4th January 2011

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Horses say: ‘Pleeze don’t eat me.’

A troubling turn of events for our equine friends: ranchers and horse owners at this week’s Summit of the Horse say we should sell and eat horse meat, reports the AP.

“The Chinese are chomping at the bit to buy our horses,” said former U.S. Rep Charlie Stenholm (D-Texas) at the conference in Vegas. “The Russians are chomping at the bit to buy our horses. Why can’t we sell it to them?”

The U.S. banned the slaughter of horses in 2007, after activists protested the way the animals were treated. But, horse connossieurs point out, horse meat is safely consumed in dozens of countries.

Further, Horse processing proponents say the animals are a drain on the system, as it costs some $37 million annually to feed and house horses rounded up and confined in corrals. But others say it is over-breeding, not the slaughter ban, that has caused horse overpopulation.

Tags horsespoliticsmealtime

16th May 2009

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Lady horse wins Preakness

A horse named Rachel Alexandra (above) won today’s Preakness Stakes, becoming the first filly to do so in 85 years.

Only nine female horses have ever won any Triple Crown race, notes the New York Daily News. Despite this fact, Rachel Alexandra’s odds going into the race were actually quite good because female fans lined up to put their money on the 3-year-old.

In the end, she ran the the race’s 1.188 miles in 1:55.08 and paid $5.60 on a $2 bet. She beat Kentucky Derby-winner Mine That Bird by a length, setting the pair up for an exciting rematch at Belmont on Saturday, June 6. 

Rachel Alexandra’s jockey, Calvin Borel, chose to ride her over Mine that Bird, who he rode to victory in the Derby. Borel rode Rachel Alexandra to victory in the Kentucky Oaks, which is the Kentucky Derby for lady horses.

Race video below:

Tags Mine That BirdRachel Alexandrahorsesracingvictoryvideos

3rd May 2009

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This horse beat odds and other horses

Congrats are due to Mine That Bird, the winner of the Kentucky Derby whose odds were 50 to 1. He got the largest margin of victory in the Derby in decades, and was the longest shot winner in some 90 years.

Also, he was a budget option. Says Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “The results stunned the owners who paid hundreds of thousands, if not millions for their horses, while Mine That Bird was bought for just about $9,500.”

And, for a whiff of controversy, the Anchorage Daily News points out that Mine That Bird is owned by Mark Allen, the son of Bill Allen, who plead guilty in 2007 to bribing politicians. The plea deal won immunity for Mark and other family members, but Bill Allen awaits sentencing. The twisted tale involves Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, a New Mexico Ranch, an oil company and a horse-buying spree.

Video replay of the race below:

Tags Kentucky DerbyhorsesracingvideosMine That Bird

19th April 2009

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This horse didn’t like the limelight

Madonna was tossed off a horse she was riding in the Hamptons on Saturday, but suffered only minor injuries.

The Material Girl (r.) was riding at the Bridgehampton country home of photographer friend Steven Klein when, according to her rep, paparazzi jumped out of the bushes and spooked the horse.

The singer was rushed to Southampton Hospital with bruises, and is now recuperating in the pillowy enclosure of Gwyneth Paltrow’s Amagansett home.

This is Madonna’s second equestrian accident. She broke three ribs, her collarbone and her hand in 2005 after a tumble during her 47th birthday celebration.

Tags horsesaccidentscelebs