I Really Did Hear Santa's Sleigh Bells Once....Honest!

It's been all go here as no doubt it has been with all of you in the run up to Christmas. I had an uncle, who wasn't blessed with the best sense of humour around, and who always quoted on Boxing Day..."Well, Christmas is as far away as it'll ever be". What a downer for us kids.....little wonder no sane women ever married him!! Bundle of laughs he was.

I'm having a couple of weeks off so this will be the last newsletter until Jan 6th. Yes, I can hear the chorus of 'Oh nos......' or perhaps I'm delusional but then I really did think I heard Santa's sleigh bells one Xmas a long time ago. You can just imagine the comments at the time from 'er indoors can't you?

Anyway, I've uploaded all the H10 competition entries and the pics can be seen here  and there are some great pictures so thank you very much, everyone who sent their entries in.

Here's a Christmas Eve Dressage Poem from a dressage tragic. Um...nice but I think she needs to get out more often.

Surgery revives police horse. High profile Duke rushed to treatment in Kennett Square. Lancaster's most recognized four-footed ambassador is recovering from emergency surgery and is expected to come home Sunday or Monday. Duke, the most well-known of the Lancaster city police's four horses, had surgery Wednesday for a blockage in his large intestine. Read on...you'll be really surprised as to the cause. I was.

Here's a good article from Andy Curry. " I get a lot of horse training questions about stopping a horse from kicking. The kicking habits of these horses range from the horse kicking at virtually anyone to kicking at only the husbands. (bad move). It's a daunting problem that lots of people have no idea how to cure. That being so, I want to share some insight to horses kicking."

Actually if you want the Jesse Beery book on CD mentioned go here to H10 though...it's much less costly.

Snow Fight. The Budweiser Shire Horses get to play in the white stuff. This is one of their best and proves bigger is better.

Enjoy the trailer below, which is the first peek at Ridley Scott's take on "Robin Hood," due out in May. It's a film that stars, among others, Russell Crowe. of course PLUS a cast of hundreds of horses. Set in the 'Gladiator' mode, it could be good.

Can I wish you, your family and friends a happy and peaceful Christmas, and thank you all for your support throughout the year. It is, believe me, very much appreciated.

With every good wish for 2010.
Geoff....and 'er indoors of course.

Our Horse Pic Competition Results......

Well, the judging and the results are in and we'd like to thank everyone who entered the comp for taking the trouble to send in their pics....and there were lots too. As they always say, there has to be a winner and we have one, but before that just a few words about the judging session.

The tame vet actually turned up on time. The new four wheel drive he's purchased recently is not the wonder vehicle he'd imagined and so I had to endure nearly half an hour of technical mumbo-jumbo, finger pointing and tutting, including such phrases as 'viscous coupling', 'full time fwd', 'sat nav update problems', 'leaking gaskets', 'seats that don't fold properly' and 'excessive fuel consumption'....and more and all of this on a vehicle he chose but the company he's with runs and generally looks after. I very nearly took him out the back and gave him chapter and verse on 'er indoors 10 year old Ford Festiva, but it wasn't worth the effort. He was here to judge.

And he did...ok, it took some time and he finished off half a dozen muffins and about a gallon of my best coffee but as I've always said, he has a rare eye for horses. It was no surprise when he chose the winner....I had the same choice in mind too..... honest! 'Er indoors was positively gushing with praise for his choice and even he had the decency to blush at her comments. S'funny, that doesn't happen to me much these days.....

And the moment you've all been waiting for. Well, it was Karen's photo of her little foal 'Pumpkin' that took the prize and here he is. If you can't see the pic, then you can click on this link  and it will take you a photo on the H10 web site. Karen gets a equine mirror of her own choosing from Kim at Kimmika Designs

We'll be putting all the pics up on our Picasa album site before Xmas and we'll email you with the web address so that you can all go and have a look. There are some great horse pictures.

It's a short newsletter this week with the comp news as promised but if you want that 'last minute' equine pressie then have a look at the H10 web site  and we're sure we can get it to you or your lucky recipient before the great day.

By the way, several of my horsey friends around the world have got together to give away some nice things for horse lovers everywhere. There's no catch....I've already got lots and you should have a good look too.

Have a great week....

What To Do When Your Horse Invades Your House.

Our horse pics comp ends next week and I contacted the 'tame vet' to confirm his presence at the judging. I hate to admit it but he has a real eye for a horse and that's not the only thing he has a 'eye for' either according to his long suffering wife, a good friend of 'er indoors. So it's apricot muffins and coffee next week for the judging. Should take most of the morning if I plan it right.....
After that, bits of the estranged UK family start arriving for their yearly 'bash' of good weather and of course Aussie red wine....my Aussie red wine. Still, charity begins at home I'm told but not exactly in words like that from 'er indoors. Don't be such a ***** skinflint are her words of choice. Think I'll hide the good stuff.......

What do you do when your horse invades your house? Why, let him in of course. Plain daft I call it.

A horse that fell forty feet down a hill got stuck in heavy brush had to be rescued by emergency crews in Covina, USA on Monday. The horse had apparently broken loose at her owner's home near Via Verde Street and Covina Hills Road and then fell on a steep hill and slid into thick shrubbery. Emergency crews got the call around at 10:43 a.m. and were there within a few minutes. It didn't look good from overhead at first since the horse wasn't moving... watch the video, a bit drawn out but a happy ending.

Here's a little blog entry about the comfort and suitability of Australian saddles....yep, we get a mention at last.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum has never taken a half-hearted approach to anything, and his involvement with horse racing is no different. Bloodstock empires have come and gone since the thoroughbred breed emerged in Britain about 300 years ago, but never one to match the scale and global reach of Sheikh Mohammed's racing and breeding interests. Read this and you'll be gob-smacked, as I was. What's more he spends a small fortune here in Australia. Wonder if he could lend me a dollar or two.....

Fitness Tip of the Month for Riders: Fitness for Mature Riders. Tips to improve flexibility, mobility and strength for the over-40 rider.
By Heather Sansom. Heather says, 'When I do a clinic, participants over 40 often apologize for their age and confess that they wanted to come to a rider fitness clinic because their bodies don’t work like they used to. What’s ironic about the confession is that the majority of my clients and clinic participants are over 40.' Well Heather, join the clan and I'll have a go too.

Learn a little more about the history and importance of the horse wrangler or horsetailer as they're known here in Aus (translation courtesy Fiona Lake). Along the cattle trails, a good wrangler was as important as the cook. Legendary writer J. Frank Dobie talked about the wrangler’s job in the December 1954 issues of the Journal.

Look, we all know we put on weight at Xmas but we can all learn how to minimise that before the great event. It's a short 12 page read that you'll thank me for...hope so anyway.

If you remember your childhood days, then you can surely remember your first Wooden Horse. It was so much fun to be able to sing your rhymes while swinging to and fro on the horse. It is much the same today. Although the design of the wooden horses has undergone a sea change, the pleasure is still the same. You can make your child’s life memorable too by making a wooden horse for him. It requires some kind of mastery over crafting wood but the trade can be learnt easily. So let us learn how to build your own wooden horse in a step by step manner. Got some spare time with the kids this Xmas...this is perfect. Ready?

We never get snow at Xmas, so, if you want to see what it's like, complete with horse drawn sleigh and festive music...here it is.

Have a great week...and don't forget the Xmas lights!

Summers Here - Make Sure You Check All Your Equipment

Welcome to summer?...hah.

I pruned my nectarine tree with loving care this year to be rewarded with a bumper crop...and every fruit has been 'stung' and ruined by fruit fly despite all my 'green and natural' efforts to control them. Right...no more Mr Nice Guy next year. I got some advice from a fruit farmer and he gave me just the stuff I need. What with that, stink bugs on the citrus and the coming of the fig bird shortly (and have I got a surprise for him) it could be an interesting summer.
'Er indoors commented that I should have known better after last year....she's right as usual.

Beginning Horse Riding : Collection Horse Training Backing Up. Expert: Kathy Kentala. Kathy has been a horse enthusiast since she was six years old. Kathy owns the Bee Cave Riding Center in Texas and specializes in training youth groups. I've posted a video from this lady before and I rate her. You only have to read the comments on the video though to realise that there are many 'experts' out there that 'could do it better'. Yeh...right.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined a horse-bedding manufacturer more than $40,000 for violations the federal agency found. So if you're thinking about going into horse bedding as a business you'd better read this...not pretty.

If you love horses, but hate the cold then steer away fron the Chinese Army. At an outpost in Mongolia, the People’s Liberation Army maintains a cavalry squadron with around 150 horses, pictured. During the winter, six keepers mind the beasts until the weather warms up. It’s hard work. “Most of the soldiers suffer from arthritis, because of the cold and humid weather in [the] prairie,” Global Times reported. Soldier Liu Yuankuan “also said that horses are timid animals that are easily frightened by red plastic bags.” Red plastic bags??????

Soccer stars put faith in placenta juice 'cure'....? The supposed healing powers of the placenta have long been extolled but never proven, writes Eoin Kennedy. Arsenal soccer starr Robin Van Persie last week flew to Serbia to have juice from a horse’s placenta massaged into an ankle injury. What me..... sceptical? Well, the article is from the Irish Times but it isn't dated April 1st.

Watch the Video - A Movie Trailer About the Plight of Horses in The US Economy. Quote from article, "As most of our readers have horses living better lives than most humans, it is important to recognize the work of those who are helping our suffering equines". Equine Destiny is a documentary exposing the mounting issues facing this country's equines." Interesting.

Now remember...you have only 2 weeks to enter the H10 horse pics competition. It will close Dec 16th and the winner will be announced before Xmas with all the pics being posted for you to see after the festive season.
Here's the link for more info.

Susan Boyle seems to be all the rage these days. Her latest CD has rocketed to the No 1 position in about a day. Here's a video of the track 'Wild Horses'. Nice voice.....

A few minutes spent checking the soundness of your trailer goes a long way toward protecting the safety of every horse who rides in it.
Periodic checks of your trailer’s or float's condition are a good idea, particularly at those times of year when you do the most hauling. Such inspections can not only turn up minor problems before they require major, expensive repairs, but they can also keep you from taking to the road with potentially unsafe problems.


Got all your Christmas presents yet?