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?