Are These Horses Real? You Choose - Then Be Surprised!

I'm stuffed after a local dragon boat regatta at the weekend. Woke up Monday with aches all over...that despite the fish oil, glucosamine, chondroitin etc, etc. Y'know, age can be a terrible thing!

We are looking towards another book order in a month or two so we'll let you know when the list is ready for you. Those of you who haven't been involved before should have a good look because we're able to get 40 percent off all titles and we share that with you 50:50.

Are these real horses or not?......you choose...then you might well be very surprised.

"The Waterhole Rituals can be thought of as a courtship to win a horse’s trust, affection, loyalty and respect rather than a horse training method. Your communication skills with horses using my Method are meant to evolve organically from the relationship you build with your horse. I will guide you though each step as your relationship matures to a dancing partnership in harmony and unity. Leadership in the moment a horse feels a connection in companionship inspires a horse to follow your lead like music inspires the dancer to dance." This is the first chapter of a new horse book that describes itself as above...NOT as training you understand. I know, I know, I'm a bit of a cynic about these things and frankly I don't believe that I want to 'quick step' with my horse. For a start, his feet are much too big. But, like most things I'm open to change.....

"Are you an equestrian enthusiast? Perhaps you're thinking of buying a horse? If that's the case, we've created this guide to help you groom your four-legged friend." Courtesy of eHow editor, Christy Buena. Pretty comprehensive too and if you click the links you'll have about a days reading as well.

There's a whole lot of extra and interesting content this month on the Horse Channel. Worth a browse I think.

llustrated Guide: Body Condition Score System. Don Henneke's nine-point body condition score scale takes the guesswork out of evaluating equine body fat levels. Courtesy of Equus magazine.

A brief look at what goes into getting the horses ready for a Wells Fargo film shoot.   Nice clip.

Remember that video of an unbound horse running alongside bicycles in the Tour de France, featured in Amelie? A runaway Barnum & Bailey zebra paid homage to that yesterday, but on a downtown Atlanta highway. The nimble quadruped escaped from its enclosure and galloped to freedom down a major commuter thoroughfare. A fleet of police closed in on motorcycles, apprehended the runaway, loaded him on a truck, and returned him to a life of tap dancing for pennies with clowns. Shame.

We are thinking of another competition for 2010 so if you've any ideas then please let us know. Rewards of course for good ideas.

Meanwhile - have a great week
Geoff

Fed Up Already Of Xmas - Read This

'Er indoors is just finishing the Xmas table decs and finalising the pressies. She buys her Xmas cards in the January sales and they've all been sent. I haven't even started yet, I'm a man though.
The Xmas puds and the mince pies are all safely in the freezer and the menus are all decided. If your partner is this organised then it's bliss....most of the time, isn't it? Mind you.......what on earth am I going to get her for Xmas?

Y'know, you can use Photoshop for more or less anything.....

Horse training and drink driving don't mix. Read this since it's a warning to us all particularly at this time of year.

Why train your horse to respect your personal space? For two reasons. First, safety. Your horse weighs about 10 times what you do. When he's standing back with both eyes on you, he can't knock you down, step on you, or try to bite. If he approaches only at your invitation, you're always in control and therefore much safer. Clinton Anderson shows how this is done. Courtesy of Equisearch.

Horses are the opposite of dogs,gratitude-wise. You give a dog something totally wretched to eat, such as a toad part or a wad of pre-chewed Dentyne, and the dog will henceforth view you as the Supreme Being. Whereas if you spend hours grooming a horse and lugging its food and water around, the horse will be thinking, “Should I chomp on this person’s arm? What makes a man think like this? Read on

A high school band spooked a horse pulling a carriage at the annual Legacy Village tree lighting ceremony, and it took off. "We saw the horse. It was like the night of the apocalypse. This horse just, this big white horse took off," said a witness. The horse collided with at least two care before breaking away from the carriage and taking off at a full gallop. Video to the right...sorry about the ad beforehand.

Clip two from Jay O’Jay’s colt starting video entitled Journey to Connection from his series of horse training DVD Videos.
The journey begins with Jay outside the round pen and with an unbroken 3-year-old filly inside. Jay explains how the round pen is the ideal venue to communicate, show leadership and form a connection with your horse. Nice training video in a series worth looking at.

You may not know this site - you can make your own photo montages and videos and then really smarten them up to look really professional. It doesn't cost and here's an example of just one from a horse loving cowboy....actually, girl. Nice music too.

Horse-Based Home Businesses. Do you want to turn your passions into profits? Get inspiration, tips and advice from people just like you who have turned their ideas into horse-based home businesses. This is very dear to my heart since I run one and I work on the committee of a home based business network here in the Hastings. Good read this:

Watch The Video - FEI Young Rider World Cup Bound Kassie Barteau and Raymeister GP Perform at Arabian Nights Dinner Theater in Orlando. Now I don't rate the announcer or the music....lousy choice that would scare most horses stupid, but the action is great to watch. Great horse and rider. Video is half way down the page.


Photo Comp...last days! Get in quick here 

Have a great week

Here's a view on Aus from Andy Curry, a well known US horse trainer: "Being American, I'm out of the loop when it comes to knowing various things about countries outside the U.S. Take Kangaroos for instance. You probably already know this, but when the explorers asked the natives what that animal was, they replied... Kangaroo' so the explorers were telling everyone else, 'Hey...that's a kangaroo.' Before long, everyone thought the animal was called a Kangaroo. Trouble is, Kangaroo means 'I don't understand.' In other words, when the natives were asked what the name of that animal is they were saying 'I don't understand what you're asking me'.
True or not? What's it got to do with horses? Search me!

Aus team doing well at the Paralympics but no medals as yet - the Brits got all of them. Plenty of time left though.

What are 'Thumps In Horses' - well, there best described in human terms as hiccups. Does your horse get them?
http://www.practicalhorsekeeping.com/Thumps.html

If you're training youngsters, then this could be very useful for you. A healthy horse check list.
http://horseguardians.com/blog/?p=44

Again, I've emphasised that horses are big and not always friendly- like some people are in the morning! Here are some Safety Rules for Kids Around Horses.
http://tinyurl.com/5em3un

Do your homework before you sell so that you'll know what's a fair price for your foals. Evaluating your foals by Tom Reed.
http://tinyurl.com/64bnqr

I always thought that giving my horse dewormer was just that. Then I read this. Um.
'How To Give Horse Dewormer'
http://www.practicalhorsekeeping.com/HorseDewormer.html

Here's this week's edition of The Horse newsletter with the ongoing debate about joint injections and cartilage health.
http://www.thehorse.com/enews/992008.html

We've just ONE copy of 'Braiding Manes and Tails' by Charni Lewis. It's at the usual 20% H10 discount and it's lonely, needing a good home. Please don't disappoint it.
http://www.h-10.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=96

Have a great week - it's getting warmer thank goodness.Geoff

How A Miniature Horse's Leg Was Saved

Hi there
Bit the bullet and went for my first dragon boat paddling session this week. The aches and pains afterwards reminded me of my early horse riding days when I hadn't quite got the technique. And I haven't quite got the technique. Ouch! The dragons were very nice to me though.I've heard that the import of stallions for 'duty' during the breeding season is in full swing and that they are currently in quarantine. Sounds to me like a prayer or two is warranted!!

The Horse magazine is now publishing 4 new online newsletters. These newsletters will contain articles, news, video links, tips, and links to downloadable information specific to the topics of nutrition, lameness/laminitis, preventive care, and breeding. I already receive 2 and can recommend them. Go here to subscribe:
http://tinyurl.com/67tdap

Here's an article about 2 woman who started a business from their love of horses.
Well didn't most of us? Their basis - "People are cutting back on vacations and we want to make it affordable for backyard horse owners to be able to go on vacation." Read on here:
http://tinyurl.com/5o7jpa

British Para-equestrian dressage rider Lee Pearson is widely regarded as one of the top riders in the world with six Paralympic golds and numerous world and European titles to his name. Here's an article on his preparation for the Paralympics.
Incidentally, we went to the Paras in Sydney in 2000 as we have a friend who plays wheelchair rugby for Australia. Wonderful sport, a wonderful occasion and for me so much more interesting than the 'real thing'. How do these athletes do what they do?
http://tinyurl.com/5rlteq

Human wound care techniques are helping save a miniature horse's leg. It's a lovely story and she's a lovely little horse too.
http://tinyurl.com/6ozfrx

What should you do if your horse keeps getting his tongue over the bit? Dr. Joyce Harman offers bitting advice in this Ask the Vet column on EquiSearch.com
http://tinyurl.com/66obpz

Here's the link to the official Australian Olympic site - equestrian section, where you can read all the news, developments and of course see the medal tally for our equestrians. A word of caution though, the site takes a while to load up.
http://tinyurl.com/552uuz

Finally, I try to grow veggies to help the dollars do further. I was stunned by these examples from the large veggie show in the UK. They'd feed us for a month.

http://www.h10.com.au/images/cabbage.jpg
http://www.h10.com.au/images/pumpkin.jpg
http://www.h10.com.au/images/leek.jpg

Have a great week.
Geoff

The Olympics - Who's Going To Win?

Hi there,

Lost a big filling in one of my molars this week - I'm a man and of course the pain was unbearable. My dentist, god bless her, was on hand to replace said metal with more shiny new stuff and after 45 minutes, some discomfort and the loss of $275 I was cured. On the way out I asked her how much a crown would be if I needed one. After she told me it all went dizzy I 'came to' in the waiting room in the horizontal posotion but was ok after a glass of water. Wish I could make money like that!

Now if you're looking towards the equestrian events at the Olympics, just a week away now, here are some winning predictions from equestrian journalist Nancy Jaffer. Interesting reading.
tinyurl.com/6gyeps

Here's the weekly The Horse Newsletter as usual, a mine of information on all things horsey.
tinyurl.com/5cp7kl

Feet are important whether they are the human kind or the horse type. I found this blog about natural horse hoof trimming and the use of Easy Boots. I'm not advertising them but if you have a problem like this it could help.
tinyurl.com/5t9geh

If you haven't visited Horse Problems - John O'Leary's Australian Site, then you really should. He makes a lots of sense and there's a ton of useful stuff here.
tinyurl.com/qdy2s

Here's an article from the US on reining in the costs of running a horse. Their words and their pun, not mine but there are some good points and it's a view that may well affect us too this coming Spring and Summer.
tinyurl.com/67na48

Accra Race Course Squatters Ejected
About 100 policemen drawn from the Accra Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service yesterday supervised a demolition exercise at the Accra Race Course to pave the way for the construction of a five-star hotel on the site. Sign of the times isn't it?
tinyurl.com/6lpdur

I just read a really great article on grooming by Laurie Pitts in the April 2008 issue of Practical Horseman. Hope you'll find it interesting too - there's a video clip as well.
tinyurl.com/5fr3au

Have a look at this book "100 ways to improve your horse's schooling' by Susan Mcbane. It's available on the H10 site at the usual 20% discount.
tinyurl.com/6bgzof

I'm learning how to be a sweep for the local Dragon Boat crew. So far I don't think they're too impressed so I hopw it can only get better.
Have a great week and keep warm
Geoff

Australia's Olympic Equestrian Progress

Hi there
So much rain...it's weird to watch it advancing on the Weather Bureau's internet radar, a massive blue, green and yellow image heading directly for us! Nature has a great way of warning us too...no birds for a day! They seem to know despite not having weather radar or computers!!

There have been some great entries into the new competition we are running and I think we'll have a free disk full of marvellous 'magic moments' when we finally end it. If you haven't entered your 'magic moment' then go to www.h10.com.au/competition.asp

I've ordered some brand new horse book titles including Braiding Manes and Tails by Charni Lewis. This new book has had rave reviews around the horse world and is now just becoming available here in Aus. I'll post more details when it arrives.

Here's a comprehensive 'check list' you might useful before any trips you might make with your horse:
http://tinyurl.com/5p397j

The Draught Horse Competition and Field Day took place on Sunday as part of Beef Week Family Day in casino - this article has a lovely picture of a Clydesdale...beautiful horses!!!
http://tinyurl.com/5ytxbm

Here's a quote from a battling US father of horse loving daughter, "This is my daughter's horse, Artesima. Feed, stable, grooming, transport, showing, freakin shoes and gear for her, priceless. For everything else in our life, there's Mastercard."
Love it!!!

The Horse newsletter this month has some excellent articles on laminitis both acute and chronic:
http://tinyurl.com/5k3k5f

What's your horse thinking? Bestselling author Temple Grandin offers a window on the equine mind, courtesy of Equisearch:
http://tinyurl.com/24pzf3

Finally, I don't often publicise the Aus Olympic team's progress but here's the latest newsletter from the Equestrian Federation outlining the team progress for Olympic selection. Any of you who watched the ABC last night will have seen first hand some of the sacrifices budding members of the team have made during the horse flu epidemic. But then, so have we all.......
http://www.equestrian.org.au/

Have a great week

H10 - New Competition Starts!!

Hi there
Seems like our winter has started early this year...our wattle birds are broody again and I reckon they're are far too well endowed with hormones! Their latest escapade is to try and nest in not just one, but TWO hanging flower baskets on the back deck...all in all about two metres from our outside table! A bird of very little brain I'm thinking!

I've puts lots of new stuff on the web site under the What's New page (where else?!) and this week, at long last we start the NEW COMPETITION!!
It's the idea of Reena who sent in the suggestion that we should run a comp entitled 'Magic Moments'. What we'd like are the magic moments you have shared with your horse. It could be a magic ride you shared, a magic experience, a magic day, a magic result...a magic anything really!!! As before we'll judge the entries monthly and I'm looking forward to the company of the 'tame' vet once again. He's looking forward to the coffee and muffins as usual!

We'll award a great prize to the winner every month and publish the winning entry in this news letter and on the H10 site and H10 blog. Fame at last!!!
We'll also collate the entries and make up an e-book to give away at the end of the competition.
So, don't be shy...give it your best and share your 'Magic Moment' with the hundreds of horse lovers who receive this newsletter!! Here's the link to click on:
http://www.h-10.com.au/competition.asp

Have a great week!
Geoff