Horses- Third Installment

Just some assorted tidbits today. But tomorrow- I promise tomorrow- will be a new horse post that will be by far THE BEST! (I’ve got to get these posts finished up so I can move on with other stuff.)

Okay, so if you’re going to have horses, you really must have beautiful horses. Because half of the enjoyment of having horses is just getting to observe their beauty and grace. My neighbor’s horses are pretty stocky and, well, clunky. Nicht so beautiful. I’m partial to Arabians. Perhaps because all the horses I’ve grown up with were/are Arabians, but be that as it may, Arabians are gorgeous animals. Just look. The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears.

~Arabian Proverb Here are my Dad’s Arabians.Isn’t that the prettiest head? (Dad, I don’t know this horse’s name- is it Casper?) Beeee-autiful.

Says one website about Arabians: The Arabian (or Arab) is a horse of exceptional beauty, elegance, grace, intelligence, balance, agility, speed and stamina. This magnificent horse breed has been the inspiration for legends, artists, fantasies and little girls everywhere. Now one of the most popular breeds in America, the Arabians' incredible energy, intelligence and gentle disposition allow riders to excel in most equine sports and activities.

Now, there is an erroneous belief held by many that Arabians are high-strung, flighty and crazy. This is not true. Let me illustrate. FahsElle, shown in the following four pictures, is a pureblood Arabian.

Ethan, Lindsay, Wyatt, me, and Kami, back in the day:Miriam, Lynnaea, Little Megan, Danica, Katelyn, Olivia: Little Megan, Lynnaea, Cowen, Brynne, and Kiersten?: Jethro, Hazel, Ethne, Hailey, Cassidy, Talmage: Does she look like a horse with a wild or nervous temperament? I say no. My dad even wrote an article published in a magazine declaiming this false reputation. As a side note, aren’t my kids and nieces and nephews lucky ducks?

I must interject here that although it's nice to have a pretty horse, the horse's looks are completely trumped by the looks of the guy riding it. What a handsome horse.

New topic. My favorite color for a horse is Buckskin.

Followed very closely by Bay (like many of my dad’s horses).Normally I don’t love Palominos, but I thought this picture was very lovely.I asked Brett what his favorite color was, and he couldn’t really decide, but then the other day our neighbor’s gave their horse a bath, and when it was all wet it looked like this and Brett said he thought it was awesome, and it would be cool if you could find a horse that color just normally (even when it was not wet).So we scoured the internet and came upon these pictures of liver chestnuts with flaxen mane and tail.Isn’t this one just sooo stunning?Did you know there are such things as curly-haired horses? I’ve never met one, but they look pretty Sah-weet. I think my dad should get one just for how cool-looking they are.My sister Kami used to say her favorite was black and white pinto. I have no idea if that is still true. Some of the next few pictures I got from a site entitled ‘Rare horse colors and markings.’ Brett and I thought they were pretty cool when we looked through them.

After we looked through all these very different-looking horses, Brett said, “You know, your Dad has really beautiful horses, but they’re not very interesting.” And in my head, I heard the voice of my father, as if he were in the room with us, and it said something like, “I have beautiful horses. I had plenty of interesting kids.” :)

Now, like I said earlier, I’m definitely not a pro at riding, but I love how even if you’re not, you can still get on a horse and feel like this:

When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.

~William Shakespeare, Henry V

The hooves of horses!
Oh! witching and sweet
Is the music earth steals from the iron-shod feet;
No whisper of lover, no trilling of bird,
Can stir me as much as hooves of horses
Have stirred.
~Will H. Ogilvie

He flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions.

~Stephen Leacock