Horses on stamps: France

Horse news in brief, 2006-06-27

Vets in Queensland, Australia urge caution after an outbreak of the deadly Hendra virus….

Parade organizers in Desoto County, Florida, seek horses to participate in their Fourth of July parade…

People in the New Jersey horse industry will be sent a survey in July which seeks to measure the impact horses have on the state’s economy…

Wild horse auction in Jackson, Missouri attracts surprisingly few buyers…

Daughter’s death prompts father to speak out about riding safety…

Ride for Dreams

Over at Ride for Dreams, you can follow the progress of Kimball Foord, his QH gelding Cody, and Australian Shepherd Cheyenne as they trek across Canada to raise money for CanTRA(Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association). The pair set out from Guelph on May 6, 2006 and as of today they’re in northern Ontario. Interesting that on this CanTRA page Foord says that not all sections of the Trans Canada Trail are open to horses, who have less impact on the environment than mechanized vehicles, yet snowmobiles and ATVs are allowed.

Brigadier

I found this great photo of the late Brigadier over at Sasha’s Legacy Equine Rescue.

Mounted Toronto Police constables Gregory John, left, and Ricard Cooper take their coffee break in the saddle yesterday (Sunday, May 12 2002) at the Tim Hortons shop at Leslie St. at Lakeshore Blvd. E. Their steeds are Brigadier, left, and Spencer.

Photo: Rene Johnston/Toronto Star

Horses on stamps: Belarus

Which famous horse are you?

Take the quiz! I'm Bucephalus.

EDIT: The quiz was apparently offline for a while but it's back now

Blatant self-promotion ;)

Bridlepath was mentioned in a Japanese blog…I think they like us but it’s hard to tell. 😉

Audio debate: The end of the trail for American horses

Pop over to E/The Environmental Magazine to listen to a debate on the slaughterhouse issue between Wayne Pacell, CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, and Charles Stenholm, a former Democratic congressman from Texas and current lobbyist for the horse slaughter industry.

New reality show: Only Fools on Horses

From show business to show jumping, twelve celebrities are chomping at the bit to raise money in BBC’s Sport Relief presents…Only Fools on Horses show, from 7 – 15 July, with the live final one of the highlights in The Night of Sport Relief show on BBC ONE.

Clifford of Drummond Island

Clifford of Drummond Island, by Nancy J. Bailey, is a tale of a woman and her Morgan colt Clifford. According to Amazon, This true story began when the author’s first horse died. Grief stricken, Nancy went to the same breeder for another Morgan. She thought she was “settling” when she purchased an undersized two-year-old colt instead of the mare she wanted. She was in for a big surprise! Follow the adventures of Clifford as he wins the hearts of those around him, while romping in the scenic wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Combined are tales of hand-fed chickadees, a playful hawk, a loyal German shepherd, and a unique way of life. Hilarious, heartbreaking and unforgettable, this is a story destined to become a classic.

Bailey has also written a sequel called Return to Manitou. What are YOUR favourite horse books?

UPDATE: Clifford has his own site now!

Why we care…or not

NB: you really want to read this entry first. It’s OK; we’ll wait until you get back. 🙂

Pat Forde at ESPN weighs in on why people who would not consider themselves racing fans or horse fanatics care what happens to Barbaro. He ascribes some of the outpouring of emotion to guilt for what we ask these animals to do for our entertainment and our wallets, not to mention the tastes of “drama-addicted America”. (Too true–the Olympics on NBC are absolutely unwatchable because of the broadcasters’ determination to wring mawkish drama out of every situation, and many viewers in the northern US prefer to watch the Canadian feeds.)

He continues: Bonds’ hitting 714 was inevitable. Barbaro’s breaking his leg certainly was not. It was a wholly unpredictable outcome — especially to casual fans who don’t know the grisly statistics on how common thoroughbred breakdowns really are.

And while it is easy to cheer against Bonds and other athletic churls, cheaters and chokers, race horses are — like most domesticated animals — almost universally laudable creatures. They try hard, do not complain and do not get in much off-the-track trouble. They’re pure.

And they are absolutely beautiful, at rest and especially in motion.

Which is, again, in stark contrast to Bonds. 😉