Just got the new issue of HORSE AND HOUND, the wonderful equestrian weekly 
magazine from Britain.  No, I don't buy it every week, but every now and 
again I grab it for coverage of the big events; this week's issue had a page 
on the Paralympics (in which the equestrian team gold was won by Britain, the 
silver by Denmark, and the bronze by France) so I couldn't resist.
 
Quick report on how the Paralympics works:  disabilities are graded and the 
athletes then ride tests graded according to difficulty.  There are two 
individual medals in each of the four levels, one for dressage and one for 
the Kur (musical freestyle).  What makes the event really interesting to me 
is that the horses are provided by the committee and the athletes go through 
all the horses the week before the competition to find a good 'match'.
 
Cheers to all the participants, and extra cheers for the individual 
medallists:
Jo Jackson, UK, Grade Four Gold (both medals) 
Pat Straughan, UK, Grade Four Silver, dressage
Diane Tubbs, UK, Grade One Silver, dressage
Liz Stone, UK, Grade Three Silver, dressage
Birgit Dreiszis, Germany, gold in Kur (Grade not specified)
Vickie Sweigart, US, gold in Kur (Grade not specified) 
Brita Anderson, Denmark, gold and silver medals (not specified)
 
Kudos to HORSE AND HOUND for a fun article on the games and yet it's too bad 
they didn't do a sidebar of complete results as they did for the big games.
 
Now on to the cream-colored horse.  The last page of HORSE AND HOUND 
(opposite the inside back cover) is usually reserved for a human-interest 
feature called 'horse of a lifetime' where the columnist visits notable 
horsepeople and does a bio of their most special horses.  This week's she 
visits Sir Michael Richardson, the chairman of the Masters of Foxhounds 
Association, and his horse Sandy.  Sandy is a 23-year old gelding, a 17-hand 
part Irish Draught, and he is cream-colored.  He looks like a very very very 
pale palomino with a white blaze (which you can see if you hold the picture 
up close and peer at it) and a flaxen mane and tail.
 
I can only assume that this is the famous cremello color with the double dose 
of the dilution gene which, when found singly, turns a horse with 
chestnut-color genes into a Palomino.  I had no idea this gene was found in 
English or Irish horses -- Bob, do you have any idea of how many Palominos 
are in the UK?
 
Sandy is quite a character.  First of all, despite being unsuitable for Sir 
Michael's requirements, and having a "perfectly dreadful cream colored heavy 
body", Sandy stopped and gave Sir Michael the "come- hither" look when he was 
let past at the sales.  He loves being first horse and will kick the stable 
door in a temper if he is left behind.  He's a splendid hunter and will jump 
anything going.  He also hates being clipped and will roll to avoid it.  And 
he hates Jacob's Sheep -- he has been known to pick up one particular ram in 
his teeth and lift him completely off the ground.  And he loves the ocean -- 
Sir Michael takes him on holiday with the family to the Isle of Wright every 
year.  And yes, Sandy swims.  Not bad for a horse that cost 1600 pounds!
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