BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands

Subject: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: number 6
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 12:55 AM

Here is something that might interest some of you.

Horse rescue

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Ebbie
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 01:07 AM

What an awesome sight! I grew up with herds of horses but I've never seen anything more moving (no pun intended).

Thank you bILL.

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: MBSLynne
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 07:04 AM

So sad about the 18 that died but yes, the rest was incredibly moving. Beautiful.

Love Lynne

Subject: Lyr Add: THE STORY OF MONGREL GREY (Paterson)
From: Teribus
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 07:54 AM

Story of Mongrel Grey
Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Paterson

THIS is the story the stockman told,
On the cattle camp, when the stars were bright;
The moon rose up like a globe of gold
And flooded the plain with her mellow light.
We watched the cattle till dawn of day
And he told me the story of Mongrel Grey.

He was a knock-about station hack,
Spurred and walloped, and banged and beat;
Ridden all day with a sore on his back,
Left all night with nothing to eat.
That was a matter of every-day
Common occurrence to Mongrel Grey.

We might have sold him, but someone heard
He was bred out back on a flooded run,
Where he learnt to swim like a waterbird,—
Midnight or midday were all as one.
In the flooded ground he could find his way,
Nothing could puzzle old Mongrel Grey.

'Tis a trick, no doubt, that some horses learn;
When the floods are out they will splash along
In girth-deep water, and twist and turn
From hidden channel and billabong.
Never mistaking the road to go,
For a man may guess—but the horses know.

I was camping out with my youngest son—
Bit of a nipper just learnt to speak—
In an empty hut on the lower run,
Shooting and fishing in Conroy's Creek.
The youngster toddled about all day,
And with our horses was Mongrel Grey.

All of a sudden the flood came down
Fresh from the hills with the mountain rain,
Roaring and eddying, rank and brown,
Over the flats and across the plain.
Rising and rising—at fall of night
Nothing but water appeared in sight!

'Tis a nasty place when the floods are out,
Even in daylight; for all around
Channels and billabongs twist about,
Stretching for miles in the flooded ground.
And to move was a hopeless thing to try
In the dark with the water just racing by.

I had to try it. I heard a roar,
And the wind swept down with the blinding rain;
And the water rose till it reached the floor
Of our highest room, and 'twas very plain
The way the water was sweeping down
We must shift for the highlands at once, or drown.

Off to the stable I splashed, and found
The horses shaking with cold and fright;
I led them down to the lower ground,
But never a yard would they swim that night!
They reared and snorted and turned away,
And none would face it but Mongrel Grey.

I bound the child on the horse's back,
And we started off with a prayer to heaven,
Through the rain and the wind and the pitchy black,
For I knew that the instinct God has given
To guide His creatures by night and day
Would lead the footsteps of Mongrel Grey.

He struck deep water at once and swam—
I swam beside him and held his mane—
Till we touched the bank of the broken dam
In shallow water—then off again,
Swimming in darkness across the flood,
Rank with the smell of the drifting mud.

He turned and twisted across and back,
Choosing the places to wade or swim,
Picking the safest and shortest track,—
The pitchy darkness was clear to him.
Did he strike the crossing by sight or smell?
The Lord that held him alone could tell!

He dodged the timber whene'er he could,
But the timber brought us to grief at last;
I was partly stunned by a log of wood,
That struck my head as it drifted past;
And I lost my grip of the brave old grey,
And in half a second he swept away.

I reached a tree, where I had to stay,
And did a perish for two days hard;
And lived on water—but Mongrel Grey,
He walked right into the homestead yard
At dawn next morning, and grazed around,
With the child on top of him safe and sound.

We keep him now for the wife to ride,
Nothing too good for him now, of course;
Never a whip on his fat old hide,
For she owes the child to that old grey horse.
And not Old Tyson himself could pay
The purchase money of Mongrel Grey.

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Rasener
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 08:17 AM

BiLL
Thanks for putting that on. I knew of their plight, but didn't know of the outcome.
Very moving film.
I will show my missus who is Dutch - she was the one that told me about it.
Les

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Alba
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 09:31 AM

Thank You BiLL.
As a Horsewoman myself I found this very touching. sniff
Best Wishes
Jude

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 02:30 PM

Fantastic! Thanks so much, biLL. Absolutely beautiful!!

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: skipy
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 06:28 PM

Wonderfull, thanks for putting it on, I got tears!
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 10:03 PM

Teribus-

Nice job with the Banjo Paterson poem!

Great thread!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Peace
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 11:31 PM

Great find, number 6. Beautiful.

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 08:15 AM

Blimey, I was sobbing... mind you, I can't even watch Crufts without a tear in my eye, never mind one man and his dog, Black Beauty, Lassie OR the littlest hobo - all of me were guanranteed to have me howling. I'm a sap...

I was wondering how they did it, and if they survived. As normal in the UK things like this hit the headlines, and then the outcome doesn't get reported.

Thanks

sniff sniff

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 08:19 AM

But this is Holland... where they eat horse flesh.

LTS - cynical old cow who hates horses and always has done.

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: The PA
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 08:27 AM

LTS - Yep that's why they were so keen to save them.

Large numbers of shetland ponies are bred and exported to The Netherlands. No prizes for guessing what happens when they get there.

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Rasener
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 08:38 AM

Well PA and Liz The Squeak, as my wife says that horse meat can be purchased in Holland, but it is very rare indeed.
Also wild horses would not be used.

Its probably for all the French people that live there :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: skipy
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 08:43 AM

If it is very rare, tell chef to cook it for longer.
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Rasener
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 09:03 AM

LOL I love my meat cooked rare :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: The PA
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 11:12 AM

And Skipy you know what they do to kangaroos in Australia !!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: skipy
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 11:20 AM

Hi PA, please note my "skipyness" is related to skips / dumpsters.
Regards Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: SINSULL
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 11:30 AM

Wonderful film. Can someone explain the music - seems a bit over the top to my ear. Can anyone translate the lyrics?

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: GUEST,Number 6
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 11:52 AM

The music is by Vangelis .... he is well known for writing film scores (music), notably Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner, The Bounty, usually in the same genre as heard in this clip. Though a chorus was heard there were no lyrics.I'd be surprised if there was as I have yet to hear lyrics to any of his music. Please correct me If I'm wrong.

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: bubblyrat
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 11:54 AM

MEESTAL, HEB IK GEEN INTERESSE IN PAARDEN,MAAR DIT VIDEO IS UITSTEKEND !!EIGENLIJK , WAS IK GOB-GESMAAKT !! Actually,there"s no such word as "Gob-gesmaakt, but there SHOULD be !!!
       Bubblyrat the Clog-speaker....

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Rasener
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 12:08 PM

Why are you not interested in horses bubblyrat - don't you eat them like all cloggies LOL

Gob-gesmaarkt vindt Ik en uitstekend woord.

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: dianavan
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 12:41 PM

That was beautiful.

I didn't know they had wild horses in the Netherlands.

We have a herd of wild horses in B.C. but they were thought to be brought here by early Spanish explorers.

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Rasener
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 12:44 PM

My wife seems to think that it isonly the older people taht eat horse in Holland and that is much these days. She thinks that it is more likely in Belgium. Fancy that Horsemeat with Belgium Chocolate Gravy.

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: bubblyrat
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 12:44 PM

Ik ben niet een Klompenaar,maar liever kom ik uit Henley on Thames !!
Ik heb een cursus gedaan, op de universteit van Bournemouth,in,natuurlijk,de Nederlandse taal, en na de cursus was ik verkooper in een tapijt-winkel in Vlaanderen !!( In Kortrijk ).Dus kan ik beetje Nederlands praaten !! Sorry als ik heb fuiten in de grammatica gemaakt !! Hoe is het dat Jij ook kan het praaten en verstaan ???
         Roger de klompsprekenaar

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Ebbie
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 01:04 PM

One question I have- why is it that the two (?) men on the island appear so huge? What is the perspective?

In our culture it is not acceptable to eat horsemeat, and certainly not to breed horses for that purpose. It repulses us. However, I'm sure that vegetarians are just as repulsed when seeing 'normal' people killing animals and eating their brains, say.

'Tain't for me to say.

Those horses, imo, did not act like wild, as in feral, horses. Except maybe in the sense that Chincoteague ponies are 'wild'.

But it was a beautiful film, and for me a rare moment of joy. Horses to me are gorgeous creatures. My father was a horse trainer (for riding, driving, working) and we always had many horses. Seeing hackney racing- or any kind of trotting horses - reduces me to tears at the beauty of it.

The most moving part to me, I think, was the trust that these frightened horses acted on.

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Rasener
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 01:40 PM

Ik heb in Amsterdam gewoont voor 13 jaar :-)
Ik moet mijn familie naar de theatre brengen, dus it moet weg. Tot morgan.

Dus er zijn twee engelse mensen dat kan leesen and praten in het nederlandse taal

he he, they don't know what we are on about LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Peace
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 03:19 PM

I ate lots of horse meat in my youth. It sold at $.25/pound and beef sold at $.33/pound. Matter of economics.

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: GUEST,ella wot is Sooze sans cookie
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 03:28 PM

roughly translated - and it's rough indeed...

I have **something** for 13 years in Amsterdam: -) I must bring my family to the theatre, therefore it must gone. To morgan. Are therefore two English people that can listen and talk in the Dutch language

ahhh.... babel fish is sooo handy...

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Ebbie
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 03:35 PM

The Villan "lived in Amsterdam for 13 years."

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Rasener
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 06:26 PM

Correct Ebbie :-)

The next part was " I haver to take my family to teh theatre so I must go. See you tommorrow (or until tommorrow)"

The third part was "So ther are two English people who can read and talk in the Dutch language."

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Horse rescue in the Netherlands
From: Peace
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 08:55 PM

'The Villan "lived in Amsterdam for 13 years." '

Has Amsterdam recovered?