Free Republic

Almost two weeks ago, I speculated on Fox News Sunday that Mitt Romney would announce his vice presidential pick early next week, on August 6 or 7. It was, if I may say, a reasonably well-informed forecast at the time. But I didn't take into account the existence and importance of the redoubtable Rafalca, the Romneys' equestrian Olympian, who's apparently made it to the final dressage round on August 7 in London. Ann Romney, understandably, wants to be there to see Rafalca do his thing. But she also, of course, should be at the vice presidential announcement and the subsequent...

PERRIS: Fannie Mae abandoned horse, records show A horse that was found blind, starving and nearly crippled at a foreclosed home in Perris may have been a victim of Fannie Mae. I reported on the horse’s rescue last week by a couple of local good Samaritans, but I didn’t know who owned the property. I do now. It was Fannie Mae. That’s what the County Assessor’s records show, anyway. I had a feeling this was the case, based on an unreliable tip that was blurted at me by the real estate agent in charge of the property. When I called...

A mediator was trying to settle a labor dispute at Belmont Park that threatens to scratch I'll Have Another's chance of winning thoroughbred racing's first Triple Crown in more than 30 years. An official with the union representing maintenance and starting gate workers at the New York racetrack said the mediator was meeting Tuesday morning with the New York Racing Association and union leaders.

Vice President Joe Biden today said Mitt Romney’s economic policies bring to mind Kentucky Derby and Preakness champ I’ll Have Another, “except the horse is a real winner.” On the stump in Keene, N.H., this afternoon, Biden said the economic values Romney would bring to the White House were displayed during his tenure at private equity firm Bain Capital and manifest on the campaign trail, particularly in his calls to roll back Democrats’ health care overhaul, Wall Street reforms and other consumer protections. “The governor’s philosophy seems to be whatever the last administration does, let’s do it and do more

This is an unbelievable race! Black Caviar is an Australian sprinter going for her 21st consectutive victory. Especially watch her jockey through the stretch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJn2VWMtEio Apparently the plan for her is to be sent to race at Ascot in England. ML/NJ

Police business is usually pretty serious, but a pursuit in Fargo Sunday was the cause of a few giggles... if not outright guffaws. A miniature horse named Jellybean caused some big trouble for police officers when it escaped and led cops on a slow-speed chase. The little brown-and-white pony was taking part in a Girl Scout pet adoption event when he wiggled out of his halter and went on the lam. Jellybean is in training to be a therapy pet at the Hightail Horse Ranch and Rescue in Hawley, MN. The Hightail Rescue program works to adopt out rescued horses...

The Tibetan Plateau has gradually risen since the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate at about 55 Ma. Regardless of the debates over the rising process and elevation of the plateau, there is no doubt that the Himalayas have appeared as a mountain range since the Miocene, with the appearance of vegetation vertical zones following thereafter. Open grasslands per se have no direct relationship to elevation, because they can have different elevations in different regions of the world, having a distribution near the sea level to the extreme high plateaus. On the other hand, the southern margin of the...

Yes, there is a right way to blow up an animal carcass This, according to the US Forest Service document entitled "Obliterating Animal Carcasses with Explosives," is the right way. See those rectangles? Those represent sticks of dynamite. Their placement demonstrates how they should be positioned in order to achieve what the document calls "total obliteration." Pro-tip: The diagram up top illustrates how to explode a carcass when it needs to be eliminated quickly and absolutely. Under less urgent circumstances, the explosive placement illustrated below (corresponding to "partial obliteration") should suffice. Pro-tip #2: In some cases, it is probably best...

Hey Sarah fans....she did run (well, trot) after all :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ouf3eW3dmZg Race 4 http://www.tab.com.au/Racing/Information/Results/DisplayDetailedView.aspx?State=2&MeetingCode=T&RacingCode=H&FromDate=2012-03-09T00%3a00%3a00&RaceNumber=04

Watch full metal jousting tonight at 10 est on history channel. My son in law is Josh Knowles. He is made fun of on "The Soup" last week. have you ever been made fun of on "The soup"? Pretty kewl!

Horses were first tamed at least 5,500 years ago, by peoples who not only rode them but milked them as well. Archaeological research has shown that the domestication of horses began at least 1,000 years earlier than thought, among the Botai culture that thrived in what is now Kazakhstan between 3700BC and 3100BC. A British-led team of scientists has discovered three lines of evidence that point to an equestrian tradition among the Botai, who lived in a region where wild horses are known to have been abundant. The findings, published in the journal Science, also show that the animals were...

To Hell with AP.

Chinese archaeologists probe origin of domestic horses through DNA www.chinaview.cn 2006-04-01 15:55:19 BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists are studying the DNA samples extracted from the bones of horses unearthed from ancient sites to probe the origin of domestic horses in China. It's still a mystery to archaeologists when and where horses were first tamed in China, said Cai Dawei, a researcher with the center of archaeological research for China's border area under the Jilin University in Northwest China. The DNA research will offer valuable clues on the study of migration, spread and domestication of horses, Cai said. A...

Scientists have traced the origin of the 'speed gene' in Thoroughbred racehorses back to a single British mare that lived in the United Kingdom around 300 years ago, according to findings published today in the scientific journal Nature Communications. The origin of the 'speed gene' (C type myostatin gene variant) was revealed by analysing DNA from hundreds of horses, including DNA extracted from the skeletal remains of 12 celebrated Thoroughbred stallions born between 1764 and 1930. "Changes in racing since the foundation of the Thoroughbred have shaped the distribution of 'speed gene' types over time and in different racing regions,"...

While you were preparing for Thanksgiving and President Obama was sparing the life of a couple of photo op turkeys, he also approved legislation that will result in the domestic slaughter of thousands of horses every year for human food. For the past half-decade the relatives of Flicka, Black Beauty and Seabiscuit have been spared the domestic livestock disassembly line -- the quick blow to the head, bleeding, eviscerating, slicing, grinding, packaging and cooking that comes with being edible around hungry Americans or shipped abroad as a delicacy for foreign palates.

There was a time when the saying “a man without a horse” was widely understood.  Its meaning may not be as quickly grasped as it once was.  However, the phrase certainly is applicable even in this age where many folks do not or have never owned a horse.  “A man without a horse” is one who is incomplete.  He is lacking.  Perhaps, a similar situation today would be a man without a car, a job, or his spouse.  Figuratively a man’s horse is that which gives him the desire to go forward and conquer in life and when it is...

Cowboy Mounted Shooting has a style of its own. Unlike any other Western equestrian sport, this one combines, fashion, leather and guns. No gender in the sport shows it off better than the girls. Meet some of the Girls of Mounted Shooting. Photos by Ken Amorosano, Lucinda Wood, James Cook and John Beckett Growing up, I was frequently told that I could do or be anything. I never heard there was a ceiling beyond which I could not reach. The American Dream was an open door to me, as it was to all Americans. We foster an ideal in this...

Ahead by a whisker: Stubborn stallion Alfie is Britain's most moustachioed horse... after refusing trim for 5 YEARS This is Alfie, Britain's most moustachioed horse - and he's so proud of his title he refuses to let stable hands meddle with his facial hair. The 15-year-old shire cross sports an astonishing seven-inch-long golden moustache.

On July 10, at 6:39 ET, the BBC ran a story with a headline that stated, "Pony 'beaten' into Hampshire lake dies".I am sure millions around the world had the same reaction as I did when I first read the accounts as reported by the BBC. We really do owe a debt of gratitude to the nameless reporter who informed us of this heinous act. Well, that is what many must have thought as they read the story first thing Monday Morning before they headed off to work. Then again, what if the reporter was telling a tale that...

A knight in shining armor isn’t always the key to a woman’s heart. Case in point: Jan Rudnicki, a 40-year-old Polish man who hopped onto a horse and plowed into a female’s house in hopes of sweeping her off her feet. According to the Croatian Times, a drunk and shirtless Rudnicki jumped on the equine, who galloped right through Gosia Domoslawska’s front door. As we all know, these sort of advances aren’t well received in instances of unrequited love, so an uninterested Domoslawska called authorities after Rudnicki stormed through her place. The faux savior could spend up to five years...