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!