"The Gift Horse" episode - Madame Secretary (contains spoilers)

[IronwoodFarm]

Did anyone catch this episode?

Basic story arc is that Mongolia sends a gift of a horse to the Secretary of State. Apparently accepting the gift will lead to some diplomatic meltdown with China and Russia, so the gift will have to be sent back. But wait, Mongolia will have to euthanize the horse because it can’t be brought back into the country due to all the diseases she might carry. This fact unleashed the Equine Resource League (which has pretty nice offices) which immediately calls the state department staffer a horse killer and flings manure at him. It was fresh manure, too. Of course the Secretary can’t buy the horse because the mare costs $2M. Fortunately the Mongolian crisis ends and the horse is being accepted by Cuba which has “nascent animal importation laws.” There is some concern about the climate change, but they think the horse will get such a good home that it won’t matter.

My favorite part was when the aid is holding the blanketed horse in some cargo area full of boxes. He describes the horse as having a chestnut stripe, but t. he color does not look anything like a line backed dun breed. Of course he falls in love with the mare and names her Amanda. Unfortunately she has to stay in quarantine for another few days. Hopefully they have a stall and she didn’t have to stand among the cargo in the Baltimore harbor.

I thought the horse was cute and quiet. She looked like a large pony or maybe a small horse if the actor holding her is tall. The plot line was silly; a quick internet search indicates Mongolia allows the importation of horses. I’d also know what on earth made this mare worth $2M. They need a second appraisal.

[Guilherme]

I watched the first few minutes (my wife is more of a fan than I am). I quit when the Secretary announced that the State Department didn’t have any stables. That’s absolutely right. The the DoD does! The nearest being the Caisson Platoon at Ft. Myer. They missed a great opportunity on that one.

G.

[IronwoodFarm]

I think the horse story was filler. I missed the part about State not having any stables. It would have been great if they parked the horse at Arlington. One of my tenants used to work with the Caisson Platoon until he left the service.

I’m still trying to figure out the $2M appraisal. That’s some kind of horse!

I think they should have stuck with something like the Komodo Dragon that George H.W. Bush received as a gift.

[Beentheredonethat]

I saw it. Funny, but kind of stupid. She looked like a grade large pony. The $2 million was just stupid.

[StormyDay]

The show turned me off when in the first season they just decided to sell their whole farm for no apparent reason and everyone just didn’t care about all the animals they had?!? It was just so unrealistic to me. I still watch it but I hate it when shows do horse related plot lines without doing any research or thinking it through at all. There would have been outcry if the family had decided to just sell/leave behind a houseful of beloved dogs. Why do they think it would be any different with horses?
Sorry for the rant.

[copper1]

I am always amazed at the errors Hollywood makes on horse stuff when so many celebrities ride!

[cnm161]

I don’t remember which season (it’s one of the ones on Netflix though), but there’s an episode where she has to put down her beloved jumper because he has incurable leg cancer. That’s right. Leg cancer.

There’s so many ways horses can tragically hurt themselves, but they chose leg cancer. Didn’t stop me from getting teary-eyed because I’m a sucker for animals on TV, but still. Leg cancer.

[chestnutmarebeware]

[QUOTE=Guilherme;9003314]
I watched the first few minutes (my wife is more of a fan than I am). I quit when the Secretary announced that the State Department didn’t have any stables. That’s absolutely right. The the DoD does! The nearest being the Caisson Platoon at Ft. Myer. They missed a great opportunity on that one.

G.[/QUOTE]

You’re absolutely right! I grew up riding at DoD stables at both Camp Lejeune and Quantico (USMC bases). At Lejeune, the instructor was an old ex-cavalry guy who screamed at us kids, threw rocks, made us ride and jump without stirrups in every lesson, and regularly stood next to jumps with a lunge whip (and used it) if the schoolies were taking too much advantage and started doing dirty stops. BEST INSTRUCTOR I EVER HAD! You were the greatest, Col. Mitchell! :winkgrin:

[DrBeckett]

My favorite worst show for showing people and animals was Providence. The lead’s father was a veterinarian. Who never had clients, but always had animals in horrible wire cages stacked on top of each other. I hated when they focused on his part.

Currently I’m reading “Learning to Fall” and the protagonist is a girl who is 23 and in her last year of vet school, which is written as if she were in a classroom and the 4th year starts in September. That’s not how it works. That’s not how any of it works. Unless she graduated high school at 15, she wouldn’t be 23 in her 4th year of vet school. And 4th year starts the day after 3rd year ends. You are in clinics and don’t have weekends off to go to horse shows. The books is driving me insane and I doubt I can finish it.

[judybigredpony]

Interesting…I just turned down buying a horse who “Cancer”… And the growth which was removed was between front legs…Lymphoma…So yes they do and can…what was more objectionable was the MRI…that is not a first line diagnostic tool
Also if anyone follows they kept the horses…and went back,to ride them.
The Mongolians can value a “Gift” at any price…and since it was a mare and supposedly from the original “Mongolian” horses…"She also would have had to go into mandatory 30 days quarenteen " so not to any Military stables. A lot of facts were over looked…but it is after all entertainment Not a Documentry or PBS…

[Jumper_Bump]

Yea… I really like this show so I am looking the other way on this topic.

However, it does make me wonder… if they didn’t do their research on this topic what else are they not doing their research on, and do I just not know enough to know the difference on other topics.

Also I thought Canada would have been a better alternative… Similar climate ect… I don’t think our importation laws are too stringent especially if it had already been accepted to the U.S. Although I can’t say I’ve ever imported a horse from Mongolia…

As a side note… I was twitching at the $2Mill horse not having a body clip but that is just the groom and years of conditioning in me.

[Madison]

The horse story was pretty random!! But I didn’t take the $2 million quite so literally, I took that valuation as more of the posturing and political gamesmanship on the Mongolian side! But given that they weren’t going for factual accuracy, obviously, maybe they meant it to be the actual value lol. And if they did, then sorry, they really should have picked a more regal looking animal than having a random cute pony/hony mare! All in all, definitely a silly diversion in the episode.

[Teatime]

Buckskin Morgan mare

Here’s a link to the farm page for the mare who appeared in Madame Secretary

http://sardemorgans.com/horse_pages/sardes_truly_vivacious.php

Her barn name is Stormy.

[gottagrey]

Forget the stables at Ft. Myer, a simple search would have also found the Park Police Stables in Rock Creek Park, and also 2 park run stables in Rock Creek Park -Rock Creek Park and Meadowbrook … I don’t believe the stables at Quantico are run by the military anymore I took lessons and rode there way back when - all the horses had military/Marine type names. I used to love to ride this pony named Saigon.

[judybigredpony]

[QUOTE=gottagrey;9004805]
Forget the stables at Ft. Myer, a simple search would have also found the Park Police Stables in Rock Creek Park, and also 2 park run stables in Rock Creek Park -Rock Creek Park and Meadowbrook … I don’t believe the stables at Quantico are run by the military anymore I took lessons and rode there way back when - all the horses had military/Marine type names. I used to love to ride this pony named Saigon.[/QUOTE]

Except everyone keeps missing the key component…The Mongolian MARE will,first have to go into USA 30 day mandatory quarenteen at a approved quarenteen station…The closest being Sharon Clarks place in Darlington MD where she would stay to until she goes thru a heat cycle and has testing done. Before being allowed to leave for any other stable in the USA.

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=judybigredpony;9005524]
Except everyone keeps missing the key component…The Mongolian MARE will,first have to go into USA 30 day mandatory quarenteen at a approved quarenteen station…The closest being Sharon Clarks place in Darlington MD where she would stay to until she goes thru a heat cycle and has testing done. Before being allowed to leave for any other stable in the USA.[/QUOTE]

They did talk about a 3 day quarantine. Horses from Brazil need 7 days. Don’t know about other countries.

From my perspective they just missed a chance to add some reality to a program that rivals Road Runner cartoons for fantasy content!!!

G.

[quietann]

[QUOTE=Teatime;9004595]
Here’s a link to the farm page for the mare who appeared in Madame Secretary

http://sardemorgans.com/horse_pages/sardes_truly_vivacious.php

Her barn name is Stormy.[/QUOTE]

Here is a link to her breeder’s webpage (Roxanne Sardelli bought the horse’s dam in foal):

Ancan Morgans

Anne is wonderful! She was one of the first in our current era to put “colorful” Morgans into some of the “fancy” breed show classes like Pleasure Driving and In-Hand, where they did quite well. Her show days are behind her now, and her “fancy Morgans” are really nice trail horses. She also has taken in quite a few down-on-their-luck Morgans and found them new homes.

[Magicboy]

I just like to watch Tim Daly.

[judybigredpony]

[QUOTE=Guilherme;9005538]
They did talk about a 3 day quarantine. Horses from Brazil need 7 days. Don’t know about other countries.

From my perspective they just missed a chance to add some reality to a program that rivals Road Runner cartoons for fantasy content!!!

G.[/QUOTE]

It’s because it’s a mare…they have to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases …regardless of country…Why importing a mare is expensive…Stallions as well but different testing…Geldings are usually 3’days…Also,horses usually fly into NY…not sure if Baltimore has an equine quarenteen facility for the mandatory 3’days…Sorry that stuff bothers me more than supposed cost,or stabling issues…