My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Since horses see colors differently than humans, so it’s important to consider jump colors as they can influence horse and rider safety. Horses have dichromatic vision, which means they have two receptor types (light-sensitive cells in the retina of the eye) used in color vision. This gives them limited color vision, with the ability to […]
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Horse racing is one of the only sports where men and women compete against each other, although women still represent only a small fraction of professional jockeys. In the US, women comprise only 14% of working jockeys and ride in only 10% of race starts. Only 2% ride at the elite level of the Triple […]
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You have to watch this truly unbelievable ride by Aaron Kuru on Des De Jeu. After the horse “landed a bit steep” after the first fence and went down on his belly, the jockey was able to swing a leg over the saddle and get back on as Des De Jeu stood up. Make sure […]
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Just as well for Tiger Roll that the finish line came when it did. The 8-year old Irish gelding ridden by Davy Russell won the 2018 Aintree Grand National in a photo finish, holding off a late run by Pleasant Colony. A few more strides and the outcome might have been different! One of the […]
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As we head into the Aintree Grand National Weekend, this jockey cam video gives you a great feeling for what those fences are like without the chaos of the race. Ride along with jockey AP McCoy on Hello Bud, an 18-year old chaser. Pretty impressive to be jumping that course at age 18, don’t you […]
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Right now I have a special interest in studying equestrians recovering from broken bones. How long before they rode again? How injured were they? Did it make them more cautious. For example, champion UK jockey Ruby Walsh fractured his tibia at Punchestown in November, but he set his sights on the Cheltenham Festival, which starts […]
Read MoreDick Francis fans will recognize the name Cheltenham as the setting of several of his racing novels — Damage, Under Orders, and Comeback to name a few — which makes it a destination event for racing fans worldwide. England’s Cheltenham Festival was first held in 1860 and was first held in Prestley Park, its current […]
Read MoreWhile the Aintree Grand National is one of the best known steeplechase races in the world, the title of the toughest race now goes to the Velká Pardubická (the Grand Pardubice), a cross country steeplechase that has been run in Pardubice, Czech Republic since 1874. It takes place every year on the second Sunday in […]
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