WAR HORSE-See a future unicorn in action

On December 5th I was privileged to be able to preview the new movie "War Horse" by Steven Spielberg to be released on Christmas Day. What an experience! What a great Christmas gift to all of us, horse-lover or not! I loved this movie, not only because I love horses and hate war but because of all the messages within and around it.

Steven Spielberg saw the fantastic play "War Horse" in London and it inspired him to put aside all other projects and make that story into a movie.

If you haven't heard about this play it is quite amazing. The horses are all depicted by puppets and the puppeteers have so thoroughly studied the natural movements of horses that you completely forget that the puppets aren't real.

The story is about the love between a boy and a horse, just like in Behind the Mist. The story opens in England just before World War I when the boy's father, in a state of inebriation spent all of the families meager funds on a young, untrained thoroughbred colt instead of the needed plow horse. With loving training by the man's son, "Joey" as he is named becomes not only loyal but very strong. When the war comes, the farmer is forced to sell Joey to save the farm, breaking his son's heart, and Joey is sent off to war, but not before the boy promises to find him.

There are several touching moments in the film that had me crying...sobbing actually, and others that had me gripping by husband's arm tightly. One of the most touching scenes reminded me of the story about the Christmas Eve during WWI when the soldiers from both sides set down their guns and sang "Silent Night" together. In this movie, Joey escapes the German's who have captured him and is running between the trenches in "No Man's Land." It is a brutal scene as the horse becomes entangled in the barbed wire. (Barbed wire is every horseperson's worst nightmare!) An English solder risks his life to go out to try to save him and is joined by a German soldier who has a pair of wire cutters. The depiction of the bond of humanity that connects these two young men who have enmity forced upon them is worth the price of admission.

I don't want to spoil the movie for you but let me just say that it has shades of "Black Beauty!"

Movie producers think that "Horses don't sell." Let's prove them WRONG! Go see WAR HORSE!

After you see it, send me your comments either here, on Face book: Behind the Mist, or on my email: mjevansbtm@gmail.com

I have no doubt that Joey has earned his unicorn horn by now!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!

Horse Slaughter Houses in the US?

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a long time know that I rarely stray from my expressed theme of honoring the Noble and Great horses in our lives and throughout history. You also know that I love horses, have ALWAYS loved horses and WILL ALWAYS love horses and not just until I die but beyond death as well! So it is with difficulty and distress that I broach the subject of slaughtering horses in our country. In November, Congress voted to lift a ban on funding inspections of horse meat processing plants (Slaughter Houses.) Obama signed the bill into law on November 18.

How do I feel about this? That is a tough question. I love my horses so much. I know them personally and I believe that they love me as much. The thought of one of them coming to such a violent end makes me sick to my stomach. However, as much as I wish every horse could be in a loving home such as mine, I know that that is not the case.

Five years ago, a ban was put into law the prevented the spending of any money to inspect horse slaughter houses. As a result, no horse meat could be sold for human consumption in the US. It must be noted that slaughtering horses was not banned federally, just the inspection. Two states, California and Illinois have banned the slaughter of horses. The result of the ban was that the US slaughter houses shut down.

However, in the intervening five years, what has happened? It is important to look at the results of a governmental action...something our politicians and government beurocrates refuse to do in most cases. There have been two major problems. First, many people had no humane way to dispose of an old or injured horse. Many were simply abandoned or neglected and left to live a life of long, drawn-out misery. The second problem is that Canada and Mexico continue to have slaughter houses. I have been told that the Canadian plants are quite humane but a horse sent to Mexico is sent to a torture chamber. I hope that isn't true but my gut tells me that it is. The other issue is that horses are transported the long miles out of the country in horrible conditions.

I really hate even thinking about this and any time spent researching it leaves me so upset I have nightmares. If any of you have ever been to a horse auction, you can quickly identify the "Killers" as they are called. They are the ones who step in when a horse hasn't sold and offer a low price.

There doesn't seem to be a good answer for those of us who so love horses. My love for horses in general and my own in particular does not negate the fact that there are simply insufficient resources available, especially in this economy, to take care of unwanted horses. Then again, our Federal Government does not need to take on any more costly programs!

So what is the best thing to do?
WHAT DO YOU THINK? I don't have an answer for this and would welcome anything you have to say!

ON A HAPPIER NOTE: Escape to the land of the Unicorns in BEHIND THE MIST. Special sale price of just $9.95 is available NOW on the website, PLUS you can have it autographed!

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MESSENGER-Famous Imported Thoroughbred

Messenger was a grey thoroughbred stallion. Messenger has crosses to all three of the Thoroughbred foundation sires, particularly Godolfin Arabian. Messanger's sire was a trotter but Messenger was never used in a trotting race. However, his great grandson, Hambletonian became the father of American Trotters and Pacers so I guess he kept that talent and passed it on. For more information on Hambletonian, read my post on December 15, 2010.

Messenger was bred in England. There, he started in 16 flat races and won ten of them. Messenger's races, usually less than two and half miles, were mainly "match" races in which the side bets far exceeded the purse.

In May 1788 Sir Thomas Benger imported Messenger to Pennsylvania. In 1793, Messenger was sold to Henry Astor. According to an article in Wikipedia, "Messenger was once advertised in a Philadelphia newspaper as: Available for service: Inquiries to be made to a certain Alexander Clay at the sign of the Black Horse in Market Street." I love little bits of history like that. It makes a famous horse like Messenger seem so real!

Messenger became a very successful stud and produced great race horses. Messenger was bred throughout Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersy. The mares he was bred with were not of the highest quality, but even so he proved himself a superior stallion, siring a great many successful thoroughbred racehorses. One example is Messenger's daughter, Miller's Damsel, also known as "Queen of the American Turf." His genes can also be found in the American Saddlebred and Tennessee Walking horses. Messenger died on January 8, 1808 at the age of 28. He is buried on Long Island.

Send me the story of your Noble and Great Horse. Write to me at:

http://mjevansbtm@gmail.com

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HORSE LOVER'S POEM

Why do I like horses? I think I must be mad.
My mother wasn't horsey - And neither was my dad.
But the madness hit me early - and it hit me like a curse.
And I've never gotten better. In fact I've gotten worse.
I hardly read a paper - but I know who's sold their horse.
And I wouldn't watch the news - Unless Mr. Ed was on, of course.
One eye's always on the heavens - but my washing waves in vain
As I rush to get the horses in - in case it's gonna rain.
I spend up every cent I've got - on horsey stuff for sure
I buy saddles, bridles, fancy boots - and then I buy some more.
I can't sew on a button - I don't even try
But I can back a truck and trailer - in the twinkling of an eye.
It's jeans and boots that I live in night and day
And that smell of sweaty horses just doesn't wash away.
I ache from long forgotten falls. My knees have got no skin.
My toes have gone a funny shape - from being stomped on again and again.
But late at night, when all is still - and I've gone to give them hay,
I touch their velvet softness and my worries float away.
They give a gentle nicker and they nuzzle through my hair
And I know it's where my heart is - more here than anywhere.
~ Author Unknown

This poem was sent in by a reader named Jodi and it touched my heart. While I live in Breeches instead of jeans, this poem otherwise fits me like a glove (a riding glove, of course!) My non-horsey parent couldn't understand my obsession but they allowed me to pursue it all the same and I thank them for that! And you should see my toes!

LAURETTA, Queen of Horses

On March 2nd, 2011, I wrote a post about Jim Key...the smartest horse ever! I made a brief mention about his mother, the Arabian Mare, Lauretta. Her story is quite fascinating. The legend has it that a fast-talking, slick and handsome Englishman wormed his way into a friendship with an Arab sheik in the 1870's. The sheik was charmed by this young foreigner named Jack Randall and threw a lavish feast for him in his tent city in the desert. During the last of many feasts, Sheik Ahemid bragged about his fabulous, priceless horses that he called the Kingly Four. He said that they were the four remaining descendants of horses who belonged to the Pharaohs. He owned three stallions, named Philis, Ectes and Ranus, and one mare named Lauretta. The beautiful grey mare was his prized possession.

Jack Randall said he worked for a great sheik in far-off England whose name was P.T. Barnum. He promised that his boss would pay her weight in gold plus one thousand horses to acquire Lauretta. This was tremendously insulting to the Sheik and, in a fit of rage, ended the feast and sent the audacious Englishman back to his tent.

That night, under the light of the desert stars, Jack Randall creeped past the sleeping guards and into the tent of the Kingly Four. He bridled Lauretta, leaped on her back and galloped her across the wind-swept desert sands. Grief and anger filled Persia. P.T. Barnum paid a reported $50,000 for the kidnapped horse and her history added to her popularity as P.T. Barnum took her around Europe with his circus.

Once the notoriety died down, Lauretta was sold to a smaller circus and then to yet another. Cruel treatment resulted in poor health and appearance and her loss of value as a circus performer. Somewhere along the line, she ended up in a small circus in America where she was found by Doc Key, the well known horse trainer. Through much time, love, patience, kindness and his own home remedies, Dr. Key was able to bring her back to her original beauty though not strength.

As you might expect, Lauretta became very attached to Doc Key and he couldn't bare to leave home without her. She soon began performing her circus tricks just to show off...not out of fear of the whip or pin-pricks.

She was later bred to a Hambletonian and produced the famous horse: Jim Key that you can read about on the Mar. 2 post. You can read about Hambletonian, the grandfather of the American Trotters and Paces on the December 15, 2010 post.

I got this information from excerpts from the book: "Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of the World's Smartest Horse" by Mim Eichler Rivas.

Send me the story of your Noble and Great horse:

email:

http://mjevansbtm@gmail.com

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Luke, the boy book critic reviews BEHIND THE MIST

You have to watch this darling little boy give his review of Behind the Mist!


Behind the Mist was written for the middle grade readers: 9 to 14. But this boy is just 8 so if you know of a precocious 8 year old, they will love it, too!

WAR ADMIRAL - Famous son of Man O'War

The picture above is of the most famous horse race in American History: the match race between the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral and the "people's darling" from the west coast: Seabiscuit. As you probably already know, Seabisuit won that race by four lengths.

However, dear readers, do not let that take away from the greatness of War Admiral! This wonderful horse was born in February, 1934 at the Lexington, Kentucky home of his father: Man O'War. The name of the breding facility is Faraway Farm. He was the sixth foal by Man O'War from the mare Brushup. The first five were fillies and didn't do great on the race track. But War Admiral was another story. In all, his owner: Samuel D. Riddle raced him 26 times and he won 21 of them. As I mentioned, he was the triple crown winner in 1937 and was named "Horse of the Year" that year. He was later elected to the National Museum of Racing and the Hall of Fame.

Unlike the movie depiction of him, he was a dark brown and smaller than average. The average race horse is 16 hands. His father, Man O'War was 16.2 but War Admiral was only 15.3 hands.

War Admiral went on to become a great sire. He fathered 40 stakes winners before he died in 1959 at the age of 25.

He is truly one of the noble and great horses and deserves to become a unicorn!


Here is the newsreal clip of War Admiral winning the 1937 Kentucky Derby, the first of the Triple Crown Races.

Send me the story of your noble and great horse. He doesn't have to be famous...just loved:

Email: http://mjevansbtm@gmail.com

or visit the Behind the Mist Facebook Page!