The rule of the hoof code, with horse and rider statues!

I am totally crazy about horse statues, I also have them on my stable, as you can see on my picture!

But to see historical statues with a story behind the person and horse, I like the most!
         It is amazing how they can create such a beautiful peace of art!


























































 


Folk wisdom has it that equestrian statues contain a code whereby the rider's fate can be determined by noting how many hooves the horse has raised. The most common theory has it that if one hoof is raised, the rider was wounded in battle (possibly dying of those wounds later but not necessarily so); two raised hooves, death in battle; all four hooves on the ground, the rider survived all battles unharmed.

The hoof code mostly holds true in terms of Gettysburg equestrian statues, but there is at least one exception. James Longstreet wasn't wounded in this battle yet his horse has one foot raised.

Even the most cursory look at the statues around Washington, D.C. quickly disproves that the hoof code at all holds sway in that locale.



Washington is home to more equestrian statues than any other city in the nation, and it's significant that perhaps only 10 out of 30 or more follow the convention. Here's a quick look-see at various equestrian statues in Washington and how they fit or don't fit this theory. First, some statues that follow the "rule":


    * FRANCIS ASBURY: 16th and Mount Pleasant NW (1924). All hooves on ground; died in peace.











FIELD MARSHAL SIR JOHN DILL: Arlington National Cemetery (1950). All hooves on ground; died of leukemia







GEN. ULYSSES S. GRANT: Union Square, at the east end of the Mall (1922). All hooves on ground; died in peace









MAJ. GEN. WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK: Seventh and Pennsylvania NW (1896). One hoof raised; wounded in battle.











MAJ. GEN. JOHN A. LOGAN: Logan Circle, Vermont Avenue, 13th and P Streets NW (1901). One hoof raised; died in peace, twice wounded.





GEN. PHILIP H. SHERIDAN: Sheridan Circle, 23rd and Massachusetts NW (1908). All hooves on ground; died in peace.



                                                                           
  

MAJ. GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS: Thomas Circle, 14th and Massachusetts NW (1879). All hooves on ground; died in peace






                And now some that don't follow the "rules" of the code.





MAJ. GEN. ANDREW JACKSON: Lafayette Park (1853). Two hooves raised; died in peace




                                                                                  
                                                             
LT. GEN. THOMAS J. (STONEWALL) JACKSON: Manassas (1940). All hooves on ground; wounded by own men and died



                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                             
MAJ. GEN. GEORGE B. McCLELLAN: Connecticut Avenue and Columbia Road NW (1907). One hoof raised; died in peace, unwounded.






LT. GEN. GEORGE WASHINGTON: Washington Circle, at 23rd and K and Pennsylvania and New Hampshire NW (1860). One hoof raised; died in peace of cynache trachealis. Washington Cathedral (1959). One hoof raised.







An additional rumored statue code is prevalent in Virginia's Monument Avenue in Richmond. The Civil War statues honoring Gens. Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, J.E.B. Stuart, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis are pointed in distinct directions, according to local lore. Those who died in the war face north. If they survived, they face south.

Upon examination, local lore appears to have something going for it. Ah, but appearances are deceiving. The equestrian statues of Lee, facing south, and Jackson, facing north, do fit the formula, and the horse of Stuart, who was mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern in 1864, faces north. The heads of Stuart, Davis, and Matthew Fontaine Maury face east.

"To the best of anyone's knowledge, the position and pose of the statue do not signify anything," said Frances Pollard, a curator at the Virginia Historical Society.

Amazons

Amazons were said to have lived in Pontus, which is part of modern day Turkey near the shore of the Euxine Sea (the Black Sea). There they formed an independent kingdom under the government of a queen named Hippolyta or Hippolyte ("loose, unbridled mare"). The Amazons were supposed to have founded many towns, amongst them Smyrna, Ephesus, Sinope, and Paphos. According to the dramatist Aeschylus, in the distant past they had lived in Scythia (modern Crimea), at the Palus Maeotis ("Lake Maeotis", the Sea of Azov), but later moved to Themiscyra on the River Thermodon (the Terme river in northern Turkey). Herodotus called them Androktones ("killers of men"), and he stated that in the Scythian language they were called Oiorpata, which he asserted had this meaning.
In some versions of the myth, no men were permitted to have sexual encounters or reside in Amazon country; but once a year, in order to prevent their race from dying out, they visited the Gargareans, a neighbouring tribe. The male children who were the result of these visits were either killed, or sent back to their fathers or exposed in the wilderness to fend for themselves; the females were kept and brought up by their mothers, and trained in agricultural pursuits, hunting, and the art of war. In other versions when the Amazons went to war they would not kill all the men. Some they would take as slaves, and once or twice a year they would have sex with their slaves.
In the Iliad, the Amazons were referred to as Antianeira ("those who fight like men").
The Amazons appear in Greek art of the Archaic period and in connection with several Greek legends. They invaded Lycia, but were defeated by Bellerophon, who was sent against them by Iobates, the king of that country, in the hope that he might meet his death at their hands (Iliad, vi. 186). The tomb of Myrine is mentioned in the Iliad; later interpretation made of her an Amazon: according to Diodorus, Queen Myrine led her Amazons to victory against Libya and much of Gorgon.
They attacked the Phrygians, who were assisted by Priam, then a young man. Although in his later years, towards the end of the Trojan War, his old opponents took his side again against the Greeks under their queen Penthesilea "of Thracian birth" (Quintus Smyrnaeus), who was slain by Achilles, in the Aethiopis[8] that continued the Iliad.
One of the tasks imposed upon Heracles by Eurystheus was to obtain possession of the girdle of the Amazonian queen Hippolyte (Apollodorus ii. 5). He was accompanied by his friend Theseus, who carried off the princess Antiope, sister of Hippolyte, an incident which led to a retaliatory invasion of Attica, in which Antiope perished fighting by the side of Theseus. In some versions, however, Theseus marries Hippolyta and in others, he marries Antiope and she does not die. The battle between the Athenians and Amazons is often commemorated in an entire genre of art, amazonomachy, in marble bas-reliefs such as from the Parthenon or the sculptures of the mausoleum of Halicarnassus.
The Amazons are also said to have undertaken an expedition against the island of Leuke, at the mouth of the Danube, where the ashes of Achilles had been deposited by Thetis. The ghost of the dead hero appeared and so terrified the horses, that they threw and trampled upon the invaders, who were forced to retire. Pompey is said to have found them in the army of Mithridates.
They are heard of in the time of Alexander, when some of the great king's biographers make mention of Amazon Queen Thalestris visiting him and becoming a mother by him. However, several other biographers of Alexander dispute the claim, including the highly regarded secondary source, Plutarch. In his writing he makes mention of a moment when Alexander's secondary naval commander, Onesicritus, was reading the Amazon passage of his Alexander history to King Lysimachus of Thrace who was on the original expedition: the king smiled at him and said "And where was I, then?"
The Roman writer Virgil's characterization of the Volscian warrior maiden Camilla in the Aeneid borrows heavily from the myth of the Amazons.

UK - Cremello classes a first at annual palomino show

Horse & Hound 27th June 2009 - http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/285135.html 

The British Palomino Society (BPS) is offering classes for cremello horses at its annual show for the first time this year.

Perhaps this will tempt Bobby to tell us about his 3yr old Cremello entire!

Michael Whitaker suspected of doping at La Baule

Horse & Hound 29th June2009 - http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/285171.html 

Michael Whitaker has been suspended from competition by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) for an alleged doping offence.

Traces of the hormone altrenogest, which is found in Regumate given to in-season mares, were found in a sample taken from Mr Whitaker's stallion Tackeray at La Baule on 14 May.

Lady Godiva

According to the popular story, Lady Godiva took pity on the people of Coventry, who were suffering grievously under her husband's oppressive taxation. Lady Godiva appealed again and again to her husband, who obstinately refused to remit the tolls. At last, weary of her entreaties, he said he would grant her request if she would strip naked and ride through the streets of the town. Lady Godiva took him at his word and, after issuing a proclamation that all persons should keep within doors and shut their windows, she rode through the town, clothed only in her long hair. Only one person in the town, a tailor ever afterwards known as Peeping Tom, disobeyed her proclamation in one of the most famous instances of voyeurism. In the story, Tom bores a hole in his shutters so that he might see Godiva pass, and is struck blind. In the end, Godiva's husband keeps his word and abolishes the onerous taxes.
The oldest form of the legend has Godiva passing through Coventry market from one end to the other while the people were assembled, attended only by two knights. This version is given in Flores Historiarum by Roger of Wendover (died 1236), a somewhat gullible collector of anecdotes, who quoted from an earlier writer. The later story, with its episode of "Peeping Tom," appeared first among 17th century chroniclers.
At the time, it was customary for penitents to make a public procession in only their shift, a sleeveless white garment similar to a slip today and one which was certainly considered "underwear." Thus, some scholars speculate, Godiva may have actually travelled through town as a penitent, in her shift. Godiva's story may have passed into folk history to be recorded in a romanticised version. Another theory has it that Lady Godiva's "nakedness" may refer to her riding through the streets stripped of her jewellery, the trademark of her upper class rank. However, both these attempts to reconcile known facts with legend are weak; there is no known use of the word "naked" in the era of the earliest accounts to mean anything other than "without any clothing whatsoever."
Moreover, there is no trace of any version of the story in sources contemporary with Godiva, a story that would certainly have been recorded even in its most tame interpretations. Additionally, with the founding of Coventry circa 1043, there was little opportunity for the city to have developed to an extent that would have supported such a noble gesture. Lastly, the only recorded tolls were on horses. Thus, it remains doubtful whether there is any historical basis for the famous ride.
Like the story of Peeping Tom, the claim that Godiva's long hair effectively hid her nakedness from sight is generally believed to have been a later addition. Certain other thematic elements are familiar in myth and fable: the resistant Lord (cf. Esther and Ahasuerus), the exacted promise, the stringent condition and the test of chastity. Even if Peeping Tom is a late addition, his being struck blind demonstrates the closely knit themes of the violated mystery and the punished intruder (cf. Diana and Actaeon).

Gala- Oct. 22, 2008

Rehearsal for a fund raising gala, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008, at the Spanische Hofreitschule in Vienna. It was the first time since the middle of the 16th century that foreign horses and riders are hosted in this traditional establishment.

Morgans in China

Since this group seems to like historical items, here is a link to an article that I wrote for the Long Rider's Guild.  http://www.lrgaf.org/articles/morgans.htm 

After WWII, the Chinese were looking to improve their native horses.  They sent a delegation to the US and bought some Morgans.  Shortly after the Morgans arrived in China, the Chinese Revolution erupted and the horses were lost in history.  My assignment was to find out what happened to them...

Indian Wedding Horses

The groom, leaves for the wedding venue riding a decorated horse or elephant. This is a very colorful and grand ceremony. The groom is dressed in a sherwani (long jacket) and 'churidars' (fitted trousers). On his head he wears a 'sehra' (turban) with a 'kalgi' (brooch) pinned onto it. The turban usually has flowers extending from it to keep the grooms face covered during the wedding ceremony.
Before he departs, his relatives apply the ceremonial 'tilak' on his forehead and his sister feeds the horse or elephant sweetened grain. The 'baraat' (consisting of the groom seated on the horse or elephant, and relatives and friends of the groom) is headed by the dancing of the congregated folks. Accompanied by the rhythm of the north Indian dholak, the baraat reaches the place of the wedding.
Upon arriving at the venue of the wedding, the groom is welcomed by a welcome song. This is called "talota". Then the groom knocks on the door with his sword and enters.

Zeremonial-, Gala- und Staatswagen des Wiener Hofes

Prior to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Imperial Court Stables (today’s Museumsquartier compound) housed over 600 vehicles of the most diverse types. The privilege of using court carriages was not limited just to the Imperial Family; it was also enjoyed by individuals ranging from dignitaries and servants to court actors and squires. The spectrum of vehicles—which ranged from baroque ornamental carriages to gala, recreational and everyday carriages and cargo automobiles—was commensurately large.

Part of this fleet was taken over in 1918 by the representatives of the new Republic, and another part of it had to be handed over to the Empire’s successor states. Furthermore, numerous vehicles went to the newly created “Bundes-Fuhrwerksbetrieb” (a federally owned transport company), and these were then used for commercial purposes. The remainder were auctioned off to private buyers in order to supplement the empty state treasury.

Following the war years, the historic carriages of the Viennese Court that, from the mid-19th century onwards, had been viewable for a fee by the general the public were once again put on public display. But in the year 1922, when the former Court Stables—where the carriages were kept—was needed by the trade fair organiser Messe-AG, the historic vehicles were turned over to the Kunsthistorisches Museum. They were transferred to the former Winter Riding School at Schönbrunn Palace, where they are still housed today.

The official liveries and uniforms had lost their function following the disbanding of the court. The Kunsthistorisches Museum, therefore, had suggested in 1921 that at least part of these be preserved for museum purposes. But since they had been laid claim to by four state offices, 1922 saw only a very small selection of these items actually entrusted to the museum’s care, while the lion's share were turned over to ministries and to the Austrian State Theatre.

At first, the two new collections of the Museum of Carriages and the Department of Court Uniforms were attached to the Weaponry Collection (today’s Collection of Arms and Armour), where they received but little attention. This applied particularly to the Department of Court Uniforms, from which numerous pieces were sold or rented out to film production companies. The forced remittance of items to Germany’s Wehrmacht, such as the entire winter wardrobe of the servants, further decimated the collection’s inventory.

This situation changed when collection curator Erwin Auer succeeded in defining both the Museum of Carriages and the Department of Court Uniforms as independent, unified collections under his direction between 1947 and 1950. He assumed the Herculean task of first compiling an inventory of the as yet completely unordered holdings, producing basic descriptions and collecting eyewitness accounts. A further task was to successively repair the physical damage to the Carriage Collection that had occurred during the Second World War. Nearly half of the “Imperial Carriages”, for instance, had been smashed as a result of bomb hits.

The acquisition policy pursued with regard to the Department of Court Uniforms during this period was characterised by great foresight: alongside a multitude of uniforms worn by diplomats, civil servants and court dignitaries, objects of the Imperial Family and the great noble houses were purchased for prices that—from a present-day standpoint—were exceedingly low.

In the evaluation, research and reception of the items held by the Museum of Carriages and the Department of Court Uniforms, a new trend can be made out for the period that began in the 1990s. It is by now taken for granted that the show carriages of the ruling houses are artistically significant exponents of their respective eras: but also regarding the history of technology and in terms of research on courtly life and ceremonial practice, the holdings of the two collections are of the utmost interest. This fact is now being done justice within the collection through intensive fundamental research. From 2001 to 2007, the archives of the Oberststallmeisteramt, totalling thousands of fascicules, were systematically gone through and digitally catalogued for the first time ever. This project created a solid basis for further research on the collection holdings for decades to come.

Long reining a Lippi in NE Scotland

Before

Bobby,
you shared these pictures with me after one of your training sessions with your clients late last year. I'm sure our members would enjoy knowing more about them if you'd care to share with us.

José
Wales Uk

My Introduction

Hello,

I would like to introduce myself to the group.  My name is Judi, and I live in Cleveland, OH USA.  I am mainly a trail rider, but do a little schooling in the winter when I can’t get on the trails.  Consequently, we never get too far with our schooling, but I have two awesome trail horses.

Cruiser is a 22-year-old Morab gelding.  (Morgan/Arab cross)  I have had him for nearly 20 years.  He’s a very fun horse to ride with a lot of energy—despite his age.  He has a recovered bowed tendon and is insulin resistant, but that hasn’t slowed him down at all.  In fact, since I corrected his diet, he only acts younger.

Mingo is a solid black Paint.  He is the one you see in the picture.  I have had him since birth—he’s 14, now.  He is the exact opposite of Cruiser.  He is slow and quiet.  This works out fine for me, since when I get back from a ride with Cruise, I could use a ride on a quiet horse to relax.  A better second horse cannot be found.  He hates ring work, though—he doesn’t believe in wasting energy.  It makes it tough in the winter.  I’m the only person he will listen to in the arena.  He refuses to work at all for anyone else.

I love dressage, and it all started with falling in love with the Lippizans when I was a kid.  They mad a real impression on me.  When I do work in the arena, we make our attempts at dressage.  We haven’t gotten much past training level—as soon as we start to get somewhere, the weather gets nice and out on the trail we go.

I am enjoying this group quite a bit.

Judi

www.trailtrainingforthehorseandrider.com

Isabell Werth's small tour horse Whisper tested positive to doping!

Isabell Werth's small tour horse Whisper tested positive to doping after a medication test carried out on Monday 30 May 2009 at the CDI Wiesbaden in Germany. Werth has been immediately suspended by the FEI and will not be able to compete at Aachen.

Werth's 10-year old chestnut gelding Whisper (by Wolkentanz I x Einstand) tested positive to Fluphenazine, a drug usually applied as antipsychotic for humans. It is used for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. One of its side effects is sedation, which is a reason why it could be used by equestrians.

Breido Graf zu Rantzau, president of the German Equestrian Federation, made the following statement: "This is a catastrophe for the horse sport. But we don't let ourselves be discouraged by all this negative news as we pave the way to a fair horse sport."

There will be an FEI Tribunal hearing on 25th June 2009, at which it will be decided whether the suspension is temporary or not. A suspension after a positive A-test is internationally obligatory since one year and a half.

Isabell Werth has requested the disclosure of the B-test.

Madeleine Winter-Schulze, Isabell Werth's sponsor and owner of her competition horses, has reacted to the news of the positive doping test of Werth's Whisper and to the suspension as Werth as rider. In an interview with the German Sport Information Service (SID), Winter-Schulze has commented the Whisper underwent a treatment a few days before Wiesbaden, but it was the veterinarian who said it was safe to compete.

"It is awful," Winter-Schulze told SID. "Everybody is so disappointed" in the stable of Isabell Werth. "I'm not angry at her. She can't do anything about it.

Sönke Lauterbach, secretary-general of the German Equestrian Federation, showed a very unsolidary disposition towards Werth in a day time television show on the ARD broad cast station. He stated that where success, money and power is involved, one can find manipulation.

St. Georg interviewed several veterinarians about the banned substance Fluphenazine, which can mainly be found in the human medicine Dapotum. It is not allowed for horses but it has been widely used on spooky horses for many years now.

"When a horse is a bit cuckoo, Fluphenazine is the means to an end, but people know for more than ten years now that the substance is traceable," said a vet to St. Georg, who wanted to remain anonymous.

It is surprising that Professor Wilhelm Schänzer of the Technical Sport School of Cologne stated to the German press agency DPA that the substance is allowed as sedative for transport or medical examinations.

Dr. Henry Ottilie of the University of Leipzig explained that "Fluphenazine is part of the neuroleptics group. It is only allowed in Germany in veterinary medicine in the substances of Sedalin and Vetranquil (with Acepromzine) and Stresnil (Azaperone).

Apparently, the professor from Cologne seems to be wrong as the substance is listed on the positive doping list and is normally not applied on animals, but the drug can be used illegitimately.

It must be noted that the Technical Sport School of Cologne has been working together with Ludger Beerbaum for years. Beerbaum has been suspended by the FEI because of doping suspension.

Horse Armour

Barding (also spelled bard or barb) is armour for horses. During the late Middle Ages as armour protection for knights became more effective, their mounts became targets. This tactic was effective for the English at the Battle of Crécy in the fourteenth century where archers shot horses and heavy infantry killed the French knights after they dismounted. Barding developed as a response to such events.
Surviving period examples of barding are rare; however, complete sets are on display at the Wallace Collection in London, and the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

Nukra - Sindhi Horses

Marwari (Horses of India)

The call thunders down the ages through the sands of time and fades into the desert air, a haunting remembrance to an era of chivalry and valour forever lost yet indelibly stamped into the spirit of Rajasthan. To know and love the Marwari is to re-enter the magical realm of our childhood, a world of castles and heroes, intrigues and passion, dark deeds and mythical horses.

A time when women dressed as queens and queens rode like warriors, a time when men fought to live and lived to fight on the battlefields and never went gently into that good night.

It is a golden opportunity to embrace the twilight world of the desert, the creative frenzy of a thousand and one festivals, and to partake in the daily rituals that help reawaken our perceptual innocence and calm our unruly souls.

To know and love the Marwari is to know and love the Rajputs, for their destinies are inextricably bound.

To ride a Marwari is to realise new levels of joy that demand in turn, a receptive stillness for its appreciation. It is to view the way ahead through a pair of perfectly curved ears, gateway to the heart of India’s spiritual and ceremonial heritage.

Horses from India

The gazette notification by the Government of India identifies 5 breeds of Indian horses as Marwari, Kathiyawari, Manipuri, Spiti and Zanskari.

1. MARWARI:

The Marwari Horse has acquired it's name from it's original breeding place Marwar in Rajasthan. The Marwari horse today is descended from the splendid war-horses that served the ruling families and warriors of feudal India, throughout and from the beginning of that country's history. Their std'us was unparalleled, as they were declared divine and superior to all men, including those of Royal blood. Accordingly, only the Rajput families and the Kshatriyas - warrior caste were permitted to mount these exalted animals. Today the breed is once again achieving eminence after over a century of twilight status due to the Imperial presence of the British and further, the new Indian democracy. Marwari horse, as the most potent symbol of the warrior Kings somehow survived wholesale slaughter, castration and fearful ignorance during the troubled times preceding Independence and for several decades later. It is thanks to the surviving Rajput families and horse lovers from all communities that the resilient and beautiful Marwari has emerged from the shadows onto a bright and hopeful future and out of the threat of extinction,

2. KATHIYAWARI:

The Kathiyawari has fhe same history as that of Marwari but having been bred in the Kathiyawar region of Gujarat , it acquires the name of Kathiyawari. Breeding line and environmental differences have distinctively given certain separate features to the Kathiyawari from it's cousin the Marwari. Such as ears, eyes, nose and in it's built up structure.

3. MANIPURI:

The Manipuri horses are bred in the north - eastern state of Manipur in India. The Manipuri has the best claim to fame, for it was the original polo pony. In the 1850's the English planters discovered this native game in India. They then took up and spread around the world. Physique of this horse is typical like that of pony but is very quick and maneuverable.

4. SPITI :

The Spiti horses are bred in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh in India. The name Spiti has been taken from the famous Spiti river. Physique of this horse is also like that of d pony, thick set and short coupled. They are very sure-footed and tough and used for transportation in the mountains.

5. ZANSKARI:

Zanskari horses are bred in the high altitude Zanskar region of Ladakh in eastern Jammu and Kashmir State of India. Physique of this horse is very similar to the Spiti pony but are more adaptable for higher altitude where they are used as work horses.

Most interesting:

Do Punjab stud farms make horse sense?  Gitanjali Sharma ACCORDING to an official announcement,"Punjab will have an equine farm, funded by the central government, to preserve and export the Sindhi breed of horses`85 Farmers can benefit by adopting horse-breeding as an allied profession." D. S. Jaspal, Financial Commissioner, Animal Husbandry Department, Punjab, maintains that since there is potential for the export of these horses, the government is keen to promote horse breeding and equestarian culture in the state. The intent notwithstanding, breeding of horses in private farms in the state does not present a very rosy picture. Though stud farms continue to exist, the profitability is low and the cost high. There is also no regulation for the desibreeds and export orders are virtually non-existent. Now, did some thought and horse sense go into this recent government announcement or is it just a move to hold out a carrot to dispirited farmers who have had nothing to look forward to since the cotton and potato crop debacle? Or, again, is it just a case of flogging a dead horse, read here a dull and slump-ridden breeding industry, which for the past decade has shown few signs of picking up pace?

Whatever the riding interest behind this so-called public welfare-studded decision, let’s check out what the ground reality is: how are the existing stud farms faring? And whether there is any market for breeding more horses and exporting them? Breeding is one of the most alluring reasons to invest in horses Breeding and racing are the two most lucrative reasons to invest in horses in the present age of motorised horse power, when horses have outrun their use as a means of transport and communication and even their significance in agriculture and other areas of life has been reduced considerably. While breeding Thoroughbreds (pure breds — see box) for racing requires big-time money and remains the sport of the super rich in the state, you find that a number of farmers, especially those in the Malwa region, have taken to producing indigenous breeds to supplement their unpredictable agricultural income. The business of Thoroughbreds and indigenous breeds may differ in terms of the care of horses, infrastructure and cost involved, purpose of breeding, rearing and selling but both suffer as a result of non-existent government support and lacunae in the system, hampering the flow of profits. Anil Mukhi, the country’s leading consultant in horse-breeding, says Punjab, which has at least a dozen of the 60 stud farms (of Thoroughbreds) existing in the country and offers at least 200 racehorses out of the 1300 produced in the country every year, has a natural advantage over the other states when it comes to the setting up of stud farms. Its fertile soil and green pastures help breed healthy racehorses at a low cost. Muktsar district, which boasts of the biggest stud farm in Punjab (owned by former Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar) and a couple of other medium and small-sized ones, comes only behind Pune in the production of racehorses. "Despite the large number of horses bred every year in the state, it’s a pity that there are no racecourses in the North except for the one in Delhi," says this Mumbai-based bloodstock agent. Punjab breeders have to travel hundreds of kilometres to Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Calcutta or Madras to sell their stock. "A market nearer home would certainly give a boost to the industry." Tegbir, grandson of former Chief Minister H.S. Brar, with his favourite stallion The high tax on betting is another bane of the horseracing industry, which offers a legal and organised system of gambling but whose potential has not been tapped fully by the government. Sunny Brar, son of Harcharan Singh Brar, who along with his three sons manages their 100-acre stud farm in Sarainaga village in Muktsar district, rues that the excessive tax on betting (40 per cent deducted at source) not only discourages prospective betters but has also led to an increase in the number of illegal bookies. The Brars, who took up horse breeding way back in 1973 with just two mares, are now the proud owners of about 100 mares, half a dozen stallions, and 75 foals. Besides breeding they also dabble in horse racing. Their 60 racehorses are being trained down South. Despite having 100 workers to man the livestock, Tegbir Brar, eldest son of Sunny Brar, says he and his brothers often have to take on the roles of genetic expert, paediatrician, gynaecologist, athletics coach, etc. An extreme shortage of trained personnel like vets, farriers, farm managers, fodder experts, jockeys, and trainers is felt in the region. Despondency can set in and even lead to packing up of the business if breeders meet with low returns. The 40-mare stud farm of former Punjab Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhillon at Rampurphul in Bathinda district had to be shut down in 1997 after operating for 16 years. The minister’s son Amardeep Singh Dhillon recalls, "Everything was sold on credit down South. We never got what we expected and thus ran into loss. Since the running cost of the stud farm cannot be decreased, we called it quits." There is little benefit in cutting corners to cut costs in this industry as that affects the quality of the produce. The family of Harbinder Singh Sidhu, which had migrated from Lahore in 1947, was among the first to set up a stud farm in Punjab in 1961 with two mares. The only other farm besides this belonged to Kanwar Manjitinder Singh of Faridkot, who then had about 10 to 20 mares. Fiftyeight-year-old Harbinder, who has been overseeing his Muktsar-based stud farm Mebojeona (which interestingly traces its pedigree —‘Me’ and ‘bojeona’— from Mehmadipur and Baddojeona, — names of two of the villages owned by his grandfather in Lahore.) for the past 31 years, says looking after horses has been a passion with him. This owner of 11 mares, one stallion and seven foals, says Punjab saw an overproduction of horses in the 1980s and there has been a slump in the industry since 1997. As a result, the chance breeders who had got into this game have been weaned away and now only a handful of serious breeders remain in the state. Even today the horse industry remains a buyers’ market, with the breeders holding little sway over it. Anil Mukhi puts the all-India demand for racehorses at 1000 per year — 300 short of the total countrywide production of 1300 athletes per year. India is exporting racehorses to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, etc, and the indigenous Marwari breed to the USA for its ‘exotic’ value. The number exported, however, remains small. Interestingly, India which has suitable conditions for breeding horses, is flanked by the West Asian countries and Singapore, where the climate is not suitable for breeding. The government, however, has not tapped this export potential. Some 35 years ago, there had been a bar on exporting horses, as they had been afflicted with a disease. Since then three decades passed with the government making no effort to lift the restriction. Just about a year ago, the government made the effort to tell the world that its horses were safe, and orders from Singapore have been trickling in. But unless, says Mukhi, "we get Europe to agree to buy our horses, we’ll make no dent in the international market." Of late, this rich man’s sport is becoming accessible to a variety of people and income brackets as a result of syndicate buying, wherein up to eight buyers can get together to buy and race a horse and, finally, share the booty. Harbinder Sidhu’s son Surbirinder, manager in an MNC in Chandigarh, who shares his father’s passion for horses, says the yuppie crowd is showing enthusiasm for this sport. Last year, one of their racehorses was collectively bought by young executives. This limp industry requires young blood and new buyers, he feels. But more or less, horseracing continues to be the business of the rich. The ownership of the very best racehorses is still exclusively dominated by a handful of wealthy people. The owner’s name sells here and what matters is who he’s rubbing shoulders with. It is easy for established names like liquor baron Vijay Mallya and one of the biggest horse owners M.A. Ramasamy from the royal family of Chettinad (Madras) to strike deals. Horseracing, which came to India with the British and flourished with the coming up of 79 racecourses in pre-Independent India, has attracted little interest of the government except in terms of slapping a high tax on betting. Hong Kong, which offers a friendly tax policy and where one in every five persons bets on racing, generates a revenue out of horseracing without which the income tax would have to be increased by 6 per cent. Post-Independence, a number of racecourses — many of which were in a number of towns of old Punjab like Ambala, Faridkot, Amritsar, Karnal — have just left behind traces in the form of Racecourse Roads! The number of racetracks in the country now stands at just nine. Nukra horses fetch a handsome price While the market for Thoroughbreds is registered, regulated and organised, the same cannot be said for the indigenous breeds like Marwari, Kathiyawari and Sindhi that find favour with farmers in Punjab. The two ghora mandis held in Muktsar during the Maghi mela (in January)and Dasehra, however, facilitate the buying and selling of the horses. The buyers come from not only all over Punjab but also other states like Delhi, Rajasthan, UP and even Mumbai. A number of horses are even picked up by the Bollywood people. The horse that fetches a handsome price (Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh) at these mandis is the nukra, whose white colour is considered auspicious in Hindu and Sikh marriages and other socio-religious occasions. The sale, breeding and ownership of desi breeds, however, continue to remain undocumented. Till now, there has been no export of horses from the state. The only efforts in this regard have been made by the Rajasthan-based Indigenous Horse Society of India (see box). Fortynine-year-old Harpal Singh, who along with his brothers owns 125 acres in Lakhewale village in Muktsar district, manages to make a tidy sum every year through horse-breeding. He owns 10 mares and sells four to five horses every year. While a desi coloured horse can bring anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 60,000, it is the nukras which are known to change the fortunes of the horse-breeders. For most of the farmers who have taken to horse-breeding, a major chunk of the fodder ( chokker, jami, dana, khabbal) comes from the farm produce, thus cutting their overhead expenses. Despite this cost-saving measure, each horse uses about Rs 25,000 a year. Gurmail Singh with his prized possession Moti Horse-breeding, undoubtedly, is taken up with the desire to earn profits but if that is not backed by genuine regard and consideration for these sensitive animals, the whole venture can fall flat. Gurmail Singh, Revenue Patwari, Punjab, who is the proud owner of Moti, a Marwari which has won a number of awards besides the ‘champion horse’ title at the Punjab Equine Show last month, says fondness for the animal has made him opt for horse-breeding. The increase in aamdani has always remained a secondary issue with him. This rapport between the master and animal has been the fodder for many a legendary tale: when Alexander’s beloved warhorse Bucephalus died in a battle, he founded a city called Bucephala after him. And then, of course, there’s nothing more that can be written about the love, friendshp and companionship that Chetak and Maharana Pratap shared. Keeping this bonding in mind, Anil Mukhi expresses his reservations about the proposed equine farm in Punjab. Horses are individual characters which demand personalised care. Maintaining that a stud farm cannot be treated as a factory and he has yet to come across any such successful public sector project, he advises it would be better to keep stallions, which can be used by horse-breeders to service their mares. The flagging industry can be promoted by displaying our mounts in the international market and harnessing export orders for them. Photos by Kulbir Beera

Work in Hand Seminar

Start:	Jul 22, '09 4:30p
End:	Jul 22, '09 6:00p
Location:	Piñon Farm, Santa Fe

Enjoy wine and cheese while you learn about work in hand from the beginning to Grand Prix level.

Native horses of Japan

Hokkaido Washu
Also known as Dosanko, this breed is descended from several local breeds imported from Tohoku in the 15th century when Japanese immigration to Hokkaido began. Today there are about 2,000 Hokkaido horses. Most of them are allowed to roam freely in large grazing areas during most of the year, being rounded up for pest control and treatment once a year. Others are being raised on farms under more controlled conditions. This breed is somewhat larger than many Japanese local breeds, standing from 12.2 to 13 hands (130 135 cm) at the withers. As in other Japanese breeds, the Hokkaido is found in most solid colors, and many are roan. White markings of any kind are rare and not allowed for registration. They are extremely hardy and strong and can survive and even thrive under very severe conditions. Today they are used for trail riding, packing and harness. Hokkaido horses are used for heavy transportation in the mountains where trucks and other equipment cannot go.They are very strong for their size and have a willing temperament. Many Hokkaido Washu are natural pacers

The indigenous horses of Japan are, for the most part, actually ponies. Many of them originated from Mongolian horses brought to the island empire. Almost all of Japan's native breeds are very rare; some are under government protection, but with so few in the gene pool, they still face extinction.

I think it would be a great idea if members of Horses and Dressage could post about the native horses/ponies from your respective countries, or from somewhere not represented on H & D yet.
I am not Japanese ;-), but came across some pictures and was intrigued.

Romy

Hofburg

The Hofburg is a palace in Vienna, Austria, which has housed some of the most powerful people in Austrian history, including the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian empire. It currently serves as the official residence of the President of Austria. It was the Habsburg's principal winter residence, while Schönbrunn Palace was their preferred summer residence. The Palace was the birthplace of Marie Antoinette in 1755.
The Hofburg area has been the documented seat of government since 1279 for various empires and republics.
The Hofburg faces the Heldenplatz ordered under the reign of Emperor Francis Joseph, as part of what was to become a Kaiserforum that was never completed.
Numerous architects have executed work at the Hofburg as it expanded, notably the Italian architect-engineer Filiberto Luchese (the Leopoldischiner Trakt), Lodovico Burnacini and Martino and Domenico Carlone, the Baroque architects Lukas von Hildebrandt and Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach (the Reichschancelry Wing and the Winter Riding School), Johann Fischer von Erlach (the library), and the architects of the grandiose Neue Burg built between 1881 and 1913.

Winterreitschule

The Winterreitschule is located between Michaelerplatz and Josefsplatz near the Hofburg in central Vienna. Performances take place in the Winter Riding School, built between 1729-1735. The Winter Riding School is a sunlight- flooded hall, mainly white with some beige and light grey, with a portrait of Emperor Charles VI above the royal box and opposite the entrance (to which the riders always salute before they ride), which measures 55 by 18 meters and is 17 meters in height.

The riding school was first named during the Austrian Empire in 1572, long before the French manege of Antoine de Pluvinel, and is the oldest of its kind in the world. Records show that a wooden riding arena was first commissioned in 1565, but it wasn't until 1729 that Emperor Charles VI commissioned the architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach to build the white riding hall used today. Prior to that time, the School operated from a wooden arena at the Josefsplatz. For a time, the riding hall was used for various ceremonies, but it is now open to the public, who may witness the training and performances by the stallions.

The Obama Factor

At the Amerikahaus, Simon Inou was in constant motion, organizing the last details for the Radio Afrika & Co celebration of the inauguration of Barack Obama, a consortium of NGO’s representing the migrant communities in Vienna supported by the U.S. Embassy.

We caught him in the final moments before the festivities were to begin. The inauguration of Barack Obama was, without question, a day of days.

“For our generation, in our Africa countries, there are no statesmen who have done anything like this,” Inou said, clearly moved, reaching for just the right words. “It’s unbelievable! The picture of a statesmen…, someone who gives you hope that you can reach the goal that you commit yourself to achieve!”

Even after more  a decade in Vienna, Inou feels racism as a constant presence, defining what is possible for him and others of African descent. The experience of Vienna International School teacher Mike Brennan, beaten by Vienna police on the platform in the subway at Spittelau on Feb. 11, is only the latest in a long list of incidents. The ZARA Racism Report reports 406 reported incidents of racism in Austria in 2007 alone. Assuming many go unreported, the actual number is surely even higher.

In a parallel he sees with Obama, Inou spent his childhood in a developing country and trained himself in the ways of the West. Born in Cameroon, he studied sociology at university and has since spent a lifetime in journalism. He has lived in Austria since 1995, serving as chief editor of Radio Afrika International from 1995 to 2005, and now founding head of the web portal Afrika Info (www.afrika.info), covering immigrants of African descent living in German-speaking countries.

Barack Obama has changed his view of what is possible. When Inou tries to imagine how this has could have happened, he comes, inevitably to Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham Sutoro.

“When I think of this woman, this young mother, and what she managed to accomplish, that she had so much strength to get from Kansas, I am overwhelmed,” he says, It’s so convincing, the way she just got things done.”

But the biggest thing for him is feeling that his reality is being considered.

“That’s the difference,” he said, “representing the values of the minorities.” But it’s not affirmative action. “With him, I believe that his skin color hasn’t played such a big role. It’s a picture of someone who has accomplished something.”

He paused, acknowledging a visitor who came over to great him, and another who haled him from the doorway. Then, he turned back, apologizing, and caught my gaze.

“Personally, it all very emotional,” he said. “I never dreamed in my wildest dreams that something like this could happen in my lifetime.”

Is Grinzing Doomed?

Tour buses from around the world choke the narrow lanes of Grinzing, pouring out visitors heading for the carriage ways, where small pine branches hang above doorways, signaling that the inns are open for business. In the village of Grinzing, on the edge of the Woods in Vienna's 19th District, the Heurigen-season appears to be in full swing. Round the narrow lanes and paths the 'Buschenschänken' string together, in a village of 'Heurige'- special Austrian wine taverns whose name derives from the German adjective 'this year's' and refers to the wine they sell.

But might this idyllic scene be endangered?

'In Grinzing, cultural artifacts are being destroyed, and nobody ever asks the residents their opinion,' says Michael Lenzenhofer of the initiative Weltkulturerbe Grinzing (World Cultural Heritage Grinzing). He is contesting a trend towards, what he considers, thoughtless urban renewal in Grinzing, and is fighting for the village's nomination to become a UNESCO-world cultural heritage site.

Recently, this Heurigen-village on the edge of the city has increasingly received negative headlines, as journalists have reported the continuous suffocation of the historic neighborhood by the twin pressures of tourism and development. While designated a historic site, the area still suffers inadequate protection from development. The magistrate of the 19th district has applied for nomination as a UNESCO-world cultural heritage site, however the application has not yet received the necessary confirmations by the City of Vienna and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.

Locals fear that the Heurigen tradition might eventually be lost, as more and more Heurige are being bought up and rebuilt as luxury apartments. Although a so-called 'protected zone' exists, the Vienna magistrate cannot prohibit certain remodeling options to which applicants are entitled under current zoning regulation plans. For example, a developer can buy an inoperative vineyard and wait until the soil has deteriorated -- a circumstance that qualifies for rezoning.

'It is a catastrophe -- I notice new encroachments in Grinzing every day,' says leading architect Gustav Peichl, in a recent interview with Die Presse. 

Activist Lenzenhofer holds the city responsible for the condition: a 2005 renewal-plan reduced the village's protected zone by roughly 30 per cent. According to Lenzenhofer, renewal-possibilities have considerably increased; ancient, one-story houses can now be razed and two-story loft-enlargements built in their place.

In a related loss to Grinzing tradition, more and more Heurige have been converted to so-called 'Heurigen-restaurants' that don't serve their own wines and sell qualitatively poorer white wine than the authentic Grinzinger Heurigen. The real 'Heurigen' operate under the 'Wiener Buschenschankgesetz' of 1975, based on an earlier law established by 'People's Emperor' Joseph II in 1784: It allows anybody to dispense wine and fruit juice as well as selected cold and warm dishes, all year round and at any price, provided all goods are home-made.

The 'Buschenschankgesetz' however, does not specify any necessary provisions to be met in order to call a tavern a 'Heuriger', as the term is not registered by law. As a consequence, 'The so-called 'Heurigen-restaurants' are going to put the originals out of business,' Lenzenhofer is convinced.

Because of repeated complaints of Grinzing's residents, Rudolf Schicker of Vienna's City Planning Board launched the initiative Leitbild Grinzing ('A Plan For Grinzing').

In this plan, basic approaches for the development of the townscape's overall appearance will be established and compared. Lenzenhofer is not convinced.

The project is a 'piece of impudence,' he says. He was apparently not informed personally, but heard of the initiative purely by chance: 'After the first inspection of the village they decided on the construction of a traffic circle -- based solely on one study, some EUR 220,000 have been spent. For me, it's clear: demolition-procedures are progressing.'

Despite these negative voices, there are also other, more positive ones:

Christian Schuhböck, secretary general of the non-governmental organization 'Alliance For Nature,' who is compiling a documentation on Grinzing's cultural assets, says that a chance for the village being named as UNESCO-world cultural heritage site definitely exists -- 'assuming the goodwill of the politicians'.

Andreas Wiegel, works manager of the small and family-run Heurigen 'Wiegel' would prefer to set the subject aside: 'All of these actions and rebellions over Grinzing are just bad publicity for our village. In my opinion, we are doing fine.' Lenzenhofer's actions and the initiative 'Leitbild Grinzing,' he says, are unnecessary.

'And,' Wiegel continues, 'nobody from City Hall has ever shown up at my place anyway.'

Extinct race, "longhorse" reall or not reall?

 
If you flip through old photos, you might be lucky enough to run into this now-extinct "long horse". It was strong, handsome and could carry up to four people at one time but, because of overwork, the horses tended to die young and, to put it bluntly, the population was eventually used to death.
The long horse extinct because he was getting  weaker at his spines, so they couldn't do their job very well!
So, they stopt breeding of this friendly big creature!
 
Long horses were introduced to Bali by the Europeans in the 16th century. When the Balinese first saw the long horses, walking out onto the beaches, they fell on their faces, trembling. Of the event, it was written by the Dutch explorer, Cornelis de Houtman:"The beasts are noble, powerful, and yet humble. To the natives, the long horses are as Gods and the Balinese worship them as such."

Even today, in Bali, there remains an undercurrent of worship and remembrance of the long horse. The sacred tree, known as Our Long Horse of Temoekoes (first noticed on June 17th, 1993) is a perfect example of this. The tree is "set apart" by a 2' high mark in the shape of a long horse. And even though your average Balinese would deny the belief of such a thing, thousands of pilgrims have continued to flock to the site, ever since it first appeared, to pray for miracles and healing.

Lord Marbury, the one time owner of his noble long horse thoroughbred.
Showed this portrait of jockey P.J. Tarley, sitting astride "Longbody Lightning.
LORD Marbury owned Longbody and, for a short time, while it was fashionable, Longbody was known as "The long horse that almost won the Derby."

"Longbody" was one of the last known long horses around. And he would have won, if he had raced. Instead, he was disqualified. At the last minute, there was an important "new rule" regarding length of flank; Longbody obviously exceeded legal measurements.

There are allot of discussions about the "longhorses" if they really existed or not?
But some pictures are the prove that they existed? ( old pictures )
There are pictures changed with photoshop ( not posted in here),but you can see clear that they are fake, but the old pictures are believable!

Take, for example, the urn, dating from 1400 - 1370 B.C.. it virtually proves that long horses were used in chariot races.
And the longhorse "totem" in the photo.
But also, they have at the National museum in Hautives, France, a "longhorse" skeleton!

In the most of the old pictures, you can see, that they were used, by military and parades, to warship them!

I tried to find more about this extinct race, but I can't find much more about it!
They try to banned the "long horse" from the world, because it was a mistake to create, a horse like this!

But in allot of historical pictures, drawings and story's, they turn up!

In the Netherlands for example there is a children's book, called "puk van de petteflat" the longhorse appears in the story!

It's amazing if they existed, but also strange that they slowly disappear from the world,because they were a mistake!
Who knows????


Okay, I found also a Lipizzaner "longhorse" ;-) :-) funny to see, but I think, this is a example of photoshop, even when they say: it is a real picture!

I think the best way to figure it out, if this lipizzaner was for real, is to ask "Andreas"??? maybe he/you know(s), or can recognize the picture?
The picture is taken at the year 1925, if I/we have to believe the story!

On the old pictures they did research, but there are still big ??????? about the lipizzaner? and the picture from "French army sous-leutenant, jean Gaymard,1938 ".

I only passed the subject "longhorses" and it became a challenge to find the truth, but for days I am searching, with still big ???