My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Forget mucking stalls. Don’t worry about the rising price of hay, or whether your horse has enough turnout. These horses come with an on/off switch. Interactive mechanical horses were first developed to help jockeys recover from injuries suffered during racing and jockeys are still one of the major users of these simulators. However, manufacturers have […]
Read MoreWith athletes now gearing up for the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong, I think it’s fascinating that the ancient hippodrome, where equestrian events were held in ancient Greece, has been excavated by sports historian Professor Norbert Müller, of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and fellow researchers Dr. Christian Wacker, who is a sports archaeologist from […]
Read MorePhotos of the Belmont Stakes recently published clearly show that Big Brown’s right hind shoe was partially pulled off after a collision at the start. Close up photos clearly show the shoe hanging down. This slide show shows the progression. Check out photo #3 which shows Guadalcanal stepping on Big Brown. I can’t believe the jockey […]
Read MoreThe mystery surrounding Phar Lap’s death in 1932 in Menlo Park, Calif., has finally been solved: scientists have confirmed that the horse died of arsenic poisoning. Researchers Dr. Ivan Kempson of the University of South Australia and Dermot Henry, manager of Natural Science Collections at Museum Victoria, took six hairs from Phar Lap’s mane and […]
Read MoreThe breakdown of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby this year and Barbaro in the Preakness last year started a lot of discussion about whether modern thoroughbreds are now bred for speed at an early age rather than durability. The bloodhorse published a Stallion Durability List that ranks stallions by the number of foals, the number […]
Read MoreEver since his poor showing in the Belmont Stakes, people have been speculating about the cause. Some attribute it to steroid withdrawal (although, I can’t for a minute believe that Dutrow would have made such a major change to Big Brown’s regime before the Triple Crown, given that steroid use for horses is legal in […]
Read MoreSo said Jockey Kent Desormeaux after Big Brown’s disappointing run in the Belmont stakes yesterday. It’s been 30 years since a horse won racing’s Triple Crown — the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. But it wasn’t always so. In the 1970s, there were three Triple Crown Winners! In 1978, Affirmed stuck a nose […]
Read MoreThe announcement that Big Brown’s owners have sold the sponsorship rights on the jockey’s racing silks to the Hooter’s restaurant chain, has many people shaking their heads. This classy athlete just deserves better than a chain known for buxom waitresses in tight shirts. If Big Brown does win the Triple Crown, this year’s winner’s circle […]
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