Tag: stories

Arabian Nights closing – end of an era :{

After 25 years and thousands of shows with millions of cheering fans Arabian Nights is closing it’s doors at the end of the year. We all have great memories and it’s a sad day.
A heartbreak for everyone but the times have changed and been tough on so many horses – as you all probably know too well. See the show one last time before it’s too late.
Here’s the news’;

KISSIMMEE, Fla. —Arabian Nights dinner attraction in Kissimmee is closing its doors Jan. 1, owner Mark Miller announced Friday.

After 25 years and more than 10,000 performances for more than 10 million guests, Miller says the local attraction can no longer provide a product cheap enough for consumers.

Despite the closing, Miller says staff will remain dedicated to providing the best show possible for its last scheduled shows.

“Our mission now is to present the best possible product for the rest of the year so that the people who have loved us over the years will be able to come back and experience the magic of our show one last time,” Miller said.  “Then we will be concentrating on how to assist our incredible staff in handling this transition.”

Miller praised his staff, saying, “There is no question that the skill, dedication, work ethic and people skills of our employees have enabled [us] to be the best there is. Anyone looking for an incredible employee after the first of the year should call our human resource department immediately.”

While the staff continues to perform its annual Christmas show, ending Dec. 31, Miller is offering half-price admission to central Florida residents.

http://youtu.be/hGlv7uwweMQ#aid=P9ZzFn3aFWI

 

Who is your favorite horse?

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!

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4_Inspiring_Horses_from_History – PDF

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 Story of the Wind Horse

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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.

The Pegasus

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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.

Bucephalus

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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.

Sleipnir

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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.

 

Ride on!!
your ol’ friend tim farley

“Houdini” the magic Horse – We’ll miss you!

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Photography: Courtesy Bobby Lovgren

My friend and writer E. McCall just finished this interview with the fabulous Hollywood horse trainer Bobby Lovgren for the latest Cowboys & Indians magazine.
Bobby worked a lot with Corky Randall, head trainer on the Black Stallion movies, and Houdini was one of the “stars” in the “Zorro” movies and “Lone Ranger” among others. The Hollywood horse world is a tough business and anyone that can take the ups and downs, hurry up and waits and last minute changes deserves way more than the little wrangler / handler / trainer line somewhere hidden at the end of the credits. These guys and gals know how to get the best out of their horses and – ON CUE!!!

As the famous cowboy Roy Rogers once wrote; “Just as with human beings, so I believe it is a fact about horses; some are born to perform and some are not. When Trigger and I are about to ride into an arena, I can feel the surge of excitement run through him before the spotlight hits us. I am convinced he takes pride in his accomplishments and that he not only recognizes me but loves me… no two humans are alike, nor are two horses.”

I hope you enjoy this talk with a present day horseman and trainer, Bobby Lovgren,

Farewell Houdini: Veteran Hollywood Horse Often Played Horse Of A Different Color In Storied Career

Apr 11, 2013 – 08:01 AM

It will take time until Hollywood horse trainer Bobby Lovgren and family look back on March 27, 2013, as anything but the day Houdini died.  It also happened to be Lovgren’s 48th birthday. That morning, Lovgren made a quick trip to a studio in Los Angeles and picked up a saddle. He was driving home to his ranch in Acton, when his wife Wendy called, “Houdini is sick.”

An hour later, the Lovgrens made a difficult decision together with the two veterinarians called in.  The buckskin quarter horse gelding who’d made his mark in an elite cadre of Hollywood movie horses, now joined the ranks of those deceased.

Cowboys & Indians: What stands out about Houdini’s long career as an equine actor?

Bobby Lovgren: The biggest thing I can say about him, is that he was so much a part of our family. His very first big film was The Mask of Zorro [1998]. Corky Randall hired me on that. Houdini was Captain Love’s horse. I think that was one of two films where he was his own color — buckskin. Most of the time he was black, so he could double other horses. Houdini was such a confidence booster. I can’t even begin to remember all the actors that that he really babysat for, gave lessons to and things like that. This had nothing to do with my training. It was just the quality of the horse and his attitude. All my training did was enhance that.

C&I: How old was Houdini?

Lovgren: We got him in Lakeview Terrace from my horse shoer. I was told he was out of Dash for Cash, but I never got his papers. I think he was 12 when I got him. We never knew exactly. We think he was around 26 when he died, but he always acted like a 15-year-old horse or even younger, because he was always in shape. Obviously, the older Houdini got, I was very protective of what he did. He did the little specialty things. If it was difficult, I had a double for him.

C&I: Who are some of the actors who rode Houdini in his film career?

Lovgren: I think the biggest was on the second Zorro, The Legend of Zorro [2005]. Antonio Banderas rode Houdini the entire time through that.  We doubled him to look like a Friesian. We did a lot of the things at liberty with Antonio, which he really liked. I’d work Houdini on the whips [like a conductor leading an orchestra] and Antonio would ride. That’s how we got his riding much better. Although he rode very well to begin with, he really enjoyed doing that with Houdini. We would work Houdini and I’d take the bridle off and work him loose with the Antonio on him. That’s how I give a lot of my lessons, actually. It gives them [actors] their balance much better. Those things are such confidence builders when you go into a project.  He gave that. Houdini actually had quite a big sequence in “The Lone Ranger.” I can’t say what he did yet because the movie hasn’t been released, but he has a really nice part in that.

C&I: Can you say what color he was, so we can look for him?
For the rest of the story click here

Enjoy the ride … for as long as you can!

Thanks to Hunter Hauk @ C&I – TF

The secret lives of the wild asses of the Negev

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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

Hope you like it – Enjoy the ride!  tim