New York State Center for Equine Business Development

02/03/2023

The NYS Horse Breeders Association has canceled its 2023 horse show, the first victim of increased rental and labor costs at the state fairgrounds in Syracuse. Jim Mathers, president of the Breeders Association, expressed his "sincere gratitude to the many exhibitors and sponsors that have supported us." The show has been held at the fairgrounds for more than 60 years.

In a Facebook post Thursday, the President of the New York State Breeders Horse Show Association Jim Mather announced that the annual horse show at the NYS Fair

12/14/2022

Whew! We remembered this just in the nick of time: It's Dec. 13, so celebrate the National Day of the Horse! Established by Congress in 2004, this is one government proclamation everyone can support. We say it’s an excellent reason to give your favorite hardworking equine a well-deserved day off.

11/29/2022

Help the American Horse Council protect recreational horse haulers.
The AHC wants to hear from anyone who was stopped and/or fined by law enforcement for lack of a Commercial Driver's License. According to AHC President Julie Broadway, the federal DOT says small horse haulers -- such as those towing a two or four horse trailer for personal use or recreation -- are not a target. However, state and local enforcement of the federal regulations varies.
She's asking the equestrian community to email AHC at info@horsecouncil.org about any incidents where you have been stopped for CDL in 2022. AHC would like to know what type of rig you were driving/hauling; did it have commercial markings including sponsor logos; where you were stopped and by what agency; and whether a ticket was issued.

10/19/2022

New York has lowered the overtime threshold for agricultural workers from 60 hours to 40 hours. The overtime threshold will be reduced by four hours every two years beginning on Jan. 1, 2024 until it reaches 40 hours in 2032.
The state will reimburse farmers for the overtime premium as the threshold drops, in an effort to offset any adverse financial effects, according to the law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King. However, the tax credit will only be for the extra cost of the overtime wage, not the hourly rate.
According to the State Division of Budget, the overtime credit is expected to cost $184 million from 2024 to 2027. By the time the 40-hour work week is fully implemented in 2032, the cost will increase to approximately $153 million annually.
Before the change goes into effect, the Labor Department will hold a 60-day public comment period.

09/13/2022

Three horses and a donkey are dead after contracting Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). All four were unvaccinated, the state Department of Agriculture and Markets said.
In Oswego County, EEE killed a mare and foal at the same farm in Mexico and a donkey in Pulaski.
In Jefferson County an unvaccinated horse tested positive and has been euthanized.
Horses can be protected against EEE with an annual vaccination. Because of the high mortality rate in both horses and humans, EEE is considered one of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases in the United States.

07/29/2022

Scammers posing as potential clients are targeting horse trainers and others connected to the equine industry with promises of new animals that never arrive
The alert comes from the Michigan Department of Agriculture, but its a red flag worth noting for everyone -- as are the tips for how to avoid becoming a victim.

Want to know how to contact the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development? On this page you will find phone numbers, email addresses, snail mail addresses, and online contact forms for everything we do here at MDARD. We even have a complaint form for those of you with complaints.

05/31/2022

Two horses died and another 13 were exposed to the virus, which caused the harness track to suspend racing.

The equine herpesvirus quarantine has been released for Barns 19 and 21 at Vernon Downs Racetrack in New York.

05/25/2022

There's an old saying in business: Buyer beware. It was coined for stories like this.

A New York-bred stakes winner that sold for $150,000 at Keeneland as a broodmare prospect is actually a male, according to a lawsuit pending in Fayette Circuit Court in Lexington.

05/20/2022

The House will hold hearings next week on a federal horse slaughter ban that has languished in Congress for a decade.
The SAFE Act -- Save America's Forgotten Equines -- would permanently abolish the killing of horses for human consumption in the United States. While no slaughterhouses in the US are authorized to process horses, an estimated 23,000 equines were shipped to Canada and Mexico in 2021 to be killed and sold for meat in other countries.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold the hearing beginning at noon on Thursday May 26. At the same time, it will hold a hearing on legislation to help end soring – the intentional infliction of pain to Tennessee Walking Horses’ front limbs in order to achieve an artificial high step known as the ‘Big Lick.’

05/05/2022

Vernon Downs is in quarantine and racing scheduled for Friday and Saturday is canceled following the deaths of two horses from Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1).
The first death occurred Monday. Once track management was notified, the horse was transported to Cornell University Equine hospital for a necropsy and the barn area was locked down. The necropsy confirmed EHV-1 as the cause of death.
A second horse died Tuesday and a third was transported to Cornell while still alive on Wednesday. Testing is pending in those cases.
EHV-1 is contagious and spread by direct horse-to-horse contact and indirectly through contact with objects contaminated with the virus such as tack.

04/08/2022

New York’s McLain Ward knows what it is to win the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup, and today the 2017 champion set himself on the path to clinch a second crown.
Ward, whose home base is Brewster, galloped to victory with Contagious in the second leg of the World Cup Final.
A blazing last-to-go run in the seven-horse jumpoff -- Ward smoked the clock at 44.03 seconds -- moved him to the top of the leaderboard. Ward and his 13-year-old gelding go into Sunday’s third and deciding competition with a one-fence advantage over the rest of the field.
Reflecting on the prospects for a winning round, Ward said, "You need to do your job, your horse has to be in form and you need a little good fortune to win one of these Championships, and I’ve been on both sides of that coin."

04/02/2022

HITS is getting a new majority owner: New York City-based private equity firm Traub Capital Partners.
The name will remain HITS, and will continue to be based out of Saugerties. Traub said it plans to make improvements to the facilities, infrastructure, service and hospitality at all five HITS venues.
“Our new partners will provide us with strategic capital investments and will ensure that our exhibitors and their horses are supported to the highest degree,” said Tom Struzzieri, who will continue as CEO and also maintain a significant stake in the business.
The Saugerties showgrounds -- HITS-on-the-Hudson -- this year will host nine weeks of hunter/jumper competition (May 25-Sept. 25) and two dressage shows in July and September.

03/15/2022

Congress has continued a 15-year-old de facto ban on horse slaughter in the United States by once again defunding USDA inspection of such slaughterhouses on American soil.
Without USDA inspection, horses cannot be slaughtered in the U.S. for human consumption.
The provision, part of the FY 2022 funding of the federal government, also contains a record $3 million to enforce the Horse Protection Act and end ‘soring’ – the practice of deliberately inflicting pain to a horse's front legs to induce an artificially high step known as the ‘big lick.’

02/09/2022

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation will start a new Second Chances Program at the Wyoming Correctional Facility in Western New York.
Second Chances began at the state's Wallkill prison in 1984 and has expanded to eight prisons across the US. The program offers inmates a vocational training program and a chance to build life skills while caring for retired racehorses.
Second Chances is the oldest Thoroughbred rescue in the nation.

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, in collaboration with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCC), announced in a press release that the successful Second Chances program will expand to a new farm located at Wyoming Correctional Facility in Attica, about....

01/26/2022

It was a balmy minus-15 this morning here in the buckle of the Snow Belt. Time for a cozy beverage for you -- and your horse.
This warm, feed-infused tea recipe, from Cazenovia College, helps with a horse's hydration in the winter months:
Take several handfuls of a senior-type feed and mix into a bucket of warm water. Horses are especially tempted by the floating bits on top and tend to slurp it down. One cautionary note: If your horse has insulin resistance problems, consult your vet first.

01/10/2022

A Thoroughbred racing stable on Long Island must pay $132,631 in back wages and damages and $37,000 in civil penalties to 52 grooms and hotwalkers it shortchanged at Belmont and Aqueduct racetracks.
A federal court found Danny Gargan and Gargan Stables failed to pay workers the overtime wages they earned and then falsified payroll records to try to hide what they had done. “To put it plainly, underpaying employees is wage theft,” said Regional Solicitor of Labor Jeffrey Rogoff.
The court order also enjoins Gargan Stables from altering employees’ work hours; having employees work off the books; retaliating against employees; and “requiring or asking” employees to kick back wages.

12/24/2021

All the best from the New York State Center for Equine Business Development ...

12/06/2021

The controversy over Medina Spirit -- who tested positive for a banned drug after winning the Kentucky Derby -- spilled into New York, when the c**t was barred from running in the 2021 Belmont and trainer Bob Baffert was banned from NYRA tracks.
On Friday, Baffert's lawyers released a statement saying tests conducted by a New York lab 'definitively confirmed' the positive test was caused by an ointment used to treat a skin rash, not because of a steroid injection.

This year's Kentucky Derby first-place finisher Medina Spirit collapsed and died after a workout at Santa Anita Park on Monday morning, the California Horse Racing Board's Equine Medical Director Jeff Blea confirmed. Trained by Bob Baffert, the 3-year-old son of Protonico had just completed five fur...