Sportsbetting: Just Horsing Around

Aaaah… . Nothing quite beats taking a few punts at the races and I admit that one of my favorite pastimes is placing a bet or two on the hottest race being run in any given week. I’m by far a gambling expert and I am not ashamed to say that sometimes I will back a particular horse just because I like it’s name!

Seriously, though, have you ever stopped to think why horses are called what they are? Just take some of the names in the race I bet on this weekend, the Silver Tankard Stakes, to get an idea of what I’m talking about. Weapon of Choice? Time for Work? Quite mind boggling if you ask me – and probably why I’ll never be a high roller!

And if we’re on the subject of horses and mind boggling, I came across a couple of laws that pertain to horses and horse riding from around the world which I thought I’d share:

Did you know, for example, that it is illegal in Marion, South Carolina, to tickle a woman under her chin with a feather duster while she is riding a horse? Honestly, it’s written right there in the law books!

In New York City, you are not allowed to open or close an umbrella near a horse, while in three states – Washington DC, Colorado and Utah – it is illegal to go fishing on horseback.

I guess they haven’t heard the term ‘politically correct’ in Guernee Illinois, where the law states that a woman weighing over 200 pounds may not ride a horse wearing shorts…

And on the subject of absurd, it is illegal in Raton, New Mexico, for a woman to ride a horse down a public street wearing a kimono…

It’s not just the US lawmakers who need to get a life.  In Queensland, Australia, for instance, all pubs or bars are required by law to have a railing outside where patrons can tie their horses. Methinks someone should update the law books Down Under.

And I will end off with a Missouri law from the 1800’s which clearly pre-dates animal rights ordinances: “No person shall hallo, shout, bawl, scream, use profane language, dance, sing, whoop, quarrel, or make any unusual noise or sound in such manner as to disturb a horse.”