Thieves who use horse and carts to transport stolen scrap metal are being targeted by Bradford police. The police will also be focusing on animal cruelty.

Police officers are looking out for horses that are illegally tethered on public ground as well as suspicious horse drawn vehicles.

With the weather improving illegal activity is set to increase. Bradford City Council, The Environment Agency and animal health inspectors are working together to deal with the problem.

When the last scheme of this type was run 21 illegally tethered horses were found, 2 anti social behavior letters were issued and 2 carts were stopped.

The family of a professional horse rider who died at Belton Park Horse Trials on Sunday have said that their only consolation is that he died doing something he loved.

Mr Olding was riding his horse Gran-Kiki when he was killed in a rotational fall.

His brother Gary said:

“He loved just being around horses. When he left school, he started out as a chef, but it just wasn’t him; horses and teaching people to event was his life.

“When he left Northern Ireland, it was almost as if he was running off to the circus. He just wanted to go eventing.

He said the family was devastated: “We are all in deep shock and we are at a loss as to what to do without him.

“Ian will be very sadly missed by mum and dad, myself, my wife Lyn and his three nephews.

“Our only consolation was that he died doing something he loved.”

Ian was originally from North Belfast but moved to Cheshire ten years ago. For the past four years he had run a successful yard based at Somerford Park Farm near Sandbach,

A prototype tram with a tarpaulin attachment to the rear is being trialed by Douglas Council workers.

The idea is to have a bin like device attached to the tram to catch the horse poop as it’s produced. It does look though as if the current design may be too far away from the rear of the horse so will need some adjustment.

Councilor Pitts of Douglas Leisure Services Committee said that currently over £20,000 is being spent cleaning up the promenade of manure dropped on the streets by the towns horse trams. Pitts also told the BBC that any manure collected could be utilised on public gardens.

Horse trams are due to resume again in Douglas at the beginning of May.

Ten year old cross bred Shire, Alfie is proud of his rather splendid moustache and refuses to let anyone trim it.

Stable staff at his yard in Bitton, Gloucestershire thought he might feel better without his hairy appendage but whenever they try to get near it Alfie runs a mile. He won’t even let anyone in his stable ‘just in case’.

Many heavy horses sport smaller moustaches but none quite as prolific as Alfies. Friesian horses are also noted for being able to produce facial hair.

Last month a photogrpaher artist Julian Wolkenstein produced a series of work featuring horses with highly styles hair.

A man from Anza, California has been charged with two charges of animal cruelty after decapitating his horse then feeding its head to his dogs.

Riverside County Assistant District Attorney Chuck Hughes said that the two counts of cruelty are neglect and then the physical harm. If convicted, sixty four year old Jack Mark Ziniuk could go to prison for four and a half years.

Mr Ziniuk claims that his horse had been attacked by dogs and was having seizures so he beat it to death with a sledgehammer then cut of its head and gave it to his dogs.