Today is August 1 – officially the birthday of all horses in the southern hemisphere, so time to raid mum’s refrigerator for a big juicy carrot to take out and give your trusty steed.

On Thursday at North Tamworth’s Riding For Disabled (RDA) grounds though, the group which gathers on a weekly basis for therapeutic rides celebrated early with a cake for their hairy friends – including Buttons.

And, out at Kootingal, there were party hats all round as Feebees celebrated her 28th birthday with her little friends.

So why August 1?

That date originally applied to racehorses because they raced according to age, and in order to alleviate confusion when entered in races, their official birthday is August 1 of the year they were born.

And for breeding purposes too. September is just beginning to warm up, prompting mares to commence their oestrus cycle (come into season) making mares that are successfully bred early September foal in early August.

But standardbreds (pacers) don’t become older until September 1, a possible reason being that they were originally introduced in North America, so the changes in global weather patterns had the effect of delaying the onset of warm weather for mating purposes.

And unlike the thoroughbred breeders, standardbreds may use artificial insemination.