Decorated horses have graced the streets of many a city since the Trail of Painted Ponies started in Santa Fe. Local artists paint the fiberglass equines, which are often auctioned at the end of the season as a fundraiser. Beautiful community art, raising money for good causes.

But in the village of Saugerties, N.Y., similar fiberglass equines have lately encountered some abuse, an article from the Daily Freeman reports.

Three of the horses have sustained damage. The vandalism even led to some arrests, said town Councilwoman Nancy Campbell.

"Campbell said one of the three men arrested apparently broke a horse off its pedestal and then tried to 'ride' it down Main Street," the report noted.

(And the real shocker: "She said all the men reportedly were drunk.")

The display features 46 fiberglass horses on village streets. The horses will remain throughout the summer before they're auctioned at a horse show Sept. 12.

The proceeds from the auction will go to area food banks and the Saugerties Area Chamber of Commerce. See some of the horses.  

So, please: lay off the ponies.

"[The horses are] begging to be touched," Campbell told the paper, "but they're not begging to be ridden."

Read more about the Saugerties Horse'n Around (and check out those cookies!).

With all the elements of a Cirque production--gymnasts, contortionists, dancers, and feats of strength--plus horse acts including trick riding and drill team, you'd think Artania would be a hit.

But it's not to be, at least in Dallas, according to an article on DallasNews.com. The big top came down in the middle of the Dallas dates. Organizers blamed the abrupt closure on issues with vendors and performers' visas.

One local horse trainer said she drove to the showground to offer information on where the horses could be stabled locally.

"I'm not ready to talk about this now," organizer Mairbek Kantemirov told DallasNews.com Monday.

See a promotional video clip.  

(In related news, did you know Cavalia is coming to Chicago? The run is scheduled for July 14-26. I hear it's amazing. See the site.)  

I'm currently in New Orleans for the annual seminar of American Horse Publications, an industry group for horse magazine people (it's sort of like AAEP for equine publishing).

As usual, I'm making note of all the equine activity. Between the carriage mules, fiberglass horses at the Mardi Gras World parade float wonderland, and the gorgeous steeds of the NOPD gracing Bourbon Street, there's been quite a bit to see.

Tonight we were lucky enough to go on a ghost tour through the French Quarter. Tour guide Kalila Smith wove some fantastic tales for us, including a story about a hologram-like apparition replaying the Battle of Shiloh (complete with cavalry horses and mules) in the former residence of General Beauregard.

At right, see the LaLaurie House, considered to be the most haunted locale. I shot pics as we were walking down the block and every single one of them has that weird splotch of color--it's a different size and shade in each, but it's there. Interesting, eh?

In poking around on the tour company's Web site, I also found an interesting picture of a horse with what's described as a wolf ghost. Check it out. (Or see the whole collection).  

Stay tuned for more weird news.

In other news, in the past 48 hours or so I have eaten:

• Alligator
• Seafood gumbo
• Mango sorbet
• Veggie muffaletta
• Shrimp po'boy

And much, much more. Once I get around to the beignets, they'll have to roll me home.

They say good fences make good neighbors—so something tells me the fences (at least those bordering one mule's pasture) aren't so great in Hulbert, Okla. According to a report in the Tahlequah Daily Press, a mule there is causing a ruckus through its attempted advances toward local riding horses.

Police answered a call about the animal last month, when it ran across a field and jumped fences to approach a rider on horseback. According to the report, a woman was riding one horse and ponying another when the mule approached and mounted the horse she was leading, despite her attempts to hit it with a whip and the reins.

The report noted, "Mules are generally sterile, but they don’t know that, and like other mammals, they have the natural drive to procreate."

Apparently the feeling wasn't mutual; the horse fled. A man on an ATV wrangled the mule, which the report notes had harassed area people previously.

Real estate, car, and horse ads will occasionally include the term "determined seller" to let prospective buyers know that all offers will be considered.

But I've never heard of a determined buyer.

Virginia Freeman of Artois, Calif, has some determined buyers on her hands, specifically, a group of unidentified men pressuring her to sell her donkeys to them, reports the Chico Enterprise-Record.  

It started when four men went into a local shop and asked the store owner if she would sell her donkeys (which were pictured in a photo in the store).

"The men harassed the woman repeatedly about selling the animals," the report stated. "When she took down the photos, and finally made it clear they weren't for sale at any price, the men backed away."

Then phone calls to Freeman began. A man called repeatedly, offering to buy her donkeys. She explained the animals were rescues and that they weren't for sale. No price was offered.

More calls, including offers to buy smaller donkeys only visible from her own backyard, followed. Other incidents, including a chain on her gate and a car parked along the road (when Freeman's husband approached the vehicle, the driver asked whether they had burros for sale, then drove away), add to the mystery.

She's reported the issue to the local police, but without any identification on the men, there's not much they can do.

What might be going on here? Anyone heard of a similar story?

Yes, the word "horse" appears:

"Woman obsessed with rabbits back in hutch."  

Excerpt: "She also was told not to go within 100 yards of a rabbit."

If you want a great story in a concise form, there's no beating a good police blotter. Every word is just packed with meaning (and, frequently, a bit of dry humor).

Speaking of, sounds like there's some equine unrest in Montana.

Here's an unabridged excerpt from the Flathead County Sheriff's Report, as reported in the Flathead Beacon (be sure to note, these all came in within an hour of each other!):

• 4:25 p.m. A pony was lying prone in a field on Danielson Drive, arousing suspicions of animal cruelty. While the animal did have an injured leg, it had already been addressed by a veterinarian.
• 4:37 p.m. A saddle was stolen on Trumble Creek Road.
• 5:17 p.m. A small herd of horses was running down Highway 2. Authorities facilitated in an efficient round-up.

But some of the best reading is admittedly not horse related:

2:29 a.m. A father managed to corner his daughter's boyfriend in her room. Evidently, the wily youth likes to sneak in late at night.

For more great reading, check out their full collection. These headlines are cracking me up:

• Roaming Steed and a Volatile Grill
• Peeping Tom and a Rotten Steak
• Flaming Portable and Burnt Pie

... But it's not just Montana.

"A pig attacked horses and people and damaged property April 23 in Adams Run, a Charleston County Sheriff's Office report states.

"A caller was in "an hysterical state ... sobbing and uncontrollably hyperventilating" when she called to described the rampaging porker, the report says. She said the pig attacked her horse and then came after her as she stepped from her car."

From Oregon's Lake Oswego Review:  

"5/27/09 12:01 p.m. A man was wandering around carrying a small pony and looking confused. He was later transported to Multnomah County Mental Health."

Be sure to drop a line if you see a good one in your local police report--you can always comment below, or feel free to e-mail me.

In other news, a racehorse trainer in Dorset, U.K., has created quite a stir by riding his new Zebra to the pub, according to articles from the BBC and The Sun.  

Trainer Bill Turner had worked with donkeys, ponies, racehorses, carthorses, and "every other type of horse available" when he decided he needed a new challenge. That's when he decided to turn his hand to Zebra training. He bought a youngster named Zebedee from a wildlife park in Holland.

While the Zebra was initially difficult to manage, he soon turned around.

"Zebedee gave me a hard time at first, coming at me with his front feet and also biting," Turner said. "But I just treated him with total kindness."

And just a couple weeks later, Turner started riding him the 1.5 miles to the Kings Arms pub in Sherborne.

"A few of the pub customers came out and saw him and quickly went back in saying 'I'll have another pint of that, it's better than I thought it was,' " Turner told the BBC.

He says the plan is to teach Zebedee to jump before selling him as a pet to a new family.

Bears are a threat. And not just to humans--to equids. Specifically, donkeys.

If you aren't familiar with The Colbert Report, host Honorable Professor Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, DFA, reviews the Top 5 threats to America during the Threat Down portion of his Comedy Central news broadcast. Along with zombies, robots, and icebergs, Colbert frequently cites bears as a top threat to the nation.

Read more about Colbert's stance on bears, from Wikiality, The Truthiness Encyclopedia (potentially NFSW). And did you know you can generate your own Threat Down? Delightful.

So where do the donkeys come in?

In Canada, that's where.

According to an article in the Salmon Arm Observer, a small black bear is the leading suspect in the death of an area donkey, although the case details read like a script from CSI.

A bear was reported in the area. Bear tracks and scat were found in the donkey's pen. But the donkey's wounds were inconsistent with a bear's normal feeding habits.

"Why it's kind of confusing me is bears will consume large amounts of meat at one time, and the pictures show very little had been taken," Conservation Officer Michael Richardson said. "So it's a mystery."

Additionally, there was no blood in the area the donkey was found, leading the donkey's owner to believe it panicked and died of fright before being fed upon.

"I'm not 100% sure that it was a bear, but with the information I've received so far, and what I've found on the scene, I may be 66% sure it's this bear," Richardson told the paper.

In Ontario, a mature black bear recently killed a pet donkey on a farm between Mountain Grove and Parham, according to KingstonThisWeek.com.  

"The bear must have come right up to the door and killed the donkey there," donkey owner Bob Hawley told the paper. "I saw drag marks over the road and thought it was beavers dragging brush, and then I saw a carcass and thought it was a deer. When I looked closer I saw it was my donkey."

For yet another weird case from TheHorse.com archive, see "Sulky Horse Fends Off Attacking Bear" and "Swedish Authorities Question Alleged Bear Attack."

For a more serious take on this topic, see "Horses and Wild Animals."

In other news, random mass e-mail highlight for the week:

The source on this unknown--if you know where it came from, drop me a line and we'll provide the photo credit and more info if available!