The truth about ring crews?

Caveat emptor

Keep watching right to the end…

Do you recognize this horse?

Have you seen this horse?

That’s the question the North Middleton Police Department (Pennsylvania) is asking after an officer found it prancing up Spring Road near the Turkey Hill convenience store earlier this week.

Now, the department is searching for the answer to where the mysterious horse came from.

“We have yet to find the owner,” said Chief Jeffrey Rudolph. “And no one has reported it missing.”

Rudolph said Officer Dan Fiber was patrolling Route 34 around 4:30 p.m. Sunday when he saw the animal running northbound up the highway. Link

Love how either the cops have no idea how to identify the horse’s sex, or the reporter didn’t think to ask.

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Do you recognize these horses?

World’s tallest horse (now on video)

According to the Guinness Book, the current record holder is Priefert’s Radar, a Belgian gelding standing 19.3-1/2 hands (that’s 6’7-1/2″ or just over 2.01m) and weighing 2400 pounds. More on Radar

Five fives

Muscles of that Strawberry Roan, originally uploaded by mveaches.

How’s that for a metapost?

1. Top five reasons not to buy your first horse at auction

2. Five steps to a great horse pasture

3. Top five myths about cutting horses

4. Around the world in five horse races

5. Five True Horse Stories by Margaret Davidson

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Next Horse Lovers Blog Carnival: May 23

Feira do Cavalo Lusitano, originally uploaded by fgc.

From da carnival boss Mona @ Horse Approved:

…The next carnival is going to be May 23rd and will be hosted by GirlsHorseClub.com. The theme for this carnival will be First Impressions – Share the story of your first memory of a horse (this could include a fictional horse) or your first meeting with a horse who has touched your life.

As always you are welcome to participate in the Horse Lovers Blog Carnival even if you don’t have a post that fits the theme. Just put your post under the General category. Submission deadline is May 22nd by 5:00 pm PST.

Submissions are welcome from newbies and carnival veterans alike! Here’s the link for that.

What’s your (horse’s) sign?

Sagittarius, originally uploaded by ElDave.

Aussie astrologer Kim Devries has put together an equine astrological profile at GaitedHorse.net. Yes, I know, the nurses in the delivery room probably have more gravitational influence over your birth than the various stars and planets do, but it’s still fun to read, isn’t it? Let’s check in with some famous horses…

Thumbelina, world’s smallest horse, foaled May 1, 2001:

Taurus is the second sign of the zodiac, and is a fixed earth sign, which is ruled by the planet Venus. The Taurus-sun horse is therefore naturally a dependable, placid and affectionate horse that yearns for comfort and routine. This horse loves to be touched and will bond with you very strongly if you brush and massage it regularly. The Taurus-sun horse is also very food-focused, and needs the reassurance of a predictable feeding routine. This horse loves sleeping and lazing about, so a comfortable stable or shady trees in the field are important! A Taurus horse needs to feel secure mentally and emotionally within the partnership, and dislikes changes in routine. It may have trouble adjusting to new situations and needs to be treated with patience and calmness; otherwise it may become downright obstinate and totally refuse to cooperate with you! Like the bovine symbol of its sign, the Taurus horse is naturally a herd animal, and likes the security of being together with other horses. As Taurus rules the throat, this horse may have something about the neck, which attracts attention. It may be, for example noticeably long or short. It could also be that the Taurus horse nickers or whinnies in a distinctive manner!

Well, her neck is unusually close to the ground, I’ll grant you that. 😉

Secretariat, foaled March 30, 1970:

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, so a horse born under this sun sign likes to be first and is a natural leader. Aries is a cardinal fire sign and is ruled by the planet Mars. The Aries-sun horse is therefore extremely energetic by nature, as well as competitive and decisive. This horse shines when it is given challenges, as it needs to test itself in competition. Whilst an Aries horse needs to be given space mentally and emotionally within the partnership to take some initiatives, you do need to teach this horse to think before it acts. The Aries-sun horse’s impulsiveness can otherwise lead it into difficulties! The Aries horse also needs physical space to do its own thing each day, as it is such a bundle of energy and loves to be busy and active. It needs to run free in a field and challenge itself against other horses by playing dominance games and testing its physical strength. As Aries rules the head, this horse may have something about the head, which attracts attention. For this reason, many Aries-sun horses have a noticeable feature or a cut or scar somewhere on the head. The Aries horse may also be prone to bumping or hitting its head!

(See also: Barnum effect)

A boon for lovers of equine history

From Horse Training Success:

Isn’t it wonderful when families see sense and take pride in the life’s work of a deceased member and take the time to find a suitable repository for the person’s belongings? In this case, we all benefit by their level headedness and generosity. The International Museum of the Horse now has the life’s collection of the world’s ancient horse authority. Bravo!

Bravo indeed, and I can see me spending many blissful hours sifting through everything.

19th nervous breakdown averted

Remember all the hoo-hah about the Rolling Stones playing at a Belgrade racecourse and concerns over the possible effects on the horses stabled there? This just in: the band have agreed to a change of venue:

THE Rolling Stones have asked to change the venue for a concert in Belgrade to spare hundreds of horses a potentially traumatic experience.

The 14 July concert was due to be held at the Serbian capital’s Hippodrome racetrack until Orca, an animal protection society, complained that the noise would traumatise the 300 horses kept in nearby stables.

The situation became heated after media reports that the animals would be sedated to keep them calm during the concert.

“The concert will not take place on the Hippodrome,” said Raka Maric, the manager of Music Star Production. In a letter to Orca, the organisers said they had been victims of bad publicity.

“The Rolling Stones’ band members are great animal lovers,” Mr Maric said in the letter. “We didn’t manage to convince the Stones’ management that the concert would not harm the horses.” Link

Pergolide update: still allowed for horses!

A couple of weeks ago I told y’all that Pergolide, commonly prescribed to help horses with Cushings, was in danger of being pulled from the market because the FDA was concerned about possible side effects in humans. Equine Pergolide Action reports today that the FDA has released a statement saying it will still be available for veterinary use:

http://www.fda.gov/cvm/pergolide.htm

“CVM recognizes that veterinarians are prescribing pergolide for the treatment of Cushing’s Syndrome in horses. Veterinarians have been prescribing the drug under the provisions of the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act which allows veterinary practitioners to prescribe approved human drugs for “extralabel” use in animals.

“FDA is working with the sponsors of the approved products and all other interested parties to ensure that pergolide remains available to treat Cushing’s Syndrome in horses until a new animal drug application is approved for that use. This includes trying to make the approved product available through veterinary distribution channels and exercising enforcement discretion as appropriate over the pharmacy compounding of pergolide. Bulk substance used for pharmacy compounding should be labeled for “animal use only.” All pharmacy compounding must be done under a valid veterinary prescription to treat an affected horse.”

Great news, and many thanks to Sherri for letting Bridlepath know about this site.

Blog reader survey

C’mon, all the cool kids are doing it! Apologies for the rampant American bias in it–not that there’s anything wrong with Americans, but certain quarters do seem to forget sometimes that the internet is worldwide…

Please take my blog reader survey!

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Equestrian sports poll!