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

If You Have A Horse Like This....Look Out!

Hope you all remembered Valentines Day? If not then you're probably still feeling put out because you forgot (bad), or someone forgot you, (even worse!). I managed a last minute card for 'er indoors...and with her suitably impressed I was allowed to indulge myself in the cricket for the day. Still don't know why I don't get the cards I used to though.......

If you have a horse like this, then you need to do something about it....quick!

Here's a very sad story...and a very puzzling one too.
A retired pregnant race horse was shot and killed, and now lawmen are asking for help in tracking the shooter. Carteret County deputies say someone shot "Breeze" in the head between Sunday and Monday at the owner's property on Taylor Farm Road, outside of Beaufort in Carteret County on the North Carolina coast. The horse's owner, Elizabeth Loftin, says the horse was worth approximately $30,000. Detectives say they believe that the horse was specifically targeted and the person who shot her meant to kill her.

Here's the training clip of the week. Larry Trocha, teaches how to cue your horse to stop. Check it out! Courtesy of my friend Deanna Castro and Larry Trocha.

For those of you who have read the novels of Dick Francis the best-selling British thriller writer and steeplechase jockey, sad news. Dick Francis died in his home in the Cayman Islands Feb. 14, The Associated Press reported. He was 89. More here:

Probably the last word on this controversial topic.... Participants in a Feb. 9 conference organized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) imposed sanctions on aggressive riding, including that which results in hyperflexion of the horse's neck. "The group redefined hyperflexion/Rollkur as flexion of the horse's neck achieved through aggressive force, which is therefore unacceptable," the FEI said in a statement. "The technique known as Low, Deep, and Round, which achieves flexion without undue force, is acceptable."  So, how do you tell the difference. Well, I'm not a dressage expert. Courtesy of The Horse.

I've been doing a series of unfortunate crashes lately...this recent one in the US shows just how dangerous the trots can be and how those jockeys/drivers earn their money. Listen to the commentator too...I don't think he would change the pitch of his voice if you dropped a bomb on him.

This poor girl has a rough time....we all know just how slippery horse manure can be, even for a horse. Her horse slips on the mess, and she gets dumped into the ****. Unfortunate but I had to raise a chuckle. Bet she'll be keeping an eye out for it in the future.

Here's a useful little video for those of us that go for jumping.  Exercises to Tune Your Eye for Jumps. Watch a video of two exercises Olympic silver medalist Peter Leone uses to help his students tune their eyes for jumps. Courtesy of Equisearch

We have John Pinnell's complete horse training programme including initial training, overcoming horse problems and horse trailering, together with his accompanying book all available in a presentation pack. Have a look

Have a great week.

Dramatic Video - Horse Falls From Trailer and Runs Along Main Highway

I've given up watching the cricket - there's no competition this year with Aus winning everything and 'er indoors pounced as soon as the words were out of my mouth. What an idiot I am! There's now a list of jobs the length of my arm in front of me. Now, how do I get really interested in fishing again?

A driver captured video of an injured horse running down the northbound lanes of the Southwest Freeway after the animal fell out of a moving trailer. The driver of the trailer did not see that the horse had fallen out, or the resulting traffic jam, and kept driving, Stafford police said. It's a miracle the horse didn't suffer any more than cuts and bruises. BUT, just look at the way they were trying to get the horse into its box to take it to the vet.....eventually deciding that whipping the poor animal would 'help it on its way'. Hah.

Mane Pulling 101: Techniques for Pulling, Shortening and Thinning Your Horse's Mane. Horses manes can easily become tangled in the rider's reins and hands. For many disciplines therefore it is customary to shorten and thin the mane so that it stays out of the way. Courtesy of Stacie Moyle.

Prince Harry was thrown from his horse during a charity polo match in Barbados to raise money for his African children's charity. The royal was making a tight right hand turn when his pony's legs slipped and the animal fell. The prince was thrown clear and rolled a couple of times before getting to his feet uninjured. But he appeared to take the accident as a blow to his pride, throwing his mallet down in disgust and punching his helmet as it lay on the ground. Hope he didn't hurt his royal hand........ Courtesy of Daily Telegraph and Sky news. Here's the video.

"Horse in Training" Classic Super Bowl Commercial. This is a cracker!

We've dealt with the mane....now, the term “mud knot” describes a variety of techniques designed to keep a horse’s tail clear of sloppy footing, trail debris or even his own legs. Mud knots range from intricate braids secured with yarn to quick loops tied at the end of the tail. The method demonstrated in the download below requires no rubber bands or bandages but, if done properly, will stay in place for most activities. Nice one. Courtesy of Equisearch.

In today’s day and age of sophisticated car tuning, there aren’t a lot of tuners that can proudly say that they were able to turn a Hummer H2 into a high-tech, horse-drawn carriage. A Hummer by the way, is a BIG America jeep, about 2 metres wide with a huge engine. Looks much better as a horse drawn carriage though...very clever.....have a look.

There's been a great response to our new video on double lunge and long rein training. You can see a description and watch a great introductory video here.

Now this is one great idea....One of the Republican front-runners in the governor's race is pushing legislation to establish special license plates for horse lovers. We've got a Fed election coming up, do you think any of our pollies might come up with such a scheme? Yeh, right.


Have a good week!

View The Very Latest In Fashion From The Horse Show Catwalk

'Er indoors has been picked for the N. NSW Dragon Boating squad so she's really pleased. The back deck is now filled with heavy objects referred to as her 'weights' which she has to move in all sorts of directions to get fit and strengthen up. There's also lots of exercises to do with core fitness or something (you as riders would know all about that eh?). She says it will do her the world of good. Me, I'm just confused.....

Horse & Rider’s band of insiders cruised this past season’s biggest, hottest shows, not only to watch the action in the show pen, but also to check out the latest show fashions on the proverbial horse-show catwalk. Just when we thought those show blouses couldn’t get any more bling-ified, it seems bling is here to stay (for now)--and the bigger, brighter and bolder the bling--the better....and how.Wow! Courtesy of Equisearch

“Picaro,” the horse brought last week to the Tufts University's Cummings School’s Hospital for Large Animals with gunshot wounds, is “bright and alert” today following a second surgery Wednesday last in which veterinarians stabilized his jaw and removed fragments of his hyoid. Nice article with a good video showing the nasty damage done to this porr animal....and it looks like a happy ending too.

Now, here's a fascinating video on the use of light to bring a mare into cycle. I really hadn't heard too much about this but the vet interviewed explains it very well and it's really well worth a lsiten and a view. According to the vet, it's about 85-90% successful in bringing a horse cycle in earlier. Courtesy of The Horse web site.

A breakthrough genetic test that can identify the optimum racing distance for individual thoroughbred horses has been launched by Equinome, a University College Dublin biotech company. Now I'm not really into horse racing but this is a first and I thought you ought to know about it because it could translate into lots of other quality testing for ALL types of horses in the future.

We have our brand new video 'Training From Double Lunge to Long Reining' now available. Here are some details and a video preview.
This is a must for anyone learnig, teaching or wanting to try these techniques. You won't be able to source this programme in Aus except from us and you get a reduction on the European cost too.

If you are watching ABC2 tonight, make sure you see this. Can two wild creatures - prisoner and mustang - help each other to a better life? Hardened criminals in the Colorado Wild Horse Inmate Program attempt to tame mustangs as part of their rehabilitation.
Here's more info from the ABC. If you miss it don't worry, they have an on line service called IView so you can see it for the next couple of weeks.

Here's another way to make your horse's coat really shine...by using pig oil. Never heard if it? Well I hadn't either but here's a video showing it in use. Its made for pigs, not from pigs you'll be glad to know! I think it's used to oil them before showing and keep their skin supple and in good condition. I believe it's actually paraffin oil. Worth a look...interesting.

Less than 24 hours after a near-death experience at a local horse track, some of the drivers are already back to racing. The accident happened Saturday night at Sports Creek Raceway Trots at about 9:15. Six people were involved, two were hospitalised. Quite a show.

Have a great week