My Horses Art

Paints and Pintos

momanderin — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 12:41:14 +0000

Colored horses have always attracted attention as you can see in the art of many cultures. Tombs from Egypt dating back to the fourth century BC have representations of horses colored like the Paints of today. Spain had many colored horses with the tobiano and overo patterns. In Europe, paintings from the sixteenth century show that paint-colored horses were highly prized by the wealthiest people. Then for some reason, paint-colored horses became less popular in a majority of Western Europe. When that happened, more than a few were shipped to America (yay for us!). When they came to colonial New England, they were traded off, often to Native Americans or Canadian fur-trappers because the Puritans thought their coat was too flashy!

As numbers of horses boomed, first in Mexico and then northward, various Native American tribes often sought paint-colored horses, and incorporated them into breeding herds. They kept the horses they liked and they traded away the ones they didn’t like. Paint-colored horses were more easily camouflaged than other horse, which was one reason they appealed to the Native Americans living on the plains. They reportedly rode horses that blended into the natural and seasonal colors of the country they were driving through. When cattle ranches began to take up the land used by wild horse and Native Americans were pushed out, along with all remnants of their culture, millions of Mustangs and Native American’s Horses of all colors were sent to slaughter or shot for “sport” : ( However, (thankfully) there were horsemen who prized the beautiful paint horses, so many were spared.

Sometimes it can be difficult to know if a Paint is a Paint or if a Paint is a Pinto; remember: Paint is a breed and has to meet certain criteria; Pinto is a color that can be seen in many different (but not all) breeds. It may help to know that a Paint is 14.2-16.2 hand horse, while a Pinto can be almost any size since it can appear in many breeds. The breed, Paints, are best suited for Western competition, ranch work, and trail riding. My friend, Chloe, has a Paint named Eli. He’s super sweet and follows you around! You can learn more about the Paint breed at the American Paint Horse Association website.

To learn more about the Pinto, visit the Pinto Horse Association of America website.

Horse of the Month- Andalusian

momanderin — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:01:23 +0000

Andalusians and Lusitanos are very similar, but the differences are in time and geography. They have the same roots and are quite similar in appearance. The Andalusians in Spain were known even before the time of the Romans, as great warhorses. They combined beauty, agility, strength, fire, and an even temperament. For hundreds of years it was considered through the Western civilization, as both the finest horse breed and war horse in the world. The Andalusian is Spain’s famous national horse and is immensely popular for riding, ranch work, and dressage. The Andalusian and the closely related Lusitanos have very long and complex histories. Both their lineage include almost every breed of significance indigenous to Iberia and many others that arrived. Historians believe that an indigenous breed of horse called Equus stenoius, still exists in a small band of horses called the Sorria breed. This horse migrated from Iberia to North Africa around two thousand years before horses were domesticated. Celtic people went through Iberia in waves between the eighth and sixth century BCE, bringing the Celtic ponies with them. The some of the Celtic ponies were amblers. The Romans brought Carmague horses. The Goths came from Sweden, who invaded the peninsula in 414 CE, which argues the influence of the Gotland horse, and considering where else these visitors had been before Spain, probably some horses came from Central Asia. The invasion of the Moors in 711 CE, brought horses from North Africa to Spain, returning the ancient bloodlines to their country of origin. Light, quick horses, which we know as Barbs, were derived from various desert-bred horses of the East. For many generations they had been crossed on the descendants of Iberian horses inn North Africa. When the Moorish invaded, the best war horses came from Andalusia, near Gibralter, the point where the Moors entered Spain. The Spanish horses were heavier and slower than the light and agile Moorish horses of North
Africa. Crosses with the Barbs lightened the Spanish horses and made them faster and more agile, an important development because in this same time frame the Moors were changing mounted warfare significantly. They rode with shorter stirrups than the Spanish, allowing them better accuracy when throwing lances while riding in the saddle, and they neck-reined their horses, which improved their mobility during battle tremendously. The lighter Andalusian was still able to carry a good deal of weight, yet it was pleasant to work around. The Andalusian is usually 15-16 hands tall and the most common colors being gray and black. Chestnut is not accepted in the Andalusian breed association. They can be used for dressage, ranch work, cattle work, and all general rising purposes.

Horse of the Month: Shetland Pony

momanderin — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 02:25:47 +0000

The Shetland Pony comes from the Shetland Island which is about one hundred miles off of the north coast of Scotland. The landmass of the whole island group is about one tenth the size of Los Angeles County, California. The climate there is cold, wet, and very windy, and the grass there is tough and not very nutritious. In spite of these conditions, archaeological evidence indicates that small ponies, similar to the modern British Shetlands, lived on the island around two thousand years ago. These ponies were probably related to the small ponies found in Iceland, Scandinavia, Ireland, and Wales. Historians believe the very first ponies might have arrived on the Shetland Islands from Scandinavia before water divided the lands, in about 8000 BCE, and later to crossed to Scotland with the early Celts.

The conditions of the islands shaped these tough little ponies. To conserve body heat, they developed short limbs, a short back, thick neck, very little ears, a thick coat and heavy mane and tails. Until 1847, Shetland ponies were hardly known or used outside of the islands, but when the Mines Act banned children for doing heavy work in underground mines in Britain, they were replaced by by the small hardy ponies. This reduced the number of ponies greatly, and the quality of the remaining island ponies suffered . Lord Londonderry and many other mine owners and island breeders recognized the need for improvement and took action. They published the first stud book in 1891 with 457 ponies that had been inspected by the committee for correctness of type and conformation.

The recognized colors of the Shetland are bay, black, brown, buckskin, chestnut, cremello, dun, gray, grulla, palomino, perlino, pinto, roan, silver dapple, sorrel, and white. Shetlands can be used for children’s ponies, cart ponies, and, believe it or not, Shetland pony racing! It’s like steeplechase, but for Shetland Ponies. How cute is that?!

Source: 96 Breeds of North America, Judith Dutson

BFF Pony Club

momanderin — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 22:58:48 +0000

One of my favorite events each week is taking Erin to her riding class on Saturdays. I love that she has three other girls in her class, all at the same level of riding experience and around the same age. I know Erin lives for Saturdays, I remember feeling that way when I was taking riding lessons as a kid. But for me the joy is not just in the fact that she is riding, it’s in the wonderful memories she and her friends are making right now. There is the excitement of arrival; the girls all rush together and immediately ooh and aah over any new horse accessory or piece of riding gear one of them may have. After that, a visit to every horse who happen to be in the barn is in order. During the warmer days, most of the horses are outside enjoying themselves in the pastures, so the barn inventory is quick. Then it’s time to get their lesson horses ready, and the girls are all business, zipping (more or less) from stall to tackroom and back. There is some conversation between brushing and passing each other on the way to get a saddle pad or bridle, etc. Then comes the parade, as I like to call it, after the girls have mounted and they move towards the arena with their trainer, parents and stable dogs in tow.

While they are ride we parents get to chat and talk about regular parent topics. I usually have a sketch pad handy and draw while talking and watching the lesson. It’s been such a pleasure to watch the girls improve and grow more confident not only as riders but in life. The horses are fun to watch, too. Each has his own personality, and since three of them are ponies, there’s a lot of personality to watch! If you are familiear with the Thelwell ponies, you know what I’m talking about!

The horses aren’t quite as enthusiastic as the girls…

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Erin would want me to clarify that Beach (on the left) is not a pony.

January Horse of the Month- Shire

momanderin — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 23:48:28 +0000

The Shire originated in the central regions of England, known as the Midlands, of England, especially in the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Staffordshire. Some people think the Shire can trace its history back to the days of the Roman conquest. By the year 1068, people in the area were using heavy cobs as pack animals. Most Shire historians accept that today’s Shires descended in some way from the heavy cob type used by the armies of King Henry the II in the twelfth century. This was the time of the knights in armor, and a fully armored knight in armor often weighed three hundred to four hundred pounds, he required a horse with great strength and had a calm temperament. Another likely ancestor of the Shire is the English War Horse, or Great Horse, used for jousting and Calvary, although the large horses had few characteristics of the modern Shire. Knights probably chose any horse that was big and quiet enough to be used for their purposes, and the term English War Horse may describe what the horse did rather than a true breed. in the sixteenth century, the age of gunpowder quickly ended the age of knights in armor. The Calvary needed much smaller, faster horses, so the Great horse began to work on farms and as cart and wagon horses. The number of horses decreased at this time, but farmers who realized the working worth of this breed continued to breed for size. Many historians think this is actually where the Shire we know began, developed from various crosses of large, Flemish horses, smaller black Friesians, and the Almaine, a German draft horse useful for cart work.

During the 1800s in England, the Shire became a working national treasure. Big Shire geldings moved countless heavy loads of goods from the docks along not well paved, uneven city streets. There was a large demand, decade after decade, for massive, tractable horses of great strength. Shires were imported to the United States from the mid-1800s. Between 1900 and 1918, about four thousand Shires were imported to the United States. Shires are the tallest of all modern draft breeds are known for their immense strength. In England 1924, a single Shire named Vulcan, in a weight class of about 1,700 to 2,100 pounds, registered to pull equal to 29 tons measured on a dynamometer. A pair of Shires, hooked one in front of the other, easily pulled 50 tons, which was as much as the dynamometer could measure. Accepted colors are black, brown, bay, gray, and chestnut. Although many horses have blazes and socks or stockings, excessive white markings and roaning are undesirable.

(Source: 96 Horse Breeds of North America By: Judith Dutson)

Morgan

momanderin — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:31:44 +0000

The Morgan breed can be traced from one single stallion named Figure. Figure was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts in 1789.Figure was a small bay, given to Justin Morgan in the 1700′s. Figure’s breeding was unknown, but Welsh, Cob, Thoroughbred and Arab blood is all believed to be involved. Since Figure was only 14 hands, no one really expected much of him, but he proved to be a exceptionally hardworking and was unbeaten in saddle and harness racing and even pulling competitions. He was intelligent, handsome, and spirited and soon became known as the “Justin Morgan” horse after his owner died. Figure passed on his talents to all of his offspring, which became known as the Morgan breed. The Morgan is now widely used for pleasure riding and showing, they can also be used for harness, workhorses, and are good at racing . The Morgan can be 14.2-15.2 hands tall and come in all solid colors, but rarely gray. Morgans are calm, patient ,intelligent, and gentle. Morgans are strong and fast, they are the perfect multipurpose horse. Morgans are the oldest North American breed of horse.

November Horse of the Month- Clydesdale

momanderin — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 02:44:26 +0000

The Clydesedale is a breed of draft horse originally from the valley of the River Clyde in Scotland in the early 18th century, after the 6th Duke of Hamilton imported Flemish stallions to mate with local mares to increase the size and bulk of the local draft horse. Shires were also used in the breeding. The Clydesedale was the first breed of horse that had its own society which formed in 1877. These horses can be 16-18 hands tall and are easy-going and sociable. They are mainly used for draft and harness, but they are also kept for pleasure. Their legs have heavy feathering and are strong and sturdy. Clydesdales come in many colors including bay, brown, black, gray, roan and chestnut, and they also usually have white on their faces and legs.

For their size they are very active horses. Clydesdales are now very popular showing horses. Clydesedales are cold bloods (The term cold-blood doesn’t mean the actual temperature of their blood, more like their temperment, Like a Thoroughbred or Arabian would be a hot-blood.) which means they are docile and gentle. This breed combines beauty and strength!

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry (early) Christmas!

September- Brumby

momanderin — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 00:05:19 +0000

The brumby is a feral horse of Australia. They come in all colors and generally stand 14 to 15 hands tall. Brumbies were hunted and killed because they were thought of as pests because they harmed some of the natural flora and fauna, damage land, overgraze on pastures, and make natural water supplies undrinkable. Brumbies aren’t the most elegant horses in the world ,but occasionally a more refined horse will come along. The brumby still roams wild in some areas. It is not valued as a domestic horse because it’s disposition is willful and rebellious. They live in grasslands were they graze in herds. They have large heads, straight shoulders, strong, sturdy legs, and sloping quarters. Humane culling now keeps numbers under control and improves the general health of the herd.

Referance: A Pocket Guide to Horses and Ponies by:Corinne Clark

June Breed of the Month: Welsh Pony

momanderin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 22:44:31 +0000

Batman - spunky and smooth!

Sorry I didn’t post in the beginning of the month, I was at camp one week then the next week I was at camp again and then at the beach. On to business; The Welsh Pony.

The Welsh Pony is a small pony most not over 13 hands but they are very strong for their size. They can be sweet or spunky and I happened to ride a spunky one named Batman. Batman is bay colored, a Welsh mixed with Connemara so he has spunk and an insanely smooth trot and canter. Seriously, its like butter.

Welshes are originally from Britain. There are three types of Welsh pony the Welsh Cob, Welsh Pony, and Welsh Mountain. Welshes are found almost anywhere where you can ride horses. They are used mainly for riding. An adult or child can ride one. They are wonderful horses, and are good for any level of rider.

Horse of the Month-Mustang

momanderin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 22:19:22 +0000

The Mustang is just one breed of wild horses. The Mustang is a hardy breed living in the wild where during winter, the food is scarce and when it is not winter they are being preyed on. The Mustang’s numbers in the wild have changed over all these years at first they were plentiful and considered a pest to the farm and land owners and now the numbers have dropped and most of the herds in the wild live on reservations or land that the government owns. People can buy mustangs and ride them in engish or western. You can own one too but, remember to keep your search for a new horse wide and don’t search for one particular color or breed, you may want to buy a black Thoroughbred but there is a leopard pattern Appaloosa that would suit you better. The Mustang is beautiful breed but its numbers are decreasing, so if you would like to help save these beautiful animals then you should visit a Mustang rescue center’s website.

(P.S. I’m sorry that my posting has been late, I’ve got a lot going on with the last full week of school!)