WTFriday - The Wardrobe

While browsing Ikea for a wardrobe, I noticed this photo:

I suppose the same person who stores their old school dressage saddle AND high heels in the same cabinet WOULD be the type of person to hang their bridle like that.... on an antler....

I wonder if the person who staged the photo though the bridle looked more artistic like that?

You can buy your own from Ikea here: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40250167/

What The Friday - Choosing Your Words...

I'll just leave this here....

Those words do not mean what you think they mean.
I found this gem on Pinterest.
TGIF.

WTF. Learn to Ride!

I ran across this book a few weeks ago while visiting my local Half Price Books....

...I didn't buy it.

WTFriday - NFL Linebacker is Afraid of his Team's Mascot....

Apparently an Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker Eric Berry is afraid of his team's mascot, an adorable paint mare named War Paint...It came to light when the cameras/mics caught him talking about it on the sidelines each time she came out to take her victory laps after each touchdown.

I always feel badly for people who are afraid of horses.  I mean, I'm afraid of SOME horses, the uneducated and disrespectful ones, but ALL horses, that makes me sad.

The video is a bit long, but if you get bored, skip to 5:00 and watch the rest.
Story, gifs, and VIDEO HERE.

WTFriday - On Broadway!

Some folks in my incredibly creative facebook circle have amused me so much that I just have to share!

An actor friend who is known to post epic one-liners posted this status update after seeing the play War Horse:
"Personally, I think EVERY Broadway show could be improved by including a giant horse puppet."


I was fortunate enough to see the show when I was in New York and it was really a beautiful piece of art.

Soon people (including me*) started chiming in and it just kept going all day long!  Here's the list so far:

Kinky Hooves
CabarHay
The Music Mane
The Book of More Mane
Whooaaaa!seph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamColt
Thoroughly Modern Filly
August, Osage Mountie*
Anyquestrian Goes
Rodeo and Juliet*
Father of the Bridle
Seven Bridles for Seven Brothers
12 Angry Mares
Of Mice and Mares
Barn Yesterday*
Fiddler on the Hoof
Who's Afraid of Virginia Hoof?
The Best Little Horse-House in Texas
Neigh, Neigh, Nanette
How to Succeed in Dressage Without Really Trying
Whickered
Pony and Tina's Wedding
The Foal Monty
His Gallop Friday
Singin' in the Reins
The Carriage of Figaro
The Grass Menagerie
Mare Poppins
The Filly-delphia Story
Babes in Barns
Furlong Day's Journey into Night
Mare-spray   (eeew)
Same Time, Next Yearling
The Stallion in Winter
Can-Canter, by Colt Porter
Filly Elliot
Mare for the Misbegotten
Nagtime
Whinny the Pooh
Inherit the Whinny
'Tis Pity She's a Horse
Bonnie and Clydesdale
Pinto the Woods
Palomino Joey
La Cage aux Foal
Hello, Filly!
The 7 Year Hitch
Kiss Me, Colt!
Hoofloose
Riding Miss Daisy
Rosencratnz & Guildenstern are Bred
King Rear

Can you think of more?


Have a great Friday!!!!!!

WTFriday.... Baby Daddy

I ran across this CNN video...

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2013/04/26/dnt-mystery-stud-horse.wlex

WTF.

WTFriday - The Daddle!

I'm nearing the end of my annual summer trip, I'll be home in a week and am anxious to get back to the old routine...well kind of... I'm anxious to get back to my pony for sure.

For your What The Friday enjoyment:  The Daddle.  Both the vintage and contemporary versions:

WTFriday - Jock Smocks

Not sure if this'll catch on...

Compression Suits for Equines by Hidez of Australia

This black one would sure complete Junior's Batman costume...

More information on their website: http://hidez.com.au/

Oh, and bonus points to any of you who get the "Jock Smock" reference.

WTFriday - The Manly Art...

Yes, knitting.  This is real, but somewhat unexpected.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love nothing more than a cowboy who can knit me a sweater while he rides the fences all day.  Though I'm not convinced of the safety of knitting while riding. 

I've seen many images of the cover, but never any images of the projects inside, and at it's going price I never will.

If you'd like your own copy of this 1972 pamphlet it'll cost you....

AMAZON for $130-175

Ebay for $160

 More MEN WHO KNIT here.

What The Friday!?!?! #6

Here for you consideration and amusement: The Equine Miracle Harness!!!!!

"The Miracle Harness is a miracle. It really works real good." Quote from YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28lMLK3RojY&feature=related

And just in case you were unsure of the meaning of the word MIRACLE:

One look at this Miracle Harness and you will be SURE to understand it's colossal potential and it will become your go-to training device! HOW have we trained horses for thousands of years without this!?!?! Surely Divine Intervention has given us this marvel!  Yes!  You can have total control over a horse "up to 1000 lbs"! 

This item, and I quote:

"allows the handler total control of both the head and body at all times."  

"Safely teach your horse the following concepts and commands while instilling confidence in the animal and handler, and making training more enjoyable for everyone!

Leading
Whoa
Backing
Loading
Stalling
Shoeing
Washing
Cross Tying
Trotting
And MUCH more!"

It gives you confidence that you can overpower a 1000 lb animal!!!!

Perfect for all the un-handled two year old cross-bred studs you can find on Craigslist! Get yours today!!!!

Click here to buy your own Miracle Harness on Etsy!

http://www.equinemiracleharness.com/


And yes, I know similar devices have been around for a while.  My own favorite Horsemastership book suggests using a lead rope or a simple rope loop behind the rear of a FOAL to help teach it to lead.  You can also purchase a sturdy looking FOAL leading harness HERE for about the same price. But with the Miracle harness....it's good for horses up to 1000 lbs!  Woot!

WTFriday #5

o.O

What The Friday?!? #4

Sometimes the research I have to do for my job leads me to strange things...

WTFriday #4 - Curse You Perry the Platypus!!!

Phineas and Ferb.  If you've not seen this show you probably don't have kids between the ages of 1 and 10.   But you SHOULD.  Should see it, I mean, not necessarily SHOULD have kids... that's none of my business.

I started watching the show with my nephew and neices and it is a great show.  The show wasn't designed for children, but it didn't exclude them as an audience. The creators believed in the concept so much that it took them 16 years of tweaking and pitching before a network (Disney) would pick it up.  That's dedication.  And no matter your feelings about the Disney empire, they made a good choice on this show. Clever plots, recurring themes, fun music, and laugh outloud quirky humor make up each 1/2 hour show's 2 episodes. The boys are on summer vacation and each day they do some crazy outlandish project.  Their sister Candice tries to "bust" them and always fails.  Then there is a subplot of their unassuming pet platypus, Perry, and evil scientist: Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.   You can read a lot more about them on the web, I recommend the ease of the Wikipedia page.  They're on Disney Channel on Fridays, but they're also on Netflix.

So what on earth does this have to do with this blog?   Well, I happened to be watching an episode where the kids were riding horses.  And for a second I thought WTFriday is on their heads!?!?!  And then I realized that they had HELMETS under their cowboy hats.

I jumped up an cheered (metaphorically) and praised the person in that office that decided to portray the kids, even though they are cartoons who do all sorts of unrealistic death-and-gravity-defying acts, utilizing this important safety tool.  Granted the boys' have no chin straps but I'm over it.

So check out Phineas and Ferb and their crime-fighting pet platypus, Perry.

WTFriday #3

In my hunting for saddles I have come across some eye catching things that I thought I'd share with you.

Kinda makes you want to see what it looks like under a blacklight, doesn't it?

That overlay is a bit thick to put on the jockey, don't you think? And they should probably put the pad on the right direction...

WHY oh WHY is everything patriotic so fugtastic? And do they think the pile of dirty laundry on the ugly 70's chair will help the sale?

I thought they had better taste in the olden days...

it seems I was wrong.

Then called this next one a "Modern Western Saddle"...

Thats.... lots green.

At this rate they really ought to make the pommel and seat zebra, too, or at least either hot pink or lime...

We over here we've got...

What The Friday?!? #2

Click HERE for your WTFriday on "How to Ride a Pony!"

What The Friday!?!

You never know what you'll find while using Google Image Search. Today, while looking for "50's Airline Ad" I found this gem of American History:




Yup. You can mail order a real Mexican Burro! And a "Mess Less" pet, aka a rabbit-fur cat toy. Oh Spencer Gifts. And I thought inflatable dolls, Bongzilla, and Christmas Pornaments were your only seeds of poor choices.

Now, to be fair, I myself have mail-ordered many a living thing in my day. Namely, bunches and bunches of fuzzy day-old chicks from Murray McMurray Hatchery. It seemed strange the first time Dad picked them up at the crack of dawn from the post office and brought the softly peeping box home. We would gently lift each one out of the shipping box and dip each beak into the water and then into the feed and then set them free into the refrigerator box in the basement, complete with brooder lamps. We only had one "bad" order where a few of the poor things perished on the journey. Other than that they were usually wonderfully healthy, bright, and alert upon arrival.

But a DONKEY!?!?! Mail order?

"What years of pleasure this real live Mexican Burro will bring you and your children. Loveable, huggable, long-earred, extra tame, extremely intelligent. Friendly to other animals. Easily hitched to a small cart. Economical to raise. Eats anything-straw, hay, alfalfa, corn, oats, grass, bread, etc." BREAD!?!?! Oh that's where the weirdos on Animal Hoarders got the idea. Easily hitched to a small cart? Easily HITCHED, yes. Easily trained NOT to run your children through a barbed-wire fence or into traffic? No. Safety was clearly NOT first here.

AND the best part is that they suggest a 3 month old BABY burro for "Children up to 5 years", and a Yearling for children up to 10 years. And I'm sure that didn't result in any injuries to child or burro!! I wish these ideas of "growing up together" had never started. That is a great idea for the family dog, not so much for the family Equine.

And my curiosity got the better of me and I HAD to find out if there were other examples of the insanity of mail-order critters and I found these...

Strombergs is still in business. My dad and I even visited them once in Pine City, MN. I can't remember if we bought anything. Ducks maybe? Sadly they are no longer in the endangered Ocelot business. That 1970's catalog of monkeys and anteaters placed the business in Fort Dodge, IA, but the logo is the same.

You're right, that IS a Skunk! And it IS just the thing for Christmas gifts! Thank heavens Ebay banned the sale of live animals!!!!! Can you imagine!?!?