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?

Polo Deaths Video: Did ESPN's Investigation Tell Us Anything We Didn't Already Know?

by Fran Jurga | 7 May 2009 | The Jurga Report



ESPN's E-60 investigation of the Palm Beach polo pony death debacle aired Tuesday night. In case you missed it, I've posted it for you to watch and share.

Maybe there's nothing new here, but at least it's more elegantly presented than what we have been seeing. I expected something much edgier but this comes across quite sympathetic to the polo community, as befitting a sports network production.

The trouble is, I don't think that this story is over yet. Far from it, is my prediction. You'll be seeing these faces again; this is a nice ending to chapter one.

Once again, ESPN has impressed me with their willingness to take on a horse-related story from a fringe, non-televised sport outside their for-profit realm; they have also made it possible to share the entire segment with The Jurga Report readers. Thank you!

Please check the April 2009 archives of The Jurga Report for additional posts on the tragic polo pony deaths.

Polo Tragedy in Florida as Venezuelan Horses Die at US Open

Reports from Wellington, Florida tonight are that a growing number of horses, as many as 14 and possibly more, died this afternoon and that several horses are gravely ill on the grounds of the International Polo Club Palm Beach, according to spectators and reports published on the web sites of the the Palm Beach Post, Sun Sentinel and Palm Beach Daily News.

While the accounts on the three web sites disagree on details, all three reports agree that the horses were all part of La LeChuza Caracas, the South American team headed by Venezuelan banker Victor Vargas. The team, one of the highest-regarded in the world, has been participating in the International Finals tournament in Wellington. The horses that died were very valuable animals.

Update: an 11 p.m. report from KTLA-TV agrees that 14 horses died and suggests the worst, that all the horses may have suffered a drug reaction and that some horses went down in the trailer en route to the match and were dead on arrival.

At this time this situation does not appear to be initiating any kind of a widespread health alert to the general horse population in Florida or to affect any livestock transport into or out of the state or county. An announcement should be made in a day or two from the state veterinarian or agriculture officials, who will conduct post-mortem examinations of the bodies. Several reports suggest that the bodies are being turned over to the diagnostic laboratory in Kissimmee, Florida.

I will update this post if I have more details. Thanks to everyone who has supplied information so far; I hope this is one of those stories that is not as bad as it sounds. I'm sorry that it is difficult to do much more than pass on links to local reports when a story breaks on Sunday afternoon, but it is safer than quoting an incorrect report published elsewhere.

What's Killing England's Fell Ponies? Charity Funding for Research Intends to Find Out

Fell ponies look like miniature Freisian horses, but look again: this is a unique breed with a long and glorious history. With long feathers and arched necks, they make the loveliest children's ponies, and the sight of them wandering their native Cumbrian countryside is the stuff that wild horse legends are made of.

But their numbers have dropped since World War II, and the gene pool has shrunken to a bottlenecked puddle. Can this breed be saved? The Horse Trust, a UK charity, has given a donation of more than US$200,000 to the Animal Health Trust, a research center known for its work on strangles and orthopedic problems in horses, and the University of Liverpool. The charity has charged them with the task of finding out how to stop Fells Pony Syndrome (FPS).

FPS is a severe immune system disorder that results in the death of some of the newborn foals, further shrinking the breeding stock available to help the breed survive. The breed is listed as "at risk" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

Foals affected with FPS appear normal at birth but within a few weeks begin to lose condition and suffer diarrhea, coughing and weight loss. Severe anemia and immune dysfunction follows, leading to wasting and finally death. The disease is always fatal.

Studbook analysis and knowledge of affected foals strongly suggests that this is an inherited disease caused by an autosomal recessive genetic mutation. The problem may trace to a single stallion who was a dominant force in the breed. A DNA-based test for this mutation would enable carriers of FPS to be identified and the conception of affected foals prevented.

As well as identifying carriers in the Fell pony population, the project will be used to identify any carriers in other breeds which have been involved in the extensive outbreeding of Fell ponies over the years.

“Breeders are supportive of our attempt to develop a diagnostic test which will help to prevent carrier-carrier matings, one in four of which results in an affected foal,” says project leader Dr June Swinburne, senior post-doctoral equine molecular geneticist at the Animal Health Trust Centre for Preventive Medicine. “Foals affected by the condition inherit an incurable genetic defect which results in severe wasting and a profound anaemia together with multiple infections. Veterinary intervention is in vain and once the condition is diagnosed foals are often euthanized. The gradual but relentless decline in these foals leaves both veterinary surgeons and breeders powerless."

According to the Horse Trust, FPS at the moment is restricted to the Fell pony population but could spread to other breeds at any time. Indeed it may be possible that carriers of the condition already exist in other breeds which have interbred with the Fell pony over many years.

Another rare breed, the Dales pony, and other native British breeds will be randomly tested to detect any further penetration of the defect into the equine population.

To learn more: The Horse Trust has one of the best horse charity web sites anywhere on the web. This remarkably generous and insightful organization funds research and welfare projects that benefit horses all over the world, not just in Britain. The Horse Trust was formerly known as the Home of Rest for Horses and has a long tradition of recognizing the welfare and health needs of horses.

The Fell Pony Society is trying to cope with the devastation of their breeding stock and preserve this lovely breed of pony, which dates all the way to the Roman occupation of Britain.

Photo from the Fell Pony Society.