Horse hairs, not feathers, in your cap

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Time for a post that is horse related. In an Antiques Roadshow programme, someone had a collection of Red Rum memorabilia. Red Rum was an Irish steeplechaser. His name comes from the last three letters of the names of his dam (Mared) and sire (Quorum) respectively. He won the Grand National three times, came second twice and never fell in any of his 100 races. This is an enviable record. As his legendary status grew, his handlers would package and sell locks of his mane and tail. The item that appeared on Antiques Roadshow was a tweed-type cap, along with photos and newspaper cuttings. Some of the horse’s hair had been woven with other fibres into cloth. Some of this was made into a jacket and the leftovers were made into a cap. On a side note, Lee Mack is an English comedian who appears on Would I Lie To You. His first ride on a horse was when, as a stable boy, he asked if he could have a ride on a horse. He was given permission and he took Red Rum as his mount, not knowing it was destined to become so famous. The horse became a national celebrity, appearing on the front page of newspapers and on TV news programmes after each of his major achievements. The same thing happened when Red Rum died at the age of 30, a great age for a horse. What I actually wanted to say was how strange to weave some of the horsehairs into a fabric. Image from Wikimedia curtesy of Ian S.