The last few weeks have been a blur. My daughter and her husband went on vacation so I offered to stay at her house to look after all the critters. I learned how much I really miss having horses in my backyard. Then of course, the holidays happened. So, I had a lot of horse news to catch up on when the dust settled.
So Much Horsepower
When it comes to horsepower, sometimes there is no substitute for the real thing. Clydesdale team Molly and Prince normal pull logs and sleighs. But after an early storm left roads slick and snow covered they came to the aid of a trucker whose rig got stuck in a driveway. The team’s owner quickly determined that his farm tractor wasn’t going to be much use in the icy conditions, so he harnessed up while the truck driver was left wondering how this was going to work. But it did work. The team pulled the tractor and trailer up the driver, with another farm tractor giving a little push from behind at the steepest point.
Australian Wild Horses Starve
The plight of a herd of brumbies in Australia has attracted international attention. After a period of drought, the land in a portion of Barmah National Park, was flooded, stranding a herd of wild horses. With not enough forage to support the horses, they have been slowing starving. Park rangers have been shooting horses with very low body condition scores. The public has been sneaking food to the horses, but authorities are warning that interfering with the horses is illegal.
Another Horse of a Different Color
There was a time when you bred a black horse to a black horse in hopes of getting another black horse. But now our knowledge of genetics helps assure breeders of getting the colors they want. And we can be pretty sure we won’t get a bi-colored horse if we mate two solid color horses. But, we’re learning something new all the time, as an Icelandic Horse breeder discovered. A five-year-old stallion, with a sire and dam that are both solid colored, has an unusual coat pattern. The horse should be a “bay dun”, buy, instead of the typical solid coat and dark eyes, this stallion has smatterings of white and a partially blue eye. He is thought to be unique in the world.
Starving Pony?
Do you see a starving pony? I don’t think I do. Katie Price fans were shocked to see a photo of Price’s daughter astride what many said was a starving pony. I looked at the picture and for the life of me, I don’t see a starving pony at all. In fact, its haunches look nice and round. Perhaps it’s a bit ribby, but not dangerously so. Actually, if there’s anything offensive going on I’d say it’s that the child isn’t wearing a helmet and her toque has real fur on it. Which maybe only proves that you’ll find something wrong with everything if you look hard enough.
Commemorating Wild Horse Annie
The story of Wild Horse Annie and Velma Johnston at first glance begins a bit like the story of Clark Kent and Superman. But, rather than leaping tall buildings in the pursuit of villains, after following a stock truck dripping with blood, Wild Horse Annie became a hero of wild horses and burro and campaigned tirelessly starting locally, and eventually all the way to the federal government, for their protection.
Molly Comes Home
When Molly’s owner saw her on the evening of September 22, there was no concern of what was to become of the in-foal Clydesdale mare. When owner Cindy Thomas went to check her horses the next morning, the gate to Molly’s pen was open, and Molly was gone. The story of the missing Clyde went viral, and social media shared the information world-wide. It was feared that someone had stolen the mare to sell for meat. But, the story had a happy ending over the Christmas holidays when Molly was found on a neighbor's yard. What happened to Molly over the three months she was missing is a mystery. Molly owners have reported that she is in good health, except for some minor hoof issues, and is resettling in her home, and awaiting her foal’s arrival this spring.
3P *Starring Ruth* has captured two spots on the leaderboard joining * Queen Of Hearts. Starring Ruth is a 17.1 hand Friesian mare out of the PythonPonyPalaces stable and was foaled September 7, 2023. She not only was #1 ranked ho ...
DNA testing can tell you a number of things about a horse’s risk of developing a hereditary disease, coat color, genetic markers for speed, temperament and gait and can give some insight into a horse’s breed. In this video, The Cl ...
Here is a story of how a passion for horses led one woman to a life of secrecy and dishonesty. Over twenty years she built a life of glamor and competitive success. But many people asked how she funded her extravagant lifestyle th ...
One of the world’s rarest breeds is the Suffolk Punch. Native to Britain, these stocky draft horses once had pride of place in agricultural work, hauling artillery, pulling public transportation vehicles like busses and towing bar ...
*V For Victory* is entrenched on the leaderboard and still holds the Best Streak with an 18,792 run and a jumpoff record of 29,444 - 19. But two mares have taken over the Top Rank and Highest Jump records. At 16, the 17-hand Crown ...
Get your daily dose of nature with this 49-minute video of wild horses travelling to a water hole in Sand Wash Basin, a BLM managed area in Colorado. The small herd drinks, grazes and swish's flies in the semi-arid desert environm ...
Halloween is just around the corner and it's time to consider costumes for you and your four-legged friends. A recent viral trend is dressing your pet as a ghost. Some sheets and paint are the basis of this costume, and you can se ...
Good riders do what they can to make their horse’s job easier. Especially when jumping, your position can help or hinder your horse as it adjusts its strides and balance between and over obstacles. Here’s a video with good suggest ...