Horse Sense

Somewhere behind the rider you've become

Image Horse and Man

Somewhere behind the rider you've become,

the hours of practice you've put in,

the coaches that have pushed you,

the hard falls you've taken

the money you've spent,

the long distances you've hauled,

the "normal" things you've given up,

the strides, the tears, the sweat, the blood,

the blisters, the ripped jeans,

the seude chaps on 100 degree summer days,

the lame horse, the carzy horse,

the "are you serious" horse, and everything in between.

Somewhere behind all of this is the little girl

who fell in love with the sport,

the horse, the idea and never looked back.

Found via FB

 

 

Horse Power Day at The British Museum Saturday 30th June

RE-blogged from The British Museum:

On Saturday 30 June the Museum will be saddling up (yes, really) for Horse power day, an exciting day of free activities for all ages. Come and pat a real pony, dress up as a jockey for the photo booth, play pin the tail on the craft-y donkey and much more. Here’s a full list of everything happening on the day. Whilst here, take the opportunity to see the free exhibition The horse: from Arabia to Royal Ascot.

As event organisers, we want Horse power day to celebrate the links between the horse and popular culture, and the creative impetus that this amazing animal has given to artists across thousands of years. All of our meetings about the event have had a sense of fun, and we are hoping this will come through on the day!

A source of inspiration for the day was the wonderful painting, The Derby Day (1856-58), by William Powell Frith, on display in the exhibition. This painting captures the crowds at a nineteenth-century race day. It demonstrates the vibrant culture that sprang out of race days (not that many of the crowd in the painting are watching the race) and that’s something we’ve considered with the activities on Horse power day. Visitors will be able to make fascinators, a tribute to the popular focus on fashions on display at Ladies’ days at the races, and listen to popular music from the eighteenth and nineteenth century recreating the atmosphere of the first great Thoroughbred races at courses like Ascot and Epsom – including a song specially recreated for the event, not heard in its original version for 250 years, but which survives as a folk song even now!

An Arabian horse on the East Lawn of the British Museum

A particular challenge we’ve faced is bringing live horses onsite. We plan to host, weather permitting, a horse parade on the forecourt of the Museum. Mark Griffin (from Griffin Historical) will compere the parade, giving visitors an opportunity to learn about the attributes of different horses, and the roles they undertake according to their physical traits.

Colleagues across the Museum have contributed ideas for the day, and many will be taking part. Nigel Tallis, co-curator of the exhibition will be answering your questions about curating the exhibition, and about the horses he has been discovering whilst putting together the show as part of ‘ask the expert’.

Working on this event has shown us the huge respect and compassion that humans have for horses. Everyone involved has been excited about the opportunity to celebrate the horse, and that has really sparked our imaginations.

We hope you’ll be able to join us, and share our excitement, as we gallop around the Museum on the day!

Remember to share your day
Tweet using #horsepower and @britishmuseum
Tag your photos on Instagram and Flickr with #horsepower
‘Blinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ Tweet us your best #horsefilm

 

Horse power day is on Saturday 30 June, 11.00–16.00. It is free, just drop in, some events may be ticketed on the day. Full programme for Horse power day.

The horse: from Arabia to Royal Ascot is free and open from 24 May to 30 September 2012.

The exhibition is supported by the Board of Trustees of the Saudi Equestrian Fund, the Layan Cultural Foundation and Juddmonte Farms. In association with the Saudi
Commission for Tourism & Antiquities.

Fancy Dress Friday - Horse Dressed as Elephant

Hello and welcome to our occasional series of equine fancy dress costumes - Fancy Dress Friday.

Isn't it amazing what our horses are willing to put up with for us?I mean this horse dressed as an elephant is barely recognisable as a horse and if you check out the links below you'll find lots more incredible horse fancy dress.

Horse dressed as dinasour

Horse dressed as a car

Spanish Lady

Dog dressed as horse

Sunflower Horse and Bumble Bee Handler

Pirate Ship

Skeleton

Easter Bunny

If Wishes Were Ponies - Franga Designs

Fancy Clips

BRC Quadrille Selection 2011

Miniature Horses in Fancy Dress

Pony dressed as lion

Pony styled as a poodle

Instructions for making an equine poodle costume here

Toddler and Foal

Two youngsters taking a snooze - just adorable!

Photograph of a toddler sleeping next to a foal  found via Tail Spin Bracelets

Who won the 1880 Derby? Bend Or, Tadcaster or Robert the Devil A Historical Racing Mystery

In 1880 the Derby was won by a horse named Bend Or and Robert the Devil was placed second however a few weeks after the running of the Derby an objection was made by the owners of Robert the Devil “on the ground that Bend Or was not the horse he was represented to be, either in the entry or at the time of the race.”

Charles Brewer and his trainer Charles Blanton, joint owners of Robert the Devil claimed that they had received information from a stud groom, one Richard Arnull who worked at the Duke of Westminster’s stud at Eaton where both Bend Or and Tadcaster had been bred. Richard Arnull claimed that two colts, both chesnut sons of Doncaster, had been inadvertently switched after they left the stud, and that the one who raced as Bend Or was Tadcaster.

Evidence given at the enquiry  by Arnull and his two sons (who also worked at Eaton) was to the effect that Bend Or was Tadcaster. However Richard Arnull had recently been given the sack by Westminster and was working out his notice when he made the allegations so there was doubt at the time as to the truth of them.

It took the stewards four sessions over a period of ten days to come to the conclusion that Bend Or was  indeed Bend Or not Tadcaster and  that the 1880 Derby result would stand.

Fast forward to modern times and the ability to extract DNA from bones :

A team of researchers led by Dr Mim Bower of Cambridge University  have been studying the bones of elite Thoroughbred horses from the past to help trace the spread of genetic disorders into the present. One of the those horses was Bend Or and Dr Bower 's team have nowsolved the historic puzzle of exactly who Bend Or was.

Was he Bend Or or Tadcaster?

Well both chesnut colts were by the stallion Doncaster but Bend Or was out of Rouge Rose and Tadcaster was out of Clemence. And the DNA results show that the 1880 Derby winner was out of Clemence making the winner not Bend Or but Tadcaster. Another historical mystery solved by modern science.

 

Image Robert the Devil

Ninja's Can't Catch You If You're On A Horse

Well not unless they can run real fast!

Image found via Professional Equine Grooms

Saddle Fitting Video - How to fit a saddle

 

Saddle fitting problems?

Take a look at this informative video on how to fit a saddle.

Britain's Olympic Dressage Team is Announced

Great Britain 's  equestrian Dressage team has been announced for the London Olympics 2012:

 Laura Bechtolsheimer on Mistral Hojris

Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro

Carl Hester on Uthopia

Richard Davison on Artemis (individual competition)

Horse Cushions by Thomas Paul at Neiman Marcus

Very stylish cushions illustrated with images of the horse, they're hand-screened jute with leather piping by Thomas Paul. Available from Neiman Marcus

Equine Driftwood Sculptures by Jennie Scott

Powerful driftwood sculptures of horse and rider by the Australian sculptor Jennie Scott who has successfully exhibited in  England, United Arab Emirates, Canada and Africa as well as her native Australia.

Here's what she has to say about the energy of driftwood:

"The Energy of Driftwood."

"How long has each piece of driftwood been consumed by the sea, and then tossed unceremoniously upon a deserted beach?

When I hold one of these little pieces of sculpture, I always wonder what story they could tell? Did it come from a far away island, or perhaps it came from an undiscovered shipwreck? Wherever these little pieces of wood came from, they all have their own story to tell.

No one knows how many years they have drifted around the coast of Australia and the islands. The preservation qualities of saltwater makes some of these pieces so hard, that it is almost impossible to break them.

When I walk along the beach after strong winds and high tides, it is like Manna from Heaven, in this case the sea. I see a horse's hipbone or part of a face, the beauty of an arched neck. When all these little pieces of driftbone come together in a finished sculpture it is pure magic. Each sculpture is individual and original.

The finished sculpture has an energy, that I can not explain, it is so different to carving one piece of wood. My driftwood sculptures have many different pieces, each with their own personality, it has by definition a life force of its own."

You can find out more about Jennie Scott via her website :  http://www.jenniescott.com.au

If you liked this you might also like Heather Jansch 's Driftwood Horses