Happy Friday, everyone, and happy early Mother’s Day to the moms out there. That’s a reminder for everyone to pick up a card or flowers or a pet rock or NASCAR tickets or whatever your mom is into. If you’re lucky, you mom is a horse person and you can enjoy a nice Sunday trail ride together.
Anyway, here’s what’s been happening in the horse world this week.
- I’m going to start this week’s news roundup with my favorite story. A horse caretaker in Indonesia has taken it upon himself to provide a horse-powered mobile library for the rural region in which he lives. Ridwan Sururi, his daughter, Indriani Fatmawati, and Luna the pony bring books to schools in nearby villages in an area where literacy rates are gradually improving.
- Chanquette the Andalusian is allergic to grass, oats, insects, and a bunch of other stuff that abounds at horse stables. Fortunately, he has a dedicated owner who is willing to put in the extra effort to keep him comfortable, including outfitting him in head-to-tail fly armor.
- Two stolen-horse stories had happy endings this week. Darlene Moore of Florida was reunited with her Quarter Horse mare, Misty, about a day after she was initially reported missing. Myles, an Oldenburg/Thoroughbred in Ontario, was found at a farm not far from his rightful owners after being stolen on Tuesday night. Both horses are back home and apparently unhurt.
- You’ve got to love everything about Valor the Mini Horse, a volunteer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Let’s add her to the list of amazing chestnut mares.
- The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, which would put an outright ban on horse slaughter in the U.S., has been reintroduced in the senate. The Act has bipartisan support, and has convinced at least one youngster to dive into the world of political activism.
- Over at The Mary Sue, writer Sara Goodwin has compiled a list of the best equine companions in Disney movies. Do you agree with it? I haven’t seen Tangled, but now I might have to.
- And finally, if you need some inspiration to get out there and ride this weekend, here’s the story of a British equestrian who has been riding around the world for the past six years, largely on borrowed horses.
That’s it for this week. Enjoy your weekend!
Back to The Near Side
Leslie Potter is Sr. Associate Web Editor of horseillustrated.com. Follow her on Twitter: @LeslieInLex.
Leslie PotterLeslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky. Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.