Ben Hur Live: Rock 'n Roll Chariot Racers Party Like It's 10 AD

by Fran Jurga | 19 September 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com



If you ask me, gladiators are the new pirates. And arena chariot races with native British pony breeds look like great fun, although I might reserve judgment on that one until World Horse Welfare checks in and gives their blessing. Throw in some great classic rock and a concert stage set and I'm there.

If only "there" didn't mean flying to Europe.

Chariot "race" in London's O2 Arena as the grand finale of Ben Hur Live.

A German production company is working with Stewart Copeland of rock band Police fame and the producers of Pink Floyd's The Wall theatrical stage set to bring a crowd-pleasing theater-rock ensemble salute to BEN HUR back to life. Apparently the crowd is part of the show, just like in Roman days and it is pretty clear who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.

They might even learn some history.

What I learned from the press kit is that before Charlton Heston was even born, Ben Hur was a stage play in London. And an extravaganza, since it is, of course, a Christian redemption story at its heart. They built a special treadmill on the stage and the horses ran on it for the chariot race. That sounds a little dangerous.

The 2009 production from Germany has galley ships, fog, slaves, falcons flying over head, circus animals, acrobats and the penultimate chariot races with teams of perfectly matched ponies. (I'll take the Fells--or are those Dales? Although surely Ben Hur drives the luminescent Welsh ponies.)

It looks like great fun, since they are all actors, after all, and the blood is surely catsup. Do you think this will ever come to America?

What would Charlton Heston think, if he was still alive? Go to the show's web site and look around--this is an original idea, to be sure.

How do you say "Arrrggghhh!" in Latin?

Domestic Diva Transformed to Ghoulish Edwardian Equestrienne on US Newsstands; Friesian Doesn't Spook

by Fran Jurga | 31 August 2009 | The Jurga Report

Move over, Rachel Alexandra. Your day as the hot horse on the newsstand is over.

Say hello to Rutger, one of five Friesian horses owned by domestic diva Martha Stewart, who re-wins my affection every year for her all-out gleeful celebration of Halloween. This year her magazine has a special cover on its Halloween tribute issue--it's Martha herself, wearing crazy contact lenses, red eye shadow and sporting a three-inch scar on her cheek. But she's upstaged (in my opinion) by Rutger, the well-groomed, clear-eyed, unblinking horse at her side.

Inside the magazine, there's a double-page spread of Martha astride Rutger; she's wearing a spooky cape over black breeches with tall boots. It's strangely reminiscent of the Rachel Alexandra pose last month in Vogue--when was the last time two major magazines had double-page fashion-style spreads of a full side view of a horse in back-to-back months--or at all?

Interesting gossipy thing to note: look closely at the cover photo. Do you notice anything? Look again. One more time? I know some of you will spot it right away: Rutger is sporting what is known these days as a bitless bridle, or a shanked hackamore if you're old-school. Rutger's is pretty upscale old-school, with a padded cavesson.

Rutger's mane is done in a basketwave.

The Friesian association staff must be dancing in the street tonight--what a great endorsement for the breed!

There's lots more about Martha and all her horses on her blog or click here to read my introduction to her lame horse rehab cast of equine professionals or click here to meet Linda Friedman, her farrier, who has also been on Martha's television show since I wrote that article. And click here to see a segment of Martha's show about horse slaughter and adoption.

The photo above was one that Martha took the other day and posted on her blog; that's her stable in the spooky morning mist.

It's not hard to figure out where the inspiration for Martha's Halloween outfit originated. Right down the road from her home in Bedford, New York is the famous village of Sleepy Hollow, the fictional home of schoolmaster Ichabod Crane who was chased off this earth by a headless horseman who is believed to still gallop these roads late at night...or is it just Martha and Rutger?

Have fun and get in the mood for Halloween. The magazine featuring Rutger really is a hoot...and a howl...and a scream!

What Do Martha Stewart and Fran Jurga Have In Common? More Than You Might Think...

by Fran Jurga | 5 May 2009 | The Jurga Report

For the past year or so, Martha Stewart has been blogging about her veterinarian, Dr. Elizabeth Kilgallon, and her progress in diagnosing and treating a degenerative hock issue found in Martyn, one of Stewart's Friesian horses. But is she after my job?

Martha Stewart and I have a lot in common, actually. Sure, there are the horses in common, but there's more than just that. She's the head of a media empire. I'm the head of a media empire, too, if you count all my readers who work for royal stables in places like Dubai and Oman.

Martha's on Twitter; I'm on Twitter. The only difference is that she has 557,627 more followers than I do. And she isn't following me.

I follow her, though. I have to keep an eye on this woman because she's obviously trying to take over my turf, and I'll tell you why.

Martha introduced her blog readers to her lay equine dentist, Brian Stuart, and didn't apologize for not using a vet to float her horse's teeth.

You see, Martha and I are both involved with horses. And we both are bloggers.

I wasn't worried at first, when I heard she was starting a blog...but did she have to do such a good job of it? I read her blog because I thought it would inspire me to be a better blogger.

And then, when she blogged about what goes on when her horseshoer, my friend Linda Friedman, stops by to pedicure the feet of her Friesians, I didn't feel threatened. I was thrilled that someone of Martha's stature was writing about farriers, and there's no farrier more deserving of a good write-up that Linda Friedman. Martha knows how to pick a farrier.

This spring, Stewart is updating us on Martyn's progress, including precise recommendations of the therapy regimens and equipment used...even the therapists!

But now that one of her horses is lame and she's blogging away on the minute details of its therapy, I'm having to stop and think about what this woman's real motives are. I think that Martha may be after my job.

Through Martha's blog, we're meeting the horse dentist, the saddle fitter (Kate Athanas-Wilson), the Game Ready cold therapy expert and I'm starting to wonder if there is a better cared for barn of horses in the Northeast. It's as if Martha has been reading every article I ever wrote in eveyr horse magazine ever printed in the last 20 years. "Advice to horse owners: hire the best professionals....start at the feet and work up...."

Martha seems genuinely interested in what each and every one of these professionals does for a living, she raves about their interesting tools, and she's keen to know what they are doing and how it will affect her horse.

We all know how difficult hock problems can be, but Martha is determined to get to the bottom of Martyn's problem and she has assembled a cadre of top-notch horse health professionals and state-of-the-art equipment to help her horse. Bravo!

Blog readers were treated to details of Martyn's Game Ready cold therapy treatments, provided by Jamie Miles.

Here are some links to horse health posts on the Martha Stewart Blog that you might enjoy:

Click here to read about Martyn's hock lameness diagnosis.

Click here to read about Martyn's massage therapy session.

Click here to read about Linda Friedman's winter shoes for the Friesians.

Click here to see a photo album of Martha riding her horses in the snow this winter.

I think the horse world has a great friend in Martha Stewart. She's blogging and Tweeting in our language, so check it out! Just remember to come back here to your own tribe.

You can also follow Martha on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MarthaStewart

Will Martha design a perfect interior for Linda Friedman's farrier rig? Linda's probably happy with it the way it is but Martha might have some ideas!

All photos on this post mirror from www.themarthablog.com.

Herpes at New Orleans Track; Biosecurity Increases as Racing Goes On at The Fair Grounds

The following information is provided by The Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Louisiana for the information of anyone in the state or who might be interested in this latest outbreak of EHV.

A barn in Fair Grounds' stable area is under a Louisiana State Racing Commission quarantine after test results confirmed that a horse in that barn was infected with equine herpes virus ("EHV1").

Officials with the LSRC have ordered biosecurity measures in place in Barns 4A and 4B, which are under the same roof and house horses trained by Dallas Stewart and Neil Howard. The quarantine of the barns was ordered after a Thoroughbred trained by Stewart displayed symptoms of equine herpes on Tuesday. That horse was transported immediately from Fair Grounds and is now under observation at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where the diagnosis was confirmed on Wednesday.

The quarantine order affects 44 horses in Stewart's section of the barn and 27 horses under Howard's care.

"The horse is doing well in Kentucky and starting to show some improvement," said Tom V. David, DVM, equine medical director for the LSRC. "We remain cautious because we still do not have enough information. Until we get more test results on the horses in that barn, we don't know the total extent."

Dr. David said the implementation of the quarantine and its associated biosecurity measures was ordered in an effort to contain and isolate any possible EHV1 cases to that barn and prevent any spread of the virus among the horse population at Fair Grounds.

Symptoms of equine herpes virus most commonly include fever and an upper respiratory infection. The symptoms can also include lethargy, loss of appetite, a nasal discharge and a cough. In severe cases, horses can suffer a loss of coordination and an inability to stand and the illness can be fatal.

The disease is a virus, so it can be spread through the air when a horse coughs - although studies on the virus indicate that it is very short-lived and is susceptible to disinfectants. The maximum extent of the airborne transmission of the virus is thought to 35 feet. Horses may also contract the disease if they come in contact with the clothing of a person who has worked with an infected horse, the tack and equipment worn by an infected horse, or a shared food and water source.

The recommended quarantine period is generally up to 21 days after potential exposure to the virus. The incubation period for the disease ranges from two to 10 days. Under the quarantine order, horses may not be moved in or out of those barns until state agriculture officials clear them to do so.

The quarantine is not expected to have a negative impact on Fair Grounds' season, which began November 14 and continues through March 29, as horses will continue to be permitted to ship in and out of the track to race.

To accommodate the quarantined horses, training hours have been changed. Horses from Stewart and Howard's stables will be allowed to train from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Additional biosecurity measures have been put in place to guard against the introduction of the virus to the track's horse population. Those procedures include:

• Increased scrutiny of horses that arrive and depart from Fair Grounds' barn area, with certificates of veterinary inspection required for all horses that enter the stable area;
• A requirement that horses that ship in to compete be allowed only into the track's Receiving Barn;
• Nightly disinfectant procedures in the Receiving Barn;
• Daily disinfectant procedures on the starting gate;
• The track's horse identifier and starting gate crew will be required to use latex gloves and follow other recommended disinfectant procedures for their work areas, equipment and practices;
• And daily disinfectant procedures in the paddock following the conclusion of each day's racing.