NEWSPAPER CLASS: LORD OF RINGS HORSE

'Lord of the Rings' hero's steed saved by emergency surgery

WELLINGTON, New Zealand: "Lord of the Rings" actor Viggo Mortensen has a veterinarian's bill after an emergency surgery saved Brego, his mount in the film trilogy, the horse's minder said Wednesday. A small bowel tear almost did what the films' villains Saruman, Sauron and the black riders could not – kill the trusty steed of Mortensen's heroic character, Aragorn. The actor had bought the Dutch stallion Brego after filming, and lives in semiretirement in New Zealand on the

North Island property of Ray Lenaghan, the horse's minder.Lenaghan, himself a veterinarian, noticed Brego was in trouble two weeks ago. The horse was rushed to Massey University's equine hospital. "It was very clear from the moment he arrived he was in a critical state," said equine surgery expert Frederik Pauwels. "We anesthetized him, made a mid-line incision into his belly, and found that "part of his bowel was stuck," Pauwels said. He said Brego would have suffered a "pretty nasty death" without surgery but has come through well.

The article uses four words that refer to horses:

steed a strong, fast horse (poetic)

• The Lone Ranger mounted his trusy steed "Silver" and rode into the sunset.

mount a horse that you ride on.

• Sue´s mount was a grey mare called Daisy.

stallion a male horse kept for breeding

• The actor Vigo Mortensen rode the stallion Brego in the Lord of the Rings movies.

equine adjective, referring to horses

• The sick horse was rushed to an equine hospital.

OTHER VOCABULARY

trilogy a series of three books or movies that tell a continuing story

minder a person who takes care of someone or something

incision a surgical cut

critical state a serious situation

come through to survive after a difficult or dangerous time

MORE WORDS FOR HORSES

English has a great many words and expressions that refer to horses. Here are some more common examples:

mare an adult female horse

foal a very young horse

colt a young male horse

filly a young female horse

gelding a horse that has been castrated (gelded)

horse around to fool around

hold your horses be patient and wait

horse sense common sense

a dark horse an unknown quantity

a one-horse town a very small town

Here is an interesting quiz on horse idioms.

My name - Philip - is a Greek name that means "a lover of horses".

As a child, I was fascinated by the story of the winged horse Pegasus.

Later in life, I had an image of Pegasus tatooed on my arm.

See also Adjectives pertaining to animals