One EN family’s vacation fun. Courtesy of Karen, Savannah, and Grace
Good Morning Eventing Nation, and welcome to Thursday. There are many types of news days we have here on EN– The busy days, the bad news days, the event coverage days, the slow days, but the type of news coming across the printer on this particular morning is best described as random. So sit back, relax, and get ready to enjoy a few minutes of a little bit of everything before you head off on your day.
Let’s start with Zara. So last weekend, she won a three star event in Ireland which was her first win at the international level since 2008. She won despite the fact that the press was hot on her heels after a leaked security camera film from a bar last week showed Mike Tindall appearing to be flirting with a mystery blonde woman. Zara and Tindall debunked the rumor by saying the incident was blown out of proportion and the woman was an old friend from college days. I believe their explanation of the footage simply because Mike Tindall, even when he’s regularly clocked on the head in Rugby, is surely smart enough to know that marrying a Royal is a lot like marrying the daughter of a Mafia member– you put a foot wrong and it’s not a matter of if the family will get you, but when. Zara is in New Zealand right now to meet up with her husband who’s there for the Rugby World Cup, and just last night made an appearance at a benefit Fashion show in Auckland. [Zara]
We all know that many horses out there suffer in dire environments with little or nothing to eat and consequently starve to-or-close-to death. The flip side of the coin is when horses owned by negligent individuals suffer because improper feeding leads to obesity and severe malnourishment. Take a look at this incredible story of two horses who’s owner turned them out and left them to their own devices in a cow field, where they ate the cows rich diet consisting of silage and cow nuts– two things horses should never be fed. When the British charity found and rescued the two ponies, they estimated the excess weight both ponies were carrying was upwards of 60 stone, or 840 pounds! Along with the incredible excess of weight on these horses, the condition of their feet was shocking. The ponies front feet measured about 12 inches from heel to toe. Check out the full story here.
Hawley Bennett is heading to the Pan Ams with Five O’Clock Somewhere; BC Local has the story.
A new ‘breed’ of an extinct type of wild horse known as the Tarpan, is being slowly reintroduced to the Eastern Rhodopes region of Bulgaria. The Tarpan became extinct sometime between 1875 and 1890 when the Bulgarian government captured the last of these horses and distributed them to farmers to serve as work horses. In 1937, a scientist, Tadeuzs Vetulani, became deeply interested in reinventing the breed after noticing the strong resemblance between the farmers horses and the extinct breed. He set about to create a breeding program which would bring back the Tarpan horse. He started with 35 horses in his breeding program, and today over 4,000 horses exist of the Konik breed (the new name for the once extinct breed). The Bulgarian government and nature activists hope that the reinstatement of these horses on native lands will help to restore both the land, and ecosystems, to natural conditions. [Horsetalk]
Lauren Shannon has mixed feelings about her week. She had a great weekend at Purston Manor last week, and was planning on attending Burnham Market this week until a fan belt broke in the horsebox while they were en route, which meant Lauren’s day was spent on the side of the road, rather than at the event! [Horse and Hound]
This is a good read: No Obstacle Is Too Big For Sophie Tyack
That’s all for now, Eventing Nation. Have a great Thursday, I’ll catch you later.
