Who dat??

I apologize for the awful grammar, but as a Saints fan it kind of comes with the territory: WHO DAT?! I didn't get a chance to write up much of a blog post today, because I was too busy tailgating and watching the Super Bowl. But as the Saints clobbered the Colts in the 44th Super Bowl, I'll show you a little bit of what I saw watching the game...

The underdogs taking on the colts,
interpreted from http://cowgirlsplash.deviantart.com/art/RunRound-86845515

There's more to come tomorrow, but until then: You colts put up a great fight, but WHO DAT?

To shoe or not to shoe?

Now, my English class has been studying Hamlet lately, and I think sometimes we stumble upon things at the perfect time. Had I read this poem three days ago, I wouldn't have been able to fully appreciate this gem- but I happened to find it on the same day that I read Hamlet's third soliloquy.

To those of you who are not avid students of Shakespeare, I'll fill you in on the context: Hamlet's third soliloquy is the famous "To be or not to be". It is, in essence, "to live or not to live", and through the entire speech, Hamlet mulls over the conundrum of suicide. Should he kill himself? Why, or why not?

Interestingly enough, I've stumbled off a paraphrase of Shakespeare's "To be or not to be": A mule's soliloquy on a subject as important to him as suicide was to Hamlet.

"To shoe, or not to shoe: that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler for the horse to suffer the stones and pebbles of outrageous pathways, or to wear boots despite their many troubles, and by persisting end them? To bruise, to limp; No more, and without limp to say we end the footache and the thousand ouchy steps that hooves are heir to. 'Tis a hoof condition devoutly to be wished. To boot, to try. To try, perchance to fail. Ay, there's the rub: for with that boot with gaiter what rubs may come when we have shuffled off the forged shoe must give us pause. There's the ease that makes simplicity of such long rides; for who would bear the rubs and breakage of the boots, the wasted time, the proud horse injured, the pangs of dislodged gaiters, the ride's delay, the many dollars spent and the stones."
-the February 3, 2010 post on www.braysofourlives.com

In case your brain shut down three lines into the Shakespearean English, I'll give this summary: Is it better for a horse to brave tough ground barefoot or deal with the problems that shoes cause? To a horse, I would imagine this would be a much more pressing issue than Hamlet's puzzle of life or death.

The Bad Horse List

Years ago, I found this wonderful website entitle "The Bad Horse List". Basically, it was a promise that bad horses made to their owners, swearing to be better behaved. It was hilarious, and I saved a copy on my hard-drive- which I stumbled across once again earlier this afternoon.

The Original Bad Horse List (Abridged Version)

If I look like a lady I should act like a lady.

I will not allow Gizmo to teach me how to remove my halter. It is bad enough that I let him teach me how to get out of the pasture...

I will not die if I can't get a peppermint immediately upon seeing my human.

I will not go insane when my human will not let me follow the mare of my dreams when she bolts.

I will not jump the fence and go frantically searching for my human.

I will not have an attitude problem. I won't I won't I won't.

I will not paw after I have already been yelled at, smacked, whacked with a towel, and threatened to become glue by my human.

If I must remove my blanket, I will not rip, tear, or somehow disfigure it. I shall undo all the clips with my teeth, fold it and leave it on the stall door with a note saying politely that I need a larger size so it will not squeeze my withers.

The water my human is washing me with is not going to eat me.

Horses cannot go through bars. I do not need to protect my food from the horse next door to me.

I will not do Lipizzaner impressions while my human is trying to trot me on the rail.

I am no longer a racehorse, I am no longer a racehorse, I am NO longer a racehorse.

I am a big girl...I can open my mouth and say "AH" for the bit.

I am not 100 years old, just 7, so therefore I will pick up my feet.

I am not a freight train.

I do not have amnesia...I really was an event horse before--I can jump 5'6" and I can do 3rd level Dressage...I promise I won't forget again.

I will remember that I'm a gelding.


Unfortunately, the original list was taken off the internet. But, I have located a newer (and longer) version. And when I say longer, I mean longer-- 42 pages of well-organized, horsey entertainment. It's definitely worth a look: http://www.badpets.net/BadPets/BadHorse/BadHorse.pdf

Find any good ones? Post them here!

The Trot, Redefined

I've been doing some research lately into the etymology of words. I think there's a lot to be learned from studying the roots and origins of some everyday words. Looking at words through their roots is like making a pot of coffee with a filter- it's not absolutely necessary, but it does produce a purer result. Etymology removes the modern-day preconceptions that shroud the meaning of the word and helps you look at it in a clearer light.

Take trot, for instance. Trot is a grandson of the Old High German trotton, meaning "to tread". The verb was adopted by the Frankish and later evolved into the Old French verb troter, meaning "to go" and eventually "to trot". Eventually, the verb was shortened to become the noun form, trot.

I find that thinking of a trot in terms of a "tread" helps to remember the essential impulsion of the gait. The trot is so often neglected (except in dressage, where they take the trot very seriously), and I've seen so many horses who drag their feet or get lazy at the trot. This is almost always the rider's fault; they're too busy checking diagonals, looking toward cavaletta, and adjusting equitation to truly focus on the trot. It's a gait that's often treated as a "gimme" (especially on the lower levels) and when the rider stops paying attention, the horse almost always stops trying.

Whether you're trotting over ground poles, practicing the sitting trot, or simply warming up with a trot circle, your trot should be just as its root word implies; your horse should be literally treading the ground, not dragging their hooves or fighting to break into a canter. So take your trots seriously and let your horse tread. Because that's what a trot should be.

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A dressage trot. (Why yes, they do take their gaits seriously!)

Still can't get over these horse heels!

These pictures require no further explanation, I think.

The Contemporary Centaur

You know you've always wanted to run with the horses. Now, you can.

These shoes were recently posted on CocoPerez, entitled "Guns & Hooves." I could go on about that combination for several paragraphs, but as this blog is entitled Flying Horses, I'll ignore the pistols (as much as I can) and focus on the hooves.

Oh, the hooves!

I wonder if trotting around in these would have any benefit for the modern horsewoman? Or horseman, I suppose (and what a sight it would be to see George Morris walking a course in these hooves!). I couldn't seem to find a price for these suckers, but I'm willing to bet they're cheaper than an actual horse. Especially when you factor in boarding, feed, and vet bills- none of which these shoes need. I hope.

I am envisioning a world in which humans jump over hurdles and maneuver through dressage tests on their own two hooves! Just think of all the money we'd save! My only question is this-- are there gloves to match?
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As for the yesterday's post, the horse in the picture (taken by CosmoHorseFarm at DeviantArt) is only 16.3 hands tall! Everyone's guesses were pretty much on target; good eye! For more information on that fabulous optical illusion, check it out here: http://cosmohorsefarm.deviantart.com/art/HUGE-horse-131007373

Guess how tall this horse is?

I found this stunning picture while browsing through the web this afternoon, and I think it's hilarious! This horse is nowhere as tall as he seems, but the angle makes him look larger than life! How tall do you think this horse is?


I'll post the link to the original site and photographer when I post the answer to that question! (And no, I did not take this picture.)

And another thing, while there are photographers out there who struggle to take "trick" pictures like this every day, I thought I'd note that the photographer said this beautiful optical illusion occurred purely by accident. When you're willing to step back and let go of the reins, fate can step in to give you a smile.