Horse of the Week

Popcorn Deelites a Seabiscuit Film Star

Popcorn Deelites claim to fame is that he starred in the film Seabiscuit with Jeff Bridges, Toby Macguire and Chris Cooper. He was one of 6 horses who played Seabiscuit in the film, each was chosen for their special Seabiscuit like abilities. Popcorn Deelites can be seen breaking from the starting gates and in the actual racing scenes as Seabiscuit.

Born in 1998, a blood bay with dark points, by  Afternoon Deelites out of Turquoise Gal (by Navajo), Popcorn Deelites ran 58 times. He won 11 of his races and accumulated $56,880 in winnings.

After his starring role Popcorn returned to racing until he was purchased by Michael Blowen of Old Friends, a retirement home for racehorses for $1,500. He now lives at Old Friends, Dream Chase Farm in Georgetown, KY, USA where he can be visited by his fans, please see the Old Friends website for details.

 

"Every horse is good for something." Tom Smith, Seabiscuit.

Gilly - The Gilly Wear Horse

Gilly, a Tennessee Walker / Quarter Horse is the inspiration behind Jane Augenstein's custom made saddle cloth business Gilly Wear. She has owned him since he was an undernourished 11 month old foal. Here is his story as told by Jane herself:

I got Gilly from a small rescue (3 people) operation in W.Va. in 2004. He was purchased by the rescuers from the farm  where he was born and for some reason the people were letting him starve. His father, stallion, was chasing him from the food, which was rotten hay. There was no shelter for any of the horses that were in the muddy pen. See picture below. 

Gilly is in the right hand of the picture. One of the paint horses is his father.

My husband had brought home a business card with the web site of the rescue people given to him by a friend of his. the friend knew I loved horses and gave it to my husband, I didn't want to look because rescue horses, I figured they would look bad and I would cry. Finally I did look and I did cry, especially when I saw little skinny Gilly. I said to my husband why did you give me this card, I can't do anything to help any of these horses. He said, why not we do live on a 40 acre farm! I said, but we have cows and not much pasture....he said there is always hay and grain to supplement if there isn't enough grass! Well, that's all it took, I called the number the next day to see if the little red colt was still available, he was, they had just added him to the site the day I saw him! We made an appointment to go and see him 3 days later. I saw him, gave them a deposit and went and picked him up the next weekend. Gilly's price was $350, I think I got one heck of a good horse for that small price.

This is the first time I saw Gilly, who was then called Davy.

The white on Gilly is lice powder and he is very skinny as you can see. He was 11 months old, 12 hh and 397 pounds. Pretty ugly speciman of a horse, but I saw an intelligent animal that just needed a chance and a lot of good food!

Gilly a little over a month after I got him, big improvement!

When I got him I didn't think he would grow and be more than a yard ornament but I was wrong, he is a magnificent creature that I love to pieces! I have trained him myself, have gone to a few horse clinics, studied a lot of horse training DVD's and had some help from some local horse trainers.  Some days he can be a real stinker but we work through it. He is a quick learner and does really try for me whatever I ask him to do. We don't go to shows or compete in any events, just trail ride and enjoy life as a team.

Gilly in 2009 with a friend's 9 year old granddaughter on board. She rides hunter/jumper ponies so is a good rider. Gilly now is 16hh and 1,200 lbs. He is a wonderful horse, kind and gentle and very smart. I got a diamond in the rough and I am still working on the polish! :-)

Gilly meets Pokey, his new best friend.

Gilly - Best $350 I ever spent!

Jane's custom made saddle pad's can be found at Gilly Wear. To follow Gilly (and Pokey's) adventures visit Jane's blog Jane Augenstein - My World in Pictures

Bunny Toronto's War Horse

 

August 1914. In the balmy heat of the Toronto summer 18 proud, strong horses were hand picked from the Toronto Police Mounted Unit to serve as part of the first contingent of Canadian fighters sent to the Great War. Only one of the 18 would survive the war: a horse named Bunny.

Warrior - Jack Seely 's War Horse - The Horse the Germans Couldn't Kill

Warrior and General Jack Seely by Sir Alfred Munnings

Warrior, a bay thoroughbred gelding born in the Isle of Wight, 1908 was to become known as "The horse the Germans couldn't kill" during World War 1.

Warrior was ridden though all the major battlefields of the Western Front including; Ypres, the Somme, Passchendaele and Cambrai. On 30 March 1918, Jack Seely and Warrior stood at Moreuil Wood on the banks of the Avre river in northern France. Behind Warrior were 1,000 horses of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade who charged to victory stemming the German Spring Offensive of 1918.

Queen Mary with Warrior and Jack Seely

After the war Warrior went on to win the Lightweight race  Point-to-Point in the Isle of Wight. He died in 1941, the following is his obituary from The Times newspaper;

"My Horse Warrior"

DEATH OF A WELL-KNOWN CHARGER

"Warrior, Lord Mottistone's old charger, has died at Mottistone Manor, in the Isle of Wight. His age was 32. The severe weather of the last two winters has affected his health , and Lord Mottistone regretfully decided to have the horsepainlessly destroyed.

Lord Mottistone told his story in "My Horse Warrior," which he published in 1934. Bred form his life-long owner from a thoroughbred mare named Cinderella, Warrior became a good-looking, powerful bay standing 15.2. Lord Mottistone took him to France as part of the orginal Expeditionary Force in August, 1914. He was soon in retreat from Mons with the G.H.Q. horses. At the Marne and again at the first battle of Ypres he was often ridden by the Commander-in-Chief, Sir John French.

When Lieutenant-Colonel John Seely, as he then was, was apointed early in 1915 to Comand the Canadian Cavalry Brigade he returned to England with Warrior to complete the training of his new command. After that interlude the horse served continuously on the Western Front till Christmas Day, 1918. Twice he was buried by the bursting of big shells on soft ground, but he was never seriously wounded. The Canadians, all of whom held Warrior in great affection, called him, "The horse the Germans couldn't kill." His owner afterwards said, "His escapes were quite wonderful.Again and again he survived when death seemed certain and, indeed, befell all his neighbours. It ws not all hazard; sometimes it was due to his intelligence. I have seen him, even when a shell burst within a few feet, stand still without a tremor - just turn his head and, unconcerned, look at the smoke of the burst."

After 1918 Warrior became the family hunter in the land of his birth the Isle of Wight. From time to time his owner gave news of his welfare to the readers of The Times. In his last letter on the subject, dated May 31st, 1938, Lord Mottistone announced that that morning they had cantered together over Mottistone Downs, "greatly rejoicing, our united ages being exactly 100 years." Warrior's portrait was painted by Mr A. J. Munnings several times - the first time in France with the Canadian Cavalry Brigade. His last ceremonial appearance was in the paradeof veteran war-horses the the Horse Show at Olympia seven years ago."

The Times, 5th April, 1941.

The book "My Horse Warrior" has now been re-published as "Warrior: The Amazing Story of a Real War Horse" with a forword by Peter O'Sullivan, the editor is Brough Scott, General Jack Seeley's grandson, it is illustrated by Sir Alfred Munnings.

Nelson - A real War Horse

 

Eight million horses and countless mules and donkeys died in the First World War here Alfred Henn talks about his "war horse" Nelson:

Alfred Henn was  a driver, in the Warwickshire Royal Horse Artillery, teams of six horses, working in pairs, were needed to pull the heavy guns.

Until his death in 2000, he kept a photograph of the war horse he had cherished as a young soldier. Speaking before he died, at the age of 103, he recalled, 'My horse had lost an eye, so I called him Nelson.' 

Nelson's bravery was unflinching. With Alfred riding him, and the full weight of a gun carriage behind him, he galloped directly into the gunfire that was cutting down foot soldiers that were advancing front of them.

'When the infantry had their orders to go over the top, we followed right behind them to take the guns to their next positions. I was absolutely shocked and very angry to see all the countryside scattered with dead bodies.

'I can remember hearing one man shouting, "Shoot me, shoot me, shoot me", and I wondered what on earth was going on. Then he was carried past me - I saw he was lying on a stretcher and his sides had been split open and all his innards were hanging out over the side.

Shocked by the horror of these sights, Alfred had only one confidant - Nelson. And his equine friend had an uncanny sense of danger that served both of them well amid the horror of battle.

Alfred recalled, 'One night, the horses stopped mid-track. They wouldn't walk a straight line, they kept swerving about, and I thought, "What has happened?" We couldn't see anything in the dark, but we'd just walked into an area where a shell had dropped.

There was smoke coming up and the wall was covered in pieces of flesh. It was a terrible sight, I tell you, and the poor horses were more frightened than we were.'

It was a shared terror that was to forge incredible friendships between soldiers and horses. It was a very physical relationship, as they often slept together in the mud to ward off the cold.

But the death toll among the horses was astronomical. Every day, 1,000 were arriving, many shipped in from the US, as new cannon fodder. They were specifically targeted by German gunfire, or died from sheer exhaustion.

Some were so tired that they would slip in the mud and, unable to lift their heads out of the ankle-deep, slimy dirt, would drown. The grim truth was that each soldier knew he could lose his trusted friend at any moment.

Horses were a valuable commodity during World War I , and if a soldier's animal was killed or dropped down dead, he would have to prove to his commanding officer that they hadn't just become separated in the turmoil of battle, so the soldier would have to cut off the horse's hoof to bring back as evidence.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1241403/The-horses-won-war-How-harrowing-reality-inspired-Michael-Morpugos-classic-novel.html#ixzz1dQq4hsvS

 

Henry Jota Hampton - Henny, Peter Atkins event horse

Born 2001,  in Argentina Henry Jota Hampton or Henny as he is affecionately known is a Selle Francais purchased by Australian eventer Peter Aitkins after he burnt out as a show horse.

Peter describes Henny as charismatic and a gentleman as well as being extremely talented. Henny loves water, looking at views and having his tongue scratched! He also loves Peter's young son Owen who did his first horse show on Henny at only 18 months old.

You can take a ride around cross country courses with Peter Atkins and Henny courtesy of a helmet cam and YouTube

World Equestrian Games, 2010

 

Fairhill International, Maryland, 2011

 

If you'd  like to  find out more about Henny and even join the Run Henny Run campaign please visit the Run Henny Run website