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	<title>racing &#8211; Equestrian from Crete</title>
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	<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com</link>
	<description>A Greek islander explores equestrianism</description>
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		<title>Equestrian in the Ancient Olympics: Did you know?</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/equestrian-in-the-ancient-olympics-did-you-know/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/equestrian-in-the-ancient-olympics-did-you-know/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Jan 2017 00:07:05 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Equestrian topics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antiquity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greece]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympic Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sports]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/?p=2787</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Today I read Xenophon&#8217;s On Horsemanship and Hipparchus and, looking at the introduction of each book, I found interesting information about the add of equestrian to the classical Olympic Games, and I would like to share it with you. Besides, as a Greek and equestrian, I couldn&#8217;t fail to write about equestrian and the Olympics, right? 🙂 Equestrian was introduced to the Olympics in the 33rd registered Olympiad, that is about 644 BC (I say &#8220;about&#8221; because the games took place alternatively every 49 and 50 months, as a period of eight years comprises of 99 moths, which is 96 stable months plus 3 intercalary months). It remained an Olympic sport until the abolition of the games in 393 A.D. by emperor Theodosius I, as a pagan cult. There were two established equestrian disciplines in the Ancient Olympic Games: chariot racing, where athletes competed over a 14.5-kilometre route, and horse racing where athletes had to race on a 7-kilometre route, on horseback of course. That&#8217;s all I&#8217;ve learned today. Do you know any other facts about equestrian in the ancient Olympics? Write in the comments below!  ]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2787</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Documentary: Power In The Blood – The Story of The Irish Thoroughbred</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/documentary-power-in-the-blood-the-story-of-the-irish-thoroughbred/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/documentary-power-in-the-blood-the-story-of-the-irish-thoroughbred/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 May 2016 02:51:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Breeds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Equestrianism on the screen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrianism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Irish thoroughbred]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[riding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sports]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://equestrianfromcrete.com/?p=1970</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I watched tonight an interesting documentary on the most popular breed for racing, the Irish thoroughbred. The documentary looks into the multi-million racing industry, gives us a glimpse of how hefty the price of a racehorse can be&#160;and makes sure that we know that only a small percentage of these horses will actually become champions, no matter their bloodline. The documentary also shows what makes this breed -which has been created by humans specifically for racing- run so fast and be so strong. Experts explain the role that the size and weight of the vital organs play in the development of a speed rate of 45 miles/h in a little longer than two seconds. If you get easily upset, you might want to know that a real, dead horse is opened up to show the anatomy of this breed -from very close. And now the documentary: So, what do you think of the Irish thoroughbred?]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">1970</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>The disturbing sidelines of the racecourse: horse slaughtering</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/the-disturbing-sidelines-of-the-racecourse-horse-slaughtering/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/the-disturbing-sidelines-of-the-racecourse-horse-slaughtering/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 May 2015 01:28:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Equestrian topics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[abattoir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kenducky Derby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[slaughter]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=596</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[In the spirit of this month&#8217;s Kenducky Derby, I would like to devote a post to the masses of racing horses who end up in slaughter houses. Even big winners, such as Ferdinand, are treated by slaughterhouses, simply like meat. Therefore, champions or not, all of them deserve this tribute. Every morning, before the public arrives at the racecourse, hundreds of thoroughbreds are auctioned and sold to the meat industry for some hundreds of bucks. Horses that are either retired or or unlikely to be successful -thus profitable enough- at the racecourse. Let alone foals who are sold for less than $100 to face the same fate. All those horses are slaughtered for human or pet consumption. It&#8217;s a matter of culture, price and gastronimic tastes for buyers, a solution for owners who &#8220;can&#8217;t find any other uses&#8221; for those animals and a much appreciated source of profit for the slaughterhouse owners. Of course the problem is not exclusively American and does not include exclusively racing horses, but it is highlighed every year with the opportunity of the Kenducky Derby event, with a plethora of equestrian and other animal charities asking from people to boycott horse racing. But is abolishing racing a solution? I don&#8217;t think so. Because large numbers of dressage, showjumping and other trained horses end up to abattoirs, those places being used as a cheap -or the only profitable- method of euthanasia. Let alone wild horses. Therefore, banning racing is not a way to tackle horse slaughtering. Laws, maybe? But what kind of laws? Who will implement them and who will stop the transportation of those creatures to countries with more flexible legislation? Maybe some international agreement? Well, tell the governments of Japan, France, Russia, Germany, Belgium etc. -whose officials might be horsemeat fans themselves- to tell their peoples that there will be no more horsemeat for them, hence banishing a part of their national culture. An here comes the keyword. Culture. Yes, culture. Horsemeat is considered a special delicacy, and recipes made of it national pride for some. If you banish pride, horsemeat will keep being consumed, as happens in the case of other animals in some countries. The bet is to make change their taste. Turn to other &#8220;delicacies&#8221;. And the slaughtering industry will have less demand to cover. And horse breeders won&#8217;t breed thousands of horses of &#8220;no use&#8221;. Because it will be costly. The web is packed with disturbing images, videos and articles on this cheap or profitable (depending on who does it) &#8220;disposal&#8221;. Here are some articles I have read, followed by a quite harsh video: From Kentucky Derby to dinner plate: how to end the horsemeat pipeline (2014) by Edward McClelland &#8211; The Guardian From Derby winner to a slaughterhouse? (2006)by Bill Finley &#8211; ESPN HORSE RACING; 1986 Derby Winner Was Slaughtered, Magazine Reports (2003) by Bill Finley &#8211; The New York Times Argentina-Horse Meat world production figures (2009) by unknown &#8211; Farming News And the here&#8217;s the video. CAUTION: CRUEL CONTENT]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">596</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Athens Olympic equestrian complex</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/the-athens-olympic-equestrian-complex/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/the-athens-olympic-equestrian-complex/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2015 01:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Equestrian topics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Athens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dressage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[show jumping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[triathlon]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=330</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Yesterday I wrote about the history of the Greek racing and the establishments in which it used to and takes place. I wrote that today the only race course in Greece is situated in the super modern centre in Markopoulo, 8km from Athens International Airport. Today, after a visit to the official website of Markopoulo I&#8217;m writing about the entire equestrian complex that accommodates the race course, together with other equestrian sports. So, according to the website, the entire complex is 940,000 square metres in size. It accommodates a plethora of arenas, including The main, sodded show jumping arena (90 x 120m) The main, sand dressage arena (80 x 40m) One sodded show jumping arena for the athletes&#8217; final training (80 x 40m) One sand dressage arena for the athletes&#8217; final training (60 x 20m) One indoor sand arena for training (70 x 30m) One sodded warm-up/training arena (90 x 90m) Two warm-up/training sand arenas (90 x 45m) Three sand warm-up/training arenas for dressage (60 x 20m) One cross-country trail, with about 35 obstacles (5,710m) One warm-up/training area for equestrian triathlon In 2003, the Hellenic Equestrian Federation carried out the test competition Athens CCI* and since then they have organized all their international competitions and world cups in the equestrian complex of Markopoulo. The complex was also included in the Athens 2004 Olympics.]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">330</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Greek racecourse</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/the-greek-race-course/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/the-greek-race-course/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2015 03:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Equestrian topics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Athens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Faliro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greece]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jockey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Markopoulo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[racing]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=305</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Sorry for the absence, but I&#8217;ve been preparing tonight&#8217;s post. I knew very little about the Greek race course, so I had to do some research to know enough to write a blog post! So, yeah, this is the history of the Greek race course. First of all, if you ask a Greek about their feelings for the Athens race course, you will come up with different answers. First of all, it is of high importance itself, as it is the only race course in the country. Also, there is a historical dimension; it is one of the landmarks -or symbols, if you prefer- of our capital city, specifically a landmark for the Athenian area Delta Falirou. But of course, some people will speak to you about addiction to gambling and other concerns which touch all race courses in the world, more or less. So, here is the story and sorry if I&#8217;ve got &#8220;lost in translation&#8221; when it comes to very old, official estabishments. Officially, horse racing was established in Greece in 1925, with the foundation of the &#8220;Hellenic Privileged Horse-Racing Company&#8221;. One year before this, the company launched intensive works in Delta Falirou, in Athens (near Piraeus) on a 300-square metre lot granted by the Greek state. The premises included a special arena and special cabins for VIPs and judges. In 1926, the &#8220;Jockey Club of Greece&#8221; was established, with the tasks to supervise the horse-racing activities, to establish a specific set of rules, to undertake the improvemenand strenghtening of the Greek horse breed, as well as to be in charge of the distribution of financial and moral winnings (I don&#8217;t understand the moral winning thing, but whatever, jockeys do). Successful gamblers were granted 85% of their winnings, while the remaining 15% was granted to the horse-racing company, the state, the charities of Athens and Piraeus and the Ministry of Agriculture. At that time, races were always joined by a small number of jockeys, as only 70 horses were brought to the race course when it was established. Besides, schedule gaps were often covered with military races. Initially there were only 36 jockeys, 13 of whom were non-Greeks. After the World War II, the race course was a pile of debris and all that was left were one or two heavy pieces of equipment. But with private initiative, the place was re-constructed and kept functioning until 2003, when it was transferred to Markopoulo, in the region of Mesogea, close to Athens International Airport. The new establishment is considered the biggest and most modern in Europe. Its 30,650-square metre establishment has a  five- floor building and accommodes 1600 stalls, veterinarian clinic, maintainance unit, space for food storage, VIP area and administration facilities. Moreover, the new race course has 6,500 viewer seats and 4,000 parking spaces. Here, I have managed to collect some photos:]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">305</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Enquiry: Why do ladies wear huge hats with flora at racing events?</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/enquiry-why-do-ladies-wear-huge-hats-with-flora-at-racing-events/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/enquiry-why-do-ladies-wear-huge-hats-with-flora-at-racing-events/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Feb 2015 01:46:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Can you answer?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fashion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flower]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fruit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[racing]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=258</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Here is one more enquiry. I do not understand why most women wear huge hats with flowers and fruit on the top. I understand that it gets sunny etc. But what are fruit and flowers for? Horsey snacks? How has this trend been established? Here is a small gallery:]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">258</post-id>	</item>
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