... mustache, that is. Alfie, a 10-year-old Shire cross in Bitton, Gloucestershire, seems rather fond of his unique facial hair--so much so that he won't allow anyone to trim it, according to an article at Telegraph.co.uk.  

The black horse sports a fluffy blonde (or dirty white, I suppose) 'stache. See photo. Groom Justine Greenslade told the Telegraph that efforts to cut it have been met with resistance.

"He's obviously rather proud of his facial hair," she said. "He runs a mile if he thinks we're going to trim it."

A particularly funny editorial excerpt: "Moustaches are relatively rare on horses although they are noted among Friesians, which are said to be able to grow ones to rival surrealist painter Salvador Dali's."  

While the 20 horses set to break from the gate this Saturday in Louisville might be hogging the headlines here at home, one particular horse has reached rockstar status in Hungary.

The undefeated horse called Overdose (or alternately, "Hungarian Seabiscuit," "Budapest Bullet," or "Dozi" for short) is set to take on all comers at Europe's major tracks this summer after finding success in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia.

According to an article on BloodHorse.com, more than 20,000 (twice the norm) attended his last race in Hungary, and an estimated third of the Eastern European country's 10 million population watched on television.

The national darling was purchased as a yearling by a Slovakian steel merchant for about $3,100 at Tattersalls December sales in Newmarket. (Even better--he didn't mean it: Independent "he raised a hand in jest, convinced that not even this puny specimen could go for £2,100. But no one else made a bid, leaving Mr Mikoczy with a horse he didn't really want.")

He's heading to England May 4, with hopes of launching his campaign in the May 23 Temple Stakes.

"A horse like Overdose comes around once a century," his owner said. "There hasn't been a horse like this in this part of Europe since Kincsem."  

Again from the Independent:

"A race to him is like it is to me," his trainer said. "He gives everything, from the heart. He feels stress as the race approaches, he knows what he must do and, whether it's a big race or a small race, he only wants to win. America had Seabiscuit when everything was shit--we have Overdose."

So if none of the starters this Saturday catch your fancy, wait a couple weeks and join in with most of Hungary to cheer "Dozi" home May 23.

Who are your favorite rags-to-riches racehorses?

You've probably already heard/read/watched/blogged/twittered/posted about Madonna's recent horse tumble (in case you're lucky enough to be situated under a large rock, Madge plopped off again during a schooling session in the Hamptons).

The real story here, as far as I'm concerned is the spin factor. Hilarious.

At the time I'm posting this, Google news shows 1,694 related stories on the subject. One thousand, six hundred, and ninety-four. Most of them centering on the paparazzi issue (for our rock dwellers, the ill-fated equestrian claims a paparazzo hiding in the bushes spooked her horse).

A photographer was there. There definitely were some bushes. That much is pretty clear from the photos (note foliage in the foreground).

But from there it gets fuzzy. One story has the photog, identified as Hinton, arriving 10 minutes after the fall, then saying he had been there earlier, then returned to scene after hearing of the accident.

"If I had startled the horse, I would have gotten pictures!" Hinton reasoned to TMZ. Touché.

The second question being results of said tumble--PR maven Liz says Madonna had to be carted off in an ambulance because she fainted, while her athletic trainer says she just bruised her bum (both here). Oh yeah, there's a police report too.  

... All I know is that I just upped Google's result on this to 1,695. And that the horse she was on is super cute. And snaps for sporting the full safety gear.)

My inbox and I would dearly love to avoid the subject altogether, but I just can't see having a weird horse news blog and not touching on the weirdest horse story I think I've ever read.

Jack Ziniuk of Anza, Calif., called Animal Control and told them his horse had been attacked by dogs and was having seizures. But when they arrived, they found the horse had been hit with a sledgehammer and decapitated via chainsaw.

Take your pick: The general story. Or the literally gory details, which are not for the faint of heart.  

He's expected to be arraigned and charged with cruelty today.  

... weird.

Also, donkey basketball controversy? Cruelty or harmless entertainment?

Interesting take on it from no less than the New York Times.  

What are your thoughts?

When 11-year-old Phoebe Bone's parents told her they couldn't afford to keep both her mare, Lily, and unexpected foal, Bertie, Phoebe did the logical thing: she called in a corporate sponsor.

According to an article on telegraph.co.uk, Phoebe--recognizing an opportunity when she saw one sitting right there on Bertie's neck--wrote a letter to UK cell phone company, "3," to point out the remarkable resemblance between Bertie's unique marking (see photo) and their company logo (see site).

Offering use of Bertie's image for advertising, this smart cookie charmed her way into £1,000--enough to cover Bertie's board for the next year (and there's mention of some embroidered blankets and riding gear as well! Score!)

Sarah Pope, a spokeswoman for 3, told the Telegraph "We fell in love with Bertie as soon as we saw him and the fact that he has a 3 logo meant we had even more reason to help Miss Bone out."

It appears the rest of us horsepeople have been slacking in our pursuit of corporate sponsorship. We have large quadrupeds, infinitely suitable for photo work, banners, sandwich boards, or toting around corporate mascots.

A couple suggestions of beasts that could be earning their keep with a letter (preferably penned by an adorable British child) sent to the right place:

 

Ferrari and naughty Keeneland sales horse? Ford Mustang and Thoroughbred stallion Even the Score?

Or, one can always go the cheater's route illustrated at right ("It's natural, really!").

Anybody else have a sponsored horse? The closest mine got was modeling for an upcoming photo book--which was way cool, and resulted in some awesome prints.

Let's put these beasts to work!

Taking grooming to a new level, photographer Julian Wolkenstein's series of images of elaborately coiffed equines are making the rounds. Whether it's Rastafarian dreads or a Betty Page style, the photos give a new meaning to extreme makeover.

Several outlets have covered the story, but I like the TODAY show/MSNBC best, as they show some before-and-afters.

Wolkenstein said the images started as a 'what-if" with a friend.

"Not so many people have taken photos of horses with big hair, so we really had no idea what we were going to get into," he told the TODAY show. "Hair and makeup on a person might take two or three hours, but with horses, we just assumed, well, maybe a little bit more. Obviously, we were completely wrong."

According to the report, the prep work for the photos required about four hours--and could be undone with an impatient the flip of a head.

Horses on a test shoot were spooked by the bright flashes, so Wolkenstein turned to horses that had worked in front of cameras before.

"They had a great time," he told the show. "They loved the grooming and being fawned over--the flashlights probably not as much. They had to stand in a very specific spot so that the lighting would be right, so it was a long process getting that right."

See Wolkenstein's site to see greater detail and more samples of his work.

This reminds me of another sort of extreme grooming--see a slideshow. Naturally, I think this one's pretty great.

Easter, at least in the United States, is associated with a very particular set of fuzzy little critters. Emphasizing all that's cute and fluffy, bunnies, chicks, and lambs are everywhere.

But for some folks, Easter has an equine angle.

Canadian newspaper The Barrie Examiner very helpfully put together an article on the subject of some horse-y Easter traditions.

Here's a fun excerpt:

"Folk traditions in [Bulgaria] include the making of a special Easter loaf of bread decorated with a horse's figurehead and distributed by the women while they prance about making neighing sounds like their four-legged friends."

Righteous!

And did you know there are also annual Easter Haflinger races? A special race for the draft ponies, called the Farmer's Gallop Race, takes place in Merano, Italy, annually on Easter Monday, marking the start of the racing season.

Video: Might this be it? Video's super jumpy and takes forever--scroll to 2:40 for cute pony butts in post parade, 5:22 for them coming down the stretch. Not the real thing, but still pretty funny. (All of this sort of reminds me of the annual Shetland Grand National!)  

This has nothing to do with horses or science. (Except that my horse really enjoys our subject, particularly the Christmastime peppermint stars. And I guess there is some research in the literature, but I don't think it's been peer-reviewed.)

It's Peeps season. Can there be anything more glorious?

I adore the fluffy little buggers. The bunnies, the chicks--I don't discriminate. And as the selection has expanded to include snowmen, Christmas trees, Halloween ghosts, and valentine's hearts, my fondness has grown with it. (And, be still my heart, I just saw that they've introduced Chocolate Mousse Teddy Bears!)

But perhaps the quintessential expression of Peep adoration is the diorama, which utilizes the fluffy bundles of sugary goodness to illustrate a scene or concept. Several newspapers have gotten into the act and sponsored contests, which have taken off--the Washington Post had more than 800 entries last year!

See some finalists:

• Washington Post (2008)
• Chicago Tribune: 2008 Recap and 2009 Finalists  
• My hometown newspaper, The Ann Arbor News gets in on the fun, too. Scroll down for 2008 slideshow. (Michiganders, observe #26--"No Peeps Left Behind: Peeps Take the MEAP" Ha!)

For more Peep-y goodness, look around on Sunday for winners of the 2009 editions, or come back to the blog.