The Icelandic Horse in Germany

There are currently as many Icelandic horses in Germany as there are in Iceland.  Per FEIF there are 65,000 Icelandic horses in Germany and 80,000 in Iceland.  Here is a fascinating video of how people interrelate with their Icelandic horses in Germany--from touring castle grounds, to competitions, to shoeing, to saddlery.

Zooey the baby horse is smarter than I (and a better jumper)

I went to get Blessi out of the pasture today. Zooey, the five month old warmblood filly who is Blessi's pasture mate, was super good about it. She was very interested in watching some riders jump their horses.

I had Blessi in the cross ties when I hear the clatter of little hooves. Zooey comes cantering into the barn and runs up to Blessi. She was so proud of herself!!! At that point, I wasn't sure how she had gotten out since I had remembered to latch the gate and the people gate still had Zooey's lead line tied between the posts. 

So I put a lead line over Zooey's neck and led her back to the pasture. She led quite nicely until I got her into the pasture and tried to shut the gate. At which point being younger and quicker (and perhaps smarter) than I, she escaped and ran back to the barn.

Somebody came over to help. She got Zooey's halter on and led her back to the pasture. We re-adjusted the lead line "fence" and started to go back to the barn. Zooey attempted to jump the lead line "fence" and almost got her feet entangled. So Zooey got to come into the barn and join the party.   Tomorrow, boards are going up over what was intended to be a people gate.

Zooey was so proud of herself for a) escaping, b) getting to join in the socialization in the barn, and c) eating dinner early. I am afraid that we have just rewarded her for escaping. ;-) She is going to be an amazing jumper. She must have cleared 2 1/2 to 3 feet from a standstill. She must also have worked the lead line down since I had it at about 4 feet when I took Blessi into the barn.

Oh I didn't ride that night  Take a look at the attached photo. I had no idea what I had done until Barbara pointed it out. No wonder I misplace things constantly!

I'm making my cat fat--need picture

Yesterday, I got on my bathroom scale for the first time in years. I was dreading the results. My scale is electronic so the first thing I do is push on the scale with my foot, wait for the numbers to go from 8888 to 000.0 and then step on and wait for the scale to register my weight.



After all this, the scale would only register 000.0. Oh crap!!!! I have gained so much weight that my weight is beyond the upper limits of the scale. Now is that upper limit 300 or 350 lbs? As I am obsessing about this, I decided to weight a cat. Fortunately, the cat also weights 0000.0 and so did everything else that I put on the scale.



So I decide to change the batteries. The scale is an expensive piece of crap manufactured in China with a "lifetime" battery. There is no way to change the battery without totally disassembling the scale--which I do only to find that the battery is soldered into the scale.



I'll have to get another scale I guess. I think I will go to Goodwill and find an old fashioned mechanical scale. And to top it off, I find out that cats mimic the habits, including eating style, of their owner. I am making my cat fat also.



"In a new study from the University of Messina, it turns out that cats who live intimately with their owners (indoor cats that live in a small space) "mirror" the lives of their caregivers. They sleep at the same time, eat at the same time, and can even become more or less social depending on the behavior of their owners.

"Cats are intelligent animals with a long memory," Jane Brunt, veterinarian and the executive director of the CATalyst Council, told Discovery News. "They watch and learn from us, (noting) the patterns of our actions, as evidenced by knowing where their food is kept and what time to expect to be fed, how to open the cupboard door that's been improperly closed, and where their feeding and toileting areas are."

Because cats mimic our habits, if you spend a lot of time raiding the fridge, your cat will return to its food bowl for that midnight snack, too. According to the study, this explains why "human and cat obesity rates often seem to match." So, if you felt guilty about leaving your precious kitty at home while you go to work, now you can feel even worse: You are making your cat fat! "



http://shine.yahoo.com/pets/cat-copying-habits-including-overeating-study-says-214600048.html