NCHA Announces Rafter P Hardship Award Winner

Developed by Brad Pryor, President of Rafter P Construction in collaboration with the NCHA, this award was developed to provide financial assistance for an outstanding youth member to attend the 2023 Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular and 2023 NYCHA Holy Cow Performance Horses Youth World Finals.

“Winning a scholarship from an organization I admire so much is a huge honor. My journey in the cutting horse industry is just beginning, and attending one of the NCHA’s Triple Crown shows is a wonderful opportunity. I am excited to watch incredible horses and riders compete and make new connections. All of this will continue to propel my passion for this sport,” said award recipi- ent Brooke Salmon.

“I am interested in supporting the youth of the NCHA because to me that is where the foundation of an organization is built from. I feel that the NCHA has built a great program during their NYCHA convention to really educate these kids about the industry and how to be successful no matter what their path forward is. I am excited to see the growth of this pro- gram and feel our first recipient Brooke is very deserving of this award” said Brad Pryor, president of Rafter P Construction.

NCHA is very passionate about continuing to grow youth involvement in the Western way of life and is thankful to have incredible partners like Rafter P Construction to create new opportunities.

Morris Animal Foundation celebrates 75th anniversary

This year marks the Morris Animal Foundation’s 75th anniversary According to an organizational news release the foundation was founded in 1948, by a forward-thinking veterinarian Mark L. Morris Sr, DVM, to improve the health and well-being of animals worldwide. The Morris Animal Foundation reflects on its decades of work with this milestone, including funding nearly 3,000 studies to date and its continued drive to advance veterinary medicine on a global scale.

Currently, the foundation has about 200 active studies geared at addressing substantial health challenges in dogs, cats, horses, and wildlife.1 This includes the largest cancer-focused study of its kind in dogs, improved and novel vaccines for infectious diseases in cats, and critical research to safeguard endangered species worldwide. Every year, the foundation funds a new set of impactful studies to meet relevant health needs.

Morris Animal Foundation through the years:

In 1950, the foundation funded its first 2 studies, which investigated cat and dog nutrition at Rutgers University and Iowa State University, respectively.

About a decade later, the Foundation ventured into equine health, supporting its first nutrition health study for horses.

By 1967, the foundation expanded its research to include wildlife studies, with its first study focusing on bacterial blood infections in zoo animals.

In 1971, actress Betty White joined the foundation as Trustee, and served as Board President from 1982-85.

In 1986, funding from the foundation led to the establishment of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, the first effort to provide desperately needed veterinary care to the highly endangered mountain gorillas of Rwanda.

In 2012, the foundation launched its Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, the most comprehensive, prospective study collecting health data on 3,000+ golden retrievers to help identify risk factors for cancer and other diseases in dogs.

Thanks to the foundation’s long history of funding animal health research, veterinarians and wildlife managers have better diagnostics, treatments and even some cures for diseases and other health challenges for animals in their care and in the field.

Morris Animal Foundation further remains dedicated to improving the health and well-being of animals globally through scientific research, training new veterinary researchers, and continued advancements in veterinary medicine.

Evacuation orders will not separate owners and pets, survey shows

Seventy-six percent of owners would stay home if an evacuation order would not let them bring their pets, PetSmart Charities reports

In the event of an immediate disaster, would you be ready to drop everything—including your pet—and go?Man rescues dog in flood.

Pet parents in the U.S. weighed in on the matter in a recent survey, conducted by PetSmart Charities. In time for National Pet Preparedness Month (June), when hurricane and wildfires seasons across the country start, the nonprofit organization asked owners about emergency and evacuation preparedness and the ways in which pets factor into their plans.

While the majority of those surveyed say they are prepared to evacuate their homes with their pets in case of an immediate disaster, 76 percent of respondents added they would stay at home if an evacuation order meant they were unable to bring their pet with them.

Additionally:

● 80 percent would give up their spot in an emergency shelter if they are not able to bring pets with them.

● 86 percent say the emotional support of their pet would be essential to them making it through a disaster.

● 63 percent expressed doubts about whether nearby pet-friendly shelters would be available to them in case of emergency.

The primary goal of the survey, PetSmart Charities reports, is to remind pet owners to develop an emergency plan for the whole family—including pets. Namely, knowing what to do to when evacuating with pets and where owners can go to stay together should be top of mind.

Steps include:

● Keep a “go bag” handy: Keep a pet carrier, harness, or leash ready to go at a moment’s notice and have a recent photo of pets on hand.

● Update information: Make sure pets are wearing a collar or tags, and that microchip information is updated.

● Take care: Ensure pets are up to date on all vaccinations and carry a list of medications the pet needs and their veterinarian’s contact information.

● Know where to go: Make a list of pet-friendly sheltering options nearby.

To enhance efforts in keeping pets and their people together amidst a crisis, PetSmart Charities partnered with the American Red Cross last year to enhance support efforts in treating pets as essential family members during times of disaster.

The partnership includes the integration of pet tracking into RC Care, the Red Cross client management system, allowing Red Cross staff and volunteers to provide services to all family members in disaster situations, as well as the creation of pet-centric training and sheltering models with the Red Cross and its partners for its disaster response staff and volunteers.

The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) is pleased to announce the approval of new judges who will uphold the utmost standards when adjudicating American Quarter Horses at AQHA-approved events.

Following the AQHA Judges Committee’s recommendations, the AQHA Executive Committee