Drowning horse saved by dedicated father

With the recent cold weather, many rivers and lakes have frozen over, making it hard for people and wildlife alike to differentiate between solid and frozen ground. There have been several recent stories about horses and other wildlife which have mistakenly ventured onto frozen water and, sadly, most of these had tragic consequences.

However, the story of a dad who managed to help rescue his daughter's horse which fell into a frozen lake has a much happier outcome.

The dad of six from Wintersett, West Yorkshire, was taking his daughter's horse, Harry, for a walk when he briefly let go of the reins to shut a gate, allowing the horse to trot off.

"I couldn't keep up with him. He was trotting in the direction of the lake. I saw him go towards the middle of the lake and he went straight through the ice. All of a sudden his head bobbed back up," the dad said.

After dialling 999, the father found a step ladder to make his way down the bank and a rope to tie around the horse's head so he wouldn't go under.
When emergency services arrived at the scene, the man had fallen in with the horse and firefighters first had to pull him to safety before helping the horse out of the water.

The horse was wrapped in horse rugs and encouraged to move around to help raise its temperature.

Speaking of his ordeal, the man said, "It was a stupid thing going for the horse but I had to do it. He's an ex-racehorse and a family pet who belongs to my 10-year-old daughter."

Both the horse and the dedicated father appear to have escaped the incident relatively unscathed and are recovering well.

[Image © Gayle Parker via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence]

Dogwood products in 'Best of British' Square Mile magazine edition

While we needed no reassuring that our collection of equestrian goods was top of the range, being asked to provide some of our products for Square Mile magazine's 'Best of British 2009' photo shoot certainly helped reaffirm our confidence.

Involving two female models and one male model dressed in little more than Dogwood riding boots and riding hats, it would be fair to say the shoot was not your average 'horsey' shoot. However from such a prestigious magazine featuring, as they put it, "everything luxury", the standard equestrian look would be far too passé.

Posing in Vivienne Westwood jackets and stockings, the models wonderfully demonstrated how the riding boot is just as much at home on the catwalk as it is in the stable yard. Indeed, the leather riding boot is almost as popular in the fashion world as it is with equestrians, causing fashionistas around the world to race to get their hands on a pair of riding boots to team with jeans rather than jodhpurs.

Having now appeared in Ralph Lauren's Bond Street window front, Square Mile magazine's Best of British edition and photo shoot requests coming in thick and fast from the likes of the Sunday Times' fashion magazine Style and the fashion bible itself, Vogue, Dogwood products are quickly becoming hot property in the fashion world.

So next time you are flicking through your favourite fashion magazine, you may very well see some of our products adorning the fashion industry's greatest stars.

To join the ranks of the people at Vogue and Square Mile, why not give us a call today and see if we can help you find the perfect fashion accessory to your wardrobe.

Liverpool visitors to be greeted by 8ft bronze horse

Visitors to Liverpool will soon be greeted by a life-size bronze statue of a shire horse complete with horse tack. Honouring the city's hard-working dock horses and carters that worked in the city for 250 years, the statue is to be unveiled in the Albert Dock on May 1st this year, the traditional date for the May Day Horse parade.
The eight-foot sculpture, called 'Waiting' is the creation of acclaimed sculptor Judy Boyt, and will be mounted on a plinth along with information on the history of the working horses.
The horses were used to carry provisions from the docks to the warehouses and shops and were essential during the petrol-rationed days of World War II.

In 1935, Liverpool had 4,910 working horses which was the highest amount outside of London but by the 1960's, they had been replaced by motor vehicles.

"The horse drawn carts have 250 years of history and they were so important to Liverpool" Jimmy Doran, one of the few surviving carters from the 1940's said.

Until now, the only monument to the horses has been a plaque near to where the horses were originally stabled. Fundraisers, backed by Liverpool council and the British Horse Society, have been campaigning for a proper monument since 1977 and have so far raised £120,000 to go towards the bronze horse.

The statue is hoped to remind the younger generation and visitors to Liverpool of the city's past and the important work the Carters and their faithful equine companions did.

Image ©ulybug, via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence