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Steeplechasing

7/8/2013

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Steeplechasing is a high-speed sport that combines racing and jumping over hurdles and ditches. Learn its dirty secrets!

Break A Leg

All kinds of racehorses are pushed to run before most horses are usually even trained to be ridden, resulting in many injuries because these horses’ bones haven’t fully grown. Broken cannon bones are very common in the world of steeplechasing because the impact that a horse’s forelegs feel when they hit the ground after a jump is often so high that their bones snap.

Roadkill

In a steeplechase or hurdle race, racehorses run between three and five miles at top speed while jumping over ten to twenty meter or yard-high obstacles. Since the horses are going so fast when they jump, many often fall on the other side. Nowadays, only 40 horses can race on the track at once, but in previous years there has been as many as 66 on the track. Because there are so many horses, that the ones that fall are ran over and landed on by many others who don’t see them on the other side of the fence.

On a normal day, one out of nineteen horses (one per race) will fall on the track. Most of these will either be killed right there or sent to a hospital, but it is very rare that any horse that falls in a steeplechase race will ever race again.
In 172 years of running in the Grand National, 58 horses have died during a race.

Danger Ahead

Steeplechasing is not just dangerous for horses. Riders are often jolted out of the saddle by rocky landings only to be run over by more horses. To be a jockey in a steeplechase race takes a lot of courage. To encourage horses to run faster, make tighter turns, and listen to instructions, steeplechase jockeys have been known to use knife-edged bits.

The Grand National

Steeplechasing is a very popular sport in both England and Australia, but not so much as in the United States. The most famous steeplechase race is the Grand National. It is over four miles long with 30 jumps on the course. These jumps are very high and world-famous. Some of the more known ones include Becher’s Brook, a five foot tall fence followed by a steep drop, and Canal Turn, the famous 90 degree sharp turn before a fence. There used to be a ditch in front of the fence too, before a mêlée in the 1928 race. A mêlée is when a large number of horses fall at once. In 1928, 42 horses in the race fell in front of the Canal Turn. That year, only 2 horses out of the original 44 actually finished the race. This proves that, to win The Grand National, you don’t only need to be  fast, you also need to be careful.

This information is taken from the Summer 2013 issue's article Behind the Scenes: Steeplechasing.
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Circus Horses

7/8/2013

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Circus horses have entertained audiences since humans have been able to train them to rear on command. Learn the secrets behind the magic - and the things that happen behind the big top’s striped curtains!

Trick and Treat

Circus horses are trained  for years to perform a series of complicated tricks. Horses must be able to stand on their hind legs, dance, and neigh on command. To learn these stunts, horses are bribed with treats. So with patience, understanding, and a whole lot of carrots, a normal horse becomes a circus animal. These horses perform either with a handler holding their reins, or completely unattached. Acts where a horse is controlling itself are known as “liberty acts” because the horse is “at liberty”.  The fact that the horse is uncontrolled and could to anything adds to the circus’s atmosphere of danger and magic.

Pick a Horse, Any Horse

Barnum and Bailey’s Circus, there are more horses than any other animal – in fact, there are 650 horses in their show. They use five breeds of horses: Arabians for their beauty and stamina, Miniature horses for their intelligence and small size, Standardbreds for their long lines and speed while pulling carts, and Quarter horses for their quick turns and flashy nature. Friesians are also used because they are the oldest and most traditional circus horses, mainly because they all look similar, but also due to their long, curly manes and tails that the audience loved.
Birds of a Feather: Circus horses are usually chosen to all be around the same height, color, and body type so they look uniform when they perform together.

Vaulting

Modern circus has grown from its first premier that grew from 18th century riding schools. Trick horses and riders formed the first circus acts, and to this day the horses continue to be one of the most important circus acts. Riders and acrobats do gymnastic moves on horseback. This is called vaulting. Vaulters don’t wear any safety gear. They don’t even wear a helmet or boots. Vaulters perform their stunts in nothing but slippers and a unitard.

This information is taken from the article Behind the Scenes: Circus Horses from the Spring 2013 issue.
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Polo

7/8/2013

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It’s time we get clear about polo pony myths and tell the truth about what really goes on behind the scenes on the playing field. Get ready to stomp some divots!

The Polo Pony

There’s no such thing as an actual “polo pony”. On average, they stand at around 15.1 hands high, which technically make them horses. The reason they are called ponies is because polo players look for horses with pony-like characteristics: agility, quick-thinking, and bumpy gait, just to name a few. In the United States, most polo ponies are crossbred combinations of thoroughbreds, Arabians, Quarter horses, and the Argentinean Criollo horse. Any polo pony must be trained before it hits the field, however. It must not be shy of having swinging clubs or mallets near its head, and needs to be okay with bumping into other horses during the game. 

Unfair Treatment

Spectators of the U.S. Open polo tournament in Wellington, Florida, were terrified when they saw 21 of their favorite horses fall dead during or after the match. The horses belonged to Lechuza Caracas, a team from Venezuela. Investigators worked for weeks trying to determine the cause of the tragedy, and eventually decided that it was just another case of polo pony cruelty, which is surprisingly common. Just like racehorses, they are treated more like sports equipment than animals from the time they are tamed to the time when they die. Many die early on in their career from fatal heart attacks where their hearts rupture or burst, a result of working to extremes. Others die because of selenium overdoses. Selenium improves polo pony performance, but too much of it can be unhealthy and even deadly. If a polo pony makes it to the end of its career, which is rare, it will most often go to a charity when it outlives its usefulness. Horse charities have said that polo ponies usually arrive in critical condition, underfed and overworked. The ones that are not taken by rescue agencies are killed by gunshot.
Polo Matches: The average polo match is played on a 300-yard-long field, with eight horses on a team. The game is split into six pieces, called chukkas, where a rider will use up to two horses for each. When they’re not on the field, polo ponies are being calmed and cooled down by stable hands.

Celebrity Cruelty

There are not strict rules about the use of spurs in a polo match, but after the famous Prince Harry’s  controversial incident with them, he’s been charged with animal cruelty. Reporters and horse-lovers everywhere are appalled, and Andrew Tyler, director of animal welfare charity Animal Aid, said, “It was a heartless and utterly selfish thing to do. Spurs are unnecessary for a competent rider and should not be used to punish a horse for the rider’s failure to gain advantage.” After playing a game in the Windsor Great Park with his Household cavalry team, an obvious wound was seen on the flank of the Prince’s horse.  Witnesses say that he continued to play in the match until he looked down and noticed the bloody spur mark. As soon as he saw it, he realized he was in trouble and switched horses. In the end, Prince Harry’s team lost to the Royal Navy by five and a half goals to five.

Elephant Polo

Elephant polo is played in Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, and Thailand. Even though they ride bigger animals, the field is three fourths of the size. The clubs, however, at 6 to 10 feet long, are larger than normal. Each elephant is ridden by two people: a player and a mahout. The mahout steers the elephant while the player tells the mahout where to go and uses the club to hit the ball. Just like horse polo, Elephant polo has a world cup every year. The Elephant polo headquarters is in Tiger Tops, Nepal.

This information was taken from the article Behind the Scenes: Polo Ponies in the Winter 2012/2013 issue.
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Cowboys/Ranching

7/8/2013

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The whole truth about cowboys, ranching, and the Wild West is about to be revealed. Yee-haw!

The Cowboy Lifestyle

The first American cowboys lived on the plains of Oklahoma and Texas with large plots of empty land for their livestock to roam free. Their houses were small and they lived mostly alone in the wild. Today, cowboys live with their families in large houses out west with advanced technology (like computers and iPads) just like the rest of us. They still occasionally use horses to herd cattle, but more often they drive trucks. Although they live a more modern life than the cowboys of yesterday, ranchers still have the same ideas about how to live: relaxed and easy.

Home On The Range

A ranch hand has many jobs. Usually he is responsible for feeding the cattle, branding livestock (see designer brands), mending damaged fences, checking water to make sure it is safe for the animals to drink, and tending to any injuries that his horses or cows picked up while outside. A working cowboy also has a small group or “string” of horses that he is required to take care of (rain or shine). These horses spend most of their time outside, and are in charge of helping the rancher “roundup” or gather the barn’s cattle. The cows are moved to different pastures, herded into corrals, or chased into trucks for  transport. On a large ranch, known as a “big outfit”, sometimes ranch hands also train horses or break them in.
“Ranching is a gamble when you look at it, but it is a great life.” – Montana Cowgirl Floydena Garrison

Designer Brands

A branding iron is a hot metal tool that will burn a symbol onto a cow or horse’s hindquarters so that the fur there dies, leaving a sort of tattoo. They are like ranching serial numbers, identifying which animals belong to which farm. Each ranch has its own brand.

Western Wear

The clothes ranchers wear are known as “western wear”. Here are some things that are commonly seen.
A cotton bandana or silk neckscarf has many purposes: it can wick away sweat, protect the face from dust storms, and wrap wounds if a rancher doesn’t have a first aid kit with him on the trails.
A wide-brimmed cowboy hat or Stetson protects a rancher’s face from the sun, as well as strong wind, rain, and overhanging bushes.
Cowboy boots have high sides to protect the lower legs, pointed toes to help guide the foot into the stirrup, and low heels to keep the foot from slipping out of the stirrup.
Chaps or chinks protect a rancher’s legs while riding on horseback. They are worn over jeans made of canvas or denim. Proper cowboy jeans have flat seams along the inside so they don’t rub when worn in the saddle.
Deerskin or leather gloves are an essential piece of western wear. They are thin enough that the rancher can fasten and unbuckle things while wearing them, but thick enough to handle barbed wire.
Metal spurs with a spiked shank on the end can be attached to boots. Their main purpose is to urge the horse forward, since ranchers usually don’t carry whips.
A lariat is a rope that ranch hands, also known as cowboys, use to lasso cattle.
Ranchers always carry a pocket knife and firearm with them to protect from danger. Most live in the American frontier, a land also known as the “wild west”, and come across many dangerous creatures such as mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and coyotes.

History of the Cowboy

Cowboys have always been a symbol of American spirit, but did you know that the first ranchers were actually French? Back when France owned Louisiana, European riders called Gardiens captured and tamed the American wild horses to herd cattle with. Western people noticed this and quickly began taming wild horses as well, and the term “cowboy” was put into use.
Three most popular ranch horses: 1. Quarter Horse 2. Paint Horse 3. Appaloosa

Rancher Vocabulary

Bronc: noun. An unbroken (untrained) horse that likes to buck.
Buckaroo: noun. A cowboy that “bounces” from job to job, usually with a bushy mustache.
Dude: noun. A person who tries to dress or speak like a cowboy and fails miserably.
Leppy: noun. A motherless calf, usually with a thin body and scruffy hair

This information is taken from the Autumn 2012 article Behind the Scenes: Ranching.
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Horse Movies

7/8/2013

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Join Pegasus Magazine on our trip to the set of the latest horse movie, War Horse, and find out what’s it’s like working with horses under the spotlight! Lights, camera, action!

Do the Horses have to Audition?

Directors and trainers will go horse hunting for equines to play the leads in their movies. Finding the right horse for the job is difficult. It has to be a horse that isn’t scared of loud noises, effects, or machinery. It has to be able to follow commands and portray emotions such as aggression and love. For example, the emotion “nervous” is portrayed on the screen as a horse with wide eyes looking around it for predators. “Playing dead” is also a necessary skill: it requires a horse to lie down in a position that is comfortable and stay there with their eyes either shut or fixed while actors and cameramen run around them. “We can teach the horse to raise his head a little bit... and groan,” Bobby Lovgren says. “It’s lucky when [you can get a horse] who can do that.”

Star Treatment

Horses are often treated as well as actors on the set of films. They get their makeup done to insure that they look exactly like the director wants. Paint is sometimes used to add markings or marks to the horses, and any bulges or lumps caused by veins underneath the coat are concealed with specialized ointments. The horses on the set of War Horse had to perform the same scene many times until they got it right. “If I find that a horse is not working very well for a scene – perhaps the director changed it or the horse isn’t get what I’m doing as a trainer – I have a double,” Head horse movie trainer Bobby Lovgren says. Over ten horses played the lead horse role of Joey, while Thornton, Joey’s equine friend, was played by about four horses. An estimated 150 different horses played cavalry mounts for war scenes.

Horses and Actors

To keep the horses safe during action scenes, rubber spongy soles are packed into their hooves to prevent the shock of impact when they get kicked. Some horses get their mouths taped shut as well, so they won’t bite other horses. When a is required to fall, the ground is dug up and refilled with cushion-like soil so that when the equine collapses, it will land on soft ground.

The actors in horse movies often are told to spend time grooming and stroking the horses off-set to develop a real-life connection with them and  help the animal get used to someone who will be working with them often. Jeremy Irvine, who plays Albert in the movie, had to interact with Finder and learn the methods of training that the gelding was being taught so that he could give the horse commands during the filming.

Training to Be a Movie Star

Finder, the chestnut thoroughbred gelding who was hired to play the main role of Joey in the film, has previous experience behind the camera. He has been taught many tricks, Lovegren tells us. “Moving from point A to point B, nodding their head yes or no, looking back, making them paw on either side, lying down, rearing, standing in front of a camera and coming to it, teaching the horse to follow an actor or go away from the actor. All of this is without any kind of restraint on them, with the trainer being 20 or 30 feet away, sometimes more.” With just the flick of his hand or the click of his tongue, Bobby can get Finder to do any of these tricks from his position behind the camera crew. So when you see Finder in the movie, looking off into the distance, he’s really looking at his trainer, waiting for his next cue.

War Horse's Journey

War Horse is a book written by Michael Morpurgo, and was then turned into a play where the horses were played by giant, wooden machines. Now, it is being transformed into a movie directed by Steven Speilberg.

This information is taken from the article Behind the Scenes: Horse Movies from the Summer 2012 issue.
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Horse Nutritionists

7/8/2013

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Horses don’t just eat hay. Large amounts of their diet also consist of cereal feeds, vitamin supplements, feed mixes, and more. Let’s get a behind-the-scenes look at the science that goes into feeding our horses.   

What do Horses eat?

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Horses eat approximately 3% of their body weight each day. Depending on the horse, this can come from natural sources, such as grass, but it can also come from unnatural sources, such as packaged  feed.

There are two main types of feeds: forages and concentrates. Forages, also known as “roughage”, includes grass-like plants. Types of forage include grass, hay (dried grass), and beet pulp (a substance left over from sugar beet that is high in fiber and energy). The concentrates include grains (such as maize, barley, oats, wheat, and bran), pellet mixes, and vitamin supplements.

Research Labs

Many horse feed companies have research labs where they test horses to learn more about the equine body. Purina Mills, the leading horse feed company in the United States, is home to one of the world’s largest horse research facilities. It has treadmills for horses to run on that help scientists learn about equine perspiration (sweat) levels, joint movement, and other tests pertaining to horse diet and exercise, as well as many other state-of-the-art machinery and technology. Because of their breakthrough research, horses are living longer than they were 20 years ago.

More and more equine feed companies are changing their feed mills and production rooms to make them friendlier towards the environment. Spillers horse feeds uses natural light in all of their rooms when the sun is bright to reduce energy use, has made sure that their mills are low-risk pollution sites, and has even increased the air quality in the last few years.

Chow Time

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Horse feed comes in so many different varieties that it’s often difficult to choose which one to use! There are specialized feeds for older horses, horses prone to specific diseases, horses with joint problems, easy keeper horses (horses that gain weight easily and can stay healthy with small amounts of food), and even foals. Before buying milled feed for your horse, consult your vet or trainer. The feed needs of each horse vary drastically from animal to animal.


This information was taken from the article Behind the Scenes: Horse Nutritionists from the Spring 2012 issue.
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Horseracing

7/8/2013

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Horseracing is one of the world’s most popular sporting events. There are many different types of races for all kinds of horses, but they all share one common trait: cruelty. There’s a lot that you don’t know about horse racing. Prepare to find out!

The Life Of A Racehorse

Normal horses aren't ridden until they are four years old, but racehorses are trained at ridden in races at as young as one year. A horse’s bones aren't fully developed when they are only yearlings, so often racehorses suffer from devastating leg injuries because they aren't fully grown.

Most racehorses are retired at age seven, but many are put to sleep or sent to slaughterhouses and glue factories before then. Thoroughbreds are expensive to keep, and owners that are only concerned about winning money often get rid of horses after their racing season or winning streak is over. 

The Sacrifices Made For Winning

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In the horseracing world, winning is everything. Don’t let the owners fool you: the only reason they do   it is for the prize money. Most owners will do anything to get their horses to win, even if it involves cheating.

Illegal drugs such as “lasix” and “bute” will numb pain, so horses will take these pills before racing. Whenever they get injured, they won’t feel the pain, so they will keep running. It is because of this that many injuries become worse than they should be. And that’s not all: racehorses take countless amounts of unhealthy steroids to multiply their strength and speed, which is isn’t allowed in racing.

In It To Win It

Horseracing by numbers: Each year, over 800 horses die from racing. Another 3,566 develop injuries so severe that they can’t continue racing.
In You Go: Some horses will get sick or injured weeks before a race. Owners usually push the horses into racing, even if they don’t feel healthy.The Sad Truth: Horses that fail to win often face death, and  sadly, only the lucky few are retired to become riding horses.

Naming A Racehorse

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The deadline for naming your racehorse is the February before it turns two years old. If your  thoroughbred doesn’t have a name by then, you’ll be charged a late fee!

The owner will send in a list of their top six favorite horse names. The Jockey Club will decide which one the horse will use. Each name cannot be more than 18 characters long, including spaces and punctuation. Your names must be original: if you pick a name that is already in use or that sounds too much like a name of an excising racehorse, you must wait five years until that horse has retired to use the name.

The Racehorse Diet

Most horses eat a haynet or two of hay each day, along with some feed mix, grain, or other energy-rich cereal. Racehorses, however, are forced to gain weight at an unnatural pace and are fed beet pulp to make their bodies even larger. Alfalfa, which is more rich in nutrients than hay, is fed as well. Don’t forget the energy-releasing  minerals and vitamins!

This information is taken from the article Behind the Scenes: Horseracing in the Autumn 2011 issue.
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    An Inside Look Into the World Of Horses

    Behind the Scenes articles investigate the modern mysteries that lie behind every supposedly well-known horse sport and occupation. Learn the truth about the horse world and uncover the dirty little secrets behind every lie in this interesting article series.

    Articles

    All
    Circus Horses
    Cowboys And Ranching
    Horse Movies
    Horse Nutritionists
    Horse Racing
    Polo
    Steeplechasing


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