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updated July
11, 2006
Horse Welfare Glossary
horsewelfare.net Forum
When visiting rescue or other equine
welfare web sites, you may see terms whose meanings are not immediately
obvious. If you come upon such a term, and it is not included
here, please let us know and
we'll add it to the glossary.
1023
Form used to apply for tax exempt status
in accordance with IRS code. The 1023 (and all supporting
documents) is one of the documents tax-exempt organizations are required
to provide to the public when asked.
501(c)(3)
Excerpts from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501c3 :
"Section 501(c)(3) is just one of the tax law provisions
granting exemption from the federal income tax to
non-profit organizations. This exemption does not cover
other federal taxes such as employment taxes."
"501(c)(3) exemptions apply to corporations, and any
community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and
operated exclusively for religious, charitable,
scientific, literary, or educational purposes, or to
foster national or international amateur sports
competition, or for the prevention of cruelty to
children or animals."
"Another provision, provides a deduction, for federal
income tax purposes, for some donors who make charitable
contributions to 501(c)(3) organizations."
"Organizations with this classification are prohibited
from lobbying to influence to elections and legislation.
However, these organizations are permitted to educate
individuals about issues, or fund research that supports
their political position without overtly advocating for
a position on a specific bill."
IRS Reminds Charities to Avoid Campaign Activities This
Election Season
"501(c)3 pending"
The IRS bestows no such designation on
organizations that have not yet received a tax-exempt ruling. When
you see "501c3 pending" on an organization's web site or literature, it
could mean anything from "We've received a letter acknowledging that the
IRS received our application packet," to "We once looked at the
application on-line and may start to fill it out sometime in the
future." Do some homework and use your best judgment when
contributing to "pending" organizations.
990
Form 990 is used by a tax-exempt
organization to file a financial
return with the IRS. Organizations with income under $25,000/year
are not required to file a 990, but many do file so their financial records
will be easily available to the public. Tax exempt organizations
are required to provide 990's to the public when asked.
AAEP
American
Association of Equine Practitioners
ACO
Animal Control Officer
AVMA
American
Veterinary Medical Association
Body Score
See Henneke
Bombproof
"Bombproof" is a term used to describe a
horse that will not "spook," or act unpredictably when confronted with
new or unusual sights, sounds or situations. The truly bombproof
horse is a mythical creature indeed, since every horse may
"spook" at something, somewhere, at some time during its life.
CFC
Combined Federal Campaign, "the world's
largest and most successful annual workplace giving
campaign......Pledges made by Federal civilian, postal and military
donors during the campaign season (September 1st to December 15th)
support eligible non-profit organizations......" (CFC
web site) Organizations must meet certain financial and
governance standards to be accepted into the CFC.
Coggins
A "Coggins" is a test performed to look
for the presence of Equine Infectious Anemia. A current, negative,
Coggins certificate is required to cross most state lines. Legal
requirements for horses remaining within state boundaries vary.
Check with your state Department of Agriculture.
COPD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease,
also called Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO) or "heaves."
COPD is a common respiratory disease which can limit a horse's ability
to work in varying degrees. Symptoms can include chronic cough,
nasal discharge, and respiratory difficulty in which the horse may seem
to "work hard" to exhale and uses the abdominal muscles help expel the
air. COPD is often noticeably worse when the horse is kept in a
stall, especially one with poor ventilation, and/or fed hay, both of
which cause the horse to breathe in dust or mold.
Cushings
Cushings Disease, also called
Hyperadrenocorticism. Cushings Disease is more often seen in older
horses than in younger animals, but can effect horses of all ages.
It is often caused by a mass on the pituitary gland which results in
excess production of cortisol. Symptoms may be subtle at first and
can include weight gain with unusual localized fatty deposits, heavy
coat year-round, frequent bouts of laminitis, weight loss and muscle
atrophy, excess water consumption, excess urination, sores and abscesses
in the mouth, intolerance of temperature extremes, lethargy and,
infrequently, neurological symptoms. There is no cure for Cushings
at this time, but symptoms can be controlled to some extent through the
use of medication and careful dietary management.
Exposed
Term used to describe a mare that has been
with a stallion. This may mean a planned breeding, where the owner
knows when and where the breeding took place, and who the sire is.
It may also mean that mares and stallions were simply allowed to live
together in an unsupervised herd, presenting opportunity for unplanned,
and possibly unwise, breeding. In either case, a mare advertised
as "exposed" may very well be carrying a foal.
Gelding
A castrated ("neutered") male horse.
First Refusal
Some organizations include the "right of
first refusal" in their adoption contracts. This simply means
that, when an adopter can no longer keep a horse (or no longer wants to
keep the horse,) he must contact the organization to ask if they want
the horse returned to the rescue facility. If the organization
does not take the horse back, the adopter is responsible for finding a
new home.
Foster Home
Some equine welfare organizations have no
central facility, but house resident horses with volunteer caregivers.
Others use foster families, even though they have a facility, to expand
their capacity. Horses in foster homes belong to the organization,
though foster families may contribute financially to the horses' care.
Foster programs vary from one organization to another but all should
operate with some form of contractual agreement to ensure both parties
understand program details.
Founder
Often used interchangeably with the term
"laminitis" in the past, founder is now often considered to be a very
specific set of changes in the foot. Laminitis refers to
inflammation, from any cause, of the fine leaf-like structures (laminae)
that connect the interior portions of the foot to the inside of the
hoof, ensuring everything, including the bone, remains aligned properly.
"Founder" is said to occur when the inflammation causes the laminae to
be damaged and the bone drops (rotates) out of position. Founder
can occur in varying degrees, from hardly noticeable on an x-ray, to the
appearance of the bone itself through the sole of the foot.
Health Certificate
A health certificate is a document usually
required when transporting a horse across state lines, and possibly in
some other situations in some areas. It is issued by a licensed
veterinarian and states that, at the time of issue, the horse did not
appear to be carrying any infectious diseases. It is NOT a
guarantee of health or soundness.
Requirements vary by state, but
there is usually a limit on how long before transport the certificate
may be issued.
Heaves
see COPD
Henneke
Body Condition Scoring System
Lameness
The AAEP defines "lameness" as "a
deviation from the normal gait or posture due to pain or mechanical
dysfunction." Go
here for more on determining the degree of lameness
Liability Waiver
May also be called a "Release of
Liability" or "Disclaimer." A liability waiver is a legal document
that seeks protection against law suits and damage awards in the
event of an accident. Many organizations will ask everyone who
participates in their activities to sign such a waiver. In fact,
many insurance carriers require the use of such documents before they
will cover horse-related activities. Participants should read and
understand waivers before signing. Since legal requirements vary
from one state to another, organizations should consult an attorney to
be sure their waivers provide as much protection as possible under the
law. Be aware that a liability waiver will not protect anyone in
cases of negligence.
NAERIC
North
American Equine Ranching Information Council
No-Breeding Clause
Many equine welfare organizations include
"no-breeding" clauses in their adoption contracts. These clauses
state that horses adopted through the organization may not be bred.
Period. With so many horses in need of new homes at any given
time, rescue shelters do not want the horses they help to contribute to
the problem. The concept is the same as the one behind a dog or
cat shelter's requirement that all adopted animals be neutered.
Non-Profit
Corporation
Being a non-profit corporation is NOT the
same thing as having a designation as a 501(c)3
organization. 501(c)3 is a federal designation,
incorporating as a non-profit entity occurs at the state level.
According to
The Free
Dictionary, a non-profit corporation is "incorporated under
state laws and approved by both the state's Secretary of State
and its taxing authority as operating for educational, charitable,
social, religious, civic or humanitarian purposes. A nonprofit
corporation (also called "not for profit corporation") is formed by
incorporators, has a board of directors and officers, but no
shareholders. These incorporators, directors and officers may not
receive a distribution of (any money from) profits, but officers and
management may be paid reasonable salaries for services to the
corporation. Upon dissolution of a nonprofit corporation its assets must
be distributed to an organization existing for similar purposes under
the "cy pres doctrine." In order for contributions to the corporation to
be deductible as charitable gifts on federal income taxes, the
corporation must submit a detailed application (with a substantial fee)
for an Internal Revenue Service ruling..."
Nurse Mare
Nurse mares are often employed when a
foal's natural mother cannot provide milk for some reason. In some
instances, owners of orphaned foals are able to find another mare whose
foal recently died. In other cases, foal owners turn to commercial
nurse mare farms.
OTTB
"Off The Track Thoroughbred" - refers to a
Thoroughbred recently "retired" from racing due to one of several
reasons. Some horses simply don't do as well as others on the
track. Some may suffer minor injuries requiring a period of
"lay-up." Others simply don't like racing. Most, though, are wonderfully
suited to other disciplines.
PMU
Pregnant Mare Urine. "PMU" is not a is not
a breed of horse. The term comes from an industry in which the
urine of pregnant mares is collected for use in the manufacture of some
Hormone Replacement Therapy medications such as Premarin and Prempro.
Mares used on urine lines may be of any breed or mix of breeds.
"PMU foals" refers to the offspring of these mares.
Publicly Supported
An organization is "publicly supported" if
it receives the majority of its funding from the general public through
contributions, membership fees, program fees, etc. rather than being
financed by one or two individuals. See the
IRS definition.
QH
Quarter Horse
Quarantine
Isolation provided to incoming horses,
whether at rescue facilities or new permanent homes, until it can be
determined if they could be incubating infectious diseases. It is
good practice to quarantine any new horse, but it is especially
important when the new horse's history is unknown, or it has come from a
situation (such as a auction barn) where it was likely exposed to large
numbers of horses from many different backgrounds and locations.
Speak with your veterinarian about proper quarantine procedures and
signs that might signal impending illness.
Refeeding
"Refeeding" refers to the techniques
involved in reintroducing food to a malnourished or starving horse.
Because each case has unique aspects, no one technique is set in stone
as "the best."
Renderer
According to the
Fats & Proteins Research Foundation,
rendering is "a process that involves the sanitary collection of
animal raw material from slaughter, packing, processing, food
preparation and fallen animal sites for transport to process
controlled facilities, heated to a temperature higher than required for
sterilization, which also removes the moisture, the fat is extracted
from the protein. The fat and protein are then used as animal feed
ingredients. Edible tallow and lard are used in all food groups to
include bakery products and cooking compounds. Inedible animal
by-products are utilized as important energy and protein components for
animal nutrition, a multitude of industrial uses that in part includes
biodiesel, fertilizers, soap, rubber and plastics. This important
recycling function currently is accomplished by approximately 260 North
American facilities." Renderers do NOT slaughter horses
or any other animals.
Sound
"Sound" describes a horse that is free of
health problems or injuries that would hinder his ability to be used for
a desired purpose. A phrase like "sound for light riding" might
mean the horse will be comfortable going on moderate trail rides once or
twice a week, but can not race gallop or jump without experiencing pain
or injury. "Sound at the walk" might mean that the horse exhibits
no lameness when walking but if asked to trot or canter, shows pain in
one or more areas of the body.
Strangles
Highly contagious disease caused by
Streptococcus equi equi. See
Merck Veterinary Manual discussion
TB
Thoroughbred
UTD
Up To Date, as in "Up to date on
vaccinations." Exactly what UTD means, though, may vary. In
the case of vaccinations, which vaccines are recommended may be
different depending on the area of the country. Some vaccines may
be required annually, other every six months. When adopting a
horse said to be "UTD on shots," ask for a detailed explanation before
assuming nothing more is recommended.
WNV
West Nile Virus
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