Dateline: Monday, August 11th, 2009 - UK

Scottish eventing legend, Ian Stark was rushed to hospital with a brain bleed.

According to Horse and Hound, the 55 year old called himself an ambulance while driving.

Stark was in Dublin for the famous Dublin Horse Show where he was judging the Champion Hunters in the Main Arena on Saturday.

He is apparently resting comfortably and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Dateline: August 2009 - UK

While competing at Dublin Horse Show, Geoff Billington received the sad news that his super star horse It's Otto was put to sleep at the

age of 23.

The strikingly handsome Dutch horse suited Geoff's personality so well as he too loved an audience and would play the straight man to Geoff in the tour that Geoff did with him once the horse had officially retired, entertaining audiences through out the United Kingdom.

It's Otto won over £650,000 during his long and illustrious competition career which included two Olympic Games, a European Championship and a World Equestrian Games.

This was Geoff's "horse of a lifetime" and he lived out his retirement with Billington as they were also pals.

A wonderful horse who will long be remembered as one the great horses of showjumping.

Dateline: August 2009 - Queensland, Australia

Queensland is once again being plagued by the deadly Hendra virus as there is again a flare up which has already claimed horses lives. Last year (2008) vet Ben Cuneen died as a result of contracting the Hendra virus and it would appear that there have been no forward steps to prevent this bat carried disease returning.

There are currently four people reportedly undergoing a revolutionary treatment for the Hendra virus.

Eighteen people who have been exposed to the infected animals have received preliminary clearance results but will have to wait a fortnight for further test results.

Horses at John Brady's stud are being tested daily after a horse died on his property last Saturday, while they wait for the results of tests on 11 horses who were removed from the property priot to quarantine being imposed on them.

People are becoming frightened for their own health and that of the horses as there continues to be a deafening silence on the obvious answer which is to remove/eradicate the bat populations in the affected areas. The removal of the bat colonies would at least help to stop the spread of this potentially deadly disease.