The Santana Center
a 501 c3 nonprofit center for equine education and outreach
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The Santana Center a 501 c3 nonprofit center for equine education and outreach |
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Welcome horses into your life with knowledge and kindness and hold on for the ride of your life!
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News |
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Thanks so much for the generous blanket donations from Dover Saddlery, North Kingstown! Hilary MacDonald selected The Santana Center to receive the benefit of the Rambo Blanket Exchange Program. Customers could drop off a blanket and receive $50 off a new one plus the old one gets donated to a local rescue. We are now ready for whatever winter throws at us, plus we have some extras to sell as fundraisers. If you need one, let us know! Recession hits Rhode Island Horse Owners. New Rescue Horse available. RI Horse Summit We received a generous grant from the RI Foundation to start organizing the RI Horse Summit. If interested in helping out please contact us! Government Accounting Office (GAO) Report Summary Since domestic horse slaughter ceased in 2007, the slaughter horse market has shifted to Canada and Mexico. From 2006 through 2010, U.S. horse exports for slaughter increased by 148 and 660 percent to Canada and Mexico, respectively. As a result, nearly the same number of U.S. horses was transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter in 2010--nearly 138,000--as was slaughtered before domestic slaughter ceased. Available data show that horse prices declined since 2007, mainly for the lower-priced horses that are more likely to be bought for slaughter. GAO analysis of horse sale data estimates that closing domestic horse slaughtering facilities significantly and negatively affected lower-to-medium priced horses by 8 to 21 percent; higher-priced horses appear not to have lost value for that reason. Also, GAO estimates the economic downturn reduced prices for all horses by 4 to 5 percent. Comprehensive, national data are lacking, but state, local government, and animal welfare organizations report a rise in investigations for horse neglect and more abandoned horses since 2007. For example, Colorado data showed that investigations for horse neglect and abuse increased more than 60 percent from 975 in 2005 to 1,588 in 2009. Also, California, Texas, and Florida reported more horses abandoned on private or state land since 2007. These changes have strained resources, according to state data and officials that GAO interviewed. State, local, tribal, and horse industry officials generally attributed these increases in neglect and abandonments to cessation of domestic slaughter and the economic downturn. Others, including representatives from some animal welfare organizations, questioned the relevance of cessation of slaughter to these problems. USDA faces three broad challenges in overseeing the welfare of horses during transport to slaughter. First, among other management challenges, the current transport regulation only applies to horses transported directly to slaughtering facilities. A 2007 proposed rule would more broadly include horses moved first to stockyards, assembly points, and feedlots before being transported to Canada and Mexico, but delays in issuing a final rule have prevented USDA from protecting horses during much of their transit to slaughtering facilities. In addition, GAO found that many owner/shipper certificates, which document compliance with the regulation, are being returned to USDA without key information, if they are returned at all. Second, annual legislative prohibitions on USDA's use of federal funds for inspecting horses impede USDA's ability to improve compliance with, and enforcement of, the transport regulation. Third, GAO analysis shows that U.S. horses intended for slaughter are now traveling significantly greater distances to reach their final destination, where they are not covered by U.S. humane slaughter protections. With cessation of domestic slaughter, USDA lacks staff and resources at the borders and foreign slaughtering facilities that it once had in domestic facilities to help identify problems with shipping paperwork or the condition of horses before they are slaughtered. GAO suggests that Congress may wish to reconsider restrictions on the use of federal funds to inspect horses for slaughter or, instead, consider a permanent ban on horse slaughter. GAO recommends that USDA issue a final rule to protect horses through more of the transportation chain to slaughter and consider ways to better leverage resources for compliance activities. USDA agreed with GAO's recommendations and noted specific actions it will take to implement them. Rhode Island Horse Census The results are in for the Rhode Island Horse Census. Click here to view the final report. Executive Summary The results of this survey show that Rhode Island (RI) has a thriving equine industry. Using both veterinary and owner surveys, we were able to determine that horse numbers in Rhode Island in 2006 ranged between 6814-7301. Due to the small size of the state and the concentrated rural areas, the density of horses in RI may be one of the highest in the country. Although the intent of this survey was not to evaluate economic impact of this substantial industry, there are many areas where there is potential growth to meet the needs of the industry, for instance in local quality hay production, rescue services and owner education. There were several areas of concern expressed by the horse owners regarding the present and future of the industry. These included: Access to safe riding areas, sufficient qualified veterinarians and farriers, horse neglect and abuse, costs of feed and supplies, unrealistic regulations, and emergency preparedness. There are many state, federal, public and private organizations working on aspects of large animal issues. It would be advantageous to convene a 'Horse Summit' in the near future to bring together those horse owners with service providers to begin to form a formal horse community. Funding for the Rhode Island horse survey was provided by the Virginia B. Butler Fund and the Helen Walker Raleigh Animal Fund of the Rhode Island Foundation, a charitable community trust serving the people of Rhode Island (RI). The survey is sponsored by the Santana Center for Equine Education and Outreach (a non-profit 501(c)(3)), the RI Department of Environmental Management, Division of Agriculture, Animal Health Unit, and the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA). |
Donations Donations are greatly appreciated and can be given in a variety of ways. Click the links below to donate through buying. Equiglass will make a contribution to the Santana Center if you order through this site. They are beautiful stained glass light catchers of your horse or others! Click the link below to start shopping. Thank you!
For your convenience, if you would like to make a donation to the Santana Center, Paypal can be accessed using the link below.
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