Need gift ideas for your horse (and/or unicorn) enthusiast? Look no further than this magical Pinterest board of ideas for all ages just in time for the holidays! Happy shopping : )
Gift Ideas for the Horse (and/or Unicorn) Enthusiast
Horses
Parts of an English Saddle
To see a bigger version of the saddle and its parts click to continue Continue reading
BREED: American Shetland
Origin:
An invented breed, the American Shetland Pony came into the picture in the 20th century after the Shetland Pony (Find out more here: shetland-pony) was brought to America and eventually bred with Hackney ponies. The offspring from that cross-breeding was then bred with Arabians and/or Thoroughbreds to create the American Shetland Pony
Height:
Up to 11.2 hands
Horse Gaits
When it comes to horseback riding, there are different gaits (or speeds if you want to look at it that way). This post covers the basics for each gait (walk, trot, canter, and gallop), shows you the footfall pattern for each, and, at the end, there is a video to show you some of the gaits in action!
Walk
The slowest gait (that, from the name alone, is easy to imagine).
BREED: Shetland Pony
Origin:
Shetland Ponies came from the Shetland Islands in [north] Scotland where they have been for as long as 10,000 years/pre-Ice Age
Height:
While most horses and ponies are measured in hands (find out more about that here: https://beyondthesaddle.wordpress.com/2014/10/05/how-tall-is-a-horse), Shetland ponies tend to be measured in inches because they are small (under 10 hands). Shetland ponies can be up to 40 inches tall.
On average, they fall between 36-40 inches (or 9 to 10 hands)
Coat Colors and Patterns
Appaloosa: Refers to the color pattern rather than a specific color. Two of the primary patterns are shown below
Blanket Appaloosa
Spotted Appaloosa
Bay: A tan to red-brown coat with a black mane, tail, and lower legs
Black
Blue Roan: A mixture of dark and white hairs that creates a blueish tinge, usually with darker head and legs Continue reading
The First Fall
The first fall is an inevitable milestone for any serious rider. It’s something you try not to think about but you always know it is going to happen. It has to happen.
My first fall was off of a flea bitten gray horse named Cotton. Well, technically he was a pony since he fell just under 14.2 hands, but he was taller than me which made him a horse in my book. Now cute “little” Cotton had a secret habit: He would hold in all the air he could when people put his saddle on so it wouldn’t be as tight on his stomach.
Clever not-quite-a-horse-horse.
I didn’t notice Cotton’s scheme until it was too late to do anything about it. Continue reading
Parts of a Horse
Movie Review: The White Pony
The White Pony (1999) tells the story of a young girl named Leah who is passionate about horses. While visiting her uncle’s ranch in Ireland, she is hopeful to finally get some time around horses and, more specifically, time in the saddle. Instead, she is greeted with a mean cousin, Shannon, and a vacation far different then she imagined. Eager to turn her trip around, she attempts to ride her cousin’s horse in secret but ends up injuring the horse in the process. As a result, she is banned from riding. Things take a turn for Leah when she meets Lucky, a leprechaun that only Leah can see and communicate with. He is able to offer her something that no one else in Ireland can: a horse. Lucky tells Leah that the Continue reading
Beyond the Saddle 