Message from the Executive Director

Below are links to the AANHCP Director's Messages in chronological order:

Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program:
A Way Forward (2013) Report of the National Resource Council of the
National Academy of Sciences -- AKA Bogus Science and Profiteering
Stampeding Their Way into Wild Horse Country

by Jaime Jackson (June 9, 2013)

I’ve reviewed the entire 300+ page NRC report — clearly a major undertaking by
all the scientists involved and a bit of a “heavy” read — including its academic findings
and recommendations (“A Way Forward”) which are, in the end, woefully predictable.
(Click here to read more)

Laminitis Research Is "Horse Abuse"
-- A Wake-up Call to the International Laminitis Research Community
and Organizations for the Humane Care of Equines

by Jaime Jackson (Dec.17, 2012)

This study involved 16 adult horses, ranging in age from 6 to 14 yr old (mean, 11 yr old).
The horses were euthanized by using a penetrating captive bolt, as approved by the Report
of the American Veterinary Medical Association's Panel on Euthanasia." - Hood, D.M.,
Grosenbaugh, D.A., Mostafa, M.B., Morgan, S.J. and Thomas, B.C. (1993) The role of
vascular mechanisms in the development of acute equine laminitis. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 7, 228-234.
(Click here to read more)

Mechanical Laminitis: In Need of A Funeral

by Jaime Jackson, (Sept. 26, 2011)

The rationale for what is called "mechanical laminitis" is rooted in the bogus science of the conventional
“hoof mechanism” model. It's been around as long as I can recall, but finally "put to death" by Dr. Christopher
Pollit's research and genuine NHC. Unfortunately, it's official "funeral" hasn't taken place yet. That's
where we come in — and I mean the AANHCP, because we're the only organization that I know of which
disputes this transgression of common sense. (Click here to read more)

Natural Horsemanship: A Hoax of Near Mythical Proportions

by Jaime Jackson (March 24, 2010)

Some people say that I am a 'natural horseman' because I practice certain philosophies and techniques.
Others say I’m not 'natural' (oddly enough) for the very same reasons. If you ask me, I say that it seems
pretty dang hard, if not impossible, to be - or not be - something that doesn’t even exist in the first place.
[Mark Rashid, All Things Natural]

The rise of "natural horsemanship" in recent years as an equestrian discipline and philosophy has its origins,
at least in good measure, in an understandable revulsion many horse owners possess for blatantly violent training
and riding methods. And, for that matter, denigrating and abusive relationships with horses, generally speaking.
(Click here to read more)

Showdown at Calico Mountain: Is the Future of the Wild Horse in Jeopardy?

by Jaime Jackson (January 11, 2010)

Wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West;
that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American
people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene. [quote from Public
Law 92-195]
Fifty one years have passed since wild horse advocate Velma Johnston ("Wild Horse Annie") instigated
passage of Public Law 86-234 (Wild Horse Annie Act, 1959), which banned air and land vehicles from hunting
and capturing wild horses on state land in Nevada. Johnston escalated a nationwide campaign and a decade
later, the 92nd United States Congress unanimously passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of
1971, signed into law in December of that year by President Richard Nixon. Purportedly, this act prohibited
capture, injury, or harassment of wild horses and burros and for their transfer to suitable areas when populations
became too large.
But in more recent decades, a new generation of wild horse advocates question whether that law has done
more to harm than protect American's wild horses. (Click here to read more)

Bungle In the Jungle: Has Pollit's Brumby Research Unit lost it's way in Australia's Outback?

by Jaime Jackson (September 11th, 2009)

Ever since issuing my memo earlier this year announcing the new research agenda of Dr. Chris Pollit's
Australian Brumby Research Unit, I, like a lot of hoof care professionals, have looked forward with much
anticipation and enthusiasm to a great learning experience. But with the release of the Unit's most recent
July newsletter, directed by Pollit's research student, Brian Hampson, who ostensibly is also directing all of
the Unit's field operations, I am beginning to wonder if enthusiasm is less warranted than skepticism.
(Click here to read more)

"Why the AANHCP is Dismantling the Old Natural Hoof Care
Training Program and Creating a New One"

by Jaime Jackson (April 4th, 2009)

From our organization's inception in 2000, we have never been satisfied with "holding ground" as a
training and advocacy organization; our inherent will, if not our destiny, is to ever move forward, evolve, and
become better at what we do. Horses in our care deserve this code of ethics from us. Why stand still, when
there is still so much to learn, discover, and apply with diligence? Indeed, the AANHCP has always felt this
responsibility because what we do, and however high we raise the bar, others are compelled to do the same, or
fall by the way side. (Click here to read more)