Representative Grijalva Stands Up for Wild Horses

Great interview from the Atlantic (always a good day when publications like the Atlantic cover equine issues) with "the man who could save America's wild horses," Representative Raul Grijalva.  Expect to be seeing his name more.  

Feature YouTube video of the day. . .My Life Horse Riding

I came across this video on YouTube, and feel compelled to share it.  I am a sucker for
1.  Montages in movies
2.  Slide shows (set to music, preferably at summer camp or after a team's season)
and this homemade video seems to me to capture the best of both worlds.  It is spliced together footage of a little girl learning to ride (walking races, etc.) all the way to competition film of her as a seasoned eventer.  Click here for 3:26 well spent.

Pacing, gaiting in horses are genetic

I remember the first time I saw a Tennessee Walking Horse really step out--how can he do that?  I thought.  I could not imagine my own Quarter Horse's legs could even move like that.  It turns out that some Swedish researchers have discovered the specific genes that are responsible for the Icelandic tolt and other gaits.  Click here for more.

A horse that looks like Justin Bieber

Where do they get these things, you may be wondering.  And I really don't even have an answer for you there.  But if you go to this site, you will find a slideshow of animals that look like Justin Bieber.  The horse is #6 of 9, and it is an uncanny resemblance.

I have a good friend who has a cat that looks just like George Jones, so I am used to this kind of twinning, but prepare to be amazed. . .

Red Star beginnings

I hope you'll read this post I wrote over at my Outrider column at Raceday 360 about the beginnings of the Red Star, which is the Humane Association's emergency wing.  Teaser:  It had to do with World War I. . .

Johnny Depp Hearts Horses

By Kitson

I watched the 1999 movie "Sleepy Hollow" recently and -- as usual -- the horse scenes caught my attention. I love reading this cool blog post about Depp and his horse (thanks to the blog horsecarecourses.com).  Goldeneye, the horse, was a member of the cast. the one-eyed horse ridden by Depp's character in the movie. Depp apparently saved the horse from being cast away to euthanasia after the filming of the movie. Love that. And I love how last summer, he credited his stunt horse with saving his life on the set of the "Lone Ranger." Check it out here.

Filly left in gate recovers to win

and in her first race, too!  Came from thirteen lengths behind to win.  Thanks to the LA Times for this great story.  We've all had days like that. . .they just don't always end so well.

Having Joe Talamo as her jockey probably helped, but it's still impressive.

Horse Show Moms

I am a hockey mom--my kids don't ride competitively (unless you count vying for time with Sugar a competition.)  But I came across this cool site that's for horse show moms.  Check out their Winter Circuit show diary here.

Horse Locomotion

This is cool: a very interesting video that illustrates a scientific study about how horses move.

Country Music Star Saves A Horse's Life

By Kitson

Check out this amazing story of a horse named Misty rescued from a Tennessee river, thanks to help from neighbor and country music star Luke Bryan. He was in a boat and spotted the horse, who had taken a terrifying 15-foot fall into a riverbed. Misty is expected to make a full recovery. If Luke hadn't spotted her and called for help, she may not have been saved in time.

Ode to a Boot Rack

By Kitson

Check out this awesome metal boot rack made by my artisan uncle, Bryan Buck. He lives on a beautiful piney acreage in Wiscasset, Maine. Upside-down boot racks like these are all the rage in the UK and Australia -- you can leave your mucky Wellies to be washed in the rain, while the inside of the boots dry out. For more information email Bryan. He's selling them for $75 plus the cost of shipping.

Fog

By Kitson

Taff, my Welsh Cob gelding, comes to find me in the fog.

The weatherman said the fog would burn off by noon yesterday, but the pea soup stuck around all day. It made for a rather misty ride along the Potomac River. It also gave me some good fodder for fiddling around with images using Instagram.

Horses Gonna Horse

Kitson and I have spent some time amusing ourselves with the whole Haters Gonna Hate meme.  (Yes, I know we are not exactly au courant.)  So I had to add this purely goofy one--although I had a moment during which I thought it might be some kind of statement, given that some gaited horse breeds have undergone their share of haters.

I think it is just for sillyness, though. Enjoy in that spirit.  From this site.  

Count on Fran Jurga to scoop two great articles

Fran Jurga, of the Jurga Report, has posted two very interesting articles today here.  One is a sad, well-written story about a closed-down racetrack from a Canadian newspaper.  The next is from the Tennessean--from my old hometown of Nashville, Tennessee--and talks about how people who abuse animals often move on to human victims.  One of those common sense things that is all too often ignored.

The FDA has news for horse owners

I can't quite remember how or when I placed myself on this FDA newsletter/bulletin, but I appreciate it.  It sort of keeps you one step ahead of those alerts from your vet, or from local horse organizations.  This is a link to a page of "Dear  Doctor" letters--letters drug companies send to vets--that will let you see what I mean.