Thursday, March 31, 2011

Australia: Queensland XXXX beer saves horse's life

Jeremy Pierce From: Herald Sun April 01, 2011 12:00AM

Diamond Mojo is feeling great after a diet of XXXX beer. Picture: Adam Head Source: Herald Sun

IT sounds like a load of XXXX, but beer saved this horse's life.

Diamond Mojo, a six-year-old Australian waler, had been given up for dead by his owner, Steve Clibborn, after being struck down by a bout of colic.

So, as desperate men do in desperate times, Steve turned to the bottle - not for himself, but for his prize endurance horse.

"I had pretty much kissed him goodbye," he said.

"I had spent 23 hours straight with him, but nothing worked and then I remembered an old bush tale that said you could feed them beer.

"I don't know whether I really believed it or not, but it was worth a shot and, as soon as he had that beer, he burped and perked right up. So I gave him another couple."

Over the following days, Steve repeated the dose - using Queensland's XXXX lager - until his horse found his mojo.

Colic produces acute abdominal pain and can be caused by stress.

It often proves fatal to horses and opinion is divided on how it can best be treated.

But Steve thinks he is on to a winner with the amber nectar.

"It bloody well worked," he said.

"I am not sure of the science behind it but, because it's gassy, it can give them some relief.

"He ended up taking quite a shine to XXXX.

"So I had to get him off the grog or he was going to cost me a fortune. He prefers carrots now."

Diamond Mojo is well on the road to recovery on Mr Clibborn's farm near Lismore, in northern NSW, and could soon make a return to endurance racing.

[Full article at http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/queensland-xxxx-beer-saves-horses-life/story-fn7x8me2-1226031640282...]

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