Horse Blog

Here's your chance to go to the annual Metro rodeos, which highlight the skills of various Metro employees. A bus rodeo will be held at the Landover Division, while the rail rodeo will be at the Branch Avenue Rail Yard.

Equine Cushings disease is caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland, which is responsible for the production and regulation of hormones. Symptoms include a long, shaggy coat that does not shed, excessive drinking and urination, laminitis, a tendency for recurring infections in the hoof (foot abscesses), and a loss of muscle mass, especially along the topline and rump.

Last night we went to Bay Meadows to watch the horse races with our friends Beth and Todd. Their neighbor is a jockey and gave us free tickets. It was fun. Not something I want to do every week, but something different!

Okay, so the fireworks have something to do with a little upcoming event called the Kentucky Derby. Still, the fireworks are coming on the eve of the DriveDemocracy/Clergy and Laity Network rally (at 2:30, Central Presbyterian Church) and the Frist/Dobson Family Research Council telethon Sunday night from a nearby megachurch.

Kirn's essay might be called Montana-Romantic, lamenting the loss of an era when cowboys errant drunk-drove to a smoke-filled bars, which for Kirn existed about fifteen years ago when he arrived here. He has a point: one recent travelogue in a glossy lifestyle magazine compared Kirn's hometown of Livingston as Brooklyn to Bozeman's Manhattan. You couldn't write that fifteen years ago.

So despite much recent commentary, Montana has never been susceptible to being stamped "blue" or "red" or any other label-of-the-day no matter how much ink is spilled in trying. It always has been a vibrant swirl of prospectors and bankers, homesteaders and stockmen, union and company men, journalists and cowboys, naturalists and lumberjacks, and always will be. That should come as some consolation to a Montana Romantic.

I was going through some of my old notes that were on an old computer and found this exchange with Steve Roman the father of the Dosage Index theory. Since it’s Kentucky Derby time again I thought it might be an interesting addition here.

After reading some of the comments at other forums it struck me that dosage theory nay-sayers were probably confused or misinformed about the way this statistical information should be expressed (in terms of DI and/or dual qualifiers winning the Kentucky Derby). Here’s my question. Would it be feasible to express the DI qualifier winners of the Kentucky Derby as an impact value instead of stating it in absolute terms like “no horse has won the Kentucky Derby since 19xx with a DI of more than 4.00”. It would seem (since, I believe, more than...

Kentucky.com: "The Jockeys’ Guild has agreed not to strike the upcoming Churchill Downs race meet, including the Kentucky Derby, in a compromise announced today.

Deadwood, S.D., circa 1876: a booming gold-mining town evolving from a lawless frontier to civilization's latest outpost.

Nipomo, Calif., circa 2005: a booming coastal town trying to balance the needs for more housing and water with a commitment to its rural roots.

At the center of each stands one man, bringing the spirit of each to life: Gary Leffew, 1970 world bull riding champion, mentor to aspiring rodeo cowboys at his Nipomo ranch and muse to David Milch, creator of the award-winning HBO television series "Deadwood."

He worked a long time around Twin Falls, Idaho, and then later down in Nevada. Like so many cowboys, he made the rodeos in season. He was never a star or anything. Usually he just rode the broncs out of the chute for pay - seven-fifty a ride. Once he did win a fine saddle. He has ridden at Cheyenne and the other big rodeos.

Another illustration of the cosmopolitan veins of even the smallest town, is Bandera, pop. 877. The site of Spanish militaristic explorers and Indian battles is also home to one of the oldest Polish communities in the United States and, the authors say, the second oldest Polish church in America. Sixteen Polish families settled in Bandera to operate the cypress shingle mill. It's now the self-described "Cowboy Capital of the World," hosts rodeos throughout the summer and no doubt has more cattle than people.

Eyeball the Crawford Palace at John Young's cryptome.org site. Missing from the pictures are horse barns, apparently unnecessary since this Texas cowboy can't get astraddle of a saddle and prefers ATVs to horses.

Funny Cide, the gelding who captured the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, will likely make his season debut on May 1 at Aqueduct.

"The naked foot itself is not as erotically appealing, the shoe raises up the foot and gives it mystery and allure so it's not just a piece of meat," Steele said. According to Steele, since the 1880s, high heeled shoes have been almost entirely associated with femininity with the exception of cowboy boots.

Blues And Royals will miss the Kentucky Derby because of a respiratory condition, a setback for the famed Godolphin stable.

I wonder how successful his career will be as a racehorse? I find it unlikely that he’ll be any good at racing, as previous attempts at cloning usually have defects in the “offspring”. Supposing they were able to perfect that technique, would this devastate the traditional racehorse breeding traditions? Would out-of-nothing stars like Smarty Jones become a thing of the past, with all the winners being expensive clones of superhero racehorses? [side note, check out the new google answer function in action: who...

The article talks about Steinbrenner’s horse, Bellamy Road, and its quest to win the Kentucky Derby.

But even if Kinsman is not all about winning, father and daughter spoke last week about how nice it would be to win the Kentucky Derby.

Better than a 27th World Series title for the Yankees?

“Absolutely in his eyes,” Jessica Steinbrenner said. “This would bring everything in his life to a perfect conclusion.”

If you have not recently lived in Louisville, you might not realize how big the Kentucky Derby Festival has become. It's much more than the balloon festival and the Pegasus Parade.

All about the horse - from work to show, this weekend celebrates the horse’s unique and historical relationship with mankind. From artwork to equestrian training; pony express riders and horse races; care, feeding and grooming; pony, wagon, stagecoach and buggy rides - if horses are involved, you bet we’ll celebrate it.

Last night we had a chance to see the third play in the incredibly funny Greater Tuna Trilogy: “Red, White and Tuna.” (Play one is “Greater Tuna.” Play two is “A Tuna Christmas.”) In these plays, there is rarely a throwaway line – everything is quotable and fall-down funny. But last night my favorite line emerged when characters Bertha Bumiller and her fiancé Arliss Struby were arguing about whether he would wear cowboy boots to their wedding. Arliss’ sentiments:

Propose legislation to ban gay marriage or gay adoption and it speeds through what passes for the Alabama legislature faster than it takes for a Baptist preacher to take up collection. On the other hand, propose legislation to ban a vicious form of animal cruelty — otherwise known (to all the Billy Bobs that attend them) as “hog-dog rodeos” — and the Alabama legislators hang up a “Gawn Fishen” sign on their office doors.

According to this article in today’s edition of the Birmingham News, Alabama has the highest concentration in the country of fighting pens used for “hog-dog rodeos.”

Billed as family entertainment, the rodeos feature hogs, usually with their tusks removed, released in a pen with “catch dogs,” who subdue the hogs by biting their ears and pulling them to the ground. The contest is timed. The dogs are sometimes suited in chest armor, but both the dogs and the hogs typically sustain major injuries.

Only in Alabama, could this be billed as “family entertainment.”

After years of struggle in the horse business, Canale Farms is thriving as a different animal altogether.

The 107-acre spread in Fayette County is home to corporate outings, church picnics, family reunions and other group gatherings where visitors can fish, play softball, sing karaoke, eat barbecue and - yes - ride ponies.

"I did everything I could (in the horse business)," said owner and founder Drew Canale, 47, who grew up in Midtown and became a lawyer, though you'd never guess it from his cowboy hat and folksy way.

"We went to the top of the heap in horses. We did horse sales, horse shows. ... We did everything we could to try to make a living. The market's just not there."

But Canale said a friend, Davy Johnson, suggested corporate- event hosting as a way to stay down on the farm. From one event in 1995, it has grown into into a full-time business.

Gail Lowry Cecchetti watched in disbelief early Saturday as firefighters worked to douse flames that heavily damaged the business that began in the basement of her parents' home in 1979.

The fire gutted Lowry's Western Shop, 935 Henderson Ave., Canton Township, and left other businesses in the shopping plaza with smoke and water damage.

But hours after firefighters cleared the scene, Cecchetti along with numerous friends and family started to secure the building and contemplate plans to rebuild the business.

"I said I want to have my high heels and tight clothes," she remembers telling her buddy Reba McEntire, star of the WB sitcom airing at 9 p.m. ET/PT. "Don't you put me in no cowboy boots. Don't take off my big hair."

Holthus was encouraged by his colt's ability to relax in the Rebel after he found himself near the pace. "That showed he could lay a little closer than usual, which he may do again if it's a speed-favoring track," he noted. Greater Good probably will chase Afleet Alex, who received the most support — at 8-to-1 — of any individual horse in the second Kentucky Derby Future Pool but slipped to 18-to-1 in the final Future pool after a sixth-place finish in the Rebel.

Bellamy Road is one of the favorites for this year’s Kentucky Derby. Sis City will race the day before the Derby in the Kentucky Oaks.

OK, the 77th Annual Oscars are done...the ratings are in...they mildly disappointed according to the NYTimes, and "Rock, well didn't", according to Tom Shales of the Washington Post...people's curiosity about the various horse races and about who the best and worst dressed were has presumably been sated.

Ok, so, if the guy calling himself The Naked Cowboy runs around Times Square in a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, cowboy guitar, and cowboy briefs, then he's not really naked, is he?

Montana, which has served as Marlboro Country in magazine ads depicting rugged cowboys puffing on cigarettes while riding a fence line, is about to outlaw smoking just about everywhere but the great outdoors. The state Legislature voted Thursday to ban smoking in all enclosed public places, including bars and restaurants

First you need the right ingredients and the right gear. Try Maker's Mark or pricier small-batch bourbons like Basil Hayden's and Elijah Craig. Brown sugar and fresh mint give the drink depth and freshness. Get pewter Julep cups ($12 at landsend.com) and a wooden muddler ($3.50 at amazon.com) for crushing mint.

For each serving: Crush 4 cups of ice. In a pint glass or cocktail shaker, muddle 8 mint leaves and a teaspoon of brown sugar. Add 2 oz. of bourbon and stir. Pack a julep cup with ice until overflowing. Strain bourbon mixture into cup. Stir drink until the outside of the cup frosts. Top with more ice, garnish with a fresh mint sprig, and serve.

In addition, attendees will be able to enter a drawing for 2006 Kentucky Derby tickets, among other prize offerings.

First, to outline Blake’s argument quickly. I can’t find the page, so I can’t quote it, but he basically says something to the effect that foreknowledge might be neat, and if God had it, he’d ask him about horse races, stocks, or the lottery, but it doesn’t seem to him to be essential to faith.

His hobby was riding a matched pair of horses “Roman Style” – standing bareback, one foot on each horse’s back. I never saw this performance, but many people in town did. He did this feat regularly at horse shows and at the polo grounds in Cincy.

Even Cowboys Need A Nap Sometimes

Susan Faludi's article is one that seeks to refine the concept of the cowboy, a figure that represents traditional America.� After 9/11, George W. Bush has been referred to as a cowboy, but Faludi believes ultimately that he is not worthy of the title.� I agree with Teddy Roosevelt about the image that cowboys re "quiet, rather self-contained men."� She is trying to persuade readers to agree with this view of a cowboy instead of one tat seeks confrontaton.� I did not know that President Bush was being called a cowboy, but I can see how it makes sense, especially because he is from Texas.� I think the way America relates the two is because cowboys are known as protectors of the home.� One stereotypical image that comes to mind is a sheriff, complete with a� cowboy hat, a gun on each hip, and spurs.� It is the sheriff's duty to eliminate the robbers and kidnappers.� I am not saying that I agree with Bush, but I see the connection.� Faludi tries to replace this image by explaining Roosevelt's view, that cowboys "treat a stranger with the most whole-souled hospitality" and convince readers that Bush is not a true cowboy.

He started his pro rodeo career in 1975. The 5-foot-9, 160-pounder qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 12 years in a row (1978-89). He also won the 1989 NFR average and he won the Calgary Stampede Rodeo $50,000 bonus a record three times. He retired in 1991. ...

In November, he canceled several tour dates, including an appearance at the National Finals Rodeo, while undergoing treatment for cancer of the bile duct.

And so, after a lovely day in which I went to hear my eight year old friend Sophia sing in the Holiday Recital, that would be Sophia-of-the-perfect-pitch, and in which I got my tree up and decorated, and took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to wash all my windows so I can see through the old-fashioned storms, I'm now curled up on the couch, eating a delicious bowl of mac-and-cheese-with-hotdogs, and watching the final night of the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Next year, to paraphrase my Jewish friends at a different holiday, Next...

This year will mark Powell’s third appearance at the National Finals Rodeo. He also roped at the NFR in 2001 and 1999. Powell attended Vernon Regional Junior College before earning a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Tarleton State University in Stephenville. His wife Molly is a seven-time NFR qualifier in barrel-racing.

1 Stop for horses of all breeds. Complete line of horse equipment, tack, trailers, stalls, barns and more.

An account of the 10th century Norse burials discovered at Cumwhitton, south-east of Carlisle in Cumbria in 2004 and excavated by Oxford Archaeology whose website hosts the report. Despite their widespread presence in north-west Europe, Viking burials are extremely rare, especially in places outside their normal sphere or settlement or cultural influence. The six Cumwhitton graves are significant not merely on account of their rich furnishings, which included numerous brooches, swords and horse equipment but also because the east-west orientation...

Unlike horse races, 4D, Toto and football betting — all limited to certain days of the week — the casino is a willing and ever-ready chaperone for those yearning to flirt with Lady Luck.

Last year, the BBC offered an innovative SMS service for the event, enabling race afficionados get in touch with their BBC TV team by SMS for results or expert analysis. cf Text message the BBC TV crew at the horse races.

I buy my beer in the front bar. Then I carry it to the more comfortable back bar where the prices for the same product poured by the same barmaid are more expensive. The front bar only has a few people in it. The regular little crowd, necks pivoting between the row of small television screens showing various horse races and betting odds, and the form guide held flat on the table by empty schooner glasses and full ashtrays. And the old guy who is always at the end of the bar as though he were born and raised in that very spot, always keeping an eye...

Flyhawk was foaled in August of 1926 in the east pasture of Cotton Hill Morgan 4 Stock Farm, owned by J.C. Brunk. Though he was a late summer foal, he had no problem becoming one of the leading group of the earlier foals. From the beginning he was recognized as having something special about him. He was compact and smooth with ample breed characteristic. He had personality plus, alert, bright prominent eyes and a happy disposition which he kept all of his 32 years. As a coming two year old he was purchased by the LU. Sheep Company Ranch where for...

Thule last Wednesday completed purchase of the Swedish horse trailer manufacturer Star Industrier AB. Star Trailers has annual net sales of approximately $5.8 million and manufactures about 1,500 trailers a year of which 500 are horse trailers.

With a double-header full production kick-off in Green Bay on March 10-11 -- following a March 9th appearance at the Houston Rodeo & Livestock Show where he shattered George Strait's attendance record last year -- Chesney's Somewhere In The Sun Tour is looking to be a worthy follow-up to last year's Guitars, Tiki Bars & A Whole Lot of Love Tour, which -- with its 1.2 million fans played to -- was outdrawn only by Prince's Musicology Tour.

There is civilized life in Houston. I went to lunch today with the American Constitution Society. I had great fun. Probably more fun than going to the Houston Rodeo.

I'm so disgusted right now; I almost want to say I'm too disgusted to call myself a Texan. I've been able reconcile what I consider being a real Texan and being a fake Texan. Real Texans feel a need to not have government get involved in their relationships. Fake Texans spend their time talking about how they're from Texas and don't their cowboy boots look good? And fake Texans have their barbeques at their "ranch" where nothing is raised outside of Crawford Texas catered by people who don't know the first damn thing about barbeques.

I'm going to side with the former lot, I think. There are two parts to my thinking. Firstly, I think bare legs and cowboy boots are great. But. I think cowboy boots have had their day, so if I declare that all boots and bare legs are bad, cowboy boots will slip slip slip to the bottom of the pile for a while. Secondly, corned beef legs (albeit corned beef legs made golden brown with the aid of a bottle) just don't look good in heavy winter boots. It's sad, but it's a fact.

It's been on most of our minds throughout the day, but I wasn't expecting the type of reminder that I got on my way home tonight. A swarm of red cowboy hats and long fur coats enveloped me on my retreat home tonight as I exited the metro and walked through hundreds of inebriated Texan high-rollers overflowing from their inauguration party at the Wardman Park Hotel.