Well, the next time that happens, instead of cussing out your horse, imagine what it would be like if you were steering with your mouth.
That's how German Paralympic dressage rider Bettina Eistel does it.
Eistel, 47, was born without arms. But that doesn't stop her from bridling and saddling her own horse, using her feet and her teeth. She can even hose her horse down with her feet.
"I learned to use my toes as a child," Eistel said, "like other children learned to use their hands."
Eistel and her horse, Fabuleux 5, won a bronze medal in individual freestyle dressage at the
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If you're looking for something horse-related to do today, you can watch high-level amateur riding at the Ethel Walker School in
The trials are composed of dressage, cross country and stadium jumping contests; 165 adult and youth riders will compete from throughout New England and
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Many thoroughbreds, when their racing careers are over, face a brutal end in a slaughterhouse. Some
Suffolk Downs, in
The move has attracted lots of attention in the racing world. Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito recently raced one of his horses at Suffolk Downs, partly because of the track's stance.
"It's a big issue in our industry," Zito told the Associated Press. "That's one of the reasons we like the people up there."
"If a horse goes from [Suffolk Downs] to the slaughterhouse, that's completely unacceptable," said
Besides being an equestrian, Bonnie Phillips is The Courant's city/suburban editor. Her horse is named Annie.