The Dung Stops Here

Megan — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:21:00 GMT

Residents in Kerikeri, New Zealand, have won the right to keep their piles of fresh manure right where they left them--in the streets.

As reported by Stuff.co.nz, the controversial bylaw, stating riders had to immediately pick up horse droppings in public places, was originally drafted due to droppings left by a Clydesdale near a local cafe. Local horse owners swarmed the council with more than 100 letters opposing the bylaw, which was then repealed.

Anti-dropping campaigner Charlie Smellie (yes, that really is his name) was unhappy with the repeal, stating that the wording of the original bylaw should have applied the cleaning of the poop to only the Kerikeri central business district.

The Daily Mail UK reports a woman is suing Britain's Ministry of Defense (MoD) for the death of her 2 year old German Warmblood colt. "Alfie" reportedly died Sept. 3, 2009, after running his head into the stall door and wall when a Red Arrows display flew low over the barn. (The Red Arrows is the Royal Airforce Aerobatic Team, much like the United States Navy's Blue Angels.)

Laura Head, of Plymouth, Devon, had only owned Alfie for 10 days when the freak accident occurred and said he was a 'star in the making' on the dressage circuit. When she left the barn at 4:45 p.m. the colt was alive, but upon her return 30 minutes later, he was dead in his stall. Head filed an official complaint to the MoD after the incident, but she claims there was no response.

A MoD spokesperson said, "Aircrew do not fly over livestock or horses deliberately and will try to avoid them whenever it is safe and practicable to do so. Low-flying training is carried out across the UK to develop and practise the tactics and techniques necessary to ensure the delivery of the full range of airpower capabilities."

Thanks to Dawn for the tips!

Performance-Enhancing Horse

Erin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:11:00 GMT

Why run a marathon when you can just ride a horse?

The fine folks at The Onion recently covered the New York City marathon in true Onion fashion, with an article on victor Meb Keflezighi's "performance-enhancing horse."

Per The Onion report, Keflezighi won the race aboard a 2- to 4-year-old chestnut Thoroughbred.

Race officials investigated after reports of, "remarkable speed, unusual race-day height, and distinctive 'clip-clop' gait, Keflezighi's frequent nickering caused the other runners to speculate that he may have been using a horse in some fashion," organizer Mary Wittenberg was quoted as saying.

Read the rest and see a photo.

Snaps to reader Leah for the weird news tip!

A woman is suing the New York Police Department after a police horse allegedly bit her on the arm, nbcnewyork.com reported.

The woman contends that she suffered permanent injuries in the "ferocious" attack by a horse named Mr. Biggs. According to the report, the (human) officer allowed the horse to approach the victim, at which time she was bitten on the forearm. The suit alleges the officer should've had control of the horse because of its "propensity to attack and bite human beings."

The best part of the story might be nbcnewyork.com's closing line: "We've left a salt block and a few carrots outside the precinct but have yet to hear back from Mr. Biggs for a comment."

Weird Horse News : lawsuit

The Dung Stops Here

Performance-Enhancing Horse