The Equine Mind...

While I would jokingly say Chaos and Dayo both think: "Hay, grain, hay, grain, grain, hay, hay, hay... carrot?" I know they are much more complex than that. Horses mirror their riders, coaches and trainers - mine are mesmerized whenever my coach is explaining something, and will stand patiently for as long as it takes for me to understand. This article explains how, and illustrates what makes horses so marvelous, and sometimes cuddly :)

Dayo... my leap of faith :)

 

Meet Dayo ("Joy Arrives"). Formerly Ebony / Home By Dark, she is an eight year old OTTB, one of three mare whose owners have fallen on hard times. For three years, I've looked and looked at horses, donated money to rescues. Of course, I have Chaos <3. Who knows why one horse speaks to you, or why your soul suddenly says: "Enough. It's time to take that leap of faith, and be the difference."

Stay tuned for stories as we get to know each other; for photos as she fills out, and becomes the awesome mare she is going to be!

Two

I was sitting around a table one evening, listening to friends tell the story of when they met. He said, "I remember when I asked her to marry me, her mother pulled me aside and said, if you want to stay married, never come between [name] and her horses."

At that point he paused, and gave me a big smile. He said, "and do you know what I did? I went out the next day, and bought her two." 

<3

Ever wonder how they get the Budweiser Clydesdales ready for the Super Bowl?

Have you ever wondered how they get the Budweiser Clydesdales ready for the Super Bowl? This video shows clips of their training leading up to the shoot. The Budweiser Clydesdales are super stars! A crazy fantastic video. Well worth the watch!

The Story of Snowman ~ Every horse deserves a chance

"Some horses you “ride” to victory.
Others find victory on their own - you just have to hold still and go along for the ride."

Does anyone remember Snowman, the show jumper who launched Harry de Leyer's career? De Leyer found Snowman at auction in Pennsylvania. Then, he was an 8-year old Amish plough horse sent for slaughter. De  Leyer, looking for a school horse, arrived late at the auction - just as the "dregs" of the auction were being loaded onto the kill buyer's truck. The horse's eyes met De Leyer, and he was purchased off the truck for $80.

Snowman (as he was renamed), went to work in the riding school. He was a barn favourite, adored by the De Leyer children. A year after his purchase, De Leyer sold him to a neighbouring doctor, who was looking for a horse for his daughter. It seemed like a perfect fit: a forever, loving home for Snowman, and a 100% profit for De Leyer.

Snowman had other ideas. He believed he had found his forever home with De Leyer, and was not going to take no for an answer. A few days after the sale, De Leyer received a call from the doctor saying the horse had jumped out of his paddock, and was in a neighbour's yard. Snowman was returned to the doctor, but he continued to escape, finally jumping his paddock fence, and every obstacle in his path, across the six miles that separated his new home from the De Leyer's farm. 

It turns out that De Leyer had not bought a school horse. He had bought a show jumper and a personality. And while his early training was hardly auspicious (Snowman pretty much decimated small jumps and cavaletti), once De Leyer pointed him to what Snowman considered a real jump, his passion appeared. Two years after he was saved from slaughter, Snowman and De Leyer won the jumper championship at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden, and Snowman became the American Horse Shows Association Horse of the Year. In the five years Snowman and De Leyer competed at an international level, they won many top competitions and titles. And they captured peoples' hearts. Snowman appeared on both the Johnny Carson and Dick Cavett shows, in an episode of To Tell the Truth. He was the subject of two children's books (The Cinderella Horse, by Tony Palazzo,1962; and Snowman, Rutherford Montgomery, 1967), and of the impressive The Eighty Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a Nation, by Elizabeth Letts, 2011.

Snowman lived out his life with De Leyer, and was humanely euthanized at the age of 26 following complications due to kidney failure. In 1992, he was inducted into the National Show Jumping Hall of Fame. The Breyer model of him is now a collectors item.

Last summer, Elizabeth Lett's book about Snowman was published. Now, director and producer Ron Davis is looking to make a documentary about Snowman and De Leyer. He feels that the story stands the test of time. "When you looked at Harry and Snowman on paper in the 1950's, neither were destined for greatness. But they came together, there is no other word to describe them other than inspiring."

Lett's book and Davis' pending documentary are incredibly timely. It's a story of success in the face of horrible fate. In a time of rising costs, the tremendous influx of horses into an already saturated marketplace, increased awareness of and the call to ban horse slaughter and the culling of wild horses, the story of Snowman carries some valuable lessons:

"First, be fair, and don’t be so tough on your horse," De Leyer says. "You can get more done with carrots and petting them than with being so tough. Snowman went in a rubber D-bit, and I school all the horses in a rubber D-bit. I am lucky with horses, but this is part of my luck – to be nice to horses and nice to people. Then also, don’t give up too quick on yourself. There is always a chance to get there, so give yourself a chance. Give every horse a chance."

Snowman is another great reminder of the success you can find if you give a horse the chance.

Credits go to "The Eighty Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a Nation" (Elizabeth Betts, 2011)
http://www.threerunsplantation.com/newsletters/equestrian_news2.asp?newsletter=6&page=24
http://www.horse-canada.com/horses-and-history/snowman-the-ultimate-rags-to-riches-story/

FEI World Vaulting Championships 2012 - Le Mans - Team Competion

Feeling down? Saddle up

Or at least, check out these very funny videos in celebration of the horse!

How to Hide a Horse (I Love Lucy)

French and Saunders: Ponies

And always remember, "A horse doesn't care how much you know, until he knows how much you care." Pat Pirelli

Extra! Extra! This week's edition of the Pony Express is now available

Find out what's happening this week in the world of horses - The weekly edition of The Pony Express is now available online!

Highlights from this week's edition include:

• News from the world of horse sport including a memorial to Sea Fox, an update on Lauren Hough, a tribute to Rapid Redux, and congratulations to Pamela Law, Jump Canada's Volunteer of the Year.
• An update on the state of wild horses and horse slaughter in America.
• Great information on holistic treatment of wounds, and what the natural horseman keeps in the stable emergency kit.
• ... and much, much more!

Thanks for checking out The Pony Express. If you have information you'd like to see included, please let me know!

Helping hearts help an old horse in need

It would be fair to say I'm a little horse obsessed. It's a feeling that lay dormant for a few years, when the kids were young. When they were old enough, I volunteered, then worked for CARD (Community Association for Riding for the Disabled), a therapeutic riding centre in Toronto. Working with horses as therapy animals, watching the difference they can make, re-ignited this obsession to the point where it became a virtual bonfire.

It was the beginning of the end. The powerful combination of working with horses and helping people spoke to my soul, and even though I no longer work at CARD, those two passions remain with me and strong.

Today, I surf the internet looking at OTTBs, rescue horses, and horses for sale. I pour over articles about bedding, footing, course building, tack, grooming, horsemanship, equine nutrition, naturopathy. I visit tack shops, and am slowly growing my supply of grooming tools, etc. Most importantly, I participate actively as a lobbyist for animal and equine rights, and as part of a pipeling dedicated to rescuing rehabilitatable horses from the kill pen (specifically OLEX, which is local to me), and rehoming them.

While I am acutely, painfully horse-less right now, participating actively and contributing to the wonderful world of horses is important to me. I was reminded of this when a call to action came through a Facebook page, Camelot Feed Lots. A lovely 30-year old chestnut mare at auction, bound for the kill pen.  I'll never meet this horse, but her pictures, the call to save her, and my fundamental and unwavering belief that no animal or person deserves to be discarded once their usefulness is past, were compelling enough for me to take a leap of faith and donate money to an organization I knew nothing about (without benefit of tax receipt) in the hopes that her life would be respected. For a horse, 30-years is a life well lived, and a life worth saving!

Thanks to the many people who also made a commitment to this horse's life, it was. The thank you note above is from the wonderful people at Helping Heart Equine Rescue. Amber is a really lovely old mare (such a cutie!).

The experience was a great reminder that participating in the world of horses does not necessarily have to mean ownership, and it does not have to cost a great deal of money. There are so many ways and means to be close to horses: advocating on an equine's behalf, supporting a local equine rescue, volunteering (at a therapeutic riding centre or in an equine-assisted therapy programme). Because of this horses, and Amber, will always have a special place in my heart. 

Shetland Ponies and the Grand National - the stuff marketing dreams are made of?

There are few sights more endearing than thundering Shetland ponies tearing around a steeplechase course tackling 12 miniature "Aintree-style" fences. Shetland Ponies are fabulous, fierce competitors, and their cuteness often belies a high intelligence and well-developed sense of mischief.



The Shetland Pony Grand National qualifier from the 2011 Badminton Horse Trials, one of several qualifying events held in England as riders and their ponies vie to qualify for one of 10 spots in the Shetland Pony Grand National at Olympia, the London International Horse Show, held in December.








From an event marketing perspective, the Shetland Pony Grand National really has it all. The ponies and kids are compelling, the race is incredibly fun. It is a compellingly cute attraction that appeals to audiences young and old, and it is linked to charity and a high-profile, worthwhile cause. The Shetland Pony Grand National raises significant money for charity, draws visitors to horse shows (which means increased profile, more revenue, etc), and, in an era where a significant number of breeds are considered endangered by the http://www.rbst.org.uk, gives the Shetland Pony Registry and the breed's opportunity to do what it must: reinvent the Shetland Pony so that it stays relevant in the modern world.

About Shetland Ponies:
Shetland Ponies originated as a breed in the Shetland Isles, northeast of mainland Scotland. They are small, hardy ponies ranging in height from 7 hands (28 inches) to 10.2 hands (42 inches) at the withers. American Shetlands can be as large as 11.2 hands (46 inches).

The ponies have heavy coats, short legs and are considered very intelligent. were first recognized as a breed in 1890. They were first used for pulling carts, carrying peat, coal and other items, and for plowing farm land. When the Industrial Revolution increased the demand for coal, Shetland ponies were used as pit ponies on mainland Britain and in the United States, where the last pony mine closed in 1971.

They were officially recognized as a breed in 1890. 

Today, Shetland ponies are ridden and shown by both children and adults in harness classes, and used for pleasure driving outside the show ring. Shetland ponies remain very popular for small children, used in riding schools, for pleasure riding and at horse shows. They can also be trained as guide horses, peforming the same role as guide dogs.

 About the Shetland Pony Grand National:
The Shetland Pony Grand National stared in 1981 as the brain-child of the Late Raymond Brooks-Ward, the founder of the Olympia International Horse Show. The steeplechase is run along the same lines as its big  brother, the Grand National at Aintree. Ponies are paraded, jockeys (wearing racing silks) are mounted led to the start. The race around the course incorporates 2 1/2 laps and 12 miniature Aintree-style fences. 

The rules of the event are simple:

• Riders must compete for a year in a discipline like jumping, eventing or dressage before beginning the qualifying process at the Windsor Horse Show.
• Competitors must be between the ages of 9 and 13, and no taller than 5'1".
• Ponies must be at least 5 years old, and registered with the Shetland Pony Stud Book Society.

The purpose of the Grand National is two-fold. It raises money through race sponsorships: since its inaugural race in 1981, the Shetland Pony Grand National has raised more than £400K, with the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital being this year's charity of choice.

Great sites to visit to learn more about Shetland ponies
http://www.shetlandminiature.com/
http://www.thebritishhorse.com/ShetlandPonyBreed.html
http://www.shetlandponystudbooksociety.co.uk/
and of course, the Shetland pony wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shetland_pony

Faith and Spirit

Horses play an integral role in the history, and the present, of the Americas. In recent months, there have been a great many articles about the BLM's wild horse roundups, the treatment of retired racehorses, of neglect and cruelty. The issue of horse slaughter (which is currently banned in the United States, but allowed in both Canada and Mexico) is receiving tremendous publicity both for the inhumanity of the practices associated with it, and because of the practice itself. 

"Faith and Spirit came to the farm on April 20th 2011. We received a phone call from the local kill pen that a foal had been born in their holding pen. We worked desperately to raise funds to rescue mom and baby. Joel, one of our dedicated volunteers, donated what we needed to save these two. We estimated his birth date is April 10th 2011. This colt literally saved his mother's life. There's no doubt the slaughterhouse would have killed her, pregnant or not. Faith and Spirit will remain at Day Dreams Farm until Spirit is weaned and then Faith will be up for adoption. Spirit will continue to grow up at the farm and he will choose which direction he wants his life to go."

The inhumanity of the kill pen, and the tragedy that faces horses who find themselves there, is illustrated in a wonderful video of a foal born in a kill pen while his mother waited for slaughter (http://youtu.be/WODPAmME1e8). There is a happy ending for them both, thanks to Day Dreams Equine Rescue and Therapy (http://www.daydreamsfarm.com) but there need to be many, many more. Horses, because they have outlived their usefulness in one role, should not be thrown away. They can certainly be retrained for another purposes. Like all domesticated animals, they have an important relationship with people, and one that is mutually beneficial. The unspeakable things we do to dispose of them reflects our respect for humanity as a whole, and it is time we step up for the human race, the animal population, and the planet. 

The issues around the treatment, management and slaughter of horses are complex, but the realities seem to be simple and come down to an all too common denominator - human greed.  Horses are expensive to keep, and if they are wild, can be inconvenient to have around. Crushing economic conditions have exacerbated poor conditions for many farmers and horse owners, with more and more horses suffering from neglect as owners are unable to keep them. A reduction in horse races and purses, and an increase in irresponsible breeding, have resulted in a glut of unwanted racehorses, many of whom have earned significant money before being consigned to the kill pen because their racing careers are over.  Rescue organizations are stretched, and advocacy groups fight an uphill battle in the face of a glut of unwanted horses. And, it is important to remember that, in North America, horses are not raised for human consumption, and the sale of horse meat is prohibited by the FDA for health purposes.

Please advocate to stop horse slaughter, and to address the root causes of this issue. And please, support your local rescues, shelters and therapeutic riding centres!

The Horse - grass eating herbivore or meat-eating monster?

Every night, I pull information on horses, horse welfare, the equestrian world. Usually the links are specific, related to articles, facts, research. Tonight, my eyes caught the headline "The Ponies of the South Pole: The Forgotten Story of Antarctica's Meat Eating Horses."

I have long subscribed to the belief that horses are prey animals, herbivores. Their teeth include 12 incisors in the front, ideal for biting and tearing grass and other vegetation. They have 24 premolars and molars at the back of their mouth, which help them chew to break down the grass and other vegetation. I work with horses in a therapeutic riding environment, and know them to be sensitive, compassionate, caring animals. I am keenly aware of the sensitive nature of their digestive tracts. And, while I have certainly experienced my share of aggressive equine behaviour, I have always attributed this to nurture, a need to communicate dissatisfaction, stress, anxiety, pain, anger. The concept of the horse as flesh-eating monster was always firmly entrenched in the realm of myth, told in stories like the Mares of Diomedes and the Man-Eater of Lucknow.

Intrigued, I began to read. The article, written by the founder of the Long Riders' Guild, CulChullaine O'Reilly, pulls together a fascinating array of stories and evidence to support the theory that horses can indeed be the flesh-eating animals of myth. Evidence that includes details of Shackleton’s expedition to the South Pole, of the blood-eating horses of Tibet.

What if the myths were grounded in fact?

O'Reilly has spent more than 30 years studying equestrian travel techniques. He has experienced the world in a way which I certainly have not, and he has seen and participated in events and activities that are likely beyond my sheltered understanding. He is the founder of the Long Riders Guild Academic Foundation, dedicated to the creating the world's first comprehensive hippological study. The Foundation's goals are:

• To maintain the world’s first open-source academic website devoted to the study of all aspects of hippological influence in the arts and sciences.
• To invite the participation of all humans, regardless of race, national origin or native language to share their horse-related wisdom with others.
• To provide a forum, free of commercial influence, wherein equine-related articles are provided free to scholars, students and equine enthusiasts.
• To publish every major work known to man dealing with equestrian wisdom and history.

His book, Deadly Equines, purposes to debunk the idea of flesh-eating horse as myth, and explores the possible reality that our 21st century understanding of the horse is two-dimensional at best, a sanitized and Disney-esque view that prevents us from understanding the true nature of the horse.

The website for the Long Riders Guild Academic Foundation (http://lrgaf.org) is a fantastic compilation of stories, news and articles about the horses. Horses in history, int the military, and today. I realize, reading through it, that my belief that horses are herbivores is based on the physiology of the horse as I understand it. And I am intrigued as to why some horses would be flesh-eating (man-eating!) while most remain true to the animal of prey who uses flight to escape danger.

I remain committed to the belief that horses heal, and the the relationship between man and horse is mutual, inspiring, positive and whole. But, I am reminded of Robert Sullivan’s “The Flight of the Reindeer - the True Story of Santa Claus and his Mission”.  As with Sullivan’s book, I find that the website, the articles, take me to a place where I am willing to suspend disbelief. Nothing will shake my firm belief in the horse as friend, companion and ally, and I do not find it distressing that horses may be, or have been at some point, carnivores. After all, dogs certainly are, and the relationshihp between man and dog has not suffered because of this. I find I want to read the book. And the rebuttals. CulChullaine O’Reilly has opened up for debate a subject that will likely be discussed for some time, in the face of real or supposed evidence on both sides. The “myth” of the horse as herbivore is firmly entrenched in Western thought, and it will be interesting to see what comes of the Foundation’s researches.

To read more about CulChullaine O’Reilly’s work, check out:

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/meateatinghorses-190.shtml

http://explorersweb.com/polar/news.php?id=20323

http://www.lrgaf.org/deadly_equines.htm

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The Pony Express is hot off the stands

The weekly edition of The Pony Express is now available online!

At All About Ponies, we understand that life is better with a horse. Whether you are a serious competitor, a pleasure rider, an instructor, coach, taking riding lessons, or just someone who knows that someday they will have a horse - because they must! - The Pony Express is for you! Every week, The Pony Express rounds up information on the web about horses, and it is the most direct means of getting highlights of the week's news and events in all areas related to the horse: Equestrian Sports, Wild Horses, Equine-Assisted Therapy, Equine Health, Natural Horsemanship, Horse Rescues, Horse Welfare, Horse Properties, Horses for Sale.

Follow @AllAboutPonies on twitter to receive the weekly edition, and to tweet your news and passion for horses (we promise, we will follow you back).

Check our blog, The Pony Express, for regular news, stories, thoughts on the world of horses - we welcome your comments and ideas.

Like us on our facebook page, All About Ponies, and share stories, experiences, knowledge and adventures with your pony or horse.

Horses make the world a better place. Spread the word!

A Tribute to Woody Stephens

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

98 years ago today, Woodford (Woody) Cefis Stephens was born in Stanton, Kentucky. Elected into the National Racing Museum Hall of Fame in 1976, Stephens' career in thoroughbred racing spanned seven decades. He ran Cain Hoy Stable for Harry Guggenheim for 10 years, trained seven Eclipse Award winning race horses, five kentucky Oaks winners, two Kentucky Derby winners (Cannonade '74, Swale '84), a Preakness winner (Blue Man '52), and an unprecedented five straight Belmon Stakes winners (Conquistador Cielo '82, Caveat '83, Swale '84, Creme Fraiche '85 and Danzig Connection in '86). In 1983, he won the Eclipse Award as the top trainer in the United States.

As a young racing fan, I spent hours glued to the television watching the Derby, the Preakness, the Belmont, the Queen's Plate, and any other race that was televised. I poured over a friend's father's racing sheets and stud books, tracked races through the newspaper, learned about handicapping. I studied bloodlines, lineage, genetics and picked the horses from the racing sheets in the Globe and Mail that I thought would win, place or show, based on that magical combination of bloodline, talent, rider, trainer and heart, and my own applied "knowledge". It was a passion that, for a while, bordered on obsession, and my goal ultimately became to breed and own the first filly to ever win the Triple Crown. Woody Stevens was a part of the dream team I wanted to assemble to help me on this quest, along with my long-time hero, racing legend Sandy Hawley. With a great filly, and those two in her court, I was confident it would become a reality.

The dream still lives on, and today it seems fitting to remember the dream, and pay tribute to one of the men who figured so prominently in it.