Earlier this month we reported on a sad incident on a French beach in which a horse and rider fell into decomposing green algae. Toxic gasses produced by the seaweed killed the horse almost immediately, while the rider was pulled to safety, narrowly avoiding the same fate. Read the story.  

At right, a photo of the horse, Sir Glitter, provided by his owner/rider.

Now an Associated Press report is adding quite a bit to the picture, including the hows and whys of the dangerous algae gas.

A quick excerpt:

"The horse is only the latest victim of the algae's noxious fumes. A man was found dead on the same beach two decades ago, his arm sticking out from a pile of algae. Another man fell into a four-day coma after cleaning algae 10 years later. And last year, two dogs died while romping on an algae-covered beach 60 miles to the east.

"At Grandville beach, where the dogs died, putrefying algae has turned the sand to blackened silt, spotted with green swampland and white crusty clumps of algae in decay. The stench of hydrogen sulfide hangs heavy in the area, where people occasionally show up to gawk at the ruined beach."

Read more about the algae and hydrogen sulfide.  

Quick weird story: a few days ago, one of the girls at my boarding stable was riding when a neighbor went up in his ultralight. This particular contraption looks like a hang glider with a seat, propelled by a large ducted fan. Its parachute/wing thing flaps in the breeze and it sounds like a big horsefly. It looks sort of like this.  

He doesn't get much altitude, so riding while he's flying can quickly become more exciting than intended, should he come in for a low pass.

Or should the propeller fall off.

No joke - he was flying over the field next door when the fan/propeller dropped off and fell from the sky. He glided to safety in a front yard and the mare (bless her) miraculously kept her wits about her.

What's the craziest thing that's happened while you're riding?

It's simple—three lines with a pattern of 5-7-5 syllables each, respectively. To add yours, make sure you're signed in (if you're not registered on TheHorse.com it's free and easy) and just hit comment below the post.

Here are mine:

My horse is too fat
For Kentucky summer heat
Sweating in the shade

Feeling lazy too
Bareback rides on shaded paths
Grateful he's mellowed

Summer grooming means
Hoof conditioner, sunscreen
Diligent for ticks

Hot days at horse shows
Big gray horse clipped and spotless
Perfumed with Show Sheen

Stewards waive show coats
White breeches are not my friends
Vanity loses

He's such a good boy
Blue ribbons flutter on stall
Carrots forever

Pastures hold their green
Ironic that winter hay
Needs to be stacked now

Summer gone so fast
Kids at barn are back at school
Autumn in the air

Pretty bad haikus
I'd better keep the day job
Share your summer scene!

Ten horses with the St. Louis police department's mounted patrol division were tested for lead poisoning earlier this week after high levels of the toxic element were found in the in the floors and walls of their stable, stltoday.com reported.

None of the horses or the 22 employees showed elevated levels of lead. The Board of Police Commissioners of now debating whether to board the horses for six months while the lead is abated.

An apparent lightning strike killed five horses in an Enfield, N.Y. pasture this week, The Ithaca Journal reported.

Farm owner John Rancich found the five down in the 60-acre pasture following a severe thunderstorm. A veterinarian said they were likely struck by lightning, and it's believed death was instantaneous.

The horses included two Shires, a Thoroughbred-Shire cross, a Quarter Horse, and an Arabian.

Three other horses survived.

Read more about lightning and horses.  

How do you manage your horses during storms? Do you bring them inside, or do they stay out on pasture?

Former fashion model Jordan, aka Katie Price, has been a topic of conversation among some horse folks ever since she decided to take up dressage. See Horse and Hound coverage of her competitive debut last June.  

Since that time she's been a hot subject in the dressage world on issues like glitter shadbellies and her line of ... unique ... equine apparel. (See what I'm getting at).  

A recent upgrade in horsebox made headlines as well - the old one must not have been pink enough, as it was replaced by a bigger, pinker, more glittery version. See photos.

Which I think brings us up to this week.

Teenage fan Hannah McMullen told entertainmentwise.com Price threatened to run her over with the aforementioned horsebox when she approached her for an autograph. McMullen, who was with her parents at the time of the incident, said she no longer admired Price and now supports her former husband. I'm sure he'll be thrilled.

(Don't judge. I spend a lot of time looking for legitimate horse-related news and all this keeps getting caught in my filters. I might as well put it to good use.)

"Win a Horse-Powered Car. Horse Not Included."

How can we not click on this headline?

Iranian inventor Hadi Mirhejazi is offering his horse-powered car, its patent, and a $100,000 cash prize to whomever can tell him why he invented it in the first place, Wired reports.  

The Naturmobil uses a horse-powered treadmill connected to a 20-gear drivetrain. This both recharges the battery and powers the two-seated vehicle at speeds up to 28 mph.

While the vehicle's Web site says Mirhejazi was trying to create a more eco-friendly conveyance, he's now offering the vehicle and prize to the person who answers the question "Why was it really invented?"

For the rest of the details--and a photo (yes, that's a real horse)--see the Wired article.

College football player Joe Windscheffel of Kansas will miss this season due to injuries sustained in a zebra attack.

You read that right. Zebra attack. Kansas.

Windscheffel, a linebacker/safety for Pittsburg State, was working at a farm near Lawrence when he was asked to move four Zebra to another pasture, MercuryNews.com reported.

The male Zebra charged the 225-lb, 6'2" linebacker and bit his arm, dragging him until two other farmhands came to assist. Windscheffel sustained a compound fracture.

Pedro, a mule standing just 29 inches tall, might not have a regal stature, but he'll be able to hobnob with the royals at the UK's Blenheim Show, JournalLive.co.uk reports. Pedro was invited by the British Mule Society, and might even meet the Queen, who's expected to attend.

Pedro's owner, Maisey Watson, said vets say Pedro's unlikely to grow above his current height of 29 inches. His dam, Mrs Pickles (yes, really), measures 30 inches.

Paul Kitchin of the British Mule Society told the paper they believe Pedro is the tiniest mule in the UK.

Check out the video. He is really cute.

The California man accused of bludgeoning his horse before decapitating it with a chainsaw will go to trial on felony animal cruelty charges.

Jack Ziniuk allegedly told a sherriff's deputy that he cut off the horse's head so he could feed it to his dogs.

Read the story in the local Press-Enterprise.  

Minneapolis television station KARE 11 is reporting a strange summer romance between a rabbit and a donkey.

It seems Bugsy Malone the bunny and Baby Boy the donkey have been inseparable ever since Bugsy first chewed through her harness to be closer to her equine companion.

Watch the video.