Horse lovers are a strange sort. We get that. And we
honestly appreciate when non-horsey folks try to understand our world, perhaps only to
affirm or validate us. We may even find it fondly cute when loved ones stumble
into the horse barn or lean over the pasture fence and step into the proverbial
pile of faux pas, simply because they do not know much about things equine.
Here’s a fun video that may prove informative, but also
entertaining, both for horse lovers and for those who love us. Check out “A Non-Horse Person’s Guide to the Horse” from The
Horse Collaborative.
Not sure if that helps, but I liked it. Anything to add?
Bicycling
is fun. OK, maybe not steep uphill climbs. And a scenic ride across the
countryside on two wheels simply cannot compare to a pleasing trail ride on
horseback. Sensing this difference, someone came up with a way to make a
pedaled bike sound like a horse.
Nope,
it doesn’t neigh. But this handy invention does clip-clop sort of like a horse.
Might be fun to try
Trotify in a triathlon and freak out all the other bicyclists, just for kicks.
It'd be almost worth enduring the swimming, biking, and running, just to ... oh, never mind.
How does Trotify work, anyway?
The
folks at Trotify take plywood and stamp it to make punch-out parts that customers
snap together and attach to the front fenders of their bicycles. Adding rubber
bands and coconuts, they make the thing work. And it makes their bicycle riding
sound like trotting horses’ hoofbeats.
It’s
all in the coconuts. That’s how old-time theater sound effect wizards used to
make horsey hoofbeat noises, didn’t they?
“I’ve got a lovely bunch
of coconuts.”
Isn’t
that music to your ears? (Oh, wait. That’s actually a song.)
Honestly,
I cannot decide if this is a joke, a child’s plaything, or just plain fun. But
Trotify is manufacturing this product and even has
a Facebook page (opened in 2012). Last I heard, they were looking
for product distributors. But wait. No one’s posted on their page in like a
year and a half. And their YouTube videos are all dated 2012. Maybe the marketplace for horsey sound effect toys is a hard
nut to crack. But their website shows a 2015 copyright, and their "Trotify in the Wild" video (below) was running viral this month. So who knows?
Gee, Santa, is it too late?
Here’s
what Trotify looks like.
Clip-clop!
Sounds
like the jury may still be out on Trotify (even if the company name sounds more
like a horse song streaming station for a smart phone or iPod). Maybe someone
needs to put de lime in de coconut. But that would have us all singing a
different tune altogether.
NOTE:
This blogger has no affiliation with any product/s or companies mentioned in
this post and received no remuneration from the manufacturer/s or product
promoter/s for this post.
Gotta salute the United States Marine Corps and Army Special
Forces in this new training initiative.
Special Forces personnel are saddling up for horsemanship
training at the USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center in the Sierra Mountains outside
of Bridgeport, California, as USA
Today reports.
Marine instructors are training Army Special Forces members
to ride. Participants are learning trail riding, mounted shooting, and other equestrian
skills.
Many of the horses apparently are mustangs, brought in and
trained by inmates and others.
