The Greatest Moment Ever For Australian Horses

You'll probably be relieved that I've nothing to say about Michael Jackson. Life has instead been taken up with daughters problems...both of them. Those of you who are parents will understand, he said with a sigh and a knowing nod. As a distraction we have a crop of lemons that would keep a decent hotel stocked for weeks (fancy ANOTHER gin & tonic?), and gallons of orange juice from a bumper harvest. No shortage of vitamin C here.

This is probably the greatest moment for our Australian Stock Horses. The opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Who will ever forget it. Great viewing but don't bother reading the usual inane YouTube comments. I don't know why they allow idiots to comment anyhow.

The horse boy - video clip. Enlightened horsemanship through touch - Autism Therapy On Horseback. Never seen this before but it's an interesting approach to a very difficult condition. (Patience, takes a little while to load)

JD Wilton slide show. Probably the greatest horse trainer Australia has ever seen, this is an slide show of the methods used by the great man.

On the same site is a nice little video of horse tricks - also this guy says that he can make his horse smile. Wish I could do that with 'she who must be obeyed'.

Beautiful horses made from driftwood - courtesy of Jake Hamilton

Here's Mercy - the painting horse. She's female of course, men are only good for painting sheds, and some of her work has sold for $100. Would you buy it? Make sure you scroll down to view the video.

Mona Ramouni has been blind since birth, but that hasn't stopped her from achieving her goals. Now 28, Ramouni, of Dearborn, has been looking for more independence. Typically, people who are blind use guide dogs to aid them in their daily tasks, however, Ramouni said as a Muslim she is not supposed to have a dog in her home. While fighting boredom one day, Ramouni, came across a topic she found interesting - miniature horses as guide animals. Read on.

I Hate Your Horse - Living the Dark Truth through the eyes of a horse trainer. Uncensored, uninhibited and far from sugar-coated. Exposing the insanity that is the world of horses, their owners, the breeders, and of course the wacked out wannabes...Welcome to my life...This is what I get the joy of dealing with.
Not my words I hasten to add, but a new blog I found. Just read some of the tales from people who bought 'good' horses. There's a lesson or five in there somewhere.

Dunno if you've ever heard of Badminton (no, not the game, the horse trials in the UK). It's the UK home of eventing and I used to go regularly, in fact on one visit there in a suppliers tent I bumped into Pricess Anne (literally!). That's another story. Here's a great video clip form Olivia Haddow and Horse Hero showing the event from the point of view of 4 very different women. You have to register to watch it but it's no cost and a great future resource too.Good stuff.

Married with Horses, is a long running and amusing real life saga on Equisearch. After months of waiting Jeremy and Kimberly finally meet Mandy's new foal, Justin. Read about the colt's arrival, plus view his photo gallery and video!

Here's the photo gallery

The H10 ointment offer (2 for 1) is still on but I'm running stock down so you'd better be quick.

Have a great week

Your Horse & Your Personal Space

I'm a little earlier this week because the rellies are here and I'm on taxi and sightseeing duty. Lovely to see Spring arrive though AND a new Liberal leader both at the same time. What joy!Have you been watching the Paralympics wheelchair rugby? Aus is in the final tonight versus you-know-who (The USA) Time for a gold at last I think.

Here's a great clinic from Clinton Anderson on How To Teach Your Horse To Respect Your Personal Space. My horse was always invading my space. She was just being friendly but you have to let them know who's boss or you'll just get sat on.
http://tinyurl.com/674f3e

Horseshoes are expensive. What keeps horseshoes on, what makes them lose their grip and how to ensure that your horse's footwear stays where it belongs.
http://tinyurl.com/5jfdq3

I've never been to the Western Horseman site before but here's a good article from them. From the moment you enter the corral or pasture, you’re sending your horse messages. Set the tone for a successful training session with clinician Tammy Pate’s advice on catching your horse. Nice.
http://tinyurl.com/574olk

We had mixed results in the Paralympic Equestrian comps - 2 bronze medals I think but we're sure to be building a great future base with such a mix of experience and debutantes.

Horse Care - Boots Vs. Bandages? Lydia Kelly gives us her view.
http://tinyurl.com/6avw2w

Prosthetic limb offers a new life to injured horse - and yes, it's really true. http://tinyurl.com/5bjakg

Practice like you mean it - Simulate competition at home to improve your nerves and your horse’s reactions.
http://tinyurl.com/6o32rj

I've still one copy of the Braiding Manes & Tails book. Someone please buy it?
www.h10.com.au

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