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SCAM ALERT!!!

INTERNET HORSE SCAM: If you have been contacted by one of these scammers, or if you have been a victim of this scam, please visit this link and file a complaint with the FBI. http://www.ic3.gov

ONLINE HORSE SCAM ALERT!

In cooperation with go-horse.com, the Internet Fraud Complaint Center was established as a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center to serve as a means to receive Internet related criminal complaints, research, develop and refer the criminal complaints to law enforcement agencies for any investigation they deem to be appropriate. The IFCC was intended, and continues to emphasize serving the broader law enforcement community, to include federal, as well as state and local agencies, which are combating Internet crime and in many cases participating in Cyber Crime Task Forces.

A buyer will contact you via e-mail about your horse for sale. They will pay for the horse with a cashier's check that is fake. In some cases, they will make the check for more than the selling price and ask you to send them the balance. The seller often takes the check and ships the horse not knowing the check is fake. The seller is notified by the bank that the check is fake and the seller has lost money AND their horse.

What can you do to avoid becoming a victim of this scam?

Please go to this web address to file your scam or horse fraud alerts or complaints. http://www.ic3.gov

What is this scam about?

Accept cash, Western Union, or Wire transfer for payment. Or, have your bank authorize the cashier's check before you ship the horse.

If it sounds to good to be true... it usually is.

Never ship a horse unless payment has been received and you verify that all funds are in the bank.

Use an escrow service to be sure that your funds are safe.

Speak to the buyer via telephone and verify all information.

Ask for the phone number of the issuing bank and call to verify fund on the check sent to you.

People from overseas, VERY RARELY buy horses from non-USDA approved horse facilities.

VERY RARELY do people within the USA use a broker from overseas to buy a horse.

Contact HorseCity.com or BarrelHorses.com toll free for advice 877-505-4344

If it sounds too good to be true... it usually is.

The Rotten Truth Behind Rain Rot

By Jeffrey Rolo

Caused by the Dermatophilus congolensis bacterium, equine rain rot is one of the more common skin infections that can afflict horses and is actually unique in a couple ways:

The fungal infection does not progress further than the skin or cause abscesses like other infections (such as strangles).

The cure actually hurts more than the infection!

The Dermatophilus congolensis bacterium cannot survive when exposed to air, so the horse's coat needs to remain wet for a long period of time. This usually happens when moisture is captured under a thick coat of winter hair.

There must be a way for the bacteria to get under the horse's skin, such as an abrasion or a bug bite. If the bacteria cannot reach the epidermis your horse is safe.

Rain rot (also called rain scald) is an anaerobic infection that requires the absence of oxygen to live and spread. When a horse catches rain rot he will develop a series of crusty scabs and/or matted/raised tufts of hair that, when pulled off, will most often exhibit pink skin laced with some pus. Rain rot is contagious, generally transmitted by shared horse tack (such as blankets), mutual rubbing posts such as a fence, etc. Although contagious, there are some factors that place the odds against rain rot:

Given the way this infection works, the most obvious form of prevention is keeping your horse dry during periods of intense rainfall. Climates that are dry such as Arizona don't see much occurrences of rain rot, while very humid areas like Florida will be a far easier breeding ground for these bacteria. In addition groom your horse often, particularly during the early spring months. Not only will removing the winter coat make your partner more elegant, it will make it far more difficult for rain rot to take root.

What should you do if your horse does develop an unsightly case of rain rot? First, don't let it stress you out – studies have indicated a horse feels no pain, itching or discomfort from the infection itself. It is also superficial and relatively harmless. Ugly, yes – but harmless. That being said, rain rot should be addressed as soon as possible to prevent the appearance of secondary bacterial infections that also enjoy the presence of moisture.

Treatment consists of bathing your horse and lathering him in antimicrobal shampoo. As you do this try to pick off the scabs, but beware – this can cause discomfort and pain to the horse (remember when I said the cure hurts more than the infection?), so take it slow. The task might seem distasteful, but it's necessary because otherwise the infection can continue to thrive underneath the scabs. By removing the scabs you are exposing the skin to air (and by default oxygen), which will cause the infection to dry up and heal. The baths should take place for approximately seven days.

Also important is to make sure the horse remains in a dry and ventilated area during the treatment. Adequate protection against bug bites should also be provided.

Finally, there are other bacterial infections, skin allergies and parasites that can create symptoms that appear similar to horse rain rot, so if you're uncertain of your horse's affliction you should get assistance from your veterinarian.

The above article originally appeared on www.alphahorse.com, a website dedicated to horses and the owners who love them. You will find many other informational articles dealing with horse training, horse care and more on their site.

HorseGirlTV™ Invites You to Tune in. Tack up.™

by Lauren Davis Baker

Online video for horse lovers? Tune in to HorseGirlTV (http://www.horsegirltv.com). Billed as the Internet’s premiere equine-based podcast, HorseGirlTV is informative and entertaining, offering five to eight-minute semi-monthly segments on topics ranging from grooming for an Olympic rider to physical training for equestrians.

Creator Angelea Kelly Walkup is a life-long equestrian with over a decade of experience in online communities and Internet technologies, just as at home with both bytes and bits.

The Southern Oregon University graduate began her start-up company in the Northwest, with initial episodes being filmed in Ashland, Central Point, Eagle Point, and Sams Valley, Oregon.

Angelea is the show’s host, writer, producer, and director—in addition to handling marketing, public relations, and Web development. Her husband, Joel Walkup, occasionally serves as cameraman. Jackhammer Moving Pictures (http://jackhammerfilms.com/) of Ashland does post-production digitizing.

While being in front of a camera is relatively new to Angelea, experience acting in community theater (1999) and repertory theater (2002) has helped. The possibility of a podcast came up in 2006 over lunch with Charley Lanusse, whose Starseed company developed the WebRing technology that was acquired by Geocities and then Yahoo! By September 2006 HorseGirlTV.com had been reserved and a limited liability company created by January 2007. HorseGirl TV launched its first podcast in May 2007. The first episode featured an interview with Tiffany Tyler, an Oregon rider who groomed for Anky van Grunsven. Episode 2 featured an interview with Penny Barreras, owner of Oregon’s Farwood Horse Park, a CEM facility. A more recent episode took a close look at FITS breeches (http://FITSriding.com), with Portland-area entrepreneur Sheryl Rudolph discussing the design of her revolutionary riding apparel.

In October of this year, Angelea headed to the East Coast along with her horse, Joewell, a Trakehner from Germany, who was among the top-10 hopefuls in line for the United States Team at the Athens Olympics in 2004. Angelea began riding horses at age five and entered her first 4H competition at age 10. She earned a United States Dressage Federal silver medal in 2004 and a gold medal in 2006. She has successfully shown through Grand Prix.

Angelea credits local Oregonian, Linda Jones with helping her gain a solid riding foundation, in addition to intensive training with Hilda Gurney and Washington dressage rider Gwen Blake. “I’ve been fortunate enough to clinic with Bettina Drummond, Anne Gribson, Jeff Ashton Moore, and Sabine Schut,” Angelea adds. “I value immensely my training philosophy conversations and time with my friend, Lara Schleining, as she has been a wealth of information on sports psychology and equine athlete development.”

HorseGirlTV combines Angelea’s love of horses with a passion for technology. And what a fun job it is! The November episode has her interviewing Carl Rafter, jump jockey, at the International Gold Cup. Mingling with the who’s who of the horse world while dining, sipping champagne, and watching world-class competition are just a few of the job perks.

“It is the best and toughest job I’ve ever had,” Angelea says. “I love horses and working with online technologies, so it is a perfect fit. One of the best aspects is how many interesting and diverse topics I get to learn about.”

While Angelea’s currently living in North Carolina, she hasn’t forgotten her Northwest roots. “We are in the developmental stages of a project near and dear to my heart that we would develop at home, in Oregon—partnering rescue horses with foster children, through educational horsemanship classes,” she says. “It will be a great way for us to give back—not only to the horse world, but the local Oregon community in general.”

To check out HorseGirlTV, go to www.horsegirltv.com. Podcasts (including archived, earlier episodes) are easy to access, even for the computer-challenged. The site also includes reader submissions; a HorseGirl (or Guy) of the month; news; a blog; and a new series of horse gear.

“The beauty of podcasts,” Angelea says, “is that you get to interact with your viewers through e-mail, forums, and chats. We’re getting good reviews from iTunes and getting e-mail from all over the country and the world.”

Ultimately, Angelea would like to expand to cable or satellite distribution. “We would be very happy to entertain an offer from Animal Planet or Discovery Channel,” she admits. “We would fit well as a segment between one show and another on Animal Planet.”

What’s ahead? More Western episodes, a trip to Europe including top interviews in Holland, Germany, Sweden, and Spain. Angelea also hopes to include episodes focusing on sport ponies, equestrian publishing, Breyerfest and fox hunting. Tune in to HorseGirlTV and follow her travels!

About Angelea Kelly Walkup

What Are You Passionate About?

Horses, internet technologies, and ways we can give back to both of them.

Who Would You Most Like to Interview?

There are so many people on this list! Some of the highlights are Karen O’Connor; Anky van Grunsven; Jean Bemelmans; Rafael Soto; Beasey Madden; Hilda Gurney; Pat Parelli.

What Would You Tell Most Horse Crazy Girls?

My motto, since university, has been “Live your dreams, as if they were, until they become!”

Does HorseGirlTV Target a Specific Audience/Age Range?

We do not have a specific age range and find that many of our viewers are mothers and daughters watching the show together. We also have a large following of horse guys, as well! :)

What’s Your Favorite HorseGirlTV Moment?

Shooting the riding scenes for Episode 4 in Ashland, Oregon with Lara. We were just playing around with tempi changes, passage, and piaffe but riding close side-by-side. The energy just kept building. By the end we were cantering tight corners in stride as our dressage boots rubbed and stirrup irons clanked.

Your Riding Goal:

To perform the Grand Prix musical freestyle. I have been editing and riding in my head for the past six years. To bring just one tear of pure joy to an audience member!

Article is courtesy of Flying Changes Magazine (http://flyingchanges.com/)

Unwanted Horse Coalition

The mission of the Unwanted Horse Coalition is to reduce the number of unwanted horses and to improve their welfare through education and the efforts of organizations committed to the health, safety, and responsible care and disposition of these horses.

Visit their website at: www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org

Our Goal At GoHorse Classifieds is to Provide State-of-the-Art, Quality Advertising that Connects People and Horses All Over the World