weed free
hay is based on a study of cattle manure in Central America.  When you
consider the biological differences between cattle and horses, the reason for
accurate research should be evident.

Public land access is a major problem for many equestrians.  Educating land
managers regarding the actual impact of allowing horses in their areas, the
liability limitation and volunteer worker laws in their own states, as well as
the results of bonafiable studies is part of what is proposed by the
California group.

Another proposed study is that of pathogens.  What diseases do horses spread
to humans?  What diseases to horses spread to other animals?  There are
studies proving that no diseases are transmitted from horses to humans, but
they are older than current science is willing to accept or based on small
studies.  This area of proposed study is very broad and is one that every
horse owner should be concerned about.  It would, of course, include E.coli
and cryptosporidium.

Then, of course, there is manure management.  Just how quickly does horse
manure, as opposed to cow, deer, dog, etc., decompose.  Those of us who are
only too familiar with horse manure and handling it are usually not bothered
by it much, but the majority of the population seems to find it extremely
unpleasant to see or smell.  Manure has been a deciding factor in zoning
disputes, trail access, horse camping, and other areas.  The "facts" about
manure would be of significant value.  What temperature and other conditions
are involved with horse manure composting?  Does composting remove potential
hazards?  (Refer to the disease transmission paragraph above.)

Other potential study questions being considered by the group are:
· the effects of grazing horses in mountain meadows
· the impact of horse camping on wilderness and other areas
· comparison of the different types of livestock impacts (horse keeping vs.
diary cattle, etc.)
· the impact of present and proposed legislation and litigation on horses and
horse keeping

Good science, not slanted science is needed to influence changes within such
organizations as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Native Plant Society,
the Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, and other groups with
"attitudes."  The group is also seeking to establish a Board for Peer Review
that would be made up of qualified, blue ribbon scientists and consultants to
establish that the science being generated and used is, in fact, good science.

The twelve equestrians who formed this group are united in the belief that we
must be pro-active starting NOW and into the future.  "The Back Country
Horsemen research on crytosporidium was completed "just in time" to avoid
wholesale closure of watersheds and other public area trails to horses,"
stated Connie Berto, one of the members of the group.  "We know that the
alleged impacts of nitrates and phosphates from manure and urine are already
being used against horse facilities.  Unlike hikers with the American Hiking
Society, and mountain bicyclists with the International Mountain Biking
Association, we do not have a national organization to aggressively represent
us in the political, trail access, and horse science areas, because of this
"Envirohorse" has been formed."

What Envirohorse is asking from you is simple: Write them a letter expressing
your concerns and ideas about horses and horse keeping.  They are a small
group and do not believe that they know everything there is to know about
horses and horse keeping.  They need your input in order to work with
researchers and get these studies underway.  The more importance a given
proposed study is supported by the horse owning public, the better the
probability of getting the research started and the sooner the results will be
available for all of us to use.

These studies are about horse keeping.  Period.  Not about trails, dressage,
team penning, Quarter Horses, racehorses, Icelandic horses, brood mares,
mules, or ponies.  These are the studies that will affect each and every one
of us on a day to day basis.  Please - write that letter and then send it to:
Connie Berto, 70 Crane Drive, San Anselmo, CA 94960 or e-mail her at
cberto@juno.com.
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