Chincoteague Pony Swim
What I initially thought to be a fictional event created in a novel, has turned out to actually be real globetrotters. If you’ve read Marguerite Henry’s 1947 novel Misty of Chincoteague about the wild mare Phantom and her newborn colt, then you’ll remember a key part of the story is the ‘pony swim’, when the […]
Horse Breed: Cerbat Mustang
Name of breed: Cerbat Mustang Country of origin: Arizona, USA Breed origin: The actual origin of Cerbat Mustangs is unclear and there are a number of theories as to how the breed developed. One theory states that the Cerbat Mustang is descended from Spanish Mustangs brought to the US in the 1500s. While another theory […]
Festival Fantasia
The Festival Fantasia is a centuries-old cultural performance in Morocco that combines history and storytelling, and celebrates the North African tradition of a close relationship with masculinity, horses and warfare. It is performed at weddings and holiday celebrations throughout Morocco, as well as annual festivals, and is an ever-present reminder of the country’s Berber cultural […]
Horse Breed: Canadian Horse
Name of breed: Canadian Horse Country of origin: Canada Breed origin: The Canadian horse descends from the stock that the French King Louis XIV sent to Canada (then called New France) in the late 17th century. It is not know for sure which breeds these horses were, but they needed to be incredibly strong and […]
Horse Breed: Mangalarga Marchador
Name of breed: Mangalarga Marchador Country of origin: Brazil Breed origin: The Mangalarga Marchador is the national horse breed of Brazil, where it numbers over half a million! It descends largely from Iberian stock brought to Brazil by the Portuguese royal court, which fled from Napoleon’s armies in the early 19th century. With them came […]
Horse Breed: Carolina Marsh Tacky
Name of breed: Carolina Marsh Tacky (also known as Marsh Tacky) Country of origin: USA Breed origin: The Carolina Marsh Tack, or Marsh Tacky as it is also known, is a rare breed of horse, native to South Carolina. They developed from Spanish horses brought to the South Carolina coast by Spanish explorers, settlers and […]
Horse Breed: Clydesdale
Name of breed: Clydesdale Country of origin: Scotland Breed origin: The Clydesdale was developed by Scottish farmers in a region known as Lanarkshire, which was previously called Clydesdale. To produce a versatile draught horse for farm work, coal mining and heavy haulage, Flemish stallions were imported and bred with local mares. The first recorded use […]
Pasola Festival
Sumba has one of Indonesia’s richest tribal traditions, from its wonderful ikat to timeless traditional villages. But it’s the Pasola Festival that has put this tiny island on the map for tourism. Held sometime during February or March, the date of the festival is actually determined by the arrival of a type of sea worm […]
Horse Breed: Blazer Horse
Name of breed: Blazer Country of origin: USA Breed origin: The Blazer horse breed was developed in the 1950s and 60s in northwestern America. The entire breed traces back to one chestnut stallion named Little Blaze, who was foaled in 1959. Neil Hinck was the owner and breeder, an American horse trainer who came from […]
Horseboarding
The latest extreme sports craze that has come out of the UK of all places is one for the thrill seekers among us. Horseboarding is where participants are towed behind a horse on an off-road skateboard. Invented by professional stuntman Daniel Fowler-Prime when he was messing around on a farm, this once daredevil stunt has […]
Horse Breed: Campolina
Name of breed: Campolina Country of origin: Brazil Breed origin: The Campolina is named after Cassiano Campolina, the Brazilian farmer who developed the breed. Back in 1870, Campolina’s friend gave him a black mare of Barb ancestry named Medéia, which he bred to an Andalusian stallion. The resulting foal, a grey colt named Monarca, is […]
Horse Breed: Tokara
Name of breed: Tokara, also known as the Kagoshima horse Country of origin: Japan Breed origin: The Tokara is a Japanese horse native to the Tokara Islands, an archipelago in the Kagoshima prefecture at the southwestern tip of the larger island of Kyushu. The horses were discovered on the island of Takarajima by a university […]
Snow Polo
It’s the most exclusive sporting event on earth, in Europe’s most revered location. The St Moritz Snow Polo World Cup is pomp and glamour at its finest. It’s the lifestyle of the rich and the famous – more than 12,000 private jets touch down at St Moritz’s private airport each year and a large proportion […]
Horse Breed: Giara
Name of breed: Giara Country of origin: Island of Sardinia, Italy Breed origin: The origins of the Giara horse are uncertain, with one theory suggesting it may have been brought into the island of Sardinia by the Phoenicians or the Greeks in the 4th or 5th century BC. It has characteristics of oriental horse types, […]
Burro Racing
Burro Racing is essentially a marathon that celebrates the burro’s (Spanish for donkey) role in the old mining days in Fairplay, a small town in Colorado. The yearly event is held during the last weekend of July, and is tough and unpredictable because of the burro itself. Each runner has to lead a burro carrying […]
Horse Breed: Fjord Horse
Name of breed: Fjord Horse Country of origin: Norway Breed origin: The Fjord horse is one of the world’s oldest and purest breeds. Horses were known to exist in Norway at the end of the last ice age. It is believed that the ancestors of the modern Fjord horse migrated to Norway and were domesticated […]
Retired Racehorse Project
Every year, hundreds of recently retired racehorses from across North America make their way to the horse capital of the US, Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. They are there to compete in the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium. Each horse has a trainer who has invested up to ten months preparing them […]
Horse Breed: Shire
Name of breed: Shire Country of origin: England Breed origin: The Shire is a breed of draught horse that originated in England in the 17th century. During the 16th century, Dutch engineers brought Friesian horses with them when they came to England, and these horses probably had the most significant influence on what became known […]
Horse Breed: Nokota Horse
Name of breed: Nokota Horse Country of origin: United States of America Breed origin: The Nokota horse is a semi-feral breed located in an area in southwestern North Dakota known as the ‘badlands’. The breed developed in the 19th century from foundation bloodstock consisting of ranch-bred horses produced from the horses of local Native Americans, […]
Race the Wild Coast
Race the Wild Coast is being dubbed as a new breed of horse racing set to challenge the endurance of any horseback adventurer. Riders from around the world, with a team of three horses each, compete for victory over 350km of rugged paradise on the remote east coast of South Africa. This year marked the […]
Horse Breed: Tennessee Walking Horse
Name of breed: Tennessee Walking Horse Country of origin: Tennessee, USA Breed origin: The Tennessee Walking Horse was developed in the 18th century after Narragansett Pacers and Canadian Pacers were crossed with gaited Spanish Mustangs. These horses were bred on the pastures of central Tennessee, and were originally known as Tennessee Pacers. They were known […]