Horse Illustrated Magazine

Happy Friday, everyone. Here’s what’s been happening in the horse world this week.

• The horrific story of a New Jersey Standardbred owner who allegedly inflicted severe lameness on her horses took the spotlight this week. Complaints against Monica Thors have been happening for more than a year, but it was only this week that the horses were finally removed. (Fair warning: the details of the abuse, which Thors seems to think was legitimate care of her horses, are pretty disturbing.)
• My favorite news item of the week is this one about Italian show jumper Luca Moneta. Apparently he’s a follower of the Parelli method, but what makes this news item my favorite is that his puissance training technique involves feeding his horse a carrot after each successful jump. Whatever works, man! I’m sure the horse doesn’t mind.
• A bill to phase out New York City’s carriage industry by 2016 will be introduced next week, according to a city council meeting agenda. So we’ll see how that goes.
• Welcome home, Silver Charm! The 1997 Kentucky Derby champion and almost-a-triple-crown winner has spent nearly a decade at stud in Japan, but now he’s back home in the U.S. Even better: He’s been retired to Old Friends here in Kentucky where his fans will soon be able to visit him. Check out some photos of his first public appearance since his return from the Lexington Herald-Leader.
• We’ve talked about Warpaint, the Kansas City Chiefs’ equine mascot here on HorseChannel before. This short news item shows some footage of the current American Paint Horse serving in the role with rider-turned-cheerleader-turned-rider, Susie. The reporter keeps using the wrong pronoun to describe the horse. Warpaint is, in fact, a mare. You can find out more about Warpaint and Susie on the Chiefs’ website.
• Not exactly news, but I enjoyed this first-person account of a pathological white liar who told all her elementary school classmates that she owned a horse, and then had to keep up the lie.
• Matt Litrell, a U.S. Marine veteran, completed his 7-month journey on horseback this week in California. He rode his two Mustangs across the country, starting in North Carolina. Glad everyone made it safely.
• And finally, what would you do if you were a jockey, the favorite to win in a particular race, and you dropped your whip midrace? Steal one from a competitor, probably.

That’s it for this week. Enjoy your weekend!

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Follow Leslie on Twitter: @LeslieInLex