Seahorses’ Friday Reader from RevitaVet

After a long week around Eventing Nation we have finally made it to Friday.  Thankfully the Team didn’t party too hard at the EN corporate headquarters while I was away, although the Chinchillas did shoot a tv.  I’d say that the most exciting news from the past week is that it looks like the USEF is going to have several great applicants for the next US eventing coach.  There was a time when I was worried there might only be three applicants but it now looks like that number will be closer to five or six.  I thought about applying for the job, but I think I fall a little short in the experience category and I have won at least a few fewer Olympic medals than all of the other applicants.  I guess I still have the weekend to think things over…Now for your daily eventing news and notes:

–It’s nearly Superbowl time and that means Budweiser Clydesdale ads.  So far, we don’t know much about what the ads will look like other than this quick preview of Clydesdales mysteriously galloping across the desert.  It seems like Budweiser is working their way up to a western action movie theme, which gives me mixed emotions.  But, Budweiser is a master of marketing so I will refrain from judgment until I see the final ad.  [Regarding Horses]

–Scientists at the University of Sydney have determined that whipping racehorses is futile.  The researchers studied finishing positions in relation to the use of whips and found that whipping did not affect the probability of horses finishing the race in the top placings.  One of the things that I don’t like about horse racing is the pervasive whipping of tired horses, and hopefully this will become less frequent when jockeys learn that it doesn’t do anything to help their chances.  [Horsetalk]

–The recent record snow storms in the US have cause several barn collapses, including one collapse in Somers, Connecticut that led to two horses being euthanized.  Needless to say, snow and horses do not mix very well.  Be sure to keep an eye on your barn’s roof if it is covered in deep snow.  Also, make sure to remember other snow related safety issues, such as keeping your horse trailer cleared of snow in case you have to make an emergency trip to the vet clinic.  [The Jurga Report]

Video from the Somers collapse:

–Researchers at the University of Antwerp in Belgium have discovered why seahorses have heads shaped like horses.  Apparently the arched neck gives the seahorse the ability to flex and extend its head to reach a wider area with its mouth and therefore catch more prey.  Years from now, after aliens take over Earth, alien researchers will spend months researching why humans studied ridiculous things like why seahorses have heads like horses.  [Psyorg]

–Leslie Threlkeld has posted photos from Poplar Place on her website.  Be sure to check them out if you were at Poplar last weekend and buy a few. [LesleThrelkeld.com]

–Ecogold has posted videos from  Dr. Jennie Stone’s presentation about equestrian fitness and physical therapy for humans from the Area II annual meeting.  In my mind, eventing is one of the only high intensity sports where most athletes don’t spend time fitness training outside of the sport.  The top athletes in almost every single sport are known for working harder in the gym than their competitors and it’s time that more eventers adopt that mentality.  [Ecogold Blog]

–The Rocking Horse and Pine Top horse trials are being held this weekend.  Both events are favorites of mine and they are true cornerstones of the spring US eventing scene.  If you are competing this weekend or sometime soon, be sure to check out the FLAIR nasal strips website to give your horse the best possible respiratory health in 2011.

–That’s all for now.  We have the first post of a new and exciting series from Annie later this afternoon and I’ll have all the rest of your eventing news and fun dialed in throughout the day.  Wherever you may be, thanks for making Eventing Nation part of your day.  Go eventing.

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