If you haven’t seen this film yet – take a little time this evening to treat yourself to the spirit of the West and a cowboy’s passion.
The director of the movie says it best in her own words;
“When I first encountered Dayton Hyde he was living alone on 11,000 acres in the Black Hills of South Dakota, surrounded by the thundering hooves of horses and the music of song birds. His stories of the West and his passion for wildlife captivated me, and I knew I would be back to create a film about a man who found freedom in the horses he is saving. Twenty years later, Running Wild: The Life of Dayton O. Hyde captures the essence of a man who as a cowboy, a poet and an inspiration, has handed his heart over to the West. The film looks back on his rich, diverse life and looks forward to his legacy, opening the eyes of a new generation to the beauty and fragility of what is left of this natural landscape.”
Here’s a guest blog by our friend Kristie at Edgemere equestrian over in the UK. She wants to tell you all about her favorite horses. Which one would you take for a ride?
I’ve always been partial to Bucephalus myself … something to do with a boy and a horse and taming the wild stallion – maybe you know the rest of that story:) Don’t forget you can always find a Bucephalus of your own at the gift shop!
4 Inspiring Horses from History, Myths and Legends
When you are young, you might watch plenty of horse T.V shows and movies, like Disney’s Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron, or even My Little Pony! Sometimes it’s the shows like these that lead us starting to love horses, and anything that encourages us to take up riding can only be a good thing! However, people have been telling fantastic stories about horses for millennia, and some of those stories are even more epic tales than the modern feature films of today. Here are 5 of our favourite horse myths and legends to tell your friends.
The Wind Horse is a story told in Native American culture; it’s about a beautiful wild horse that roams the land. The wind horse is a free horse, and it is his freedom that inspires him to good deeds across the land. Whenever a Native American was injured or in dire need, it is said the Wind Horse would appear and help them.
One day the Wind Horse comes across a young boy who has injured his foot in a bear trap. Selflessly, the horse helps him and they ride home together. During the journey, the horse senses the thoughts of the young boy – he fears for the future as he has injured himself beyond recovery, and he fears that he will be lonely, unable to join in with his friends due to his injury.
The legend says that the Wind Horse knew it’s duty from then on was to protect the boy and be his friend, so the horse gives up his freedom to live out the rest of his days with his new companion. When the new friends reach home, the boy is healed.
Pegasus is a beautiful immortal winged horse from Greek Mythology – you might remember him from stories about the great hero Hercules, but he actually belonged to the hero Perseus! He was a brave warrior who wanted to win the hand of a beautiful lady, but a rival also wanted to win her love. Because of this, a challenge was set, and Perseus had to kill the evil Gorgon monster Medusa. Perseus succeeded in his quest, and the beautiful horse Pegasus was born. The horse helped many heroes with their quests, and he can now be seen honoured as a constellation in the sky.
You’ve no doubt heard of Alexander the Great; he was one of the most successful conquerors the world has ever known! Bucephalus was the horse of Alexander the Great, when they first met, the horse was wild and un-tamed, and he was a huge horse too, with a face like a bull. At just 12 years old Alexander decided to train this famous horse, and he succeeded with his natural horsemanship. Together they rode into many battles and forged one of the biggest empires ever known.
Movies about Thor and Loki have cause a rising interest in Norse culture, and you might have already heard of the Norse god Odin. Well, Sleipnir was Odin’s steed, and he was highly unusual as he has eight legs! Luckily, this made him supremely fast, sure-footed, and able to jump enormous obstacles!
Personally, my favourite story of this selection is the story of Alexander the Great and Buccephalus, simply because it’s a classic example of the great things a partnership between human and horse can achieve. Would Alexander have achieved the same success if he didn’t have his loyal steed? I wonder. However, there’s no doubt that trusting your horse and treating it like a partner will likely lead to you becoming an unstoppable team!
Which ancient horse would you have loved to ride?
This article was written by Kirstie, digital editor at Edgemere.
I’ve read about this Chinese medicine for people but never thought how good it might be for use with horses. I had a letter this week that one owner had really excellent results on cuts, as a general antibiotic mixed with water and used in ears, etc. and even taken internally. Unlike regular antibiotics it doesn’t seem to build up resistance. And it’s VERY affordable since they use it all the time in China. It is available as a powder, ointment, spray or packaged bandages. Vietnam veterans might remember seeing the vials during the war.
Has anyone used this herbal remedy before? Like to hear your comments & if it worked for you or not.
Thanks!
Think Orb will do it again in the Preakness?
Enjoy the Ride! TF
From Wikipedia;
Yunnan Baiyao (or Yunnan Paiyao) (simplified Chinese: 云南白药; traditional Chinese: 雲南白藥) is a hemostatic powdered medicine famous for being carried by the Vietcong to stop bleeding during the Vietnam War. [1] The medicine, developed by Qu Huangzhang in 1902, is designated as one of two Class-1 protected traditional medicines, which gives it 20 years protection. In China, its reputation is equal to that of penicillin in the U.S. It is founded and manufactured by a state-owned enterprise, Yunnan Baiyao Group in Yunnan, China. The formula is secret.
You might remember when “Dreamer” was born last year. That’s her picture as a newbie. Now she’s old enough to start training so here’s a few videos of how she is coming along. We always love to hear your comments so … keep on writing – and reading!
Here’s an interesting story about trying to save a declining species – amazing how much we can learn from research. It’s written by my dear cousin Diana Lutz. So a big THANKS for all your hard work!
The secret lives of the wild asses of the Negev
As a critically endangered population makes a comeback, scientists are keeping a discreet eye on it with the help of GPS and dung
March 27, 2013
By Diana Lutz
The wild asses of the Negev are extremely wary of people, but Brian Hampton, who studies Australia’s wild horses (in t-shirt) was able to get close enough to dart this male, called Tail-less because of a missing appendage. See the video below for the record of Tail-less’ movements generated by the GPS device with which he was fitted. The man on the left with the black hair is Amos Bouskila, another of Templeton’s collaborataors.
The story is too familiar. The Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus) which once ranged widely over the desert steppes Mongolia, Russia and the Arabian Peninsula now survives only in small, isolated populations.
It disappeared from the Negev, the desert region in southern Israel, in the 1920s. But a remnant herd survived in the Shah of Iran’s zoo, and some of these animals were brought back to Israel before the Iranian revolution in 1979, where they were bred in captivity. Of this captive herd 28 animals were reintroduced to the desert beginning in 1982 with an additional 10 released in 1992.
But the Asiatic wild ass is truly feral and doesn’t tolerate the presence of people. So once released, the animals were difficult to find, much less to monitor…. For the rest of the story (pdf) click here: The secret lives of the wild asses of the Negev
