Regarding the Horses in our lives...

[perchie.girl]

I'm not good with measurements, but their shoulders were lower than my height, and I'm 5 6.
ETA: Although- there was a tiny difference in ground level on one side of the fence to the other. So... they're around there in size, maybe not exactly. They're smaller than most horses.

From known height of cattle panels which are 50 inches tall looking across on one of those pictures My guestimate would be around 9 hands or 36 inches.

They could be small Shetlands or Large Minis FRom the looks of the wind knots they dont seem to be used for anything... Maybe brood mares?

For what its worth white eyes are common in paint horses.... part of that whole pigment splash.

deb

 

[Bunnylady]

@HeritageGoose13 Look familiar?

This is Syd, my oversized Miniature Horse, in her winter woolies. I'd give you any odds you like that those are Miniature Horses.

ETA: Deb is right - blue eyes are associated with the Pinto pattern known as Splash. For a lot of Mini breeders, the more Pinto patterns an animal expresses, the better they like 'em! Syd only expresses Tobiano and Sabino, but Splash is very common in minis. The crooked blaze on the youngster in that one picture is classic of Splash; when I see a blaze like that, I almost expect to see blue eyes.

 

[perchie.girl]

@HeritageGoose13 Look familiar?

This is Syd, my oversized Miniature Horse, in her winter woolies. I'd give you any odds you like that those are Miniature Horses.

Syd is soo pretty... Love love watching them nap...

deb

 

[Peaches Lee]

Peaches, do you have a horse? What do you do with dressage? Is it an Arab you have?

Hello, yes I have a horse, more like horses...LOL! I do have an Arab. Also some TBs and Andalusians. They are sort of co-owned between my mother and I. My next big adventure though will be with Friesians. I really like the Friesian personality and versatility. I'm kind of a go by feeling person, so maybe today I'll do some dressage work and the next day I might feel like driving, or heck, maybe I'll even try skijoring! And I feel a Friesian can accommodate my everchanging moods LOL! Perhaps I may even dabble in the breeding aspect of it. I would love to get a stallion approved, I'd have to do MAJOR research. KFPS seems a lot more political and $$$ but FPZV presence is dwindling with the economy and reciprocation with Germany is waning as a result it looks like. So, these are all the things I think on, silly isn't it?

 

[HeritageGoose13]

@HeritageGoose13 Look familiar?

This is Syd, my oversized Miniature Horse, in her winter woolies. I'd give you any odds you like that those are Miniature Horses.

ETA: Deb is right - blue eyes are associated with the Pinto pattern known as Splash. For a lot of Mini breeders, the more Pinto patterns an animal expresses, the better they like 'em! Syd only expresses Tobiano and Sabino, but Splash is very common in minis. The crooked blaze on the youngster in that one picture is classic of Splash; when I see a blaze like that, I almost expect to see blue eyes.

Yes, this looks like a match. I'm so used to miniature horses being dog-sized I didn't realize they came bigger. I like this size much more! Proportions are more natural looking.

From known height of cattle panels which are 50 inches tall looking across on one of those pictures My guestimate would be around 9 hands or 36 inches.

They could be small Shetlands or Large Minis FRom the looks of the wind knots they dont seem to be used for anything... Maybe brood mares?

For what its worth white eyes are common in paint horses.... part of that whole pigment splash.

deb

I think they're large-minis. I know there are different types of Shetlands, but all the ones I've met around here are "stockier"-looking than that with real short, thick legs.

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:

Just like Welsh ponies, Shetlands come in many different bloodlines.
from riding ponies

to work ponies



I once saw a team of Shetlands pull a sled that weighed more than the twice the team did... about 3000 lbs.

http://www.horsenation.com/2014/10/13/two-breeds-that-dont-look-like-the-original/

of course then you get into Show Shetlands....


deb

 

[perchie.girl]

then there is the JUST DANG CUTE....

Ponies in Cardigans There is an article about the photo shoot somewhere....

Of course we know about the breed.... they were used as pit ponies in coal mines... But they arent the only Pit ponies out there... The last of the Pit ponies were finally retired back in 1994. and the last one of those five who passed away was at the ripe old age of 40 in 2011.

Shetlands and ponies from the Faroe islands were used in the pits.... 12 hand maximum. and Oh they used donkeys and mules too. Most spent their whole lives underground.

I am paraprhasing from the Wikipedia article on pit ponies. I have some other reading but I cant find it.

deb

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Thanks for the info. Yep, the ones I've seen are definitely "work ponies". I put it in quotes because I'm pretty sure the spoiled things never actually work. Most people keep horses for riding or lawn ornaments here.

The ones I posted earlier get bred sometimes but not regularly. They're just there for visitors to see. I have a funny story though.

Years ago, this place also had a herd of zebra. These zebra were older and this was not their first home. So eventually they began to die of old age and there was just one stallion left.

The owner thought, Hm, could I put him with the ponies? He talked to the veterinarian about it. The vet said, oh sure! The owner said, but won't they breed? The vet said, oh no they can't cross!

Later...

Needless to say the zebra stallion was soon moved to a new family. He is now best buddies with an exotic bull, a great big antelope, and some deer. Oh, and the zebra-pony cross is best friends with a mule.
I heard the vet was very embarrassed about the whole thing.

 

[perchie.girl]

Thanks for the info. Yep, the ones I've seen are definitely "work ponies". I put it in quotes because I'm pretty sure the spoiled things never actually work. Most people keep horses for riding or lawn ornaments here.

The ones I posted earlier get bred sometimes but not regularly. They're just there for visitors to see. I have a funny story though.

Years ago, this place also had a herd of zebra. These zebra were older and this was not their first home. So eventually they began to die of old age and there was just one stallion left.

The owner thought, Hm, could I put him with the ponies? He talked to the veterinarian about it. The vet said, oh sure! The owner said, but won't they breed? The vet said, oh no they can't cross!

Later...

Needless to say the zebra stallion was soon moved to a new family. He is now best buddies with an exotic bull, a great big antelope, and some deer. Oh, and the zebra-pony cross is best friends with a mule.
I heard the vet was very embarrassed about the whole thing.

too funny..... Joan Embrys place is just about eight miles from here... She was breeding Zorses for a while... as well as Zonkeys.

I hear they are much like Mules but a little bit more sensitive and much easier to train than a Zerbra.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

I was getting nostalgic on another thread and thought this was a perfect place to share a story about me and my first true horsy partner... Misty.

When I was young probably about 18 I was constantly exploring our little valley on horseback. My mare and I were partners by now. Santee has a rich history first as being a Kumeyay campground because the San Diego river forms here... before Santee its a bunch of creeks meandering up into the hills. And the water marks on Mission Gorge prove that during the rainy season Santee was pretty much a giant lake at one time.

Then the Mexicans formed big Cattle ranches that covered most of the hills and valleys that formed El Cajon, Santee, and Miramar. There are still old Adobe shacks up in the hills for men that watch the cattle. During World War II the military used some of those as target practice... Mortor shells used to be found all over the ranges.... Long since swept up...

So now the water is formed into lakes up stream and the remainder of the water that flows through the San Diego river is mostly under ground. It seeps up here and there to give cray fish and frogs a place to stay wet and to keep cattails alive in sheltered places. I used to ride around Padre Dam area which is the start of Mission Gorge... A steep canyon that once was lined with a flume of Terracotta tile and the dam was built to serve water to that flume.... The water was transported from there about five miles to the First mission .... Mission De Alcala 1769

http://www.missionsandiego.org (for what its worth Mission De Alcala is still functioning as a Church not just a touist destination)

Now the dam is just foundation and a few bits of wood... a bit of creek still flows past it... I used to ride across the creek and explore the meadows on the other side. One day we were out early and the fog was still hanging on the mountains like a grey jacket.... I spotted a foot trail and pointed my horse toward it... It meandered up and up and up the grass was getting greener and greener..

Once we slipped into the fog the noise of the world dropped away... Like a memory. I found the canyon getting narrower and narrower as we climbed but I wanted to see the trail to the end. My mare needed to blow every once and a while... Then I noticed the walls openeing up a bit and there were Scrub oak treas and a very small meadow like clearing...

Deep under those trees I could see water seeping out in a stream not more than six inches wide... I went further and had to duck under the trees and was forced to stop. There in front of me was a water trough fed by water coming up out of a pipe... hand made out of concrete about big enough for four or five cows to drink... and at the foot of that trough was a Maiden hair fern growing...

I was stunned even then the earth here was becoming more and more parched... Yet here there was a micro climate perfect for something so delicate as a maiden hair fern. We turned and rode back....

Now I am pretty dang good at finding trails and orienting myself... but I never found it again...

deb