Bo Derek to join horse racing board

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed actress Bo Derek to the California Horse Racing Board on Tuesday.

Derek, 51, best known for a cornrow hairstyle and beach run in the 1979 movie "10," is a Republican, an animal rights activist and author of "Riding Lessons: Everything That Matters in Life I Learned From Horses." Here, she is pictured in 2000 riding a horse as she plays a role in the TV series "Reina de Espadas" (Queen of Swords) in Spain. 

She has also served as spokeswoman for the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act and owns a pet care products company called Bless the Beasts, according to Schwarzenegger's announcement.

The seven gubernatorial appointees to the board license nearly 14,000 trainers, jockeys, owners and others involved in a multi-billion-dollar industry.

--Nancy Vogel

Photo: J.M.Vidal/AFP

Woman gets prison term for animal cruelty

A Lancaster woman has been sentenced to two years and eight months in state prison after pleading no contest to animal cruelty charges, CBS2 news reports:

The charges stemmed from a dog and a horse that had to be put down after Animal Control officers found the neglected animals. Janis Ridgeway Damiani, 57, was the manager of a horse rescue in Pearblossom where, authorities said, a number of horses were kept in deplorable conditions that included being underfed.

Twenty-eight other animal cruelty charges filed against her earlier this month were dismissed as a result of the plea, according to John Nantroup, head deputy of the district attorney's Antelope Valley office.

Those charges involved 14 other horses and 14 cats that were starving or severely injured and had to be euthanized, authorities said.

Wild horses might be killed in the West

Federal officials are considering euthanizing wild horses to deal with the growing population on the range and in holding pens, authorities said.

Wild horses have overpopulated public lands and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management can't afford to care for the mustangs that have been rounded up, said Henri Bisson, the agency's deputy director, in a news conference in Reno, Nev., according to the Associated Press.

Also, fewer people are adopting the horses, Bisson added. The agency is also considering whether to stop roundups to save money.

There are an estimated 33,000 wild horses on the range in 10 Western states, Bisson said, and 27,000 is the maximum the agency can handle. An additional 30,000 are in holding facilities.

Last month, Deanne Stillman wrote in the Times' Opinion section that wild horses, better known as mustangs, are a staple of America's cultural heritage but that federal laws in effect since the early 1970s aren't doing enough to keep the animals from being shipped off by cattle ranchers to the slaughterhouse.

Stillman's new book, "Mustang: A history of the horse in the North America," describes how wild horses became a dramatic fixture on the continent.

Pam Houston, writing this week in The Times' Book Review, sums up some of Stillman's research:

From the jungles of Central America, horses moved north, carrying Catholic priests and tribal scouts across the Rio Grande and into the wild country of the great Southwest, all the way from Texas into California.

Horses broke away from war parties and missions, turned wild, formed bands and flourished in this unfenced, endless land. There were so many horses in the early 1700s that the maps drawn of Texas at the time marked the territory between the Rio Grande and the Nueces River not as a place but as "Vast Herds of Wild Horses," or simply "Wild Horses."

By the 1840s, Texas ranger John C. Duval reported seeing "a drove of mustangs so large that it took us fully an hour to pass it, although they were traveling at a rapid rate in a direction nearly opposite to ours."

--Francisco Vara-Orta

Photo: Marilyn Newton/Associated Press

Horse dies of complications of West Nile virus

A 15-year-old horse has died of complications from West Nile virus in Riverside County, City News Service reports, marking the first equine victim of the mosquito-borne disease in California this year. The announcement was made today by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

West Nile virus was first detected in the United States in 1999 in New York City, according to Steve Lyle of the CDFA. The virus can cause a range of illnesses from mild "flu-like" symptoms to encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, which can be fatal to humans as well as horses.

The CDFA urged horse owners to keep their animal vaccinations current. While horses are susceptible to the virus, many infected animals will not develop any illnesses and eventually recover, Lyle said.

Signs of the virus in horses include stumbling, staggering, loss of coordination, muscle twitching, circling and the inability to stand, he said. Birds are the primary carriers of the disease. Mosquitoes that feed on infected birds can spread the virus to humans and horses, Lyle said. No evidence suggests the virus can be spread horse to horse or horse to human, he said.

In 2007, 28 cases of equine West Nile virus were documented. That compares with 58 cases the previous years. In 2004, 540 equine cases were reported, with more than 40% of those horses dying or being euthanized, Lyle said.

Woman pleads not guilty to animal cruelty charges at horse sanctuary

A 57-year-old woman charged with 30 felony counts of animal cruelty has pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Lancaster.

Janis Ridgeway Damiani, caretaker of a Pearblossom sanctuary for old and sick horses, is being held in Los Angeles County sheriff's custody on $600,000 bail. She made her plea Wednesday.

She was arrested at Equus Sanctuary on Monday after county officials said 15 horses in her care were emaciated, weak or had sores and that the facility lacked water and food.

The horses were euthanized, along with a dog and 14 cats that authorities said were also starving or injured. An additional 100 horses were confiscated from the sanctuary and placed at other facilities.

If convicted, Damiani faces up to 24 years in prison. A preliminary hearing in the case was scheduled for June 30.

-- Jill Leovy

Rare horse gets reverse vasectomy

Veterinarians at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., report that they have performed the first successful reverse vasectomy on a Przewalski's horse.

The zoo, part of the Smithsonian Institution, says it's the first such procedure on an endangered equine species. The horse in question, above, is named Minnesota.

The horse is native to China and Mongolia and was declared extinct in the wild in 1970, according to the National Zoo. There are about 1,500 Przewalski's horses in zoos worldwide, with small populations of reintroduced animals in Asia. (For the record, it's pronounced  zshah-VAL-skeez.)

Minnesota received a vasectomy at a previous institution in 1999. He moved to the National Zoo in 2006. We can't help wondering if he's another example of a patient freaked out by stirrups.

-- Steve Padilla

Photo: Smithsonian's National Zoo

L.A. County shuts down horse sanctuary

Los Angeles County animal control officials closed an Antelope Valley horse sanctuary Monday, euthanizing a dozen animals and relocating almost 90 more.

Authorities also arrested Janis Damiani, the caretaker of Equus Sanctuary in Pearblossom, on suspicion of animal cruelty, according to the L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control.

The sanctuary has been home to almost a hundred aging and infirm horses for the last year, but county officials say the facility has cared improperly for the animals during the last six months. Department spokeswoman Michelle Roache said investigators discovered that some horses were emaciated, had open sores or could barely walk.

Equus’ water had been turned off, she said, and there was no food available for the animals. Ranch volunteer Roland Vincent disputed those claims Monday, saying the ranch had water and the animals never missed a meal.

“They don’t look like Big Brown, so they think something’s wrong with them,” Vincent said. “They’re 35 and they’re old.”

-- Sam Quinones

Economy takes a toll on farm animals

The Riverside Press-Enterprise is reporting that Inland Empire farm animals are the latest casualty of a tightening economy. Apparently hay and feed prices have more than doubled over the last year.

Owners of horses, pigs and chickens are deciding to sell, give away or even abandon their animals as the cost of feeding and keeping them shoot through the roof, say feed store operators and others who take care of animals. "It's really bad," said Cathey Burtt, owner of Moon Shadow Farms, a horse-boarding facility in Norco.

Recently, she said, she saw a horse running down the street outside her home, apparently abandoned by its owner. She said animal control officers took the horse, but had to put it up for adoption after no one claimed it for a month.

"People are really desperate," Burtt said. "Having a horse is a luxury and people have other priorities, like paying the mortgage."

Photo: Giuseppe Aresu/Bloomberg News

PETA has a busy week

It's been a busy week (so far) for PETA.

UPI reports that KFC Canada has bowed to five years of pressure ... from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ... on the way its chickens are slaughtered:

From its headquarters in Norfolk, Va., the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has pressured the global chain since 2003 to end the practice of slaughtering the fowl using electric shocks, the Canwest News Service reported.

After seven months of talks with the food retailer at its headquarters north of Toronto in Vaughn, KFC Canada president Steve Langford said the company had agreed to have its suppliers switch to a system in which oxygen is replaced with other gases to render the birds unconscious before slaughter, the report said.

In the meantime, those wacky folks of PETA have an idea for folks who are distressed about the concept of boiling and eating lobsters.

PETA would like to turn a century-old county jail in Maine into a “lobster empathy center.” According to MaineToday, the county jail is up for sale as the sheriff, staff and inmates prepare for a move to a new, modern facility this summer.

And finally, PETA is urging prosecutors to bring animal cruelty charges against Eight Belles' trainer, Larry Jones. In the photo at left, Eight Belles is examined after breaking both front ankles at the Kentucky Derby.

--Alice Short

Lobster photo: Karen Tapia/Los Angeles Times

Eight Belles photo: Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Wild horses aren't in the land of the free, author says

Wild horses, better known as mustangs, have been protected by federal laws since the early 1970s, but many are still being shipped off by cattle ranchers to the slaughterhouse, says Deanne Stillman in today's Opinion section:

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were about 2 million mustangs in the wilderness; according to the government, there are about 23,000 on public lands in the Western states now, and more than half are in Nevada. Wild horse advocates, however, say the number is much lower. Because the animals have been "zeroed out" from at least 100 of their 300 official herd areas (contrary to the 1971 law's provisions), they may be on the brink of no return.

Many cattle ranchers have long regarded wild horses as "pests" that steal food from their herds. The livestock lobby has tried to dismantle the wild horse and burro law through four U.S. administrations, and it has the political clout to push policy toward a mustang-free America.

Stillman writes that the mustangs are more than just animals but symbolize America's heritage, and urges a moratorium on wild horse removals until a population count is conducted.

-- Francisco Vara-Orta

Photo: Katey Barret/Times archive

Racehorse euthanized at Hollywood Park

A popular racehorse was euthanized this morning at Hollywood Park after shattering its leg, The Times' Eric Sondheimer reports.

Nashoba's Key, pictured second from left above at Santa Anita Park, was a precocious 5-year-old mare who won eight of 10 starts and was runner-up for the female turf Eclipse Award last year. She had to be euthanized this morning after shattering her hind leg in her stall at Hollywood Park, according to the son of owner-breeder Warren Williamson:

Henry Williamson, in an e-mail, said: "Our family member, Nashoba’s Key, passed away this morning."

Hollywood Park spokesman Mike Mooney confirmed the death.

Nashoba’s Key, a daughter of Silver Hawk, was expected to be one of the favorites for this fall’s Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita.

She was known for her feisty demeanor, and that might have been her undoing, as she apparently kicked the stall, shattering a hind leg. and could not be saved.

The death of Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles earlier this month prompted a debate about breeding practices in the horse racing industry.

-- Tony Barboza

Photo: Benoit Photo

L.A. animal events this weekend

Around the Los Angeles area this weekend, animal lovers can head to the local zoo to meet the Berenstain Bears (and a few real ones too), adopt cats and dogs, and help raise funds to save a range of animals, from emus to tortoises in need.

The Los Angeles Zoo is hosting a meet and greet with the cuddly Berenstain Bear characters on Saturday and Sunday. As for real bears, visitors can see the zoo's American black bears eat some special treats at 11 a.m. both days.

Also this weekend, Los Angeles City Animal Services has a handful of mobile pet adoption sites set up in South Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, the West Valley and Moorpark.

On Sunday, dog lovers can head over to the La Brea Tar Pits for the Walk for the Underdog, an hour-long, 2-mile walk that kicks off at 10 a.m. for a daylong celebration of canines with food, adoptions, and a dog/owner contest. Proceeds go toward raising money for the nonprofit efforts by 30 organizations to save dogs. You can bring your own dog, or come alone and find one to adopt there, organizers say.

Also on Sunday, Hope Ranch Animal Rescue will hold its first annual fundraiser in the Malibu countryside to help raise funds to care for  80 animals: sheep, dogs, emus, horses and tortoises, among others. Donations are $25 per person and the event will take place at the Morris Ranch from 2-6 p.m. with jazz, a petting zoo, and a silent auction.

-Francisco Vara-Orta

Photo: Stephen Osman/Los Angeles Times

Updates on the death of Eight Belles

It seems many of us are still talking about Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles, at left in the photo with first-place finisher Big Brown.

Today Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post asks: Was the death of Eight Belles good for something, or nothing? She continues:

How you reply to that question depends on whether you think thoroughbred racing is a meaningful pursuit worthy of reform, or just a fancied-up vice and form of abuse. On one end of the spectrum are the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who would like to saddle up Eight Belles' handlers and whip them around a track to see how they like it. On the other are the apologists, who contend that the loss of a horse is just one more unavoidable accident of life. Stuck in the middle are the confused rest of us.

She points to a story in the New York Times, which reported "that on the same day Eight Belles died, 15 other horses were injured at 39 North American tracks, nine of them so seriously they had to be carried from tracks in ambulances."

Jenkins continues, "According to the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, there are two fatalities for every 1,000 starts on American dirt tracks. No wonder that the handlers of only one of the horses who ran in the Derby are even considering entry into the Preakness."

In the meantime, the trainer of Eight Belles has ordered drug testing as part of the autopsy, intent on dispelling any suggestion the fallen filly may have been on steroids. Check out the latest on the controversy over Eight Belles.

--Alice Short

More reaction to the Eight Belles death

In today's Times, the newspaper's editorial board chimes in on the debate over the death of Eight Belles, questioning whether the techniques used in breeding the horses for racing could be improved:

No one knows how many fatal (horse) racing injuries occur nationwide, which is troubling all by itself. How can the horse racing industry control the problem without a firm count and an analysis of what the circumstances were in each case?

The editorial suggests:

For all the anthropomorphic talk about racehorses being "family" and "valiantly" striving to win or overcome injuries, the horses have no choice in this multibillion-dollar industry. The racing world would be smart to put a higher priority on reining in horse injuries and deaths, before public outrage leads to calls for more draconian controls.

In today's Sports section, Times' columnist and former Sports editor Bill Dwyre reflects on the realities of horse racing, for better or worse:

What's wrong with thoroughbred breeding that so many great ones break down? Barbaro did so two years ago in the Preakness, then George Washington in last year's Breeders' Cup. And who can forget, no matter the passage of time, the agony of Ruffian and Go For Wand, limbs dangling grotesquely?

Should fillies be allowed to race against colts? Is there a gender-related physical flaw?

Dwyre continues:

There is no question that racehorses will always break down. One thousand pounds supported by toothpicks is a recipe for disaster.

-- Francisco Vara-Orta

Photo: Brian Bohannon / Associated Press

*Eight Belles' death prompts debate on horse racing

* UPDATE: 6:18 p.m. Eight Belles' trainer today adamantly defended jockey Gabriel Saez's handling of the horse after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called for Saez's suspension. "This kid made every move the right move, and I hate it that they're wanting to jump down his throat," trainer Larry Jones told the AP. "He did not try to abuse that horse to make her run faster. He knew he was second best, that she wasn't going to catch Big Brown."

The death of Eight Belles, the first filly to run in the Kentucky Derby in Louisville since 1999, is generating new debate about the place of horse racing in American culture.

On Saturday, after crossing the finish line 4 3/4 lengths behind winner Big Brown, Eight Belles galloped out and was around the first turn toward the top of the backstretch when she suddenly went down on her front knees. 

The on-call veterinarian for the Triple Crown races said nothing could be done to save the horse, so shortly after the equine ambulance arrived, protective screens were brought out to block the view of Eight Belles being euthanized.

The New York Times' William C. Rhoden offers his questioning perspective on Eight Belles' death:

Why do we keep giving thoroughbred horse racing a pass? Is it the tradition? The millions upon millions invested in the betting?

Why isn’t there more pressure to put the sport of kings under the umbrella of animal cruelty?

The sport is at least as inhumane as greyhound racing and only a couple of steps removed from animal fighting.

Is it the fact that horse racing is embedded in the American fabric? And the Triple Crown is a nationally televised spectacle? Or is it the fact that death on the track is rarely seen by a mainstream television audience?

Now People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is calling for the suspension of Eight Belles' jockey, Gabriel Saez, the AP reports:

PETA faxed a letter Sunday to Kentucky's racing authority claiming the filly was "doubtlessly injured before the finish" and asked that Saez be suspended while Eight Belles' death is investigated.

"What we really want to know, did he feel anything along the way?" PETA spokeswoman Kathy Guillermo said. "If he didn't then we can probably blame the fact that they're allowed to whip the horses mercilessly."

-- Francisco Vara-Orta

Photo: Brian Bohannon/AP