The “Outsider” Sometimes Wins

Today’s Aintree Grand National win for race horse Mon Mome – ridden by Liam Treadwell and trained by Venetia Williams – at odds of 100-1 should be a reminder to us all that the “outsider” sometimes wins the big prize, not only against the odds, but well ahead of the race.

Congratulations to the team behind today’s outsider win….and a “Harvey Smith” to any sulky punters who failed to cheer !

Riding & Road Safety

I published the following post some 2 years ago @ http://janetmackinnon.blogspot.com  As someone recently posted a comment which thanked me for writing it, I’ve decided to republish my thoughts on this important issue :

My intolerance to bureaucracy is on a par with some people’s reaction to foods which strongly disagree with them. Nevertheless, I do wonder whether a “road safety” test should be made compulsory for unsupervised horse riders ie those unaccompanied by a qualified person, such as a riding instructor.

I should point out that I have arrived at this point of view over several years, and from different perspectives. In addition to having been a qualified car driver for 27 years, although I do not use a motor vehicle just now, I am a pedestrian, cyclist and horse rider. I am also professionally involved in planning and transport related areas, and a sometime environmental activist, concerned with, amongst many other things, road safety issues. Some years ago I passed the British Horse Society’s Riding and Road Safety Test (on my second attempt), and organised the test on behalf of other horse riders : an increasingly bureaucratic experience.

In the meantime, there are more cars and other vehicles on the road, especially in semi-rural areas, and the standard of driving has probably declined, and this not exclusively, by any means, amongst young people. Like most horse-riders, I have had my share of near misses and have friends who have not been so lucky. Yet is has to be said that some of the same horse people who complain about conditions on the road – and in some cases will no longer ride out on it – are precisely the kind of driver you would not like to meet on a horse iethey drive too fast for the road conditions and sometimes inattentively.

Equally, most horse riders have not undertaken any formal road safety training, let alone their BHS Test, and this is all too visible in an increasing amount of “bad” riding on the road. Indeed, in many cases, it is fortunate that horses have more sense than their riders. So, all in all, perhaps it is time for compulsory testing.

Please see www.bhs.org.uk for information about the British Horse Society’s Riding and Road Safety Test.

Appropriate “Horse” Management Works

Several years ago, a horsewoman (and qualified vet, although she no longer practiced) mentioned a so-called animal communicator and healer, called Margrit Coates. Although we shared important common interests, I found the former veterinary lady difficult to get along with, and she probably felt similarly disposed to me. However, I’m very grateful for the information she provided.

So with the Margrit Coates book, Connecting with Horses (Rider 2008), I agree with much of this, but somehow find it difficult to connect with (particularly all the therapy-speak !) Nevertheless, I would still recommend the book to fellow equestrians, not least because it points out that so-called “natural horsemanship” techniques can be just as detrimental – without the right experience, temperament and character in the human trainer – as conventional schooling methods in the wrong hands.

However, it is the following extract (ammended slightly by me) from the Margrit Coates book (from the final section entitled “Hands and Hooves in Partnership”) that I really did connect with :

“Brothers Om and Jai share a struggle for survival with Raju, the mule who earns a living for their family in India. Several years ago the brothers’ father died and left behind a sick wife, seven children and the mule. At the time, Om and Jai were around seven and five years old, and their mother had no option other than to send her sons to work, and their only hope was Raju. They started working in a brick kiln and Raju worked as a family member, co-operating in their need as a true and faithful friend.

The Brooke (http://www.thebrooke.org) mobile veterinary team and community animal health workers were working in the area, and 4 years ago Dr Shabir, the vet in charge, came in to contact with the brothers and their mule. He noticed these 2 boys as very polite and sensitive owners, always keen to know about the Brooke’s treatments and welfare messages. According to Dr Shabir, “Raju is about 15 years old now and his condition is good – he is fit for work. I wonder how these small boys keep their animal in good health in such adverse circumstances”….

…”Both brothers are so caring about their animal that they immediately take Raju to the Brooke team whenever any problem arises. Jai said, “How could we neglect Raju ? He is our only hope in the absence of our father. He gives us support to live and feeds us. Without his help we could not find a way out of our crisis period”. Dr Shabir reports, “I am thankful to these young innocent children that I have never needed to attend an emergency for Raju because they give priority to prevention of problems”…

A hardworking family indeed !  Please also see my Horse Work Blog @ http://horsework.wordpress.com