I love reading about horses, especially horse headlines in the news. No matter how serious the story is, there is almost always some humor in it. Either that, or it’s a heartwarming story, like the woman who stayed with her horse that was stuck in the quicksand along an Australian beach, until both were rescued after 3 hours. Here are some of the most recent horse headlines I’ve read.
On September 10, 2013, a man was arrested on suspicion of riding horseback while intoxicated. Patrick Schumacher, age 45, explained to Boulder, Colorado police that he was trying to get to his brother’s wedding in Bryce, Utah, and had lost his driver’s license, so he was riding his horse. That’s a 600 mile trip from Schumacher’s home in Larkspur, Colorado….and Boulder is 60 miles from Larkspur–in the wrong direction! In Schumacher’s pack sack they found beer , a black powder pistol, and a pug dog named Bufford.
This video shares a few more details of why the rider was stopped. Reportedly, police were contacted by witnesses who said Schumacher was hitting his horse on the head, so he is facing animal abuse charges. Schumacher said he was hitting the horse because it had a fly on it.
Best of all, is the photo, which includes a happy looking dog, well-cared for horse (note the shoes), and a matching brown hat and t-shirt ensemble on the rider. I think if the alcohol were taken out of the equation, I would be cheering for Mr. Schumacher. I mean…what an adventure! To ride through some of the most beautiful country in the world with your two best buddies, what’s not to like about that?
On a sadder note, the world’s smallest horse has been stolen and is missing. On September 13, 2013, thieves cut through a fence and took Charly, a tiny caramel colored horse with flaxen mane and tail, from his stall. He was at the 47th National Horse Show in Citta di Castello, which is located in the central region of Umbria, Italy. His owners are anxious to find him and are asking for everyone’s help to locate and rescue little Charly.
This story was posted last week, about a court case involving a young boy that was bitten on the face by a horse named Scuppy in 2006. It seems that his parents sued the horse farm owner, but lost at court in 2010, because the court ruled that the farm owner did not know of any previous incidents of aggression by Scuppy. Now the case has been overturned by a Connecticut Appellate Court because of testimony that suggests Scuppy’s species is “vicious” and the boy’s injury had been forseeable. Are horses really a vicious species? I don’t think so…but parents should be responsible to teach their children how to be careful around horses, and not to approach a horse to pet it unless they know the horse and have been approved by an adult to handle it.
I had to chuckle at this story I saw in our local paper, about a man who went for a ride and realized in the wee hours of the morning that he was 20 miles from the horse’s pasture and it was too late to ride back. So he tied his horse, Midnight Lady, to a tree outside Unity Elementary School in Sioux City, Iowa, intending to take her back in the morning. The mare was discovered by Animal Control Officers with food, but no water. The man paid $370 in fines for tethering and neglect. I guess he lived near the school…he should have just put the mare in his living room for the night. I mean, somewhere along those twenty miles of riding, wouldn’t he have considered what he was going to do with the horse? Here’s a photo of Midnight Lady:
My favorite story of all was posted on several blogs and Facebook newsfeeds…horse owners Stephen and Pat Downey report that their colt named Must Win was left home from the races because he was to be sold. All of the other horses had been taken to be trained or raced, and he was left at home. They found him on the roof of their garage in New Brunswick, Canada! They said that the two year old colt apparently was bored, and jumped up a knoll to gain access to the roof. They said he had been up there for awhile because there was horse manure and tracks all over the roof, and at one place his hooves had actually pierced through the roof. It’s a wonder he wasn’t badly hurt. They used a long pole to urge him back down off the roof, and have since built a fence to prevent him from climbing up again! Here’s a photo: 
{ 1 comment }
Fun read. Thanks!