On August 8, 2019, Defense Secretary Mark Esper was gifted a Mongolian hose by the government of that country during a visit. Mongolian horses are genetically related to Icelandic horses. Esper named the seven-year old, caramel colored horse Marshall after WW II General George Marshall.
"“He’s happy, he likes his name,” Esper said while standing beside the horse outside the Mongolian Ministry of Defense." Esper noted that General Marshall and he shared a home town of Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
Per the article, "Marshall, who had served in China between 1924 and 1927 while an Army
officer, came to Mongolia to procure horses for his infantry regiment,
as the “best horses” were from the region, according to Esper. As
the story goes, a young lieutenant under Marshall’s command disciplined a
stubborn horse by striking it. Marshall punished the lieutenant
“because he had such high regard for Mongolian horses.”"
Esper presented the horse's caretaker with a saddle blanket with the U.S. Army Old Guard badge. Marshall the horse will remain in Mongolia.
Charles Hagel, US Defense Secretary under Obama, was given a Mongolian horse he named Shamrock. Donald Rumsfeld, Pentagon chief under President George W.
Bush, called his horse Montana. These horses stayed in Mongolia also.
You can view photos of Esper and his Mongolian horse via the link below.
Source: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/456657-mongolia-gives-horse-to-esper-as-us-looks-for-new-inroads-against-china
Monday, December 2, 2019
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Networking Among Ancient Icelandic Homesteads
Combining archeological evidence and written land registers from the 1100s to modern times, Gisli Palson investigates connectivity among homesteads and tenants. Such connections could be quite complex since a homestead could own grazing or fishing rights on other properties. These complexities often lead to conflict and even violence as suggested in the Icelandic sagas.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
New Neurological Disease in Icelandic Horses? Or Bad Ponies?
In 2011, several horses in southern Iceland were exhibiting strange neurological symptoms. "These
included shaking, poor coordination, and a vastly increased
appetite. The matter was brought to the attention of several
veterinarians, none of whom were able to determine a cause..." They
were concerned that the horses might be showing signs of a new
neurological disease in horses. The clue in solving the mystery was the
symptom "increased appetite" since sick animals usually don't eat.
Veterinarian Mia Hellsten shared the case with the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). One of its members had seen similar symptoms in a dog.
Blood work came back positive for marijuana. Evidently the horses has encountered some plants growing outside and indulged.
Can you imagine an Icelandic horse with increased appetite?
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