Cindy Hale - Horse Sense and Nonsense: A Survival Guide for Horse Lovers

Karla Austin, Business Operations Manager

Nick Clemente, Special Consultant

Barbara Kimmel, Managing Editor

Jarelle S. Stein, Editor

Jessica Knott, Production Supervisor

Cover and layout design by Amy Stirnkorb

The horses in this book are referred to as she and he in alternating chapters unless their genders are apparent from the activity discussed.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hale, Cindy.

Horse sense and nonsense : a survival guide for horse lovers / By Cindy Hale.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-931993-94-4

ISBN-10: 1-931993-94-7

eISBN: 9781620080870

1. Horses. 2. Horsemanship. I. Title.

SF285.H35 2007

636.1dc22

2006037950

I-5 Press

A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC

3 Burroughs

Irvine, CA 92618

Printed and bound in Singapore

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Dedication

For my horse-husband, Ron,
who has been gracious enough to keep his sense of humor

Welcome to the World of Horses

So. Youre a certified horse lover. Do you realize what youve gotten yourself into?

Horses will influence every aspect of your life, from the clothes you wear to the excuses you concoct to avoid unpleasant social activities. If at times you feel a little bit overwhelmed, dont fret. Every horse lover feels that way at first. But soon, about the time you realize you can never quite get that last bit of hay dust out of your hair, youll start to relax.

Take a deep breath, and cozy up for an entertaining, educational read. In the past, horses never came with a users guide or an owners manualbut they do now.

Know Your Breeds

There are 114,000 breeds of horses in the world. OK, thats an exaggeration. But there are a lot, and whatever your tastes may be, at least one breed of horse will strike your fancy. Heres a brief look at a few of the more popular breeds and types of horses youll find hanging around your local watering trough:

Breeds

Specialized breeds of horses have been created through modern matchmaking techniques. Registries monitor and maintain the hallowed bloodlines, ensuring that every purebred horse deserves to wear the family crest.

American Quarter Horse

The breeds name is derived from its fabled ability to sprint for a quarter of a mile. However, the American Quarter Horse is more respected for the inherent ability to outsmart a wily cow on the ranch. Cowboys love the American Quarter Horse. Cows... not so much.

Appaloosa

Once a well-kept secret of the Native Americans who lived in the American Northwest, the versatile Appaloosa is hard to overlook. With his polka-dotted coat and striped hooves, hes forever in danger of being arrested by the fashion police.

Arabian

Descended from native horses that roamed the Middle Eastern deserts, the Arabian is the purest of all horse breeds and has been used as the foundation for many other breeds of horses. This not only gives the Arabian incredible bragging rights but also accounts for those huge Arabian horse family reunions.

Paint Horse

Paint Horses resemble their American Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred relatives but with splashy, white markings. Think of the Paint as the standard model pleasure horse with a color option. (When buying a Paint Horse, inquire about the free gift with purchase: a lifetime supply of stain-removing shampoo.)

Thoroughbred

For centuries, the Thoroughbred has been genetically programmed to be a racehorse. This focus on racing has made Thoroughbreds fleet and courageous.

It has also caused them to have an unwavering devotion to really short people.

Types

Cant separate spots from dots? If identifying a specific breed gives you a headache, you may wish to merely acquaint yourself with some of the generalized types of horses.

Draft Horses

The stevedores of the equine world, the various draft breeds are kind-hearted workhorses. Perpetually plus-size, draft horses must defend themselves against the taunts from svelte breeds of horses. Really, theyre forever saying, we dont overeat. Its our metabolism.

Ponies

Ponies are not small horses; they are a separate species of equine known scientifically as equinitas furballis. However, savvy horse lovers the world over refer to ponies collectively by their more popular designation: the Spawn of Satan.

Warmbloods

Cross the euphemistically cold-blooded (patient) draft horse with the so-called hot-blooded (energetic) Thoroughbred and what do you have? An elephant-size horse with dance moves? Well, close. You have, in generic terms, a warmblood. With a compliant disposition and an impressive physical stature, this horse is supremely gifted for the disciplines of dressage and jumping. At least, thats the idea.