Karen at EasyCare is running a contest:
We’ll draw names out of all of the correct answers on April 15th. The winner will have their choice of a new Easyboot, Easyboot Epic, Easyboot Bare or Easyboot Grip hoofboot.
Related posts:
Freebies!
Are you a Barn Babe?
Win a horse
A few more freebies (plus contests)
While women seem to make up a slight majority of the horse-obsessed in the western world, they don’t always have the same access elsewhere. The Middle East has one of the oldest equestrian cultures in the world, and one which often excludes women. The Yemen Observer reports that one woman is trying to change that: Ahlam al-Sayaghi has long dreamed of becoming a professional horserider. Yet it has been a struggle to realize these dreams in Yemen, where women have been banned from many equestrian contests. “Why does a sport like horseback riding have to be reserved to men in Yemen?” she said.
“It cannot be that it is so hard that only men can practice it. It is an easy sport, in which you only deal with the horse. People in Yemen believe it to be a males’ sport. ‘Riders are only men,’ they say.” But al-Sayaghi is trying to change this idea, by becoming the first competitive horsewoman in Yemen. She was allowed to compete in the Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hussein al-Ahmer Championship held in 2005, in which she was the only horsewoman and won the second prize. She expected to compete in the recent Presidential Championship competition, but she was excluded three days before it on account of her gender. Link
Related posts:
Moroccan women riders steal men’s glory
Check out the cute little sneakers, boots and slippers designed for miniature horses used as guide animals for the blind. Shown above: “Mare Jordan“.
Related posts:
Auctioned mini given back to owner
Thumbelina on tour UPDATE: more pics!
1. The Black Forest Horse (Schwarzwälder Füchs)
Dating back 600 years, the Black Forest Horse is native to southern Germany and is considered an ancient cold-blooded breed.
They were originally selected for working on farmland and in forestry regions. Today they are mainly used as coach horses and for riding. They are nimble and lively, have a gentle nature, and are very durable and strong. The Black Forest horse is known for its high fertility, is long-lived, and are very easy keepers. Their body color, as suggested by the name, is mostly dark chestnut (German: Kohlfuchs) with light (blonde/flaxen) mane and tail. Their coloring can vary slightly into a sorrel; however the most popular color is the dark chestnut. Black Forest Farmers refer to the Black Forest horses as the “Pearls of the Black Forest” because of their positive/easy nature, gentle disposition, and their sheer elegance and beauty. Link
Genetic studies have shown this breed to be distinct from other German breeds. I predict they may become the next slightly trendy ‘exotic’ horse, following in the footsteps of the Friesians and Irish Gypsy cobs.
GRAND ISLAND – The case against Grand Island veterinarian Dr. Jay Stewart was dismissed today.
Hall County Attorney Mark Young said he was forced to dismiss the case after three witnesses failed to show up for the trial scheduled for today.
Stewart had been accused of injecting vodka into race horses to calm them before races at Grand Island’s Fonner Park in 2005.
Young declined to identify the three witnesses, but court records indicated that he had attempted to subpoena a jockey and two race horse owners.
Stewart left the Hall County Courthouse without commenting. His lawyer, William VonSeggern, also declined to comment. Link / Image source
The Unwanted Horse Council (UHC) announced has launched a new website and announced the release of an awareness brochure.
“The Unwanted Horse Coalition includes equine organizations that are concerned with the number of unwanted horses in the United States,” said Dr. Tom Lenz, Coalition Chairman.
“The website and brochure are our first steps in educating current and future owners, breeders, traders, and others involved with horses about the issue of the unwanted horse. Our goal is to make the coalition unnecessary.”
Both the website and brochure explain the UHC and its mission, which is to reduce the number of unwanted horses and to improve their welfare. It will do that through educational outreach and the efforts of various organizations committed to the health, safety, and responsible care and disposition of unwanted horses.
The UHC was created following the Unwanted Horse Summit that was organized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and held in conjunction with the American Horse Council’s annual meeting in April 2005. In June 2006, the group was folded into the American Horse Council and now operates under its auspices.
In addition to information about the UHC, the website provides resources and links for retiring and rescuing horses, methods for handling the loss of a horse, and suggestions to help people “Own Responsibly,” which is the motto of the UHC.
“We want people to learn how to own responsibly,” Jay Hickey, President of the American Horse Council, said. “If they buy, sell, and treat horses responsibly, there will be fewer unwanted horses.”
The website will be updated regularly with news releases and publications describing the progress of the UHC and the plight of the unwanted horse. Both the website and the brochure provide information on how to become a member of the UHC and how to contribute to the UHC. (Via HorseTalkNZ)
Related posts:
Barbaro update, and a challenge to those who say they love horses
Horse Trailer Photo 2, originally uploaded by EquineGuardian.
A federal appeals court’s decision Wednesday to block the Agriculture Department from providing horse meat inspections for a fee has repercussions for an Illinois plant.
The decision in a lawsuit filed by the Humane Society of the United States also is another setback for the horse slaughter industry overall.
In January, a federal appeals court upheld a 1949 Texas ban on the slaughter of horses for the purpose of selling the meat for human consumption overseas. The ruling forced two plants in Texas to scale back operations.
Wayne Pacelle, president of the humane society, said Wednesday’s ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia effectively shuts down operations at Cavel International Inc. in DeKalb, Ill., the only plant still fully operating in the U.S.
Congress stripped funding for horse meat inspections in 2005, but the USDA devised a plan to provide the inspections for a fee for slaughter plants. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, found the USDA did not follow federal procedures for setting up the inspection fee program. Link
Related posts:
House votes to stop sale of wild horses for slaughter
Audio debate: The end of the trail for American horses
U.S. House passes Horse Slaughter Prevention Act
No more horse slaughter in Texas
Horse news in brief, 2007-01-27
Horses on auction list lead to fears of sale for slaughter
Kentucky “swamped” with unwanted horses
Humane society refutes horse dumping claims
1. The Black Stallion
The Black Stallion needs no introduction. The fiery hero of Walter Farley’s beloved books, he was portrayed by the Arab stallion Cass Ole in the movies. Generations of horse fanatics have devoured the stories and passed them on to their own children. There’s a Black Stallion blog, and be sure to check out The Black Stallion Literacy Project.
This slice of Bollywood has been doing the rounds. Don’t try it at home, kids!
Suerte the Trakehner mare has garnered a following as huge as her two-weeks-overdue belly. Her owner, Genevieve Ghilotti, set up a webcam to monitor her horses, and Suerte has become a phenomenon, with “I’ve Been Suerte’d” t-shirts produced and updates beamed worldwide.
Related posts:
Carnival Horse, originally uploaded by DMC2006.
See all the entries at Horse Approved; there are some great submissions there. If you’d like to be part of the next one, the submission form is here.
Remember this? Nancy was kind enough to send me this explanatory clipping from Horse & Rider magazine. Farm link: http://www.platinumpainthorses.com
The Lipizzaner Museum in Vienna “offers a comprehensive and fascinating survey covering over four hundred years from the sixteenth century to the present using paintings, engravings, drawings, photographs, uniforms, harnesses, as well as video and film presentations.” There are some lovely photos and a nice online gift shop as well; it’d definitely be worth a stop if you’re ever in Austria!
Related posts:
They saved horses: now the casualties of Operation Cowboy finally get their due
Museum exhibit: horses in classical art
Dartfield Horse Museum
Museum exhibit: The Draft Horse in America
More draft horse museums
Lipizzaners grace new coins
George Stubbs at the Frick Collection
You’ve probably heard about this, but if not: A wordpress.com blog was pulled for hosting obscene content and death threats against another blogger, Kathy Sierra. What galls me is the sense I get from some quarters that she’s “overreacting”–like women fly off the handle, or it doesn’t “count” somehow if someone threatens them. “Ah, it’s just a bit of fun; lighten up, baby!”
Here’s Kathy’s post detailing the threats; some of you may find this disturbing. To give you a sense of what makes her a true A-list blogger, I suggest reading her post Seven blog virtues.
As for why Bridlepath should mention this…she’s part of the tribe, for one thing, but more importantly, I believe that harassments and threats have no more place online than they do in real life.
Bridlepath
Bridlepath 