I love horse people…especially those who blog on horses too.
J
Category: History and Genres
Cowboys do this like quarterbacks throw passes
I can’t throw a foot ball and I can’t rope anything. But I’ve always wondered how this was done. I think the video above is great for getting the idea of how to do this. I bet I didn’t let the ‘tip’ tell me when to toss. And I had no idea that when you rope there were so many parts to it all. So I hope this gives the western writers out there some details for their stories.
In the next video you can see the roping in action as well as some great ideas for contermporary westerns. Cowboys aren’t just in the wagon trail days. So enjoy. I did
Ya all come back now, ya hear,
J
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I found this great article on Yahoo. news today about where theThoroughbred horse got his speed and how it may hope find the genetics to diseases. Really cool. Thank you Mr Potter.
J
All Thoroughbreds Have Same Ancestor
By Ned Potter | ABC News – 8 hrs ago…
“The Bazzani Scully Brand Lawyers Handicap race, Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 26, 2012. Scott Barbour/Getty Images
All the great names in thoroughbred horse racing – from Secretariat to Man O’War, from Seabiscuit to Seattle Slew – they’re all related, and a team of geneticists has now traced their talent for speed back to a single ancestor. The “speed gene” that made them all so fast was apparently a genetic aberration, and it probably started with one British mare who lived in the mid-17th century.
Emmeline Hill of University College Dublin led a team that analyzed DNA in 593 horses from 22 modern breeds, as well as museum specimens from 12 historically famous stallions. Modern genetics have become sophisticated enough that they could tell, with considerable precision, what the horses had in common.
“The results show that the ‘speed gene’ entered the thoroughbred from a single founder, which was most likely a British mare about 300 years ago when local British horse types were the pre-eminent racing horses, prior to the formal foundation of the thoroughbred racehorse,” said Hill in a prepared statement.
She and her colleagues published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
Lest this seem like some arcane animal study, it does involve a big-money sport and, more important, questions about how genetic characteristics can be inherited and traced. If you can decipher the genes that make thoroughbreds so fast, say the researchers, you can also find clues to genetic diseases in people. Thoroughbred horses are useful for study because the records of their ancestry are – forgive the pun – really, really thorough, going back centuries.
The great speed horses all shared two genes associated with muscle development. The combination did not show up in regular farm horses, or donkeys, or zebras.
Horses with the two genes were consistently top sprinters. It’s no accident that the Kentucky Derby is a mile and a quarter, usually won in just more than two minutes. Other genetic combinations were found in horses that were slower but able to run longer.
Place your bets.
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“LAFAYETTE, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say a fast-moving fire destroyed a barn, killing 22 show horses owned by a noted New Jersey equestrian family and worth tens of thousands of dollars each.
State Police Sgt. Brian Polite says the barn was engulfed in flames when troopers arrived around 2 a.m. Saturday in Lafayette. The blaze was soon extinguished, but all the horses inside were killed.
Polite says the animals were valued at $10,000 to $60,000 apiece.
Betty Hahn, whose family owns the horses, tells a local newspaper that no hay or fuel was stored in the barn, so she’s baffled about how the blaze began. Hahn says her family has competed and won awards in equestrian competitions along the East Coast.”
Man of Integrity…the Big Horse.
Man of Integrity aka 'the big horse'
A horse I owned died in a barn fire like this one. His papers said his name was Man of Integrity. We called him ‘The Big Horse’ because when he put his head up I think it towered over the Eiffel Tower. He was fifteen hands tall, chestnut, an American Saddlebred gelding. But boy could he lift his head to the clouds.
I remember trying to clip the winter hair out of his ears once. Footstool or no, couldn’t reach them. You know that thing race horses wear that covers their face and cups the eyes so they can’t see behind them? Well I had one and for some odd reason I thought about using it that day. Oh, ‘The Big Horse’ let me put it on. No problem…no buzzing clippers. So, I put this racing mask on and had to sit on the ground to clip his ears. Yes, he thought up was down. I’ll never forget that. I still laugh thinking about it.
Before me, most of The Big Horse’s training was in harness. Slap a saddle on the ol’ boy and he was miserable. He loved harness. Even my mother, who feared horses, could drive ‘The Big Horse’. But here’s the thing, Fine-harness show horses are not allowed to break into a canter. They get disqualified in the class for that. So, for at least ten years ‘The Big Horse” was never allowed to canter.
He didn’t make it in the show ring as the Fine Harness , so they clipped his mane and made him a Three-gaited show horse. That meant cantering. He was all screwed up now. And yeah, I bought him…cheap.
He and I struggled with canter leads. He just didn’t know how to break into one. He always hesitated like he would be punished or something–a back lash from his harness days. Once he even reared up and fell over on me . He reared. I lost balance. Over we went. I survived by the grace of God. We both saw stars.
So, I figured out the real problem. You see, one winter I decided to turn the Val and ‘ The Big Horse” out for the winter instead of working them out in the cold. Brilliant idea huh? I brought ‘em in at night, fed ‘em, let ‘em out each morning.
Day One: I let Val out. He took off lickety-split down the lane to the pasture, took the right angle turn like a barrel horse, and off he went kicking and bucking like a spring colt.
I took The Big Horse out. Let him go. He stood there. Didn’t know what to do. Saw Val. Wanted to join him. He wanted to hurry. Tried to canter. His legs were as stiff as toothpicks. He bounced down that lane like a cartoon character. Came to the turn. STOPPED. WALKED AROUND IT. And peg-legged it out to the pasture.
I was totally dumbfounded . He couldn’t remember how to canter!!
Spring: Both horses raced around the right angle turn to the barn at a neck breaking speed like teenagers in a car race. Yeah, The Big Horse had figured out what he had forgotten. And the canter became easier between us.
I had another great moment with him happened in a Three-Gaited Class. Here we were, a girl against a bunch of trainers. Four of them. Three showing and one judging the class. The Big Horse and I had all the applause all through the class and took fourth. Real shocker here isn’t it? The crowd booed first place, second and third, then cheered when I left the arena. hee hee
And then my parents and I sold him to a lady in Chicago. I had decided to marry and move on. And her trainer’s barn went up in smoke. Other horses besides The Big Horse died that night.
You see, horses won’t leave their stalls even if the stall doors are open. Smoke is out there. Flames are out there. Won’t go. That’s why you have to blindfold them. And usually a barn is wood and the floors are covered with straw or wood chips. In some cases, hay is kept in the loft too. So please, keep anything like cigarettes away from a barn, any barn.
It still breaks my heart that I sold The Big Horse. He was a beautiful, wonderful, kind animal with more integrity than most people.
The Big Horse and my dad doing their tricks
I’m in the background
The Big Horse
The Big Horse was… a Man of Integrity
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I saw War Horse.
And it was well worth it. Lovely story of loving horses and horses loving back. And they do.
There was little I failed to like. Barbwire is always bad. And how could you not have death scenes in a war movie and it was WWI. “War is Hell”
But then as life, there is lots of beauty. A mother’s love of family…a father’s, son’s and friends’. There will always be beauty in that. Beauty between enemies even. There is the beauty of horses both young and old. Both playing together and working together. Beauty and friendship between horses. And they do have friendships as we do.
And the surprised beauty in how life comes in circles by some miracle or divine right. So, be sure to go see this heart warming story of a boy and his horse.
Move over Black Stallion…new kid on the block.
J
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<a href=”http://” title=”Koren War Hero”>
Wow.
This is a fantastic LITTLE KNOWN horse story that should be made into a movie too.
I have no doubt that I am gonna cry in this movie. WWI was a horrible affair and there were so many horses left behind and so many people starving. It is any wonder horse meat is treasured. This animal did more than help win this war.. It also kept it alive.
Now I just learned Congress is going to use tax dollars to slaughter horses in the USA again. I agree with the anti-slaughter in the way of…just put the horses down. Don’t slaughter. It is cruel and heartless. And don’t use my tax dollars for this without any profit return. Their meat will be sent overseas and sold there for profit. It’s wrong all the way around. Obama has okayed this bill. Now it’s before Congress. Please write them.
Native American Horse – Images – Pictures
According to Luigi Gianoli, Horses and Horsemanship through the Ages, about 60 million years ago horses roamed the western plains of the North American continent. They “became extinct in the wake of cosmic upheaval, so that when the Spaniards arrived in the New World, they could find no trace of a horse.” These little guys were about the size of a little dog and ran in herds. Back then, man hunted them for food and drove these little creatures over cliffs. Then, in 1882, professors of Columbia University found the bones of these mini horses “in the Mississippi Basin and at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.” So horses were here.
Then, around the 1600′s, when the Spaniards met the Aztecs, they brought horses with them. When the conquistadors left to return to Spain with the Aztec’s gold, they left their horses behind. Once again, the horses gathered in herds and became the stock of the American mustang.
So, if you are writing a story before the Spaniards arrived in the Americas, remember, the Native Americans did not ride horses back then. Native Americans walked everywhere they went, carrying their belongings or using the domesticated wolf as a pack animal.
Eventually, the Navajo, Pueblo and Apache heard of these “great dogs of the white man” through the trader’s stories or from the few who managed to actually see this animal. By this time the horse had evolved to the size of a large pony and now had a hoof instead of four toes. The Native American tribes had no idea how this curiosity would impact their future.
But the horse did.
From 1600 to today, the horse has been and is revered by all the tribes of the Native Americans. Some came to believe that the sun had herds and blessed earth with them. They were associated with the moon. Or, according to Laverne Harrell Clark in her book ‘They Sang for Horses,” these magnificent creatures have gods riding them or being gods themselves. (I can’t say enough about Ms Clark’s book if you want fantastic details about the coming of the horse to the Native American Indians.)
Young braves soon became adept at stealing horses anywhere he could find them. This theft gave this young men status in the tribe because when they returned home with their prizes, they gave these stolen horses away to tribe members. Imagine a father approached by a successful brave seeking the man’s daughter as his woman. If the young man presented him with many horses, the father would know the young brave could care for his daughter and the father could now give these away as gifts.
The tribes swiftly incorporated the horse into their lives as quickly as we have computers. Horses provided better hunting as well as protection and the tribes could travel farther distances for shelter and food because they ride and could use these ’big dogs’ as pack animals. Needless to say the Native Americans quickly came to love and honor this animal in their ceremonies as well as become experts on riding bareback (No stirrups !) That is until they met the American cowboys and they learned of saddles and such.
Put all this on a time line of American history. By the time of the Westward Expansion and the Civil War–barely two hundred years, the tribes had just mastered horses. Then, the automobile was invented, changing lives for everyone.
You know the history from here. But regardless of whether the truck or car have replaced the necessity of horse, the horse is still revered by the Native Americans. To own one is to have a gift from heaven.
J
Thank you Picturedepot.com for the horse picture.
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Let’s lift a toast to the world of racing…to the jockeys, owners, trainers, fans, and of course the beautiful Thoroughbred horses that have qualified to run in
The Triple Crown.
A toast can be anything from water to wine, but each race of the Triple Crown has its own specialty drink that has been enjoyed during all the years of these races. As a writer, you may want to use these traditional drinks, songs and flowers to add a bit of fun in your horseracing stories as a character sensory detail.
Dawn your hat, smell the thick scent of roses, hear voices singing “My Old Kentucky Home” and lift your Mint Julep to the Kentucky Derby. Here’s the recipe for this traditional drink:
The Kentucky Derby Mint Julep
2 C Sugar
2 C water
6-8 sprigs of fresh mint
crushed ice
Kentucky Whisky as Maker Mark or Early Times
Silver Julep cup
Make a syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool in covered container with 6-8 sprigs of fresh mint and refrigerate overnight. Fill a julep cup with crushed ice, add one tablespoon mint syrup and 2 oz of whisky. Stir rapidly to frost cup and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.
(Approximately 120,000 mint julep are served on Derby day, using 10,000 bottles of Early Times Mint Julep cocktail, 1000 pounds of fresh mint, and 60,000 pounds of ice.)
The Preakness, the second race of the Triple Crown, has the fragrant summer flower, the Black-eyed Susans, even though they aren’t blooming at the time of this race. Spectators sing “Maryland My Maryland” and lift this traditional drink. Here’s its recipe:
Preakness- Black-eyed Susan Cocktail
3/4 C orange juice
1/2 C pineapple juice
3T vodka
3T light rum
2T orange liquor as Gran Marnier
Crushed ice
Garnish with lime slices and/or fresh cherries
Stir together first five ingredients. Fill 2 (12 oz) glasses with crushed ice. Pour orange juice mixture over ice and garnish.
Now, to the Test of Champions- the longest and most difficult of the three races- The Belmont Race. This final race of the Triple Crown has the the sweet-scented flower of the Carnation for ‘love and luck’. If the favored horse has won the two previous races, heart and voices lift to sing ‘New York New York’ and then toast with The Belmont Breeze. Here’s the recipe for:
The Belmont Breeze
1 1/2 oz Kentucky Bourbon or American blended whiskey or 3/4 oz of Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry
1/2 ox fresh lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
1/ 1/2 oz fresh orange juice
1 1/2 oz of cranberry juice
Shake all ingredients with ice and top with half 7-Up and half soda, approx 1 oz of each. Garnish with strawberry, mint sprig, and lemon piece.
So, when you are enjoying these races or using them in your stories remember, a toast is always more from the heart more than the glass. But a beautiful moment is always created.
J
Let me introduce you to Claire Ashgrove, a mother, a rider, writer and a lady who is wild about horses. She has also spent a lot of time and money on rescuing these beautiful animals on her farm. As a writer and a rider she knows the challenges of owning, caring for, breeding as well as writing about them. So I hope you enjoy getting to know her and her horse world both in reality and her stories….
Hi, Judy! Thanks for having me on your blog today!
About me, huh? I really hate talking about me. Let’s see, I’m a former sport horse breeder who lives on a small farm in Missouri . I’ve always written, although I didn’t always know I wanted to write professionally. I wrote for entertainment and to live out girlhood fantasies about being a rock star. Even had my own band in my books who I knew by heart – talk about bonding with characters! Now I write romance. All kinds of romance. As Claire Ashgrove I write steamy contemporaries (most often involving horses in some way) for The Wild Rose Press, paranormal romance for Tor, and historical romance. I also write erotic romantic suspense as Tori St. Claire. Why do I write? To answer the question, What if?
What brought me to horses… well, that’s easy. I was not paying attention in Nobel Lit my Junior year of High School and browsing the school’s job listings. A local stable advertised help in exchange for riding time or riding lessons. I was suckered from there. Shortly after I purchased my first horse, an Arabian gelding. And, as with every horse owner, from there it was all downhill! For the first five or six years of my horse involvement I learned about show life for Arabians and Saddlebreds, I went on to compete in jumping and dressage, and I sucked up every bit of knowledge I could find on a lot of other breeds and disciplines. After college and family I began raising and training sport horses, primarily Arabians, Thoroughbreds and Oldenburgs . I still dabble occasionally – this year I have one foal expected any day now – but the business end of horses is pretty much part of my former life.
What’s my favorite? That’s hard. Very hard. I would have to say above and beyond, the Arabian is. However, many of the Arabians I have loved, worked with, and owned weren’t physically able to do some of the sports that are my passion – such as cross country jumping. (In particular, water jumps. And anyone who’s had an Arab ought to understand that remark!) Which pushed me into bigger, more powerful movers, such as the Warmbloods. I’m pretty partial to the Hanoverian breed – and my Oldenburgs are founded on Hanoverian lines.
As to how I incorporate them? Pick a way. Really. I’ve written on the racing lifestyle, on a breeder’s struggles on pursuing the Arabian dream. You won’t see horses so much in the background, but as key elements to the plots in the stories I put them in.
What do I like to see in books with horses… accuracy. Not so much technical accuracy (although that’s important) but behavioral accuracy. For instance, historical romances, where the hero on his mighty stallion goes for an afternoon jaunt with the heroine and her pretty mare. Then, the mare and stallion are tied nose to nose, or wandering around loose. Drives me crazy. It’s very common, but the natural behaviors there aren’t going to allow for the hero/heroine to have an intimate moment under the tree while their horses pretend each other doesn’t exist. Or if a horse is acting up and someone is in danger, that the “savior” comes rushing in yelling, and doing things that puts the possible victim in more danger, because that seems logical to a non-horse person – also drives me crazy. I’m not such a huge stickler on having the appropriate parts of a bridle listed off, but the logical interaction between human character, horse character, and authorial control needs to be logical. Otherwise, I toss the book aside.
Gosh horse books. Honestly, I can’t answer this question. My reading time is so limited that the books with horses that stand out to me are often the ones with bad horse depictions. However, I can say that movie-wise two of my favorite portrayals are in Lord of the Rings – Shadowfax and the Ring Wraith’s horses. Both of those, although fantasy completely, were very awe-inspiring when on the screen / in the text. And Tolkien built the world so believably that Shadowfax and Gandalf’s relationship was completely plausible. Gladiator also has a very powerful, very realistic cavalry scene in the opening.
I have three books, presently, that incorporate horses.
The first: Waiting For Yes, just released on April 20th. This book is very special to me as it was inspired by my former Straight Egyptian stallion’s bloodlines. And he’s on the cover! If you like beautiful horses, I have some very nice critters in the book trailer on my website.
Gabrielle Warrenton gave up everything to pursue her dream of a first-class Egyptian Arabian breeding farm. Her future lies in her new stallion’s success. Though she possesses an exceptional eye for horseflesh, she lacks the training knowledge, and Bahadur Mamoon has a date with the nation’s most affluent show in three weeks. Nothing that would present a problem given his previous credentials. Only, the sellers disguised one critical fact—he’s crazy. Jake Lindsey-Sullivan was once part of an exceptional Arabian training team. Under his mother’s guidance, he developed an instinctual talent, but she was the star, the cornerstone of his life. Until she met a premature death. Grief-stricken and plagued by guilt, Jake abandoned the world of horses. Now an over-the-road truck driver, he evades the memories. When a snowstorm throws two Arabian professionals into close-quarters, they discover an engulfing passion. But will Mamoon rip open emotional scars, or forever seal them shut?
The second: A Christmas To Believe In, released November 2010. This book pulls on the dream of horses that so many of us hold dear to our hearts.
Struggling Thoroughbred breeder, Clint King, hasn’t been home for Christmas in five years. This year, his prize mare’s due to foal any day, and in the wake of his father’s death, Clint can’t stand the idea of returning. Except, Alex is getting married on Christmas Eve, and their mother’s put her foot down. With his mare in tow, Clint prepares to meet a sister he’s never known, and Alex’s unexpected triplets. The one salvation he looks forward to is childhood companion, tomboy Jesse Saurs. Yet when he reunites with Jesse, he uncomfortably discovers she’s become all woman. Jesse Saurs has everything she needs – financial security, a home, and a foster child who’s about to become her son. With Ethan’s final hearing scheduled just before Christmas, her dreams will come true. When she learns Clint and his brothers are returning, she anticipates a holiday reunion that’s sure to entertain Ethan. But on the night of Clint’s return, the ‘brother’ she expected leaves her trembling after a hug. Even worse, Ethan makes it clear Clint’s not welcome. Will Christmas destroy hopes and dreams, or will it become the gift they’ve all been longing for?
The third: Seduction’s Stakes, released October 2009. This was my first book, and is a very unique view on the world of elite horseracing.
McCleery Racing didn’t become a Thoroughbred racing powerhouse by betting on longshots. Maddie McCleery made it a multi-million dollar player through hard work, logical decisions, and a commitment to never involve herself with men who lived on the sport of kings. But when she sets her sights on a two-year-old colt her rival owns, she never imagines the lengths she’ll go to, to bring the future champion home. Riley Jennings wants unobtainable Maddie almost more than the Triple Crown. After his Kentucky Derby win, however, he sees a way to sure-fire victory. His proposed wager stacks the odds in his favor – if her horse wins the Preakness, he’ll accept her terms. If his horse comes in first, they’ll negotiate his way. When the dust settles on the wire, will love claim final victory, or will unexpected tragedy stop them in the gates?
For more information, and the other titles I’ve written with horses – including what’s coming down the pipe – please drop by my website: www.claireashgrove.com
Claire Ashgrove
Dark, Sexy, Timeless RomanceComing To TOR Books January, 2012! — Immortal Knights Templar,Waiting for Yes – April 20, 2011A Christmas To Believe In — OUT NOW!Seduction’s Stakes – 2009 LASR Best Book of the Year Nominee, Night Owl Romance “5 Stars”www.claireashgrove.com
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I knew I liked this guy. Jonathan is a great writer and an even better rider. though we’ve never met other than the internet and our blogs. I did enjoy Walls of Jeriicho- a great read! I hope you enjoy meeting him too. His blog is a tremendous amount of horse information…. heeeeerrrre’s Jonathan
Jonathan Hopkins
About me. Talking about oneself is always difficult. Perhaps it’s a peculiarly British thing, but I’ve never been very good at self-promotion. Or it could be that I count myself as pretty average, really.
I’m lucky enough to have a great family, which is a big help. Wife plus one daughter – both into horses. Maybe it’s just as well we didn’t have more children! And I’ve always worked, in a wide variety of jobs, so even though our small saddlery business fell victim to the recession I found things I could do to get by. Writing is just one of them.
A past employer of mine once suggested that when money was tight perhaps we ought to get rid of the horses. I told him I’d rather lose an arm. Kept that job for sixteen years!
About Horses Ah…horses: the finest form of life on the planet.
I learned to ride when I was five years old. My parents weren’t ‘horsey’, but my younger sister was into ponies so when she started to have lessons I sort-of tagged along. The riding school closed a couple of years later and apart from the odd beach pony I didn’t ride again until I was twelve. I can’t remember what rekindled my interest but it must have been something pretty spectacular because I’ve been involved with horses ever since.
I bought my first horse at fourteen, much to my mother’s disgust. She’d unwisely offered to fund half the cost, should I find a suitable animal. Provided I saved the rest, of course. Knowing I could never keep money in my pocket for very long, I suppose she thought she would never have to keep her promise, but I found an evening and weekend job delivering groceries. Within a year I’d saved enough.
After six months of trundling around looking at unsuitable horses, my parents had just about given up hope. ‘Well – I couldn’t see anything wrong with that one,’ was the grumble after yet another wasted journey. But find one we did, stabled in a garage in the South Wales valleys. I tried him out on the only patch of ground we could find: a rubbish tip. He was worth the wait, that horse; I had him for twenty-three years.
About Writing Writing about horses is difficult, even for people who know them. It depends on the audience. Specialist equine non-fiction ought to be fairly straightforward; readers can be expected to have a certain, if variable, level of knowledge. But what if you’re writing fiction? How much detail should you put in, so those totally ignorant of horse-culture are entertainingly informed, whilst those who know what you’re on about are not bored rigid? Unfortunately, I’ve not found a straightforward answer – I just stick to two, simple rules
(a). Don’t treat your readers as idiots
(b). Make sure of all your facts.
It’s really obvious to me when writers know very little about horses, especially in Historical Fiction, which I tend to read a lot of. Now, less knowledgeable readers may not notice errors. So as long as they enjoy the story, do these really matter? As the writer, that’s your decision.
I started to write thanks to a woman. Actually, that’s not strictly true: I’d written a novel in my teens, but it was never good enough to be published. I started again because….because wives sometimes nag. Mine told me I wasn’t romantic enough, we never did anything different, I never bought her flowers etc. etc. I’m sure you know what I mean. So for some reason I can’t work out I decided I would deliver her flowers on our anniversary as a 19th century Hussar and take her out to lunch in a carriage. What could be more romantic than that?
I soon found I’d bitten off a bit more than I could chew. I’m a stickler for accuracy, so the cavalry uniform and saddlery had to be period correct. The uniform I could source but saddlery? I made it all myself but there were no patterns available, so I had to troll through non-fiction histories (ugh – I hate history!) to find as many descriptions and pictures as I could. And the more I read about British cavalry in the Napoleonic period, the more frustrated I got about the criticisms heaped upon them. They couldn’t have been that bad, could they?
It seemed just about every historian and his dog disagreed with me, and that’s what eventually prompted me to start writing about the cavalry. To try to give a more balanced picture of what life was really like for these men, and why their efforts and sacrifices were, and have never been, truly appreciated.
The anniversary? That went off without a hitch Except that the restaurant staff had a good laugh when I turned up for lunch wearing the uniform!
About Horse books Picking a list of favourite horse books is a nightmare, so I’ve kept it short:
Novels:
Black Beauty – Ann Sewell The book that started it all, Sewell’s story of a horse’s treatment in Victorian England is as powerfully evocative today as when it was written, made even more poignant by the fact that she was ill when it was published 1867 and just lived long enough to see its huge success.
War Horse – Michael Morpurgo The story of a farm horse purchased by the army and sent to France during WWI. Written originally for a young adult audience, it is recommended reading for anyone keen to find out how horses fared during that conflict.
Horse Biography:
Red Rum - Ivor Herbert Red Rum won the Grand National three times – an unequalled record. But he was a poor racehorse on the flat and suffered from crippling pedalostitis.
Eclipse - Nicholas Clee The 18th century racehorse that sired a dynasty, yet was owned by an Irish rogue and a brothel madam.
Biography:
Champions Story – Bob Champion with Jonothan Powell Jockey Bob Champion survived cancer, and partner Aldaniti a serious leg injury, to win an emotional Grand National in 1981
General Equine:
Saddlery – Elwyn Hartley Edwards A fellow Welshman, the late Capt. Hartley-Edwards wrote numerous books. He was (and still is) the God of commonsense horsemanship in my view.
Training the Event Horse – Sheila Willcox. This was the horse-fittening bible in my teens. Most of the interval training techniques pioneered by Ms Willcox are still in common use today.
About my novels
Walls of Jericho is the first book in a series featuring two young cavalrymen during the Peninsular war, when the British joined Portugal and Spain to fight Napoleon. The second story, Leopardkill is currently in progress and takes place during the horrendous British retreat across the Spanish mountains in the middle of winter.
A preview of Walls of Jericho is available to read for free on the website www.cavalrytales.co.uk and I also blog about horses and cavalry on http://cavalrytales.wordpress.com.
Thank you for reading, and I wish you all the best with your own writing.
Jonathan
See I told you he was a cool dude. Thank you Jonathan.
J
Somewhere in time’s own space
There must be some sweet pastured place
Where creeks sing on and tall trees grow
Some paradise where horses go,
For by the love that guides my pen
I know great horses live again.
~Stanley Harrison
I remember my horse Valjean racing off lickety-split out into the pasture. Show horses have shoes like models have long fingernails, so I had decided that winter to remove his show shoes. I took him out of the barn, undid his lead line, and off he bolted like any race horse. He raced down the lane to the pasture and rounded the corner fence pole like any barrel racing horse. What a beautiful site to see!
Man of Integrity, my three-gaited horse, was next to let go. I realized then that someone had decided to make him a three-gaited show horse instead of remaining a show harness horse. Problem was for all those years he he was in harness, he wasn’t allowed to canter and he’d forgotten how. I led him out of the barn and took the lead line off and he just stood there…nickering for Val cavorting out in the pasture. He wanted to go but he’d never been turned loose since he was a foal. His instincts drew him to race as fast as he could out to join Val. However, he trotted. He peg-legged..that is canter stiff-legged. He came to the same fence pole and stopped…walked around it…and peg-legged it out to Val. I stood there stunned.
The beautiful thing was that spring when Val and ‘the big horse’ as I called him raced neck and neck, speeding around that fence pole to be the first to the barn for dinner. Horses love to race. They love to run. And they are good at it. For thousands of years, man has had the pleasure of watching them run, race, and win. But as life has it…tragedy happens and we cry. And we remember. I think that is our nature to honor and remember and then hopefully make something good come out of this tragic happening. Thus, this blog is a tribute to favorite Thoroughbred horses who have captured the hearts everywhere at one time or another and changed the world.
Preakness
As I said in my blog on the Preakness Stakes,it got its name from a three-year old colt named Preakness who won the Dinner Party Stakes race at Pimlico in 1870. Preakness was a born winner, enjoying a winning career for eight years. His owner sold him to Duke of Hamilton who lived in England. Over the next years, Preakness developed a temper and attitude. Unfortunately, the duke also had an attitude and temper. (This causes me to think where Preakness developed this new personality) Anyway, the Duke shot and killed Preakness. So, not only did this fine colt name the Preakness Stakes but he also “touched off a reform in English law which governs the handling of animals.” (www.gohorsebetting.com/preaknessstakes/history) Good for you Preakness.
Ruffian
Seal brown and almost black, this seventeen hand filly stole the hearts of the racing world In fact, she won the nickname as “Queen of the Fillies” in 1975, and winning the Triple Tiara- the triple crown race for three-year-old fillies. She went undefeated in her first ten races, setting new records and stakes for years to come. Then came her eleventh race at Belmont Park on July 6,1975. It was a match race between Ruffian and the Kentucky Derby winner of that year Foolish Pleasure. The race was dubbed as the ‘equine battle of the sexes” and was run before 50,000 spectators and 18 million television viewers.
At Belmont Park, Ruffian slammed her shoulder into the gate when she bolted from the starting gate. At the first furlong, she was ahead by a half-length and then both bones in her foreleg snapped. Her jockey Vasquez tried to pull her to a stop but she refused. She fought him and continued on, pulverizing her legs, ripping skin from her fetlock, and driving bones through her skin. Sand from the ’Big Sandy” racetrack stung into the raw skin, tearing her ligaments and leaving her hoof flopping. Handlers immediately raced to her, managing to get her into the hands of four veterinarians and a equine orthopedic surgeon. The surgery lasted three hours. When Ruffian came out of anesthesia, she went nuts as if she were still running in the race, spinning in circles on the floor, destroying all that the surgery had accomplished as well as the plaster cast. The cast slipped. allowing her to break the rest of her legs. She was ultimately euthanized.
The result of her death caused a change in treatment for horses that undergo surgery. Ruffian’s behavior is common for horses coming out from anesthesia. Thus, the ‘recovery pool’ was developed so horses will awake in warm water and won’t re-injure themselves. Thirty four years later the Ruffian Equine Medical Center opened. Here, specialists work to solve ‘horse’ problems in particular for future horses.
Ruffian is buried near a flag pole in the infield of Belmont Park with her nose pointed to the finish line.
Barbaro
Ever watched Olympic events and the contestants jump seconds before the start. then they have to get back into place. Well, on May 20,2006, Barbaro broke from the starting gate at the Preakness Stakes before he should have. Going into the Kentucky Derby, this bay stallion was undefeated and was the favorite to win the Triple Crown. He was one of the only six undefeated winners of the Derby. So, he bolted out too soon from the starting gate at the Preakness. Why? No one knows. Did something snap in his leg and scare him? We’ll never know.
The race was restarted and his start from the gate was clean. He was in contention to win as he rounded the last turn and headed for the finish. No one knows what happened there either but suddenly Barbaro apparently broke his right hind leg in twenty places: a cannon bone, a broken leg bone, his pastern, the fetlock was dislocated and his hoof was left to dangle. His jockey, Edgar Prado immediately brought Barbaro to a stop, letting the others pass. Prado then vaulted off, and leaned into Barbaro’s shoulder to support him. Track attendants arrived and they managed to get Barbaro safely into the Equine ambulance and taken to Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.
Unlike most animals, a horse can not survive on three legs because the horse tries to carried its weight on three legs. Well, Ruffian’s recovery pool was well used because Barbaro underwent many surgeries and showed the promise of possible recovery. Of course, he would never run again but maybe sire a future Triple Crown winner and just enjoy grazing in his pasture. That wasn’t meant to be.
By July, Barbaro developed a severe case of lamintis (inflammation of the hoof) in his other hind leg. This was because it had carried the weight from the other healing leg. Surgery was again and half of Barbaro’s hoof was removed. Now, both hind legs are in casts and the boy was left hanging a sling. Still, Barbaro seemed determined to win this race. Mares were waiting for him. In fact, in August, he was taken out to graze for the first time.
August, September, October, November, December 13, Wednesday…Barbaro had his casts removed. However, his front legs developed lamintis. His removed hoof wasn’t complete. His fractured leg wasn’t developed enough without the cast. Now, the old boy had no legs to stand on at all. January 29, 2007, Barbaro was euthanized because his pain was no longer manageable. He was later cremated.
A statue of Barbaro created by Alexa King was unveiled April 26, 2009 at Churchill Downs one week before the Kentucky Derby. This statue was placed atop part of his ashes outside one f the entrances to Churchill Downs adjacent to the Kentucky Derby Museum so the public that followed Barbaro’s struggle can pay their respects without paying an admission feet to the race track.
University of Florida was the recipient of $30,000 from Gulfstream Park for scholarships for two senior veterinary students and one graduate student in equine veterinary research. And the New Bolton Center received a large anonymous donation, creating the established Barbaro Fund to aid treatment and care for large animals. In 2006, the Preakness Stakes established the NTRA’s charities Barbaro Memorial Fund for Equine Health and Safety that will look for a cure of lamintis. This had gone on around the world…check this out http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/health/110-laminitis.shtml
Eight Bells
How many of us have stumbled and fallen? I know I have a time or two. Well, it is possible this is what led up to this last catastrophe. According to the trainer of this grey thoroughbred filly. Eight Bells had a habit of stumbling over her hoofs. Her trainer said she wouldn’t pick her feet up high enough, which was one reason she could run so fast and far. Once going, she had perfect motion that was effective and efficient, however at times, she would stumble.
Eight Bells was on the tail hairs of Big Brown, the winner of the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, when they passed the finish line. As the horses were slowed from their neck-breaking speeds, she collapsed, suffering compound fractures from both front fetlock joints. Her legs were lacerated, absent of joint fluid to these areas, and her lungs congested. The fall she took bruised her head and hemorrhagde her thyroid gland. She had to be ’ put down’ on the track. Eight Bells is buried at Churchill Downs Kentucky Derby Museum and a race that is run on the day of the Derby has been named in her honor.
Eight Bells was a winner. She came to the Kentucky Derby with a proud winning record. She was a filly with Native Dancer’s bloodline and her mother was from Northern Dancer also a descendent of Native Dancer’s bloodline. Sally Jenkins of the Veterans Washington Post wrote, “She ran with the heart of a locomotive on champagne-glass ankles.” Thus raising the question of whether these thoroughbred horses have become too strong bodied on bones too fragile to hold them up. This controversy is still in question. Her legacy to the racing world maybe to strengthen bloodline for more stamina. It is yet to be seen.
But Preakness, Ruffian, Barbaro, and Eight Bells have given the world a better place for horses and those who love them. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” And their lemonade will forever be remembered as sweet. I believe all these horses are racing about in Stanley Harrison’s ‘sweet pastured place” with my Val and Man of Integrity and free of pain, frolicking and playing with all the other greats.
Thank you for joining me on this wild race through the world of the Triple Crown. I’ve enjoyed it. I hope you have as well.
And thank you to wikipedia/Ruffian/Barbaro. Eightbellslegacy.net
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The Belmont
“The Test of Champions”
We’ve all been to Belmont Park one time or another. Okay, maybe not physically but virtually because The Belmont has been the site for many radio broadcasts, television programs, photo shoots, and motion pictures. We’ve watched movies and television shows featuring a lot of actors who have been in pictures here. But, I bet only a few of us have ever had the Belmont’s featured cocktailcreated by Dale DeGroff in 1977. I know I just learned they even had one. So, On June 5,2010, we can all enjoy a toast to the 142nd running of the Belmont Stakes. Here’s how to make the traditional Belmont Park cocktail….
The Belmont Breeze
1 1/2 oz Kentucky Bourbon or American blended whiskey or 3/4 oz of Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry
1/2 ox fresh lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
1/ 1/2 oz fresh orange juice
1 1/2 oz of cranberry juice
Shake all ingredients with ice and top with half 7-Up and half soda, approx 1 oz of each. Garnish with strawberry, mint sprig, and lemon piece.
And together, we’ll sing ‘New York New York’ (or maybe hum) as the horses parade onto the track. Maybe we’ll bet between ourselves on who we think will win, who we want to win, and then watch who does win and walk away with the garland made with 700 white carnations. This is the official flower of the Belmont stakes race that stands for ‘love and luck,’ a perfect symbol for the ‘Test of Champions’ as this race is nicknamed.
The Belmont Park was named after August Belmont, one of the main financiers of the Old Belmont–the oldest race of today’s Triple Crown races. This race started at Jerome Park Racetrack in the Bronx in 1867. The original site stretched a bit into Queens from Nassau county. Since bookmaking was illegal, the bookies could escape from being arrested by crossing this line. It was even believed that horses rounding the far turn crossed into Queens for a few strides and then returned to Nassau County in the final stretch. This site near Elmont, New York, is also near the first racing meet ever officially held in North America in 1665.
On May 4, 1905, the first Belmont Stakes race was run and the first winner of the Belmont Stakes was Ruthless. For fifteen years, the race was run in the fashion set in England…clockwise ending in front of the clubhouse. In 1880, the first post parade, bringing the horses out in line, was held at the 14th running of the Belmont race.
There are a few unique features of this Park. First is the the origin of the corporate insigna…the White Pine Tree. A mansion once set here. The owners had planted trees that predated this white pine. As the trees were lumbered for the construction of the track, August Belmont saved the pine tree. Now, this 184 year-old tree, older than the track itself, stands in the paddock .
Four stone pillars from the entrance of the Washington Course of the South Carolina Jockey club are now found at the clubhouse entrance at Belmont Park. Along with the stone pillars are a set of wrought iron gates with a racing motif that came from Jerome Park. They were salvaged during the 1963 demolition by Perry Belmont, Belmont II’s son, and he donated these wrought iron gates that now border the walking ring .
The Belmont Stakes weren’t always held at Belmont Park. While the stands at Belmont Park were reconstructed, the stake races were held at Aqueduct.
The quest for the Triple Crown ends on the dirt course known as the ‘Main Track’ and nicknamed ‘Big Sandy.” In 1973, Secretariat set the world record for one and a half mile on ’Big Sandy’ (2:24.00)and his record still holds. And, Secretariat’s thirty-one length victory clinched the first ’Crown’ in 25 years- dating back to Citation 1948. Thus, a statue of Secretariat graces the center of the Belmont paddock near the beloved White Pine.
Some unique events besides horseracing have also happened at the Belmont Park:
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When the state of New York banned gambling from 1911-12, the Belmont didn’t run However the Wright Brothers International Aerial Tournament did. This ten-day event on October 30, 1910, happened before some 15,000 people. It included aerial time and distance races over the course of ten days. The last race of the day flew from the Belmont Park to the Statue of Liberty The American pilot claimed to win; the English pilot contested the win; so the prize was presented to the French pilot.
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Eight years later, on May 15, 1918. Belmont Park became the origin and destination of the first Air Mail flown between New York and Washington D.C. The 4000 letters were transferred to a second plane in Philadelphia and flown on to DC. Flights to Boston and Chicago soon followed.
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$891, 320 was raised for the American Red Cross when the Belmont Park hosted a War Relief Day in 1940.
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On October 2, 1943, Belmont Park hosted ‘Back the Attack Day” when the admission to the track was exclusively the purchase of one or more War Bonds, producing the largest ‘gate’ in sports history….30,000 fans bought $30 million worth of War Bonds.
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On September ll, 2001 after the terror attack on the World Trade Center, Belmont Park became the staging area for emergency vehicles and personnel.
Aside from all this history and excitement, the future of the Triple Crown appears in jeopardy. With the creation of ‘racinos’ (race tracks taking on the appearance of casinos), the growth of gambling as in New York pizza parlors,various scratch-off games,lotteries, and NASCAR’s popularity, people aren’t coming to the tracks anymore. Now add the nation’s economy hitting state revenues, the state governments that once banned gambling are now tapping gambling profits. So,the race tracks are struggling. The Pimlico and Belmont Park have filed for bankrupcy and many other race tracks have disappeared as Aksarben in Nebraska. As people get farther and farther from dealing with horses, such moments in history as the Triple Crown may possibly fade out.
But, never to be forgotten is Secretariat and his claim to the Test of Champions and the Triple Crown:
May the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and the Belmont or as we know them–The Triple Crown– never be lost or forgotten. I hope you’ve enjoyed this trek thorugh horse racing history as much as I have researching the Triple Crown. What a wonderful ride though history!
J
Thank you: Wikipedia.org/Belmont Park, Wikipedia. org/United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, Belmontstakes.com/history, newjerseynewsroom.com/Preakness-and Belmont-Stakes futures.
The Preakness
The Run for the Black-eyed Susans
The northern New Jersey tribe of Native America Indians-Minisi once called this area used for the Preakness, the ’Pra-qua-les, meaning ‘quail woods.’ Even Gen. George Washington possibly called it the ‘Prekiness’ to describe where his troops were stationed during the 1776-77 winter. And the former governor of Maryland Oden Bowie named the first race at Pimlico after the colt that won the Dinner Party Stakes on October 25, 1870. The colt’s name was ‘Preakness’ from Milton Holbrook Sanford’s Stables located in Preakness, New Jersey. Well, somewhere in all this the second race in the Triple Crown got it’s name…The Preakness Stakes.
And, because the state flower of Maryland is the black-eyed susan, in 1940, the race became known as the ‘Run for the Black-eyed Susan’s. I chuckled when I learned that since this flower is not in bloom in May, no real black-eyed susans have ever been draped over the winner of the Preakness. Just yellow flowers with painted ‘black-eyes’ have been used as well as yellow chrysanthemums.
Now, the Pimlico racetrack gleaned its name when English settlers settled in this area in Colonial times. They spelled the name of this future race track “Pemblicoe” on an original settlement charter. However, they brought with them memories of a famous landmark near London (Olde Ben Pimlico’s Tavern). So, I guess Ben Pimlico won out on the last spelling. The idea of Pimlico’s began at a dinner party in Saratoga, New York, in 1868. The men present had yearlings they wanted to race. So, they agreed that in two years time they would race the three-year-olds and the winner of that race would host dinner for the losers. It was agreed. Saratoga and the American Jockey Club bid to hold this race, but the former Gov. Oden Bowie pledged to build a model racetrack in his home state and the race came to Maryland. Thus, the Pimlico racetrack was built.
At times, trainers and race enthusiasts would gather on a small rise in the infield to view a race or training run and cheer each other on. This site became known affectionately as ‘Old Hilltop.’ They say that on any given day a parade of horse-drawn carriages, four-in-hands, spikes, tandems, pairs and singles would park and the passengers gather between races for a champagne lunch on Old Hilltop. But the rise was leveled in April, 1938, for better clubhouse viewing of the back stretch The infield still retains the name ‘Old Hilltop’ even though the infield is flat.
In the first running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, seven horses broke from the starting gate. The day was May 27, 1873. Now I ran into a bit of a problem here. My Sheba or Survivor galloped home by ten lengths–a record broken by Smarty Jones in eleven lengths in 2004. It’s not clear to me who won the first Preakness. Sources conflict. But, the owner John Chamberlain is said to own both horses…So, maybe it was…My Sheba, the Survivor.
Financial times has struck this racetrack various times during its life. In 1890, the Preakness Stakes race was run at Morris Park, New York. In 1891-93 the Preakness didn’t run at all. 1894-1908, it was run at Gravesend track in Brooklyn New York. The Preakness didn’t return to Baltimore until 1909. Even today, the track faces bankrupcy, leaving the future of the Preakness Stakes uncertain.
The Preakness is two years older than the Kentucky Derby and, as most people know, is the second race of the Triple Crown. Today, the race is run at a mile and three-sixteenths but has been run at various distances from one mile to mile-and-a-half and all other official distances in between. As I said in Part One, on occasion, this race has even run before the Derby and on two differing dates, it has run on the same day as the Derby.
So to make the confusion easier to deal with maybe, the Preakness created its own traditional drink:
Black-eyed Susan Cocktail
3/4 C orange juice
1/2 C pineapple juice
3T vodka
3T light rum
2T orange liquor as Gran Marnier
Crushed ice
Garnish with lime slices and/or fresh cherries
Stir together first five ingredients. Fill 2 (12 oz) glasses with crushed ice. Pour orange juice mixture over ice and garnish.
While these folk enjoy this cocktail, another tradition fills the air as the singing of the state’s song ‘Maryland, My Maryland’ usually led from the infield by the United States Naval Academy Glee Club from Annapolis Md. And, another tradition that developed in 1909 that happens at the end of the Preakness Stakes is the painting of the Weather Vane. ’As soon as the Preakness winner has been declared official, a painter climbs a ladder to the top of the replica of the Old Clubhouse cupola. He applies the colors of the victorious owner’s silks on the jockey and horse which are part of the weather vane atop the infield structure.” And so, it is done still today. (The old cupola was destroyed in a fire in June 1966)
The first winner in 1873, be it either Survivor or My Sheba, ran the Preakness at a mile and a half in 2:43.00 for a winning purse of $3000. The winner of 2010, Lookin-At-Lucky won running at mile and three-sixteenth, at 1:55:47 and winning $660,000. Five fillies have won the Preakness as well as three fillies in the Kentucky Derby and three fillies in the Belmont. (Only 2-3% of the Triple Crown races have been won by fillies.) Smarty Jones (2004) beat Secretariat’s record (1974) for victory margin at 11.5 lengths.
Now, Tank’s Prospect (1985), Louis Quatorze (1996), and Curlin (2007) is said to have tied Secretariat’s record at one mile three-sixteenth at 1:53 2/5…so determined by the Daily Racing Form that day. However, the official timer malfunctioned during the Preakness Stakes when Secretariat ran. So, the officials ruled Secretariat’s record at 1:54 2/5. I vote for what the Daily Racing Form says. So you decide….here’s Secretariat winning the Preakness. Enjoy and long live the Preakness and the Pimlico.
Thank you, wikipedia.org/Preakness Stakes, wikipedia.org/United States Triple Crown of ThoroughbredRacing, gohorsebetting/preaknessstakes/history, find.myrecipies.com/black-eyed susan cocktail
For horselovers, spring holds a special excitement…the running of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing or as we know it…The Triple Crown. Each yearl we wonder, will we have a triple crown winner this year or not? Hearts soar just thinking of another Secretariat. I still can see that horse making the last turn at the Belmont and heading for the straightaway to the finish line. I also remember actually going to Calumet Farms in Kentucky and seeing this animal grazing in his acre pasture alongside other great horses from that farm. Wow, just to touch the same turf that horse had.
I’ve never been to any of the race tracks during the Triple Crown but Joe and I have gone to a few famous ones a time or two. We’ve been to Churchill Downs, Del Mar, and Aksarben and Kansas City’s own Woodlands. (The last two are no longer running.) Now, I’m not a gambler so I enjoy these races in a different way…I just love watching the horses run and watching how the jockeys work the track. My hubby likes the clubhouse with its air conditioning, nice tables, delicious buffet, fancy drinks, and a better view of the finish line. I love being in what I call the ‘Kentucky Fried Chicken Section’ or down by the fence with the local folk eating Kentucky Fried Chicken, drinking sodas or a beer or two at the finish line, and feeling the dirt filter over the fence as the horses race past. The thunder of their hooves is music to me.
Now, if I had my way, I’d even be down in the barns cleaning the stalls, scrubbing tack or, if really trusted, walking one of the thoroughbreds after a race. That ain’t gonna happen. These animals are more valuable than my house on any given day. And the horses running during the Triple Crown, well, that’s no cheap change either. So I got to thinking about how much I really knew about this jewel of the thoroughbred racing world and I thought’s I’d share what I found out…and it’s no way near everything about this fascinating event. That would take volumes.
History of the Triple Crown
The Triple Crown Stakes did not always happen in the order of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and finally the Belmont. That’s only been that way since 1931. Prior to that date, the Preakness ran before the Derby eleven times. And, on May 12, 1917, and on May 13, 1922, the Derby and the Preakness ran on the same day. In 1919, Sir Barton won all three races thus making him the first winner of all three races in one year. However, Gallant Fox created the first recognition of the Triple Crown title by being the “superhorse that could win the Triple Crown in 1930.Thus, the journalist of the Daily Racing Form, Charles Hatton coined the title and only eleven horses have one this crown.
History of the Kentucky Derby
Let’s start with the important stuff….traditions and facts. The Derby or as it’s known as ”the most exiting two minutes in sports” or ‘the fastest two minutes in sports’ is one and a quarter-mile long or ten furlongs. The horses are three years old and is run at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky. This track is still ranked the most attended race in North America including the Preakness and Belmont. Here, the wealthy purchase seats in the Millionaires Row and the ladies wear lavish outfits and very large elaborate hats. Everyone sings “My Old Kentucky Home” while the horses parade onto the track while they drink sip a drink that has graced this race at Churchill Downs for nearly a century–the Derby’s Mint Julep.
The Kentucky Derby Mint Julep
2 C Sugar
2 C water
6-8 sprigs of fresh mint
crushed ice
Kentucky Whisky as Maker Mark or Early Times
Silver Julep cup
Make a syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool in covered container with 6-8 sprigs of fresh mint and refrigerate overnight. Fill a julep cup with crushed ice, add one tablespoon mint syrup and 2 oz of whisky. Stir rapidly to frost cup and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.
Approximately 120,000 mint julep are served on Derby day, using 10,000 bottles of Early Times Mint Julep cocktail, 1000 pounds of fresh mint, and 60,000 pounds of ice.
The Derby’s nickname is the “Run for the Roses” because in 1883, E. Berry Wall presented roses to all the ladies at the Post Derby party and the tradition of the roses began. However, it wasn’t until 1896 that the first drape of 554 roses covered the withers of the winning horse, Chant ridden by Frank Goodale won in 2:41.00.
The Derby is one of the oldest Thoroughbred races in America–the Travers Stakes being the oldest, 1864. In 1872, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr (grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark team) traveled to England and was there for the Epsom Derby and later to Paris for the Gran Prix de Paris. He came home with the idea of such a race for America thus the Louisville Jockey Club was built at Churchill Downs named after John and Henry Churchill who provided the land for the first race that was a mile and half long like the Epsom and Gran Prix. $10,000 was the first winning purse and fifteen horses ran. Aristides won in 2:37.75. (1875) Super Savor won 2:04.45. (2010) with a winning purse of $1,425,000. The first televised race was in May 3, 1952 with a purse winnings of $100,000. Secretariat still holds the records for the speed record 1:59.40.
Thank you:
wikipedia.org/UnitedStates Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, wikipedia.org/Kentucky Derby, kentucyderby.com/experience/traditions
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“As a small child, Lock had been thrown up on her broad back and led around. When he was older, he had ridden bareback through the woods and meadows, fancying himself an armor-clad knight of old. In his reverie, he would charge into battle, standard fluttering from his lance, beating down enemies with a razor-sharp sword to save the lives of kings and princesses.” (Walls of Jericho. Jonathan Hopkins)
See, girls aren’t the only ones who fantasize about horses. I know I fantasized flying in the clouds on Pegasus, wind whipping my face, feeling the strength of wings pulling up, and fearing falling. So this blog is for all those who have or had fantasies of horses and who write about them.
Most fantasies seem to originate with the Greek myths and the most popular is the one about Pegasus. Medusa and Poseidon were his mother and father. When Perseus sliced Medusa’s head off, out sprang this white, winged horse and his brother Chrysaor who was not a horse but was very overshadowed by his sibling that not much is known about him. Curious things about Pegasus is the kicked Mt Helicon to stop it from grown larger and created a spring called Hippocrene. Athena granted Bellerophon a golden bridle to capture Pegasus and kill the Chimera, one ugly creäture. But Bellerophon tried to ride Pegasus to Mt Olympus without an invitation and Pegasus bucked him off because he knew to go uninvited was wrong. Thus, Pegasus was granted a stall on Olympus then while Bellerophon fell to the earth and died. Recently he is portrayed as black in the recent movie Clash of the Titans. Can’t wait to see it.
Another famous mythological horse is from Norse myths…Sleipnir a white, eight-legged horse deemed the fastest horse in the world. His name means ‘smooth or gliding.’ He has an interesting beginning. Odin and his boys were supposed to be rebuilding a wall in Asgard. As gods will, they got a giant to do it, payment…Freya. But they figured the giant would never complete the wall by the deadline of spring. But the giant brought along his stallion Svadilfarei. When it looked as if the giant would carry out this feat, and knowing Freya would never agree, they looked to Loki for the solution. After all, he’d gotten them into this agreement. Loki shapeshifted into a mare in heat and flaunted his/her wares at the stallion and off they went. The giant saw the ruse and Thor ended up killing him with his hammer. However, eleven months later, Loki appeared with the cutest foul with eight legs and presented it to Oden. www.ultimatehorsesite.com/horsemyths
Gulitpoppr, is another Norse Horse for Heimdal, guardian of the Norse gods and Asgard. Since Gulitpoppr means Gold Top or Golden Mane it’s likely this is the originator of the flaxen mane maybe? www.ultimatehorsesite.com/horsemyths
Skinflaxi pulls the morning chariot across the sky for Dayr bringing the dawn and Hrimflaxi pulls the night chariot bringing the cover of night for Nott. They are also Norse(www.ultimatehorsesite.com/horsemyths)
In Hindu myths, when the demons and devas churned the milky sea, Uchaishravas emerged…a snowy white horse with seven heads. He was ridden by Indra or lord of the devas. ” And in the tenth incarnation of Vishnu or the last world saviour is predicted to appear riding on ah white horse or in the form of a white horse.’ www.wikipedia.org/WhiteHorse.
To the Buddhist, Kanthaka was a white horse and royal servant and favorite of Prince Siddhartha who later became Gautama Buddha. He used Kanthaka in all events described in Buddhists texts before his renunciation of the world and the horse died of a broken heart when Siddhartha departed. www.wikipedia.org/WhiteHorse.
In Iranian myths, Apaosha is a ‘ demon of drought’ and a black stallion. Tishtrya is a white stallion bringing rain. The goddess Avesta, goddess of the waters has four horses named for wind , rain, clouds and sleet. www.wikipedia.org/whitehorsemythology (yasht655.120)
In Korea, during the kingdom of Silla, the people gathered to pray for a king. A horse emerged from a bolt of lightning, bowing to a shining egg. The horse flew back to the heavens and the egg popped open and the boy Park Hyeokgeose emerged and grew up to unite six warring states.
In China, Longma was very important to the Tang Dynasty and was seen as the Dragon Horse. He was a fabled winged horse with dragon scales. He was seen as ‘an omen of a legendary sage ruler for the three sovereigns and five emperors.’ www.wikipedia/longma’
Now in Celtic mythology the story is one unbelievable myth…The horse was symbolic of fertility and is considered close to the earth. There is a coronation ritual that took place in the twelfth century. when the king mates with a mare. The mare is slaughtered and the king bathes in her blood and eats her flesh without touching it. ewwwwww Victoria H. www.helium.com Horses in Indo European Mythology.
What I learned from researching myths and horses is just how important the horse was around the world and throughout history. Celtic, Greek, Hindu, Iranian, Arabian,Norse, Slavic, Buddhist Jewish, Islāmic, Christian, and and more have some story that is shared about this magnificent animal.
Again, I thank Wikipedia.org, Helium.com, GoGreece.com, for their articles and Jonathan Hopkins- www.cavalrytales.co.uk .
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I hope this helps any writers interested in writing paranormal or any writing or interested in very early ancient history or even futuristic writers. Enjoy.
“For hundreds and hundred’s of years, perhaps millennia, the favorite food of man on the steppes of Asia and Europe was the horse. Expert that he had become in the herd’s migrations, man soon learned to startle a band of horses into stampeding over the edge of a precipice and to finish off the beasts by stoning them to death, then to drink their blood, suck out their brains, and devour their flesh–(You wouldn’t believe me if I hadn’t quoted this)…Then after he had mounted and become master of that back and sat high above the earth as if on a fatal throne, man discovered within himself, pride and vanity and they were never to leave his heart.”
(Gianoli, Luigi, “Horses and Horsemanship through the Ages.”New York: Crown Publishers,1967.)
But as Mr. Gianoli said, it took a millennia to do this. For starters, the early horse was barely the size of a small dog and had five toes that all disappeared over time except for the middle/third finger that grew into a hoof from the toe nail. No, I’m not kidding because the history of the horse is all but set in stone. And in some cases it really is. In 1882, Mr. William Whitney and crew discovered 800 fossils of Equidae/horses in the Mississippi Basin and at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in a perfect state of preservation. So they were here on the North America continent, but due to a “cosmic upheaval, the horse became extinct. If you’ve been reading Yahoo News lately, this cosmic upheaval did dinosaurs in too. So no more horses on this continent until the Spaniards brought them. Obviously horses survived in Europe and across that continent. By the time Rome was a power, horses were barely larger than a big pony.
In the beginning, it is believed that there were considered three strains of horses that evolved to be tall enough to ride/use.
The Mongolian strain from the steps of Siberia and was angular, thick-set, and sedate. They were the blood of horses in Hyksos, Chinese, Vandals, and Genghis Khan, Tamerlane and Muhammad II.
Another strain was the Aryan strain from steppes of southern Russia and became the horse that carried conquerors to occupy the Mediterranean, Anatolia and Mesopotamia. This horse was more agile, fine-drawn and impressive in bearing that led over time to the Arab and Thoroughbred.
The third strain is the wild horse of Europe that was sacred to the Celts, Gauls and Iberians. It was chunky , raw, heavy, and my bet is the ground stock of the draft horse and the future stead of the Knight.
“Less strong than the ox, but fleeter and more agile; less dangerous than the stag or elk the horse came into use long after the ox and ass. ” (Gianoli) But man finally figured out how to make rope via fiber cords of grass or leather. So man simply tied a cord around the horse’s jaw where the teeth aren’t and the bridle was born. However, the first Sumerians controlled their horses with a ring in the nose like the ox. A blanket was put on the back to keep the rider off sweat but staying onboard was risky if it slipped and slid about. So the next item created was a belt-like thing or longer rope to tie around the blanket to keep it in place. Voila…the saddle. Still no stirrups though. I understand those came from Asia as a leather loop for the foot.However, hitching a horse was to come much later because harness is a very complicated design. And so began the world of horse accoutraments…other wise known as ‘tack”.
Who is believed to be the first to tame the horse? The winner is the Chinese because of the statues that date back to 3500B.C. to the Fu-Hsi dynasty. Second place winners are the Mongolians, Sarmatian, Turks, Scythians. And on down it goes to history.
Over time, the horse became a symbol of wealth and power. that only the rich could ride. In Rome, the class of Equestrian were the early rich class who could afford a horse to go into battle. Later, the man who bore this title probably never sat on a horse. But nevertheless, he had acquired the image.
I think the future of the horse is to end in the zoo. Grazing land will become scarce and unless it can feed the masses. So, what use will a horse serve beyond a pet. Again, only the rich will be able to afford the joys of owning a horse. So, one day you]ngsters will gaze upon this animal and wonder how any man or woman could ride one of those creatures, much less conquer anything with it. I hope I am wrong. What a waste of such beauty, grace and friendship.
(Thank you Mr. Gianoli for your information on horses. This won’t be the last time I shall turn to you for your knowledge.)
