Horses Archives - Conversations through the middle

Burghley Horse Trials 2013

October 7, 2013

I meant to upload these images from this year’s Burghley Horse Trials a couple of weeks ago, but better late than never. I cannot tell you who is who in the photographs, also I took loads of pix but only a few are any good.

Jock Paget was the winner this year (with the help of Clifton Promise of course). He’s a very skilled horseman and he’s very good looking, what more could you ask for in a man? Unfortunately we didn’t get to see him accept his trophy as my friend Kelly and I were only there for the cross country day.

Next year we plan to take a tent and camp for the entire weekend! Imagine, three days of world class horses, no driving home after, and wine and sarnies for tea outside the tent. Can’t wait.

Moving to a new home – Chloe leaves

May 20, 2013

Saturday was a sad day for me, Chloe the horse (of Chloe and Freda fame see here) has now gone to her new home and I will no longer be required to stand in for horse (and sheep) sitting duties.

I wasn’t there when she left – I didn’t think I would get through the loading and leaving without crying. I have fallen for her you see, despite really trying not to.

I have known for a while that she would be going to a new owner; I’m upset I couldn’t take her on, but with the big upheavals going on at home currently there’s no way I could.

I’m sure she will be very happy – she wasn’t too fazed about the whole thing on Saturday morning when these photos were taken. I was teary, but she was just concerned with eating her hay. Quite right too.

Horse (and sheep) days – Chloe and Freda

April 26, 2013

This past week I’ve had the privilege of looking after the most wonderful horse and sheep duo while their carer has been away. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea, as I’m still hurting over the loss of my wonderful boy John, but I did it anyway. It goes without saying I’ve fallen totally in love with the two of them.

Chloe the Connemara is the most gentle soul who has the look of John about her, it’s the expressions on her face, her kindness and her soft eyes that remind me, rather than her physical features – John was a Thoroughbred after all. They both share the same mannerisms, even down to trying to nibble my bum when I’m picking out front feet.

Freda the sheep? Well what can I say, who knew sheep were such characters? She is cheeky, inquisitive, shy yet overpoweringly nosey so her shyness gets forgotten as she simply has to see what’s going on at all times! She is quite a girl.

The two of them get on fine, they even share haynets, though not food (horse feed contains copper which is poisonous to sheep – I have learned so much about these lovely creatures in the fast few days).

Alas my week babysitting is now up and sadly the partnership will be split up next month as Chloe goes to a new home and Freda goes back to her farm. Even more sadly, I’m not in a position to give either of them a home at this time though I wish to God I could. I think Chloe will be okay, her new owners sound responsible, but I’m worried about what will happen to Freda. Initially, she will go into a field with other sheep so she will be happy enough, they will miss each other though. I’ll miss both of them.

Chloe has just had her tail plaited by Dot, you can just see the top of her head over Chloe’s back

Freda in her house

Ladies who lunch – enjoying a spot of hay together

Horse meat in lasagne – what’s the big deal?

February 8, 2013

I have just been watching the news and all the furore over horse meat in food from Findus, Tesco and Aldi, and I just had to write this. It’s outrageous for lots of reasons, one of the main ones being that if I wanted to eat horse meat I would buy horse meat. If I buy something that is labelled as beef lasagne then I expect it to be beef – otherwise the product is lying yes?

And now according to the news on ITV, the government cannot guarantee that horse meat hasn’t gone into school dinners and hospital food. I wonder how the people who have eaten it would feel about that if they knew? I know for a fact, without even asking her, how Dot would feel.

Are you saying oh well, horse meat is still meat, it won’t harm and lots of people in the world eat it. I know. But are you sure it won’t harm?

Where has this horse meat come from? Again the news on ITV has just spoken about a criminal conspiracy being to blame. Take it further and think where the horses come from? I’m sure horses destined for the food chain are safe to eat, but can I enlighten you as to what happens with horses, pet horses who aren’t supposed to end up in the food chain?

When they are ill the vet prescribes drugs for them and of course we, as devoted owners, are over the moon to have them. When my darling horse John was ill last year he had to have several horse medicines to help him in his battle to get well. On giving me these my vet asked for his horse passport so he could write in there that John was not to end up in the food chain. Horses are big animals and horse drugs are powerful. Even the horse painkiller that I guess most owners use, bute, packs one helluva punch – it has to if it’s going to stop pain in the horse. A couple of paracetamol just aren’t going to cut it with an animal that, in John’s case, weighed getting on for three quarters of a tonne.

So are you sure the horse meat is safe? I heard that bute had been found in some of the samples tested. I don’t know if that’s right but I wouldn’t be surprised.

I know that some horses are bred for meat – and I’m sure the people that farm them are careful about what, if any, drugs these meat horses are given. But what we’re talking about here isn’t legit, if it was it would be labelled as horse meat and not passed off as beef yes? See where I’m going with this?

Perhaps I’m way off base with this next thought: I heard on the news that the horse meat in question came from France and Ireland. I don’t know about France but it’s well known that there has been a big problem in Ireland with horses being abandoned due to the awful recession that means owners can’t afford to keep them... sorry, I can’t help thinking it. I’m not talking about owners here, but as ITV news put it, criminal conspiracies.

So to sum up, I say to those people who think that the fuss about horse meat is no big deal, those people who think meat is meat no matter what kind it is…. are you sure?