Here at Luxist we have a bit of a weakness for charities involving horses, we've covered quitea fewof them and here comes another worthwhile horse rescue. The Sunrise Horse Rescue is located in St. Helena, California in the Napa Valley. Sunrise Horse Rescue is a non-profit organization that operates at the Sunrise Stables, a riding school that emphasizes not just riding but total horse care. Children and adults spend as much time grooming and feeding and cleaning up after their horses as they do riding in the arena and on the trails at the ranch.
Sunrise Horse Rescue is the only horse rescue operation in the Napa Valley. They rescue abused and neglected horses in Napa and Sonoma Counties and provide students of all ages with life-enhancing skills derived from riding and horsemanship. Sunrise Horse Rescue currently shelters 10 rescued horses of a variety of breeds, ages and backgrounds and welcomes donations and volunteer support.
Lifesavers Inc. is all about saving horses -- all kinds from unwanted or homeless domestic pets to retired working animals to wild mustangs. Created in 1997 it's a fairly young organization that serves as a source of news and contacts to other horse related campaigns (like this one geared towards saving America's wild mustang population) and events like this horse dancing competition and this women's empowerment workshop. They also provide links to horse rescue resources and homeless horses that are available for adoption -- I love horses and seeing these that need a home makes me wish I had room for a one!
On May 7, Sotheby's in London will stage an auction of important Sporting Art, headlined by two Sir Alfred Munnings equestrian paintings worth several million dollars. The top-priced piece of the sale is Munnings' "A Boy And His Pony - Portrait of Daffern Seal on Canary" painted in 1926. With an estimate of $3 - $5 million, it's one of the highest-priced equestrian portraits ever; however, it's worth noting that in 2004 Sotheby's sold a Munnings entitled "The Red Prince Mare," which had formerly belonged to Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney, for $7.8 million, almost $2 million over estimate.
The second-highest lot in the May 7 auction is also a Munnings, "Portrait of Lady Barbara Lowther on Horseback" painted in 1919, with an estimate of $1.6 - $2.4 million. However, we happen to prefer the work of earlier artists such as Ben Marshall and John Frederick Herring, Sr., whose "The Match Between Priam and Augustus at Newmarket," painted in 1831 and pictured above, is estimated at $1 - $1.4 million -- a relative bargain.
Tierra Madre (Spanish for Mother Earth) is a 3 acre Horse Sanctuary located in Arizona, that houses just under 30 horses at a time. Horses arrive at Tierra Madre after living as race horses or pets, many of them are simply not wanted anymore or not being cared for adequately. Injured horses receive medical attention as well as chiropractic care for their sore and broken legs at this amazing safe haven. Tierra Madre is owned and operated by Jim Gath (pictured above) who comes from a family of horsemen. After a successful career in both journalism and advertising he decided to return to his roots and found his true calling rescuing horses. Tierra Madre offers adopt-a-horse programs, and also gladly accepts donations from the public. Learn more about this charity here.
In the mid 1990's the Associated press was doing an investigation and expose on the widespread abuse and slaughter of wild horses. Many Americans were surprised to discover that there were still in fact wild horses living in remote areas, and outraged that they were being destroyed. After learning of this situation Neda De Mayo founded the Return to Freedom American Wild Horse Sanctuary in 1997. The sanctuary's mission, is to provides a safe haven for herds of wild horses (and burros) that would have otherwise be separated, slaughtered, abused, or left to starve to death. Currently home for around 200 horses including some very rare breeds, the Return to Freedom sanctuary focuses on many key "horse issues" including education, preservation of natural habitat and changing of legislation. One of the horses residing at the sanctuary named Scout, was rescued off the floor a slaughter house after a US federal court ruling saved her life! Visit www.returntofreedom.org and read some of the amazing rescue stories and learn how your donation of money or time can help save wild horses.
Horses are exquisite animals capable of so many different tasks from polo to jumping, roping to dressage, leading a carriage or packing into the mountains. With hundreds of breeds around the world bred for specific capabilities it is hard to narrow a list of the rarest horses to just a few but these stand out for good reason.
The Sorraia Horse is said to be the direct descendant of the wild Iberian horse but only 200 head currently remain living in South Iberia. The Tiger Horse is a rare breed which is said to have existed in Ancient Spain and the beginning of the New World and its looks are similar to an Appaloosa. The champion of medieval times in the UK was the Cleveland Bay which is now Critical on the Rare Horse Breeds Survival list. There are certainly more than these three to consider rare. But one of my personal favorites, and rare in terms of its abilities and characteristics, is the Lipizzaner. Bred for its military prowess, courage and smooth gait it is first-class in terms of its dressage movements and acrobatic feats. Typically one of these animals sells for $7,500 to $100,000 depending on its age, training and breeding lines.
Their colors, their talents, but most of all, their sweet and fiery dispositions place horses among some of the most amazing animals and truly loyal pets. These creatures are powerful and endearing, large and small, but no matter which breed it is they will always be loved.
Going to a big horse race is about more than just cheering on your favorite pick, it's also all about fashion, parties, and socializing with the uber-rich. Depending on where you're headed, carnivals are scheduled around the races, there are parties galore, and no shortage of supermodels or brand name and designer goods up for sale and raffle. Horse races are big money, but the biggest of the them all is The Dubai World Cup. With a prize of $6 million dollars you can imagine what decadent luxuries they have available to keep people in the lap of luxury before, during, and after the actual running of the race. Read up and get an idea of the goings in in Dubai, plus several of the other richest horse races in the world, and get ready to plan your next vacation!
Diane Griswold Johnston is a champion equestrienne as well as a jewelry designer. Naturally therefore she creates a range of equestrian jewelry for the horse-obsessed. The jewelry is set in 18K gold and includes a hand-carved onyx horse head pendant, silver horse coin earrings, horsehead earrings, an onyx horse head bracelet and a charm bracelet that features a gold horse and gold ribbon charms with tiny lapis centers. Her jewelry can be ordered online, through Saks or at selected horse shows.
Horseback riding is a more popular hobby than some may realize, with 20 million Americans considering themselves riders and 12 million taking it fairly seriously by riding at least once per week. With that many interested, equestrian-based luxury vacations are getting better and better all the time. From Micato Horseback Safaris in Africa where you can play polo and spot zebra to Cross Country International's Chateau-to-Chateau Trail in France featuring leisurely rides through the countryside with stops for wine and massages -- there's something for every taste and in every area of the world.
Lets just all remember that we don't have to necessarily love something to write a post on it. This Horse Lamp designed by Front for Moooi is interior lighting for die-hard animal lovers only. I normally would fit into that group, and I especially love horses, but I guess I like my animals a little more natural looking (i.e. not wearing lampshades on their heads). Not to mention, this horse has a strange stressed-out expression on his face that would make it hard to relax around.
But, all that being said, it is a beautiful animal. Maybe in the right setting...? $4389.
Last year Woodford Reserve gave 50 traditional mint juleps a $1000 upgrade at the Kentucky Derby by using exotic ingredients and serving them in gold cups with silver straws. With the drinks providing such a unique keepsake and proceeds benefiting retired horses and jockeys through Thoroughbred Charities of America, the $1000 juleps were huge a success. So this year they'll be coming around again -- only with even more flair than before.
This year there will be a julep cup representing each of the Derby winners all the way from the first, Aristides, to the most recent, Barbaro. Those two, plus the 11 triple crown winners in between, will be auctioned off online between April 17th and May 1st -- and of course somewhat of a bidding war is expected over Barbaro's cup (it will be interesting to see who wins out on that one). Altogether this year there will be a grand total of 133 special edition mint juleps made, with only 10 being held back for sale at the actual race. In addition to those 10, and the 13 up for online auction, 109 are available to purchase online for $1000 each (first come first buy), and one will be reserved and sent to this year's Derby winner, free of charge.
As before, the juleps will leave nothing wanting in the way of exotic ingredients from around the world, featuring mint from Ireland, organic sugar from Australia, ice from the Bavarian Alps, and of course bourbon from Woodford Reserve.
Maybe it is because bangles are big this season, or maybe it is the horses, but this Stagecoach Bracelet from Hermes is a beautiful piece of jewelry. The enamel bracelet is silver and palladium plated, and comes in multiple colors - white, red and light blue - and in both narrow and wide bands. The narrow band ($395) looks a bit more elegant, but the wide band ($440, pictured) has the benefit of allowing you to see the design a bit more clearly, which somehow makes it look more funky and casual.
This Northern California estate is designed for the horse lover. The ranch is 80 acres of land located just a few miles from the Pacific Coast in Santa Cruz. The estate is a working equestrian facility with a barn that matches the angular look of the nearly 7,000 square foot home. The main house has four bedrooms, a loft and large fireplaces to ward off the chill at night. The interior has a very Western feel .The home is listed at $20 million. After the jump, a study in triangles (even the rugs feature triangular designs).
How much does it cost to buy a horse who can "run for the roses" in the Kentucky Derby? The short answer is quite a bit because the training and board, along with travel, vet, equipment and entry fees can be extremely expensive, especially if you want to put your horse with a top trainer. All that aside, there is still the initial cost of the horse.
There are three types of horses running, those sold privately, those sold at auction and homebreds, raised and raced by the same owners. Both private sales and home-raised horses can be difficult to assign a value to, but the results of auctions are made public, which can give us a general idea of what it takes to race.
Tonight is the season finale - possibly the series finale - of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange
County, a show set in the heart of Orange County, California, in a development called Coto de Caza. Since the show
is ending, it's only fitting that our estate of the day is from the area. Coto de Caza is a large development with
approximately 4,200 homes. It has a private golf club, with a course that has been rated one of the best in the
country, a tennis club, an equestrian center and a nearly 500 acre wildlife park. Homes start around
$500,000 and go up to multi-million dollar estates. This Tudor-style equestrian estate is one of the multi-million
dollar homes.
How much does it cost to buy a horse who can "run for the roses" in the 
