After a lull late in the afternoon, it's raining cats and dogs again. And it's windy. And cold! I'm going to do my usual 'is my horse warm enough' worry session all night!!!!
In NZ we used to put covers on horses in deepest winter- North Island. I am shocked to see horses here in Oz, in practically tropical temps, -24c-26c- wearing covers in midday sun. I often feel this must be too hot for a horse? I suppose they are like humans, and acclimatise? You obviously love your horses. And your lovely Mother.
There's certainly a lot of over-rugging, that is for certain! My mare, with her good stout German heritage, gets hot and sweats easily, but she shivers (literally) if she gets wet. She felt fine today, with just the one waterproof rug on.
We have been back in lockdown here in Victoria. Lockdown 5.0 to be precise and as a result it made us go back to feeling like sad sacks. After having seen off Lockdown 4.0 a teeny tiny bit triumphantly, where we saw off both Delta and Kappa variants (evil beasts that they are - curse you stinky COVID - curse you), we had literally only just gotten back to work before being very suddenly plunged back into Lockdown 5.0 after the visit of those very nice removalists. 'Thanks very much!!!!' we all shouted indignantly!!!! A key difference with Lockdown 5.0 was that half the country also into lockdown at the same time which made us feel slightly less sad. The Victorian Government doesn't muck about anymore when it comes to outbreaks. Their reaction is swift and severe and not at all namby pamby. I just wish the same logic would be applied to Sydney which continues to deteriorate, much to my dismay. This week we took our first tentative steps out of ...
He's here. He likes peppermints. He's tall. Leggy. Athletic. And he's my "New Boy". He's the American and world champion racehorse, Animal Kingdom. I was so excited to meet him. Is there a little bit of Phar Lap to his looks? I like to think so.... I fed him some peppermints. It's important for a girl to bond with her horses. And with me, I just can't help myself.... It was great to see the stallion staff. Joe, the stallion manager, who's really ace, joked that he's been practicing "Pinkie's Song", to get ready for my arrival! "For me, however, the horse that stirred the emotions and provided a moment in time that will be remembered for years to come isn’t even among the 15 Breeders’ Cup winners. He is Animal Kingdom, whose spectacular burst of speed to finish second in the Mile left me in awe of this horse’s ability and fortitude… Animal Kingdom was always destined for greatness". ...
One of the most important racehorses, and later stallions of our time, the great Sadler's Wells died in Ireland on the evening of Tuesday 26 April 2011. He died at Coolmore's Tipperary Stud in Ireland, his home since his retirement in 1984. The stallion was retired from breeding in 2008. His legacy worldwide is immense. He has left sons and daughters, and three of his stallion sons, in Galileo, Montjeu and High Chaparral, are leading stallions in the Northern Hemisphere. In Australia, Galileo and Montjeu had less success, however the impact of High Chaparral was immediate, and immense. While the horse still has to repeat the success he achieved with his New Zealand bred runners, from which the Group 1 winners, and champion So You Think, were conceived, High Chaparral is still leading the Australian General Sires Title with only a couple of months of racing left. In Europe, Montjeu and Galileo have both sired Epsom Derby winners, in Authorized and Ne...
In NZ we used to put covers on horses in deepest winter- North Island. I am shocked to see horses here in Oz, in practically tropical temps, -24c-26c- wearing covers in midday sun. I often feel this must be too hot for a horse?
ReplyDeleteI suppose they are like humans, and acclimatise?
You obviously love your horses. And your lovely Mother.
There's certainly a lot of over-rugging, that is for certain! My mare, with her good stout German heritage, gets hot and sweats easily, but she shivers (literally) if she gets wet. She felt fine today, with just the one waterproof rug on.
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