Horse Illustrated Magazine

Note: This is day 30 of my 30-day blogging challenge. What the heck is a 30-day blogging challenge? Read about it here.

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

• The Super Bowl has already been won by this puppy and his Clydesdale friends.
• There sure are a lot of dudes headlining the natural horsemanship world. They’re great and all, but do you ever feel like there are probably lots of women doing the same thing at barns and ranches across America without seeking the spotlight? Thanks to the American Horsewoman’s Challenge, the spotlight is now seeking them. The inaugural event was a success last year, and organizers are now seeking funding to do it again.
• Have you ever wondered how people can afford to jet off to Florida to compete on the winter circuit? Me too. Horse Nation’s Carla Lake did an eye-opening rundown of the costs involved in competing in Florida, and SPOILER ALERT. It isn’t cheap. Guess I’d better start saving up.
• Horses Saved By Firefighters. Another week, another story about a horse getting stuck and having to be rescued by the local fire department. In fact, here are two such stories. The first is Foxy, a former show jumper who got herself wedged in a well. The other is Snoopy (not my Snoopy) who got stuck in the mud up to his neck! And you thought your pasture was in bad shape. Both horses were successfully rescued. Be careful out there, folks.

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Why the long face #Snoopy? Cold, wet & hungry but thanks to our firefighters he is alive & seems well #notjustfires pic.twitter.com/9Djvk7oEfl

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) January 29, 2015

• Time to get a real helmet. New for 2015: All AQHA youth exhibitors in English classes—even non-jumping classes—will need to wear ASTM/SEI approved helmets. No more “apparel only” hunt caps. Now we just have to get the adult amateurs on board. (Rumors of a helmet rule for barrel racers, however, were not true.)
• Cheating to Win. That’s what jockey Roman Eric Chapa allegedly did. When a photo of the race was posted on the racetrack’s website, people noticed the Chapa holding an illegal device used to shock his mount. He claims it was photoshopped in order to frame him. According to this article, this super swell guy has a history of animal abuse.
• Thoroughbred naming rules are one of the most fascinating parts of the racing industry, IMHO. Horseracingnation.com did a fun roundup of some of the Jockey Club’s rules, and now I’m fresh out of ideas for my next Kentucky Derby hopeful.
• The largest bronze horse sculpture in the world is being constructed in Florida. Technically, Pegasus is not a horse, but close enough. Check out the video below, which was narrated by your GPS, to find out about the process.

That’s it for this week, and this post makes it a wrap for my 30-day blogging challenge. Was it a success? Yes, in that I completed it. But did it make daily writing a habit? Eh…I don’t know about that. But it’s been fun, and I hope you enjoyed at least one thing I wrote this month.

Enjoy your weekend!

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Leslie Potter is Sr. Associate Web Editor of horseillustrated.com. Follow her on Twitter: @LeslieInLex.