Equestrian Tales

In one of our vacations, I noticed a group of horses that were very different. I was so used to seeing horses that had black, brown or white manes that I was so shocked to see these kinds. One was white but had pink colored mane and tail. I immediately asked the owner why he did that to his horse. You know what he said? �My daughter likes the color pink and so I colored her favorite horse for her birthday.� Weird but true. Some people would really do that for their princess. I don�t think I�ll do that ever.

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This story is somewhat different from what I have been used to. It tackles an electronic language program that teaches a young girl to speak French. In the program, the word is said and the user will choose among the pictures displayed what it signifies. The girl soon notices that the program has used the picture of a horse to signify different words like run, jump, and eat a carrot.

This shows that the programmer was so into horses that he included it in numerous words in the program. Basically for me, the story seems too pathetic.

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Imagine the humiliation of a bronze medal winner from the 2008 Olympics in horse riding, Norwegian Tony Andre Hansen when his medal was revoked and he was suspended from the sport till early next year due to a detection of a banned substance on their animals. The substance was capsaicin, a derivative of the chili pepper plant that is used to relieve muscle pains for horses. This is also used by horse riders to train their horses to jump higher, placing it under their belly making it very uncomfortable for the horse thus reinforcing it to jump higher every time it misses a jump. The case was deemed as animal cruelty and thus resulted in his title getting stripped and a fine was issued to the said rider. He was one of four riders found to have the banned substance on their animals which the IOC tested for several banned substances, taking samples before the event. The sheer number of tests that were done, for both humans and animal participants and the ensuing investigation is why the verdict has only now been made known assuring the rights of animals and the equal protection they are getting from the Olympic governing body. Poor equines!

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As an active horseman, Reeve joined in an equestrian competition in 1995 when he was thrown from his horse. And sustained serious, in fact, deadly serious effects. The event changed his life forever. He was paralyzed from the neck down. At one time, after the accident, he said he had considered suicide. His saving grace were the thoughts of his children. Since then, he refused to let his injury and as a quadriplegic stop him from living his life to the fullest. And he has worked to convince others like him to take another chance in life and to live them to the fullest. He was a master of ceremonies at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta. He graced the opening speech at the Democratic National Convention. He won the Screen Actors Guild awards for the remake of “Rear Window”. Reeve strived very hard to be able to move again. In 2000, he was able to lift his one index finger. He continued to take risks and ultimately portrayed the super man that he is.

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Deciding onto buying your first horse will be a very exciting experience for you but can also be a nervous one – and one you shouldn’t go without doing some careful thinking and planning first. A horse should be your trusted companion for some time – you owe it to him to make sure you pick the right one for you. Horses are amazingly beautiful and sensitive creatures. Horses require not only understanding and patience to have a horse as a pet but it also requires a whole lot of care. It may take a few months to find the right horse, but be assured that the wait will be worth it. One thing is probably certain – that palomino mare you had pictured yourself riding away on into the sunset may well turn out to be a bay gelding! But whatever size, color or sex you end up with, if you have taken your time choosing you will have a wonderful partnership.

I have read an article from the www.igha.org about Star. Maybe you are wondering who Star is. Star is a one of the horses purchased and “saved” by HorseAid from her killer buyer’s trailer. With the misfortunes experienced by this horse, Star still was able to live her last days happy with her new found family, HorseAid volunteers.

Most of her life, she was in pain because of the deformity (twisted foreleg) she has in her foreleg caused by an accident. The good thing here is, despite the sufferings she experienced with humans, she still have a compassion for them.

This is a story between man and horse which perfectly exemplifies the special connection that both have with each other. Read on and find out.“Two weeks after the Atlanta Olympic Games, another world-class competition came to town: the Paralympics, for the world’s best disabled athletes. Organizers needed horses for equestrian events and Carol decided to help out, taking time off work to bring several horses to the games. One was an old swaybacked hunting pony named Carousel. Carousel proved to be too much to handle for several riders, but then Brita Anderson of Denmark took the reins. “Brita and Carousel made a connection,” Wooley recalls. “He knew exactly what she wanted and she knew how to get the most out of him . . . they were a perfect match.” Indeed, Anderson and Carousel went on to win a gold medal in dressage riding, a competition that puts horse and rider through a demanding, disciplined series of routines in a show ring.“Source: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/horses/freedom.html