Global Horse Culture

Hope these guys have health insurance!!!

This is some of the most hardcore trick riding I've ever seen! Check out the video of trick riders Guido Louis and Sophia Sandow Alvarez, and the Omani cavalry, doing insane stunts at high speed in open country and on the race track. What good horses and amazing riding!

Tip of the hat as usual to Mike Matson for digging up this gem!

Puerto Rican Criollos...for racing!

The Puerto Rican Criollo is a gaited breed of mixed ancestry* (that's what "criollo" means) with a variety of gaits. The slowest gait is a short-stepping fast walk, called the paso fino (which can be seen in this video). The paso largo is a lengthened, faster running walk. Like the speed rackers of the United States and the Icelandic Horse, some Puerto Rican Criollos can do a singlefoot gait (called andadura) at tremendous speeds. Some may pace at high speeds. Racers, called Caballos de Andadura, are often raced drag-race style in short sprint heats, two-by-two.

More on skijoring

I posted a while back about skijoring, the wild sport where horses tow skiers. There are many variations (over obstacles, on a track, in the backyard). See this older post for some links to organizations.

I recently found this new, longer (four minute) video documenting the preparation for and running of a skijoring race in Switzerland. There's lots of fun footage and details of how the races are set up and how the horses are equipped. It can't be embedded, but you should check it out on YouTube.

Trotting (and pacing) races under saddle

In the US we usually think of Standardbreds as harness racing horses. But here and in other parts of the world the Standardbred and similar breeds are also raced under saddle. The US Trotting Association has an interesting article about the hows and whys of under saddle racing here.

Here's a video of such a race in France:

Prix du Cornulier 2006
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One interesting feature of under saddle racing is that many of the riders are women. This has been true historically, too. The famous Standardbred Greyhound broke a record back in 1940 with a woman riding.

And more recently the speedy mare Moni Maker broke that record, with jockey Julie Krone riding.

A nice little 10 minute documentary tells the story of Moni Maker's achievement, with footage of historic races, an interview with Julie Krone, and Moni Makers record breaking trot.

Part 1 is here.

Part 2 is here.

Did you know they race mules?

They do! Take a look a the American Mule Racing Association photo pages.

History of Racing

An interesting blog, Colin's Ghost, features articles on Thoroughbred racing, with many about historic races, interesting or influential people and horses, and the culture of the racetrack. Take a look at this one, for example, about how illegal betting was done in the early 1900s. The blog is very well researched and well written - a must-read for anyone who likes horse racing and history.

High Speed Insanity

Scurry racing is particularly popular in the UK. It is a high-speed competition in which drivers direct teams of ponies through an obstacle course of cones, trying not to hit any cones while going as fast as possible. The navigator on the back of the vehicle uses his or her weight to keep the carriage from flipping over in the tight turns. It takes quick thinking on the part of the driver to follow the course accurately. More excitement than I could handle!

Mongolian Horse Racing Today

The New York Times has a great article about the resurgent popularity of traditional horse racing among modern urban Mongolians. Check it out here. Note the mention that some breeders are importing fast horses from other countries to crossbreed with the native Mongolian horses, but that the downside of this is that the exotic horses have trouble dealing with the harsh winters.

Flash of Color

I touched on this in a post long ago, but it's worth a more detailed exploration. Thoroughbreds - yes, the speedy horses of racing fame - don't just come in solid colors like bay, gray, black and chestnut, although those are the more common colors.

Sabino and overo are also found, as are occasional oddball colors such as brindle and strange spots. The latter tend to be one-time individual mutations, but sabino and overo can be passed on, and come in a wide array of variations, from a few white markings to wild speckly, roany patterns.

Visit these sites to see some great photos of fantastically colored Thoroughbreds:

Cool and Unusual Thoroughbreds - many pages of photos of wild Thoroughbred colors

Overo Thoroughbreds - another roundup of photos of many colorful Thoroughbreds

Shadow Mountain Stables - breeders of sabino Thoroughbreds

Color World Ranch - breeders of overo Thoroughbreds

White Horse Productions - a good collection of photos and descriptions of colorful Thoroughbreds

Gestüt Falkenhorst - breeders with an overo Thoroughbred stallion

Painted Desert Farm - breeders of sabino and overo Thoroughbreds

Blazing Colours Farm - breeders of sabino and palomino Thoroughbreds

To the Rescue!

While we're doing historic video, here's another Thomas Edison film of fire engines racing down a Newark, NJ street, from 1896!