This Week in Horses — May 29, 2015

Happy Friday, everyone! Here’s what’s been happening in the horse world this week.

• A Thoroughbred yearling was rescued from potential slaughter thanks to her name. New Found Glory was rescued with a donation from Chad Gilbert, guitarist of the punk band the horse was named after. Well done, sir.
• The Wall Street Journal explored the issue of whip use in Thoroughbred racing in a feature earlier this week. It seems jockey Victor Espinoza has been criticized for what appeared to be excessive whipping on American Pharoah during the Kentucky Derby.
• Are you an artistically inclined equestrian? NJ.com’s Horse News is holding an art contest open to all ages. Deadline is Sept. 25.
• My least favorite 2015 news story so far is the one about the guy who stole a horse to evade police and was later captured and beaten. Remember that? Well, he was finally charged with animal cruelty, among many other things.
• I think the best way to present this news item from New Delhi is to just give you the opening sentence of the article: “In a city where road accident victims often fail to get help from commuters, a youth helped rescue a horse that was lying on the traffic island near Delhi Gate.”
• Planning on going to the equestrian events at the Pan-American Games in Toronto this summer? Hope you already have your tickets. If not, you’d better be willing to part with a few hundred bucks from ticket resellers.
• Have you seen this horse? An Appaloosa named Spirit went missing during severe storms and flooding in his Oklahoma home. Now his owner and others are hoping to bring him home.
• Zenyatta’s human entourage confirmed that she is in foal to War Front for a 2016 baby. The racing legend had a year off from broodmare duty this year after three foals. Her 2012 and 2013 colts are currently in training. Her 2014 filly died in a pasture accident as a weanling.
• And finally, I’ve been seeing this video everywhere this week. A horse blows out the candles on his birthday cake, then “smiles.” Some of the media outlets sharing this video say that he whinnies afterwards, but I think that squeal is one of the humans laughing. Watch it and tell me what you think.

That’s it for this week. Enjoy your weekend!

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Leslie Potter is Sr. Associate Web Editor of horseillustrated.com. Follow her on Twitter: @LeslieInLex.