Post by Calaminty Jane on Apr 14, 2011 8:15:45 GMT -5
DID YOU KNOW? Furlong- the racing term furlong is 1/8 mile (201 Meters).
The word gymkhana is derived from the Hindi language, and refers to a place
where sorting events are held. In India, it is commonly interpreted as a gymnasium. The term is
not only used for horse events, but may also include competitions for car racing and gymnastics.
Surviving twins are extremely rare- approximately 1 percent of all births.
Full-term twins often result in one or both dying, or having
complications. Some survive to
lead productive lives. In 1917 there was a claim that a mare, in nine pregnancies, produced
three sets of twins. Supposedly, two of the sets were mules, fathered by a donkey.
By nature, horses are prey animals. Although horses may lie
down to sleep, doing so makes them vulnerable to predators. A locking mechanism,
called the stay apparatus, allows muscles to rest while tendons and ligaments lock
for a standing state of sleep. One hind leg can remain unlocked, but not a foreleg.
The horse was first domesticated around 6000 BC in the area surrounding the
Black Sea. Indo-European tribes corralled and maintained horses primarily for their meat and milk.
All horses have parasites in their stomach and intestines
in small quantities, they only become a problem if the count builds up.
An average horse heart weighs 7-10 pounds. The racehorse
Phar Lap known as Australia's wonder horse, is said to have had a heart weighing
14 pounds. The heart is on display at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
The four horses of the apocalypse are said to signify the end of the world;
conquest on a white horse, famine on a black horse, war on a red horse and plague on a pale horse.
Why do riders usually mount from the nearside of a horse? Well, in olden days men
used to wear scabbards for their swords on their left hip (so they could draw the sword quickly with their
right hand. If they had got on from the other side of the horse the sword would have got in the way!
Horses have long whiskers that serve as feelers that help the horse to navigate at night.
Shades of gray should not to be confused with Roan. Roan horses can be mistaken for
grays. A roan has white hairs on a dark background; grays continue to lighten as they age, but roans do not.
Unlike ruminants, horses do not need to rest after grazing.
This is because they have an organ in the gut called a cecum, which breaks
down indigestible cellulose in grass. Cows need to re-chew what they graze.
Horses share this "eat-and-run" capability with tapirs and rhinoceroses.
In Greco-Roman myth, donkeys are known as a symbol of lust.
Male horses generally have 40 teeth, while females have 36.
When cantering, a horse takes a breath with every stride.
You can tell if a horse is cold by feeling behind his ears. If the area is cold, so is the horse.
According to Arabian folklore chestnut horses are the fastest and bravest of all colors.
A small indent in a horses skin (usually on the neck
or shoulder) is called a prophet's mark and is considered good luck.
Bale is a measurement of hay consisting of 10 flakes
On the Greek island of Hydra, horses and ponies are the only legal form of transportation.
Rabbits are not rodents. They are lagomorphs,
and are more closely related to horses than they are to rats or mice.
If a horse or deer fly lands on you and bites, it is a female fly. There
are approximately 3,000 species of horse flies world-wide; 350 in North America alone.
The cowboy kerchief (bandana) had
many uses, most notably as a dust mask, as earmuffs
for cold weather, as protection from the sun, as a pot
holder, as a tourniquet, and as a blindfold for animals.
A polo match consists of six chukkas,
or periods of play of 7 1/2 minutes. There is a break
of 3 minutes between each chukka to change ponies
Quentin Roosevelt took his calico pony,
Algonquin, up in the elevator at the White House to brother Archie's bedroom to cheer him up when he was sick with the measles.
Native Americans considered Curly Horses
as sacred, and they called them buffalo ponies. A Curly Horse,
also known as the Bashkir, is considered to be hypoallergenic,
having a unique protein structure in the curly hair.
The ancient Greek soldier and historian Xenephon (450-355 B.C.) was one of the first people to advocate training the horse through sympathetic methods using the understanding of natural instincts and building relationships.
Ancient Heritage - Spotted and mottled
horses were prized among ancient civilizations. Cro-Magnon
man (living 10-40,000 years ago) was familiar with spotted
horses and left cave drawings of them.
Black Beauty, the 1877 classic novel, was
the only book written by author Anna Sewell. Her motivation
for the book was to promote the humane treatment of horses.
There is a breed of horse from Russia
called Akhal-Teke. It can go for days without food or water.
The Przewalski's horse is the only truly wild
horse whose ancestors were never domesticated. Ironically,
this stocky, sturdy animal exists today only in captivity. The
last wild Przewalski's horse was seen in Mongolia in 1968.
Remember the letters (A, K, E, H, C, M, B and F) around the smaller dressage court by learning these acronyms:
All King Edward's Horses Can Manage Big Fences.
A Kindly Elephant Has Crushed My Blinking Foot.
Counterclockwise:
A Fat Black Mother Cat Has Eight Kittens.
There are two different Pinto color patterns:
1) The tobiano appears to be white with large spots of color.
2) The overo appears to be a colored horse with jagged white
markings on the body. Many overos have bald (all-white) faces.
Ichabod Crane's horse was named Gunpowder.
A Palomino is a yellowish color,
light or dark, with a white mane and tail. The color is
caused by dilution gene on a red (chestnut) base coat.
The word gymkhana is derived from the Hindi language, and refers to a place
where sorting events are held. In India, it is commonly interpreted as a gymnasium. The term is
not only used for horse events, but may also include competitions for car racing and gymnastics.
Surviving twins are extremely rare- approximately 1 percent of all births.
Full-term twins often result in one or both dying, or having
complications. Some survive to
lead productive lives. In 1917 there was a claim that a mare, in nine pregnancies, produced
three sets of twins. Supposedly, two of the sets were mules, fathered by a donkey.
By nature, horses are prey animals. Although horses may lie
down to sleep, doing so makes them vulnerable to predators. A locking mechanism,
called the stay apparatus, allows muscles to rest while tendons and ligaments lock
for a standing state of sleep. One hind leg can remain unlocked, but not a foreleg.
The horse was first domesticated around 6000 BC in the area surrounding the
Black Sea. Indo-European tribes corralled and maintained horses primarily for their meat and milk.
All horses have parasites in their stomach and intestines
in small quantities, they only become a problem if the count builds up.
An average horse heart weighs 7-10 pounds. The racehorse
Phar Lap known as Australia's wonder horse, is said to have had a heart weighing
14 pounds. The heart is on display at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
The four horses of the apocalypse are said to signify the end of the world;
conquest on a white horse, famine on a black horse, war on a red horse and plague on a pale horse.
Why do riders usually mount from the nearside of a horse? Well, in olden days men
used to wear scabbards for their swords on their left hip (so they could draw the sword quickly with their
right hand. If they had got on from the other side of the horse the sword would have got in the way!
Horses have long whiskers that serve as feelers that help the horse to navigate at night.
Shades of gray should not to be confused with Roan. Roan horses can be mistaken for
grays. A roan has white hairs on a dark background; grays continue to lighten as they age, but roans do not.
Unlike ruminants, horses do not need to rest after grazing.
This is because they have an organ in the gut called a cecum, which breaks
down indigestible cellulose in grass. Cows need to re-chew what they graze.
Horses share this "eat-and-run" capability with tapirs and rhinoceroses.
In Greco-Roman myth, donkeys are known as a symbol of lust.
Male horses generally have 40 teeth, while females have 36.
When cantering, a horse takes a breath with every stride.
You can tell if a horse is cold by feeling behind his ears. If the area is cold, so is the horse.
According to Arabian folklore chestnut horses are the fastest and bravest of all colors.
A small indent in a horses skin (usually on the neck
or shoulder) is called a prophet's mark and is considered good luck.
Bale is a measurement of hay consisting of 10 flakes
On the Greek island of Hydra, horses and ponies are the only legal form of transportation.
Rabbits are not rodents. They are lagomorphs,
and are more closely related to horses than they are to rats or mice.
If a horse or deer fly lands on you and bites, it is a female fly. There
are approximately 3,000 species of horse flies world-wide; 350 in North America alone.
The cowboy kerchief (bandana) had
many uses, most notably as a dust mask, as earmuffs
for cold weather, as protection from the sun, as a pot
holder, as a tourniquet, and as a blindfold for animals.
A polo match consists of six chukkas,
or periods of play of 7 1/2 minutes. There is a break
of 3 minutes between each chukka to change ponies
Quentin Roosevelt took his calico pony,
Algonquin, up in the elevator at the White House to brother Archie's bedroom to cheer him up when he was sick with the measles.
Native Americans considered Curly Horses
as sacred, and they called them buffalo ponies. A Curly Horse,
also known as the Bashkir, is considered to be hypoallergenic,
having a unique protein structure in the curly hair.
The ancient Greek soldier and historian Xenephon (450-355 B.C.) was one of the first people to advocate training the horse through sympathetic methods using the understanding of natural instincts and building relationships.
Ancient Heritage - Spotted and mottled
horses were prized among ancient civilizations. Cro-Magnon
man (living 10-40,000 years ago) was familiar with spotted
horses and left cave drawings of them.
Black Beauty, the 1877 classic novel, was
the only book written by author Anna Sewell. Her motivation
for the book was to promote the humane treatment of horses.
There is a breed of horse from Russia
called Akhal-Teke. It can go for days without food or water.
The Przewalski's horse is the only truly wild
horse whose ancestors were never domesticated. Ironically,
this stocky, sturdy animal exists today only in captivity. The
last wild Przewalski's horse was seen in Mongolia in 1968.
Remember the letters (A, K, E, H, C, M, B and F) around the smaller dressage court by learning these acronyms:
All King Edward's Horses Can Manage Big Fences.
A Kindly Elephant Has Crushed My Blinking Foot.
Counterclockwise:
A Fat Black Mother Cat Has Eight Kittens.
There are two different Pinto color patterns:
1) The tobiano appears to be white with large spots of color.
2) The overo appears to be a colored horse with jagged white
markings on the body. Many overos have bald (all-white) faces.
Ichabod Crane's horse was named Gunpowder.
A Palomino is a yellowish color,
light or dark, with a white mane and tail. The color is
caused by dilution gene on a red (chestnut) base coat.