Newsworthy Equine Notes for 2010

Newsdate: Fri, 31 Dec 2010 - 01:25 pm
Location: MORGAN HILL, California

The year 2010 was filled with noteworthy news items related to horses and other equines.

  • The award for best new equine-related product would have to go to the Shake'n Fork developed by Equi-Tee Manufacturing in Medford, Oregon, 'to separate road apples from straw and sawdust in horse stalls."   This motorized stall-cleaning manure fork that runs on lithium batteries retails for around $169.00 and can also be used for beach clean-up including tarballs and cigarette butts.
  • Of note to Roy Rogers fans, a mid-year auction held at Christie's in Manhattan, New York, included more than 300 lots from the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum.  The mounted hide of Trigger, Roy Roger's faithful horse, sold for $266,500, and the Edward H. Bohlin parade saddle used by Roy Rogers sold for $386,500.
  • A miniature horse named Einstein made headlines in April 2010.  Weighing in at 6 pounds, the foal, born at Tiz Miniature Horse Farm in Barnstead, New Hampshire, is perfect in every proportion and was actually born three days after his due date.
  • A furor erupted in July when a donkey was strapped into a parasail and sent airborne over a Russian beach.  Police investigated and The Guardian Newspaper reported that the donkey would parasail no more and, in fact, would have a new and comfortable home in Great Britain.  Donkeygate rolled on when a Russian businessman insisted that he had the true parasailing donkey still in Russia, and the British had an imposter.
  • The Godfather movies made the meaning of "waking up with a horse's head in your bed" clear to all who saw the movies.  In January, a New Jersey man ended up in his local jail for hand-delivering a packaged toy horse head to Senator Stephen Sweeney, president of the New Jersey State Senate.  Although the Senator didn't find the horse's head in his bed, the matter was taken seriously by both the police and the Senator.
  • And, last, but not least, many people were injured in horse related accidents during 2010.  Noteable among them, a California actress, Kaley Cuoco, who, after practicing jumping her horse all day fell off, spooking the horse which leaped over her, landing on her leg.  When she looked down her foot was facing her, like the "Exorcist of my foot."  She spent two weeks in the hospital, had two surgeries, and now sets off metal detectors wherever she goes.

About the Author

Flossie Sellers

Author picture

As an animal lover since childhood, Flossie was delighted when Mark, the CEO and developer of EquiMed asked her to join his team of contributors.

She enrolled in My Horse University at Michigan State and completed a number of courses in everything related to horse health, nutrition, diseases and conditions, medications, hoof and dental care, barn safety, and first aid.

Staying up-to-date on the latest developments in horse care and equine health is now a habit, and she enjoys sharing a wealth of information with horse owners everywhere.

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