This Week in Horses — April 17, 2015

Happy Friday, everyone! Here’s some horse-world news you can share with your barn buddies this weekend.

A rider in Chester County, Penn., earned the admiration of passers-by when he rode his pretty pinto through the McDonald’s drive-thru last week. Meanwhile in Texas, one rider was fined for riding his steed to Taco Bell.
Being a police officer is a tough job, and it’s important to have a creative outlet to de-stress at the end of the day. For example, Jacob the police horse enjoys painting.

The small town of Bristol, Vermont has weekly curbside trash pickup courtesy of Pat Palmer and his team of draft horses. This horse-drawn service is now expanding to neighboring Middlebury. I might move to Vermont.
This promotional video for the Grand National steeplechase earned a lot of criticism last week. Safe to assume it’s fake, but there’s always the argument that someone out there will think it’s real and try to recreate it at home. I like to think people are smarter than that, but…

Check out this article about the Compton Jr. Posse, an organization that gives kids from tough areas of L.A. the chance to ride and show horses. The group has been around since the 1980s, but is getting a bit of attention this week as its founder, horsewoman Mayisha Akbar, is being featured in a documentary series called “Project Believe.”

We love that Queen Elizabeth still rides regularly at age 89. She gets criticism for never wearing a helmet, which is to be expected, but what’s with the Daily Mail saying that her riding companions ARE wearing helmets? No they’re not. Anyway, enjoy the photos.
Being the only horse in history to receive a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct in a college football game is a dubious distinction, but it was enough to earn Lord Nelson a short obituary in the New York Times this week. Lord Nelson lived to the impressive age of 42.
And finally, let’s close with this video of Wilma, a feral pig who has decided she wants to live with the polo ponies at a ranch in Honolulu.