T. Boone's wife adopts 30,000 mustangs, blocking euthanasia
Washington Post Nov 18, 08 11:16 CST
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Some 2,000 wild horses of the American West were in danger of euthanasia—until billionaire T. Boone Pickens’ wife, Madeleine, stepped in and offered to adopt them and 28,000 of their closest friends, the Washington Post reports. The Bureau of Land Management holds the animals in pens, rounding up thousands each year to avoid a grazing shortage, but their numbers were growing too big to handle.
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Pursuit of late night snack lands horse in British swimming pool
The Cornishman (UK) Oct 16, 08 3:13 PM CDT
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A horse’s hunger for apples got the better of him early yesterday when he ended up stuck in a British swimming pool, the Cornishman reports. The fittingly named “Fat Boy” and another pony broke into the garden of Sarah Penhaligon, 28, to snack on her apple trees. But while chowing down, Fat Boy stepped on a tarpaulin covering her swimming pool and fell in.
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Pub owner gets new carpet, puts end to horsin' around
Evening Chronicle (UK) Sep 30, 08 2:00 PM CDT
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A beer-swigging mare has been kicked to the curb following renovations at her favorite British watering hole, reports the Evening Chronicle . Peggy, a regular at the establishment since following her owner into the pub years ago, has been told to keep her hooves off the new carpeting. “Although she is probably cleaner than some of my customers, I had to put my foot down and show her the door,” said the bar's landlady.
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Man strikes head in accident with runaway at Candlestick Park
San Francisco Chronicle Aug 31, 08 8:02 CDT
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An elderly San Francisco 49ers football fan suffered a fatal head injury when he was knocked to the ground by a runaway police horse, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . The horse panicked when a white plastic bag blowing in the wind became entangled in his reins. He tumbled to the ground, unseating his rider before racing off and careening into the fan, 78, who died yesterday in a local hospital.
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Polo's distant cousin appeals to equestrians of every level
Washington Post Jul 26, 08 7:14 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Don't mistake polocrosse for its snooty cousin, polo, the Washington Post reports. The increasingly popular riding sport is more like rugged lacrosse, because polocrosse players don't just knock a ball around—they scoop, fire, and catch a ball in a hand-held net. "No one's ever heard of it. Not even a lot of horse people," one player says. "But when they play it they love it."
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OPINION
Cash-strapped BLM wants to cull herd, 'a protected symbol of freedom'
Newsweek Jul 2, 08 1:54 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The cash-strapped Bureau of Land Management is considering culling the wild horse population in the West, and at least one equine advocate is not pleased, Newsweek reports. In an interview, expert and author Deanne Stillman calls the plan to reduce the population of 30,000 wild and 33,000 corralled mustangs by more than half “shocking.”
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Rising grain prices, abattoir laws doom the animals
Time May 31, 08 3:05 PM CDT
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With feed and fuel prices rising, more US horses are being abandoned and left to die. “It's a growing problem," says Brent Glover, who runs a horse rescue ranch. "Basically, it's the economy.” Glover’s own hay costs have ballooned from $28,000 to $80,000 this year. Many of these horses would be slaughtered if killing them for consumption were still legal in America, Time reports.
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Belmont fave does 9 furlongs easily after hoof crack sidelined him
ESPN May 29, 08 7:55 CDT
(Newser)
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Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown looked to be on the mend from his foot injury yesterday, making his longest practice run yet at the Belmont track. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner galloped 1 1/8 mile under the careful supervision of an exercise rider, ESPN reports. A crack in his left front hoof had trainers holding him back since Friday.
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Wishes 'talented, mild-mannered' horse was back in the barn
Palm Beach Post May 6, 08 3:49 CDT
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Eight Belles' owner is still shocked and saddened by the death of his filly, put down at the end of the Kentucky Derby—but believes she belonged in the race, reports the Palm Beach Post . Rick Porter switched from celebrating his horse's thrilling second-place finish to mourning her death within minutes. "It's the bottom of the barrel," he said yesterday. "It's just a horrible feeling."
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Associated Press May 5, 08 11:34 PM CDT
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The trainer of euthanized filly Eight Belles adamantly defended the way jockey Gabriel Saez handled the Kentucky Derby runner-up. In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Larry Jones said Saez applied the whip only to prevent Eight Belles from crashing into the rail.
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12 deaths and Olympian's critical injury causes debate over risks
New York Times Apr 9, 08 8:35 CDT
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Twelve deaths and several injuries have spurred debate over the safety of the demanding equestrian sport known as "eventing," the New York Times reports. The sport, considered by many to be the ultimate test of horse and rider, grabbed the spotlight last month when one of the world's finest riders nearly died in a fall.
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Hospital security corrals horse as
it gets off elevator
Honolulu Star-Bulletin Mar 24, 08 3:22 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A Hawaii hospital ejected the relative of a man recovering from surgery after he tried to bring the patient’s favorite pet—a full-grown horse—to visit, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports. Security staff stopped the visitors before they could get to the patient's room; the man was intoxicated, and the horse turned out not to belong to the patient at all.
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Animal-rights activist calls the trade 'disgusting'
New York Mar 19, 08 3:33 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Animal-rights activists have long been champing at the bit to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City, and a PETA publicity strongman is in town to do just that, New York magazine reports. Though Michael Bloomberg and others in City Hall support the trade, PETA's Dan Mathews—legendary for his anti-fur tactics—has been crusading to ramp up attention since a Queens councilman proposed a ban in December.
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Banning slaughter in US has unintended consequences across borders
New York Times Jan 11, 08 5:58 PM CST
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A US ban on horse slaughter has had some gruesome unintended consequences, the New York Times reports. American horses are still sold for their meat, but they’re now shipped to Mexico or Canada, facing first a grueling transport, and then often a nastier death than they’d receive in better-regulated US slaughterhouses. “My worst nightmare has happened,” one veterinarian said.
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Collapse in equine market leads to rise
in neglect of animals
Wall Street Journal Jan 8, 08 12:42 PM CST
(Newser)
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When the sun was shining on the economy, millions of Americans tried to make hay by buying horses and moving into backyard breeding. As things slow down, the animals are getting harder to sell and pricier to feed, making horse neglect and abandonment a big problem, the Wall Street Journal reports. Rescue centers are struggling to deal with starving horses.
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