-
The manureman
So many old professions have been abolished or changed with the arrival of the industrial era. In Crete, on of them was the manureman. His job was collecting equine manure from the streets and roads. Manuremen worked as public servants; they were paid by the city council and each of them had their own zones to work on. They were paid by kilogrammes and needed to pick two kilogrammes of manure to be able to afford a loaf of bread. Of course, equine manure is known to be the best fertiliser for plants, therefore, the manureman had a few antagonists: it was the agricultural families, who sent their children to…
-
Success! The Walk with Donkeys sanctuary achieve their fundraising goal!
Last week I wrote about the fundraising plea of the equine charity in Crete Walk with Donkeys. The charity have been in heavy and urgent need of water for the over 20 equines they protect. I am excited to see that they have exceeded their crowdfunding goal and that now they are expecting the tanks and fittings that they have ordered. A big thanks to everyone who has contributed, as those tanks will be a big relief! The charity are still raising money for their watering project, so there’s still the chance to support them here . If you would like to donate to the sanctuary for the rest of…
-
Water crisis appeal for an equine sanctuary
In some places, people take water for granted. In others, they are desperate to save it. I was born and raised in a place where water shortage is always a problem and has to be faced on an individual level; “close the tap”, “don’t wash more often than twice a week”, “don’t handwash the car”, “look how much water you’ve used to boil a portion of spaghetti”, “look how much water you’ve boiled to make just one cup of tea”, “I’ll bring you the water bill and have you pay it” and other “don’t” and “look at what you’ve done” phrases. People do whatever possible to save water, and the authorities…
-
Documentary: Power In The Blood – The Story of The Irish Thoroughbred
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 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…
-
Two horses found in a donkey sanctuary in Ierapetra – The owners are being sought
I have received a plea from the owners of the charity “Walk with the Donkeys Sanctuary” about two horses -a young stallion and a filly- found on their premises near Anatoli, Ierapetra. They arrived 10 days ago and, despite the hard efforts to find the owner, they are still to show up and pick up their equines. The horses are in very good condition, which makes us assume that they have not been abandoned, but rather they must have escaped from the owner’s premises. Yet just in case and no offence, please bear in mind that charities, despite their good intentions, are not dumping points for pets. Those people are happy…
-
Riding a zebra
While I was searching for nice horsey videos (again), I stumbled upon this video, which shows a lady training with a zebra. Now, I know that, without the stripes, zebra looks like a donkey. Is it possible to ride a zebra and even jump with it? Or is this just a painted donkey? Have you seen anything like that in real life?