Horses

This Photo Was Shown on 2005 Portia Geach Memorial Award






















It is named Eugenie Lee "Horse Racing."

Horse racing is an equestrian sport which has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times are an early example, as is the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. It is often inextricably associated with gambling. The common nickname for horse racing is The Sport of Kings.
Betting
At many horse races, there is a gambling station, where gamblers can stake money on a horse. (Gambling on horses is prohibited at some tracks; the nationally renowened Colonial Cup Steeplechase in Camden, South Carolina, is known as one of the races which betting is illegal, because of a 1951 law in the state where betting on horse racing is illegal.) Where gambling is allowed, most tracks offer Parimutuel betting where gamblers' money is pooled and shared proportionally among the winners once a deduction is made from the pool. In some countries, such as UK, Ireland and Australia, an alternative and more popular facility is provided by Bookmakers who effectively make a market in odds. This allows the gambler to lock in odds on a horse at a particular time.




Types of bets
The three most common ways to bet money are: bet to win, bet to place, and bet to show. Bet to win means that you stake money on the horse, and if it comes in first place, the bet is a winner. In bet to place, you are betting on your horse to finish either first or second and 'show' is first, second or third. Since it is much easier to select a horse to finish first, second or third than it is to select a horse just for first, the 'show' payoffs will be much lower on average than win payoffs. Betting 'show' is really playing it safe while win betting is a bit more risky, yet the rewards are better.
In Europe, betting to show is less commonplace since the number of "payout places" varies depending on the size of the field that takes part in the race. For example, in a race with seven or less runners in the UK, only the first two finishers would be considered winning bets with most bookmakers. Three places are paid for eight or more runners, whilst 16 runners or more will see the first four places being classed as "placed". Betting to place takes on a different meaning in Europe for this reason. In the US a place bet would only pay out if the horse in question finished first or second, whilst in the UK, a place bet would be deemed a winner based on the aforementioned criteria.
The term "Each Way" bet is used across the globe, but again has a different meaning depending on your location. An each way (or E/W) bet sees your total bet being split in two, with half being placed on the win, and half on the place. US bettors would only see a payout for a first or second place finish with this type of bet, whilst European and British bettors (or "punters") would receive a payout if the horse either wins, or is placed based on the place criteria as stated above. Most UK bookmakers cut the odds considerably for an each bet, offering the full odds if the horse wins but only a third, a quarter or a fifth of the odds if only the place section of the bet is successful. more...

Moose

The man in the picture is Jacques Leroux who lives up near Escourt Station and has always had work horses; first for actual work then for show at Maine's' many summer fairs.. Three springs ago, he noticed a female moose coming to the pasture and helping herself to the hay and what grain the work horses didn't pick up off the ground. Jacques said he could get within 10 feet of the moose before it would turn and move off. Two springs ago, the moose foaled(?) at the edge of the work horse pasture and upon getting to it's feet had not only the mother in attendance but the four horses. The young moose grew up around the horses and each afternoon when Mr. Leroux took the teams for their daily exercise the yearling moose would trail along the entire route next to the rear horse. At some point, the yearling got so accustomed to Mr. Leroux that, after he had brushed each horse after a workout, he started brushing down the moose. The moose tolerated this quite well so Mr. Leroux started draping harness parts over the yearling to see how he would take to these objects. The moose was soon harness broken and now came the question of what could you do with a harness broke moose. As you may or may not know, a great deal of Maine is being bought up by folks "from away" and some of them understand principles of forest management. Well the folks buying small parcels of land up in the area of the Allagash have it on their mind that they don't want big skidders and processors and forwarders on their small wood lots. Enter Mr. Leroux with his team of horses. Every morning when Mr. Leroux loaded the teams into the horse trailer to go otf to the days job, the yearling moose got quite riled up and one day loaded himself right into the trailer with the horses. At the job site, Jacques unloaded the horses and as the moose stayed right with them, he would take the Clydesdales and his brother Gaston would take the Belgians and off into the woods they would go with the moose trailing behind. They would put the harness on the moose in case they encountered someone who they could kid with the explanation that the moose was a spare in case something happened to one of the horses. The work required them to skid cut libed and topped stems to the landing where the stems could be loaded onto a truck for the pulp mill. more at..... Click Here.

Moose logging is not far fetched, as you see from this example.

Albert Vaillancourt of Chelmsford, Ontario, rescued both moose as calves; one from a black bear and the other had become entangled in a neighbor's fence. He trained the moose to pull a sulky and a sleigh. He toured with his moose team all over Canada. (source: Aroostook Republican, Feb. 22, 1978) The team of moose were an attraction at the Caribou Winter Carnival and Aroostook Sportsman's Show February 19-21, 1942.

Ben Moore's Moose In A Harness

Photographer: H.C. Barley in Skagway, Alaska. From the Donald Gestner Collection.

The complete caption reads Gertrude In Buggy. More...

I love how some people think they can pet the pretty moose.

Run???!!!!

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