Horses have been getting some mixed press recently. The general public have gone all Daily Mail about the issue of secret horse meat in ready meals, whilst a dancing Shetland pony has become an internet sensation. Meanwhile, the media has taken more interest in Kauto Star's retirement plans than the Pope's. It's all a bit unclear whether we should be disgusted by horses or add them on Facebook.
DancePonyDance shows a Shetland pony with an immense amount of confidence moonwalking his way around a field to Fleetwood Mac's 'Everywhere' (tune). This one's not waiting for somebody else to make a fool of themselves on the dancefloor first, or lurking uneasily at the edges of the herd hoping nobody notices him. Nope, this pony is living in the moment.
For most people, this kind of confidence would require industrial quantities of vodka-Redbull. Perhaps, you suggest, Socks (for apparently this is his name) is indeed high on more than the joys of living on a cliff top farm. Farmyard Fridays, however, would suggest otherwise, as drinking substantial amounts of alcohol usually only leads to one thing. A thing horses are not actually capable of.
Unlike humans, horses have a very tight band of muscle around their oesophogus which only allows material to pass one way, from mouth to stomach. Therefore, anything which causes the horse any stomach problems (like too many Jagerbombs) can quickly become problematic. This is why horses are particularly prone to colic. Should any damage to their nervous system occur, the tight muscle can fail to close and horses may then 'vomit' out of their nose or inhale the material and cause themselves pneumonia. Which really would make them feel a little bit hoarse...
So extra kudos to Socks, the potentially stone cold sober moonwalking pony.
Farmyard Fact #5: Horses can't vomit.
That's why this fellow is looking so miserable after a heavy night out; he can't even go for a cheeky TC.
Neither can guinea pigs.
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