Horse Sense

Fortune's King Fine Art Photography

A lot of people thought Fortune was naive. Here he was this 12 year old kid, spending all his summertime money on a lame racer from the track. But he didn't care what people said and he sure as hell didn't listen to the advice everyone thought he needed.

He just smiled and nodded and named his horse King.

Fortune had his own path, his own methods, his own ways to go about life. He knew this horse could be fixed just as much as he knew his disappointed heart couldn't stay broken. Fortune could see that plain, just by looking at him. King was an unpretentious. Fortune his ally. It was as simple and true as any instinct could be.

Fortune's King is just one of the equine portraits offered for sale by Sintwister Photography. Each photograph comes a little story and they've been featured on HGTV.com, StylishHome.com, the San Diego Jewish Journal and Canada's Style at Home Magazine, as well as a bevy of blogs! To see more visit the Sintwister Photography Etsy shop.

20 ponies rescued from life of misery - story behind the World Horse Welfare TV campaign

World Horse Welfare recently launched a national TV appeal to raise awareness of the horse crisis in the UK. It tells the story of 20 ponies living on a dumpsite.  The ponies were a mixture of Shetlands and other native breeds, a mix of mares, nine stallions and youngsters.

World Horse Welfare Field Officer, Chris Williamson was first at the scene.

He says: “These horses were living on a dumpsite; there was rubbish, bits of scrap metal, derelict vehicles, cranes and nails sticking out everywhere I turned.

“When I found a mare and her foal locked inside a container, I just couldn’t believe it. They had obviously been in there for quite some time; they were covered in faeces and the debris that had been dumped there.”

Chris says: “One of the ponies was lagging behind; he was really struggling to put his foot to the floor – there was something drastically wrong."

“On closer inspection we found that the poor thing had a four inch nail embedded in his foot, if it had not been removed - we would have lost him.

“We took action as necessary and removed all of the horses and ponies from the site into the care of World Horse Welfare. If we hadn’t got there in time - there would have been fatalities.”

Here you can watch the orginal World Horse Welfare video from this 2009 rescue:

 

Read the full story on the World Horse Welfare website:  World Horse Welfare launches TV appeal after damning figures confirm depth of horse crisis.

British Horse Society advice to people still at school wishing to pursue a career with horses

"The British Horse Society's advice to all young people who aspire to work within the equine industry is that they should first complete their general education as far as possible and not cut short their time at school. An all-round education is an asset in any walk of life, you will find that GCSE's and "A" Levels or their equivalent are jsut as important in the equine industry as they are in any other sphere, not as a requirement for good horsemanship but as proof of aptitude, diligence and determination. Basic educational qualifications are also necessary to enter many horse-related careers."

BHS Guide to Working with Horses

 

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Praise for Thoroughbreds

“I never had one I didn't love. Really and truly, all my special horses were Thoroughbreds. If it weren't for them, I don't know that I would have had a riding career at all." Dianne Grod

 

Click the following links for more horse quotes:

Horse Quotes, Favourite Horse Quotes,

The horse is a very noble creature - Desmond Morris

Make him your FRIEND - Oliveira

stables are the real centre of the household - George Bernard Shaw

The Queen and Horses,

Monica Dickens - You and your horse,

Sherlock Holmes - Game of Shadows

Black Elk - A Sky Full of Horses

Don Vincenzo Giobbe

Seabiscuit - Quotation from the film

Elizabeth Taylor - on horses

Anna Sewell - quote about bad tempers and horses

Shetland Ponies in Cardigans and Thordale Photography

Remember those Shetland ponies in cardigans?

Well now you can have your very own 8" x 12" photographic print of Vitamin and Fivla wearing their bespoke Fair Isle cardigans. The photographs were taken by their owner, photographer Frances Taylor of Thordale Photography and can be purchased from her Etsy shop Thordale Photography.

Frances also has a super blog My Shetland Everything Shetland

Barabara Franc Horse Sculpture from recycled and discarded materials

Barbara Franc enjoys the challenge of transforming something with a past history into something new and exciting. She uses recycled and discarded materials turning them into wonderful sculptures of horses

 

"I find the sculpting of a horse a really interesting challenge, they are a form we think we know so well. Their power, physique and the debt owed them by humanity as the early fast vehicle of trade and conquest has always been a subject for artists since early dawn of time."

and zebras

dogs, birds and other wonderous things.

Visit her website to see more barbarafranc.co.uk

New injectable drug to halt laminitis - Laminil

Laminil has received FDA approval in the USA for investigational drug testing as it goes through the regulatory process and is being tested around the world at major veterinary clinics. It is a prescribed injectable drug administered by vets via limb perfusion that has had an 80 percent success rate in tests on more than 60 horses suffering from all types of laminitis, such as insulin resistance, equine metabolic syndrome, grain overload, grass founder, trauma and single limb laminitis.

Take a look at these  before treatment and after treatment videos:

 

and 3 days later

 

Willowcroft Pharm LLC are currently running clinical trials, they will add horses to the clinical trial on a first-come, first-served basis as soon as resources allow. For further information please visit Laminil

Badminton Horse Trials 2013 results

The top six in this year’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials:

1 Jonathan Paget and Clifton Promise NZL (39.7)

2 Michael Jung and La Biosthetique-Sam GER FBW (40)

3 Andrew Nicholson and Nereo NZL (40.2)

4 Sandra Auffarth and Opgun Louvo GER (42.5)

5 William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk GBR (44)

6 Stefano Brecciaroli and Apollo VD Wendi Kurt Hoeve (46.8)

For the full results click here.

Jill Has Two Ponies

Ruby Ferguson's Jill books first appeared in 1949 and have only briefly been out of print since then. Fedra Books are re-issusing them in order of orginal publication, their latest re-issue is Jill Has Two Ponies:

"Jill Crewe thought her dreams had come true when she got Black Boy, her beloved first pony. Then she gets the chance to buy another pony. It seems too good to be true when Jill buys Rapide, a successful show jumper. But has Jill done the right thing? Rapide likes everyone else at the stables, but he's not at all keen on her. Should she sell him? Or keep on trying, hoping she and Rapide will click? Jill can't decide..."

If you go to Fidra Books website you can read the first chapter here which is bound to leave you wanting to read (or re-read if you read the Jill books as a child) the whole book which you can order here.

The Blue Cross National Equine Health Survey 2013

All UK horse owners and keepers are being urged to participate  in the Blue Cross National Equine Health Survey. It takes about 5 minutes to do, it's easy to complete.

What is the National Equine Health Survey?

The National Equine Health Survey runs twice a year in May and November, it collects data from the owners and keepers of horses, ponies, donkeys and mules to provide a valuable insight into their general health.  It is the only survey that looks at the general health of equines in the UK and aims to spot trends so that  the main problems affecting  equines can be detected in an prevent them occuring.

How can I take part in the National Equine Health Survey?

The survey can be completed on on any day between 5 and 11 May. Register to take part by clicking bluecross.org.uk/80137/register-for-the-survey

Complete the survey and you'll be entered for a prize draw, the Blue Cross have a number of great prizes, kindly donated by supporters of the survey.

• A family ticket to Olympia International Horse Show
• 6 x Pairs of Mudbuster Boots - kindly donated by Ariat 
• 1 x Pair of jump wings - kindly donated by Northants Showjumps 
• 3 X £100 vouchers - kindly donated by Spillers 
• VIP tour at the Royal Vet College