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.

Thirty year old millionaires Jordan was left to look a little foolish after Zara Philips denied having a friendship with her.

Katie’s publicist had claimed that she and Zara had struck up a friendship at Burghley Horse Trials after being invited along by Princess Anne.

However the 27 year old Royal, Zara’s spokesperson denied the friendship saying that Zara and Katie hadn’t even met and if they had it would have been in passing as Zara was competing at the event.

The cause of death of the twenty one prize polo ponies from the Venezuelan Lechuza Caracas polo team is still under investigation.

Investigators have ruled out infectious disease and are so far not suspecting foul play. They are looking to see if the horses could have had an adverse reaction to a drug or toxin.

As the horses, which were worth over $2,000,000, started to collapse around the polo pitch, over 12 vets came to their aid and around 100 volunteers assisted them. The ponies showed signs of fluid in their lungs and cardiogenic shock.

Lechuza Caracas said:

“We wish to thank those from the polo community who tried to save our precious ponies by selflessly lending their assistance. Although the ponies could not be saved, our gratitude to them cannot be overemphasized.”