Featured Speakers
Bob Abbey, Director, Bureau of Land Management – Abbey has served for more than 32 years in public service working with state and federal land management. He served eight years as the Nevada State Director for the U. S. Bureau of Land Management, providing direction and oversight for 48 million acres of public land managed by the bureau in the state. Mr Abbey has assured the public that
J.D. Alexander, Vice-President, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) – J.D. Alexander, a cattleman from Pilger, Nebraska, owns Alexander Cattle & Farms, a 2,000 acre corn/soybean/alfalfa farm that markets approximately 15,000 head of cattle per year. He has owned Alexander Cattle & Farms since 1984. Alexander has been very active in industry organizations, served as President of the Nebraska Cattlemen in 2001, and was a member of the National Beef Industry Planning Group from 2000 to 2001. In addition, he has participated in several foreign trade missions, as well as foreign study travel seminars in Belgium, East and West Germany, Russia and Poland with the Nebraska LEAD program. He is currently serving as NCBA Vice-President and he serves on the Nebraska Beef Council. In 2001 J.D. was elected to the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement. Mr Alexander has no horse experience or background whatsoever, in fact he "doesn't even like the way they taste." However, because of his cattle expertise, his insight into equine issues will be invaluable.
Tim Amlaw, American Humane –is vice president and director of Denver-based American Humane Certified — a farm-based agency that puts its seal of approval on products from animals that have been humanely raised. Born in upstate New York, he followed his family into a growing business, going to the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill to study beef cattle science. He came to Colorado to teach high school and college agriculture. He entered the cattle business here and in Italy, retired early, then was lured back to work at American Humane . Mr Amlaw's affiliation with an organization that has the word "Humane" in it will give the added dimension of legitimacy to our hoedown.
Joey Astling, USDA Slaughter Horse Transport Program – Joey Astling is the Compliance Specialist for the Equine Transportation Program within USDA/APHIS/VS. Joey is a lifelong horseman, and considers himself fortunate to continue his family’s traditions of horse training, ranching and rodeoing. Joey and his associates at APHIS will be giving free copies of their educational video on "How To Make the Final Ride a Pleasant One" to the first 100 kill-buyers attending our Hoedown - Hurry these will go fast!
Claude Boissonneault, DVM, National Specialist, Red Meat Non-Ruminant Species Program,Policy Development Section,Meat Programs Division (MPD),Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
Dr. Boissonneault holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Montreal. He joined Agriculture Canada in 1985 where he held several positions of increasing responsibility in Meat Hygiene Operations.
In 1991 Dr. Boissonneault moved to the Ottawa Headquarters where he worked in the Meat Hygiene Program as a National Veterinary Auditor and subsequently as Chief, Regulations and Procedures. As an auditor Dr. Boissonneault was involved in the evaluation of the delivery of the Meat Hygiene Program in Canadian slaughter, processing and storage facilities. Dr. Boissonneault has been instrumental in the development of the Modified Poultry Inspection Program (MPIP) and HACCP amendments to the Meat Inspection Regulations.
Dr. Boissonneault currently manages activities associated with the design, development and evaluation of regulations and policies regarding red meat species meat hygiene programs, in particular as it relates to non-ruminant species such as swine and horse. He will also be sharing some of his favorite recipes for "Red Meat Non-Ruminant" dishes, including wine suggestions. "Pairing wines with different breeds can be a bit tricky at times" Dr Boissonneault noted, "however, you can never go wrong with a nice Chianti."
Frank Bowman, Horsemen’s Council of Illinois – Frank and his wife raise Missouri Fox Trotters just outside of Springfield, Illinois. Frank has been active lobbying for horse industry issues at both the state and national level in recent years. Frank is hoping that more people will appreciate that the Missouri Fox Trotters not only make good riding horses, but they taste great too!
Ed Butcher, Montana State Senator (retired) – Ed is a rancher and businessman with a long and illustrious career in the Montana Legislature as both a Senator and a Representative. Ed was the prime sponsor behind ground-breaking legislation in a wave of state legislative actions in regards to the restoration of horse processing in the United States, and despite the humiliating defeat of his proposed slaughterhouse in the tiny town of Hardin, Ed is hoping that by hanging on the coattails of Ms Wallis, he can regain some semblance of dignity amongst his like-minded compatriots.
Dave Catoor, Cattoor Livestock Roundup Company – Dave and Sue Catoor at Cattoor Livestock Roundup Company have a business that helps capture, process, and transport wild horses, burros, and wild cattle in the most humane way possible. They have been contracting wild horse roundups for the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, and private individuals since 1975. In 35 years they have humanely captured over 150,000 wild horses, wild burros, and wild cattle. Over the years, the y have purchased and built equipment, developed techniques, and learned the best methods to assure the safety of the animals. They employ experienced helicopter pilots and wranglers that really care about the animals. All of this minimizes the stress on the animals during wild horse roundups. Convicted of illegally hunting and killing
Tom Collins, Clark County Nevada Commissioner – Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins has been a resident of Clark County virtually all his life. A Western High School graduate, he attended Midwestern and Texas Tech universities in Texas as well as Clark County Community College. He is a rancher and a horseman. Tom is going to be giving a talk on growing organically-raised horses for Whole Foods.
Wade Cox, Colorado Rancher – Wade Cox is a 4th generation Northwest Colorado ranching family from Rangely, CO. His family operation runs on over 65,000 acres and has 300 head of cattle. He is very active in the Douglas Creek Conservation District, as well as, serving on 5 other special interest boards centered on agriculture in Colorado. He was a member of the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts delegation to Washington, D.C. legislative conference in the summer of 2010 and spoke to the Wild horse issue with Deputy Secretary Silvia Baca and BLM’s Bob Abbey. While Wade's expertise is with cattle, not horses, he qualified his invitation to the Horsemeat Hoedown by saying "I'm pretty sure I rode one once."
Bill desBarres, Executive Director, Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada – Bill desBarres is chairman of the breeds and industry committee of the Alberta Equestrian Federation and president of the Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada. The Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada promotes the humane handling of horses through all their life stages. They have been at the forefront of establishing standards, publishing guidelines, and implementing tools to achieve their mission. He will be exposing the photographic and video wizardry techniques employed by Vegans/HSUS/PETA and other 'tree-huggers' that have revealed so-called 'abuse' at horse-slaughterhouses. "It's all in the way they edit those videos, ain't none of it real" states Bill.
Jeri Dobrowski, AMillionHorses.com – Jeri Dobrowski is an award-winning photographer, writer, designer and editor. Working behind the scenes at the website http://AMillionHorses.com is Jeri Dobrowski. The vision of former large animal veterinarian and cowboy entertainer Baxter Black, who, until a few years back was in the closet about his horse slaughter advocacy (which was sort of like finding out Santa Claus is actually into kiddie porn when he isn’t delivering presents to boys and girls), the informational site documents the on-going neglect and abandonment of America’s horses.
Dave Duquette, Working Cow Horse Trainer, President, United Horsemen – has more than 20 years’ experience successfully training and showing reiners and reined cow horses in all phases of competition. He has National Reined Cow Horse Association earnings of nearly $48,000. Dave also is an exceptional Non-Pro coach — in 2008, Duquette Quarter Horses’ Non-Pros won four out of the six NRCHA Northwest Region Championships. Dave is an AQHA Professional Horseman and President of the Oregon Reined Cow Horse Association. Dave and his family are celebrating his recent graduation from the 8th grade.
Dave proudly announced: "Peeple didnt think I could do it, but i wanted to prove im just as smart as those vegetaryans who think there more smarter than everyone else."
John Falen, President, Public Lands Council – is a commercial cow-calf operator from Orovada, Nevada who is ideally suited to be discussing equine-related issues.
“Public lands
Karen Budd Falen, Attorney – Karen with her husband Frank Falen, is the owner of the Budd-Falen Law Offices, L.L.C. located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Before moving back to Wyoming, Karen served for three years in the Reagan Administration, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C., as a Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. She later served as a law clerk to the Assistant Solicitor for Water and Power. Karen has also worked as an attorney at Mountain States Legal Foundation, a conservative public interest legal foundation located in Denver, Colorado. In addition to representing local governments and private citizens, Karen currently serves as legal counsel to the Arizona\New Mexico Coalition of Counties for Stable Economic Growth. Karen was one of the authors of the first local land use plans written for Catron County, New Mexico, the first local government to recognize its right to full participation as a decision maker in federal agency decision making processes. Karen grew up as a fifth generation rancher on a family-owned ranch in Big Piney, Wyoming. Having an attorney present at our Hoedown may prove especially useful as we are planning on suing the Vegans for being really annoying.
Dennis Foster, Executive Director, Masters of Fox Hounds Association – A retired military intelligence officer, special operations and Provost Marshal, Dennis has become an internationally renowned expert on the radical agenda and tactics of animal rights organizations worldwide. Col. Foster also sits on the Board of the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA), the Animal Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP), the International Union of Hunting with Hounds (IUHH) and is on the Horse Welfare Committee and Unwanted Horse committee of the American Horse Counsel, AHC. Dennis is an angry man.
Katherine Minthorn Good Luck, Umatilla Tribe, Intertribal Agricultural Agency – Katherine (pronounced kath-er-een) represents the Northwest Region for the Intertribal Agriculture Council and is highly qualified to ensure northwest Tribes are informed of USDA program availability. She raises and races quarter horses, and is the tribal liaison for United Horsemen and the United Organizations of the Horse.
Katherine hopes to build a horse slaughterhouse in Yakima, Washington that will accommodate her Quarter horse breeding program.
Chris Gould, Canada, World Breeding Federation of Sport Horses – Chairman Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association – As the founding Chairman of the CWHBA and a pioneer, breeder of Warmblood horses in Canada, Chris has been involved in industry organizations in a number of capacities. Member of the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses, Audit Committee; he is a former Equine Canada director and inaugural Chairman of its Breeds and Industry Council, as well as a member of the Ethics and Welfare Committee and chair of the Government Relations and Horse Id and Traceability Committees. Chris' talk titled "Warmbloods: They Weigh A Lot" will be discussing the dual-commodity potential of Sporthorses.
Dr. Temple Grandin, Grandin Livestock Systems – doctor of animal science and professor at Colorado State University, bestselling author, and consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior. As a person with high-functioning autism, Grandin is also widely noted for her work in autism advocacy. Grandin is considered a philosophical leader of both the animal welfare and autism advocacy movements. Both movements commonly cite her work regarding animal welfare, neurology, and philosophy. She knows all too well the anxiety of feeling threatened by everything in her surroundings, and of being dismissed and feared, which motivates her in her quest to promote humane livestock handling processes. Her business, Grandin Livestock Systems, focuses on how to improve standards in slaughter plants and livestock farms.
“Oh, and did I mention I'm autistic?” —Temple Grandin
Dr. Kim Houlding, DVM – Madrid Veterinary Clinic, Madrid, Iowa - Dr. Houlding will be addressing problems surrounding the shortage of euthanasia drugs, and speaking to her experiences in investigating animal abuse cases. "Um, yeah, that's it. We're running out of blue juice" said Dr Houlding.
Larry Johnson, Coalition for Nevada’s Wildlife – Besides being a long time leader in wildlife conservation in Nevada, Larry was, until recently, a member of the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Committee. Like Mr Abbey, Larry does not advocate horse slaughter; he prefers the term 'processing.'
Tyson Rope Larson, Nebraska State Senator, Rope Horse Trainer – Tyson Rope Larson is a 5th generation Nebraskan. His distinctive middle name is a marker of this heritage: Tyson was so-named because he was born into and raised on his family’s horse ranch. Tyson currently lives just outside of O’Neill, where he helps his grandfather with training and roping on the family’s horses. Tyson has just been elected to his first term as a Nebraska State Senator, is the youngest state senator in the nation, and intends to make pro horse industry legislation his priority in Nebraska’s unique unicameral Senate. "When they're done ropin', there's no good reason not to eat 'em" Tyson stated.
Rob Leach, Australia, horse trainer - Growing up in the Australian snowy mountains, Rob was always headed in the direction of becoming a top horseman. Raised on a property just outside Mansfield, Victoria, where “The Man From Snowy River” movies were filmed, Rob first learned to ride mustering (gathering) cattle out of the high country with some of the last of the old-time mountain cattlemen. Rob started competing at an early age, successful at different disciplines including eventing, showjumping, bronc riding and Australia’s premier horse sport – campdrafting. Rob is now based at a horse training operation, Whitney’s Wild Oak Ranch near Exeter, California. Here, Rob is concentrating on starting two-year olds for reined cow horse and cutting competitions, horse sale preparation and showing at NRCHA and NCHA aged events. Rob took a wrong turn at Madagascar and ended up in Las Vegas, but since he's a not a Vegan, we're happy to have him here!
Bob Loomis, National Reining Horse Assn – Bob and Pam Loomis are top breeders of Quarter Horses, and base their program around reining horses. They also raise Longhorn cattle. Bob and Pam, with the endorsement from the AQHA, rely heavily on the availability of horse slaughter for their breeding program--
Trent Loos, Faces of Agriculture – Master of Ceremonies for the Summit of the Horse – Trent Loos is a farmer, rancher, and radio host with a special love for folks who lead the same life he has chosen. Trent is a sixth-generation resource provider, specializing in supplying seedstock to pork producers, and beef cattle. When he’s not busy cutting cattle, Trent’s passion is spreading the word about the many positive things in production agriculture, where it is “individuals, not the institutions, that make a difference.” No Horsemeat Hoedown would be complete without the illustrious Mr Loos to give our gathering real credibility. Mr Loos, among other things, was sued and evicted by a Sioux tribe for his management of a large factory pig farm citing the farm and vast lagoons of pig manure had been foisted on them under false pretenses. In addition he was convicted of cattle fraud (selling cattle he didn't own) and was accused of stalking Robert Kennedy Jr.
Trent Loos and Dave Catoor will be exchanging mug-shot tips and and sharing a "How-To" on hiring defense attorneys.
Yes, Mr Loos really is the crown jewel of our Hoedown, and we are thrilled he will be our MC.
Frank Losey – Franklin W. Losey is an attorney licensed to practice law in the States of Ohio and Kentucky and also licensed to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court who has submitted written legal briefs that have been considered by the U.S. Supreme Court. He has served as a United States Air Force Judge Advocate; was assigned to the Pentagon as the Director of Civil Law, where he supervised over 100 military and civilian attorneys; provided legal guidance to the Air Force Chief of Staff and other General Officers assigned to the Pentagon. Since 1990 Mr. Losey has interfaced with Presidents of multi-billion dollar corporations, Members of Congress and their key staff, and senior members of the Executive Branch of our Government. During this period he successfully orchestrated actual statutory changes to Title 10 (Armed Forces), Title 18 (Crimes and Criminal Procedure – Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act), Title 26 (Internal Revenue Code), and Title 41 (Public Contracts) of the U.S. Code. He was also successful in effecting changes to regulations promulgated by the Department of Defense, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Agriculture, OSHA, EPA and the International Maritime Organization and has spoken on behalf of the U.S. Government at an Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). For the last two years Mr. Losey has been leading the effort to expose to the Internal Revenue Service the excessive and prohibited lobbying activities of the Humane Society of the U.S., and his passion for representing responsible dog breeders is based on his commitment to repay Chaucer, his beloved Yorkie, who he treasured for over 18 years, and who came from a breeder in Missouri. As a dog-owner, Mr Losey is uniquely qualified to speak at our Horsemeat Hoedown.
Gary Moyer, National Association of Conservation Districts Board Member – Gary Moyer is a 4th generation Northwest Colorado native. He comes from a Forest products industry background. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in Forest products and he currently owns and operates a tree growing operation in Northwest Colorado. He has been a member of the White River Conservation District for 4+ years and is the Vice President of the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts. Additionally, he is the National Association of Conservation Districts from Colorado. He is also the Vice chairman of the Western Coalition of Conservation Districts which represents 17 Western States. He attended the legislative conference the past two years representing Colorado in Washington, D.C. and spoke to the Wild horse issue and other Western natural resource issues. As a tree-grower, Mr Moyer will be able to share thoughtful insights into the complex issues of the horse industry.
G.B. Oliver, Executive Vice President, Paragon Foundation – The Paragon Foundation was founded on the idea that it is the responsibility of government to protect the rights of fellow Americans, as written in the Constitution, as well as the responsibility of every American to make sure the government remained true to its purpose. Understanding that knowledge is power, Mr. Oliver will wrap up the Summit of the Horse in a way that seeks to arm landowners, land managers, horse owners and horse industry professionals with
Bill & Jann Parker, Billings Livestock Horse Sales – Bill and Jann are the Horse Sale Managers at Billings Livestock where they continue to operate a monthly sale that is renowned nationwide for providing Canada with some of the finest American horsemeat available.
Mindy Patterson, The Cavalry Group – Mindy was campaign manager for The Alliance for Truth campaign which was at the forefront opposing the HSUS driven Missouri 2010 Proposition B which passed by a slim margin of 1.6%. Mindy currently serves as the director of The Cavalry Group, an organization working to help livestock producers, agricultural interests and animal owners fight against the radical animal rights movement nationwide. She also serves as the Director of Communications for the Missouri Federation of Animal Owners (MOFED), and sits on the Board of Directors of the Missouri Equine Council.
Mindy's recent efforts opposing Missouri's 'Puppy Mill' legislation makes her a natural choice for our Horsemeat Hoedown.
Ted Robinson, Working Cow Horses – is the winningest rider in the history of the reined cow horse, with seven NRCHA (National Reined Cow Horse Association) Open Snaffle Bit Futurity World Championships and two World’s Greatest Horseman titles to his name. Ted Robinson has broken every record in the NRCHA. A true AQHA supporter, Ted endorses the reestablishment of US horse slaughter "Not every horse is gonna be a champion" states Ted, "you might as well eat those ones."
Ike Sankey, Sankey Pro Rodeos – Sankey Rodeo Company, of Joliet, Montana, is celebrating its 29th Anniversary in the rodeo business. Started in 1978 in Rosehill, Kansas, by Ike and his father, Bud, Sankey Rodeo Company has grown into one of the most prominent stock contracting firms in the PRCA. Sankey Rodeo Company has had more livestock selected to go to the WNFR in Las Vegas during the past ten years than any other stock contracting company. "I'm a Rodeo guy, of course I support horse slaughter, duh" Ike stated.
David Solum, Solum Brothers, Mid America Equine Sales – David is a breeder of Quarter Horses, and involved in facilitating production and dispersal sales. "I'm a Quarter horse breeder, of course I support horse slaughter, duh." David added.
Manuel Sada, Criadores de Caballos Deportivos Mexicanos AC, Mexico – Manuel is involved in the
Brian Sandoval, Governor of Nevada, (or his designee) – Governor-elect of the state of Nevada since November 2010, and is currently an attorney in private practice with the prominent Nevada law firm Jones Vargas. Sandoval was a former judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada.. Prior to his service as a federal judge, he served as the Nevada Attorney General, the youngest chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission and a state legislator. Sandoval was also the first Hispanic candidate elected to statewide office in Nevada. After Brian got wind about Sue Wallis' legal trouble, he has come down with the flu and will be unable to attend.
Jason Smith, Warm Springs Tribe, Chairman Northwest Tribal Horse Coalition – Jason comes from many generations of horsemen in his family, and is involved with Pro Team Bronc Riding. He is renowned as a one of the nation’s foremost shank men, or the one who holds the rope on the wild horses. He started wild horse racing competition back in the mid-1980s, with his father, “Book” Smith, who is still active, as a stock supplier. Jason has been working with all of the tribes, in recent years, to find a solution to the problem of excess feral horses on Indian lands. "We believe that slaughtering horses can provide an economically viable alternative to building casinos and resorts" says Jason.
Dr. Boyd Spratling, DVM, Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Committee – Boyd is a large animal vet based in Elko County, Nevada. He sees first hand the conditions on the range, and the condition of
U.S. Representative Charlie Stenholm, Texas (retired) – Stenholm was elected to the House as a Democrat in 1978, representing the 17th District. The district, based in Abilene, was a vast and mostly rural district stretching from San Angelo to the western fringes of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. He became one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, belonged to the Blue Dog Coalition and was a leader of the Boll Weevils during the 1980s. His main interests were in agriculture and budget matters. For six years, he was ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. After leaving Congress, Stenholm became a lobbyist, representing various agricultural interests, including the horse meat industry. Since 2005, Stenholm has been a senior policy advisor and lobbyist with Olsson Frank Weeda, a Washington law and lobbying firm that specializes in representing food, drug, and agriculture interests in an effort to get phenylbutzone classified as a safe 'nutritional supplement' for animals and humans.
Steve Torbit, National Wildlife Federation – Regional Executive Director – Rocky Mountain Regional Center – Boulder, CO – Torbit is a professional biologist working on issues that impact wildlife habitats across the west, on endangered species issues, coordinates work on global warming in the Rockies, and as an instructor for NWF’s conservation education efforts. He also leads NWF’s national efforts on conserving public lands and partnering with Native American Tribes on climate and wildlife issues affecting their reservations and treaty lands. Despite the fact that Steve believes in Global Warming, which is a conspiracy invented by Vegans/HSUS/PETA and tree-huggers, he thinks that
Sue Wallis, Wyoming State Representative, Unified Equine - rancher, writer, and legislator from a six generation ranch and rodeo family in northern Wyoming, Wallis has been a leader in the effort to bring common sense and pragmatic, moral, and ethical solutions to the controversies swirling around horses and horse people in the United States. And speaking of 'controversies swirling', it seems that the Vegan Conspirators have attempted to throw a road block in front of Ms Wallis and her Horsemeat Hoedown by way of filing a formal complaint with the Wyoming State Legislative Services Office citing things like fraud, ethics and securities violations. Not to worry, however, as Ms Wallis has assured her supporters stating "I am not a crook." She is currently in the process of getting mug-shot tips and defense attorney suggestions from Mr Loos and Catoor.
Arlen Washines, Yakama Nations – Arlen has been involved with solving the problem of excess feral horses on reservation lands for a number of years, and was, until recently, the Chairman of the Northwest Tribal Horse Coalition. The Yakama Nations are currently struggling to find a solution to more than 10,000 feral horses that are destroying their sacred plants and salmon fisheries. A picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it?
Jennifer Woods, Livestock Handling Specialist –Based out of Blackie, Alberta, Canada, Woods obtained an Animal Science degree from Colorado State University. While attending university, Dr. Temple Grandin was one of her professors whom she continues to collaborate. Jennifer has extensive experience with cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, elk and bison. Since 1998, Woods has worked closely with and consulted to the livestock industry and government across North America and Europe. She specializes in livestock handling and behavior, commercial transportation of livestock, facility design, euthanasia and she is an internationally recognized for her Livestock Emergency Response program that focuses on commercial livestock trailer accidents. Most recently, she has been responsible for the development and implementation of the Equine Humane Handling and Assessment Tool for use in horse processing facilities. We like being able to use the name "Temple Grandin" whenever possible, so this person gives us another opportunity.
Johnny Zamrzla, California Horse Council – Johnny is a successful California businessman who is one of the leaders reviving the California Horse Council. He is also very active in promoting PRCA rodeo, and Professional Bull Riding events. Mr Zamrzla, when not pimping horse slaughter, likes to take long walks on the beach and enjoys knitting as well as making paper mache Christmas ornaments.
