This truly seemed like an April Fool’s joke or hoax, but farmer Derek Gow has a problem with Nazi cows. Gow’s cows are the only herd of Nazi-engineered cows in the country. However, he found that they have a habit of trying to kill everyone around them. It appears that the cows view all pastures as part of their Lebensraum and seek to eradicate anyone who is not a “Hecker super cows.”
In 2009, Gow bought 13 genetically engineered cows and bulls and introduced them to this ranch in Boradwoodwidger, west Devon. These cows were developed in the 1920s and 30s by German zoologists Hienz and Lutz Heck under a commission from the Nazi government to create a special breed of cow based on an ancient species of wild bull called aurochs. What a surprise: the Nazi cows proved intolerant, violent, and lethal.
Most of the cows were destroyed after the war, but some ended up in England. Gow has had to reduce the herd to six due to safety concerns. However, he still wants to breed them for meat and offer “Third Reich sausages.” He still does not regret importing them since “the history of them is fascinating.” Sure until the cows declare his house part of their ancestral home; put the other animals in camps, and other animals disappear in a Night of the Long Udders.
Source: Washington Post
Paul C…I agree the amateur classes are the most fun to watch in all phases.
In the dog club I belong to, the United Schutzhund Clubs or America, one of the most sought after title or championship to win is the H.O.T German Shepherd for all phases of work at the SchH III level, now called the IPO III level. HOT means “handler-owner-trained” from puppy to adult competitor. Professionals can compete in those events, but they must meet the HOT requirements, and an ordinary Joe Sixpack can also win. Getting your name on the published list of HOT title holders and champions is a big deal. Especially since there can only be one male and one female champion annually.
Full disclosure: I too once participated in rigging a futurity outcome, by withdrawing our horse from the MQHA reining phase so that a stallion owned by a friend could win it all…our horse was 2nd place at Halter and the friend’s was first. Our horse would have waxed the big guy in reining, and by then I had no interest in selling him…already decided to give him to my better half for her birthday…I liked him way to much as a working horse and companion, literally, to care if I could win the futurity. By then he was worth $25K and that didn’t matter to me…I have this quirk of animals come first. He lived with us until he passed away of natural causes in his pasture. He was a sheer delight to ride or just be around, the most social horse ever, more like a dog really.
Paul C … my wisecrack about Scottsdale referred to their domination of the breed with like minded breeders in Los Angeles in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The breed was proposed as an “investment” , like “artworks”, and big banks got in on the action…and soon Arabians were selling for 6 to 7 figures. The market “crashed” in the 1980’s when the investments did not pan our generally. A pro ball player friend of ours took a bath on his mares, owned, but never seen, when the market took that dump. During the peak of the market, smaller breeders of Arabs or breeders who adhered to the original conformation and size, adhering to original Egyptian, Polish and Bedouin lines couldn’t give away their horses. Today I believe the market has rebalanced itself, as all markets do over time.
As I suppose you know, horse “showing” particularly at halter, is highly political…who is leading is almost as important as the horse itself at times…not all times, but enough to discourage regular folks. When the Arab market crashed and good breeders, regular breeders for the ancient lines, were going out of business I nearly bought one, but at that time I couldn’t fit the face to face interview, required by that conscientious breeder, in to my work schedule due to the distance away involved…so I missed out on the equivalent of a fire sale of beautiful horses. I usually required a face to face talk when selling one of our horses, too, so I understood.
Aridog – having been part of the Arabian horse world in Arizona during its rise and crash I know what you are talking about. I remember the days of the 500k stud fee, the 10m dollar Arabs from Poland and Russia. I remember studs having their own orchestras at Scottsdale and signed head-shots. Ah, the olden days!!!!
I cannot speak to other shows but Scottsdale has amateur owner to ride and amateur owner to lead in all classes. And although I knew a few trainers I found the amateur classes the most fun to watch.