Are you passionate about horses and horse riding? Would you like to take lessons and maybe even own your own horse one day? If so, you’re going to need to get your hands on a hefty chunk of change!

Horse riding lessons can be incredibly expensive, as can all the equipment you need to ride a horse. You need to deck yourself out in jodhpurs, appropriate boots and a riding helmet, and the horse or pony needs its own gear too (i.e. saddle, stirrups etc).

If you own a horse, the costs are so much greater. Feeding and maintaining an animal such as a horse takes an enormous amount of time, money and commitment. At the very least, you need a stable in which to keep the horse, and someone to look after it, not to mention all the other costs you are likely to encounter.

There’s no need to give up on your horsey dream just yet though; at least not until you’ve tried online bingo as a way of raising some extra cash. Whilst some people win just £10 on occasion at sites like Wink Bingo, others take home thousands of pounds! Winning this amount of cash would certainly get you started on your horsey adventure!

Unfortunately there are hundreds if not thousands of horse riding accidents every year in the UK.  Often these involve a call out for an air ambulance so that the victim can be transferred to hospital as quickly as possible.

The following are all horse riding incidents that have happened during April this year and have involved a call out from an air ambulance:

28 April 2009 - Wiltshire Air Ambulance took a rider with a suspected pelvic injury to Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

25 April 2009 – Seventeen year old Faye Cree was flown to hospital after her horse threw her into a wall. She sustained fatal head injuries due to not wearing a helmet.

11 April 2009 – Midlands Air Ambulance flew a rider in her 20’s to University Hospital of North Staffordshire after she was crushed by her horse at a point to point.

9 April 2009 – A Police community support officer was taken to hospital by air ambulance after her horse fell at a cross country event.

Air ambulances are often charities that are funded soley by public donations. You can help by attending fund raising events organised by air ambulance organisations or why not host your own?

Hopefully you will never need to use the service yourself but you could help to save the lives of many other horse riders.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are this month going to present the queen with another horse. This will be the fourth horse that she has accepted during her reign as Queen.

The horse has been renamed George after the Queens Grandfather, King George.

George will be presented to the Queen on 16th May at the end of the Royal Tattoo which is held at Windsor Castle. The Tattoo includes military and equestrian displays and will also feature the RCMP Pipes and Drum band.

A mare called Burmese was the first horse given to the Queen by the Royal Canadian Mounties 40 years ago in 1969.

Mary King is looking for a rider for her Olympic Silver Medal winning horse King Solomon III.

Paula Lee has been riding ‘Solly’ since 2005 when he retired from eventing. Paula has qualified the horse for the 2009 British Dressage South West Summer Regionals but cannot ride now herself as she is pregnant.

Paula said:

“I am looking for a talented young rider or well deserving rider who just needs the opportunity to show their talent,”

“I am expecting a baby in August and will be unable to compete him at the regionals myself. I would therefore like to give someone the wonderful opportunity to ride this amazing horse.
“We are looking for a kind, considerate, quiet rider who really deserves a chance.”

A pit pony from the National Coal Mining Museum has died at the age of nineteen after battling a sudden illness.

Robbie has lived at the museum for the past ten years and before that he was the last pony to leave Pant y Gasseg mine in Wales where he had worked underground for five years hauling coal.

Debra Evans from the mining museum said:

“The museum is sad to announce that our pit pony Robbie passed away on April 18, 2009.

“Robbie was good-looking, good-natured, and his favourite companion at the museum was Patch.

“We know Robbie will be sorely missed as he was loved by all who met him. His loss will be felt by all the staff at the museum, those who adopted him and the visitors.”