Watch This Fabulous Musical Ride From The Police

Gee it's cold. I have to say sorry that we haven't judged the comp for last month yet. The tame vet phoned me on our appointed day last week to say that he'd had a call out to a very expensive horse and that he couldn't make it. We rearranged for tomorrow and he phoned later to say that the horse was ok. It got spooked and ran into some barbed wire fence which didn't do it a whole lot of good. Superficial cuts and bruises only which is a relief on any horse let alone a million dollar champ as this horse was. So, results tomorrow...promise.

VINCENT O’BRIEN, widely regarded as the finest racehorse trainer of the last century, died at his home in Co Kildare on June 2nd. He was 92. During a 51-year career in which he transformed many aspects of thoroughbred racing, O’Brien won 27 Irish Classic races as well as a further 16 in Britain. They included six victories in the Epsom Derby with horses such as Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972) and Golden Fleece in 1982. He also won France’s most famous race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, on three occasions including back-to-back successes with Alleged in 1977 and 1978. Must admit that I backed his horses in some of the 'big' races and was seldom disappointed.

These events seldom go in singles. The Stradbroke Handicap meeting at Eagle Farm last Saturday was shrouded in sadness following the death early last week of Queensland's most successful horse trainer, Bruce McLachlan. McLachlan, 67, trained more than 3000 winners in a 40-year career and while he had cut down his workload in recent seasons, his feature winners still flowed.

This amazing piece of horsemanship comes from the UKs Metropolitan Mounted Police Squad. You just have to watch this video and be amazed. From the attitude of the horses they really seem to be enjoying themselves. H10 in the UK supplies the Met with grooming products which is why the horses look so good.

A free 'donkey care' workshop has been arranged by The Donkey Sanctuary at Shuttleworth College in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, UK on Saturday 18th July from 10am to 4pm for donkey owners. It's a bit far to travel but for donkey lovers it's a must. The 'Why Does My Donkey' Summer Tour is designed to help unravel some of myths that surround donkey behaviour. You should read more on this historic event.

There's a new Dressage web site just available. Here is their message: "We are a professional organization committed to bringing you educational tools that exceed your expectations through deliberate learning content. We put our heart into our work and our love of the horse and the sport of dressage drives us to take pride in every video we bring to you. Every rider, trainer and judge featured on this website was purposeful in their participation in this educational effort, knowing that the most dedicated of riders will now have access to something more to further their learning and ultimately grow the dressage community worldwide". If you are into dressage at any stage then you should have a good look at lots of free stuff here but remember that to get the best you'll have to join.

Show Notes for Equestrian Photography -- An Interview with Laura Cotterman and Christina Handley. If you've ever wondered how to take those really good photos that will separate your photos from the 'just ordinary' then you should have a look at this article. It's good. There's a newsletter too.

Horse racing trainer rides zebra to Dorset pub. A former jump jockey and horse racing trainer, Bill Turner, rides a zebra called Zebedee to his local pub in Sherborne, Dorset. Bill Turner, 61, bought Zebedee from a game reserve in Holland for £4,500 and learned to ride the animal in just two weeks. Zebras are much less co-operative and more difficult to ride than horses, owing to their unpredictable nature and tendency to panic under stress. Amazing.

In this video, about half way down thwe page, Julie Goodnight teaches a rider how to use a type of emergency stop with her 17.1 thoroughbred who is all go and no whoa. This is the emergency stopping rein, or pulley rein. Here’s how it works:

In the June 2009 EQUUS magazine feature "Stacking Hay for a Short Haul," hay supplier Daniel Houlihan describes how to safely secure 53 bales of hay into the bed of a pickup truck. What. The following pictures show in greater detail the knots and tying technique he used to strap down that load.

Comp results tomorrow and all the entries will be avaiable as a download for you all shortly. 'Good for a laugh' bedtime reading.
Don't forget H10 ointment 2 for 1 is still on and you shouldn't miss it.

Have a great week...and keep warm.