A Horse to Love

by Marsha Hubler

  It didn’t take long for the white settlers to discover the versatility of the Mustang. Because of his endurance, this little horse soon became a favorite for the Pony Express, the U.S. cavalry, cattle round-ups, and caravans.

  Since the 1970s, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has stepped in to save the Mustangs from extinction. As a result, herds of Mustangs stil roam freely in U.S. western plains today. At different times of the year and in different parts of the country, the Adopt-a-Horse-or-Burro Program al ows horse lovers to take a Mustang or burro home for a year and train it to be a reliable mount. After the year, the eligible family can receive a permanent ownership title from the government. As of October 2007, more than 218,000 wild horses and burros have been placed into private care since the adoption program began in 1973.

  If you’d like a “different” kind of horse that sometimes has a scrubby look but performs with the fire of the Arab-barb blood, then go shopping for a Mustang. You’l find him in any black, brown, or white combination and with the determination and stamina to become your best equine friend.

  The Quarter Horse

  There’s no horse lover anywhere in the world who hasn’t heard of the American Quarter Horse. In fact, the Quarter Horse is probably the most popular breed in the United States today.

  But what exactly is a Quarter Horse? Is he only a quarter of a horse in size, therefore, just a pony? No, this fantastic breed isn’t a quarter of anything!

  The Quarter Horse originated in American colonial times in Virginia when European settlers bred their stout English workhorses with the Native Americans’

  Mustangs. The result? A short-legged but muscular equine with a broad head and little “fox” ears, a horse that has great strength and speed.

  It didn’t take long for the colonists and Native Americans to discover that their new crossbred horse was the fastest piece of horseflesh in the world for a quarter of a mile. Thus, the breed was christened the American Quarter Horse and began to flourish. Besides running quick races, it also pul ed wagons, canal boats, and plows. When the American West opened up, cowpokes discovered that the Quarter Horse was perfect for herding cattle and roping steers. Although it remained a distinct breed for over three hundred years in the U.S., the Quarter Horse was only recognized with its own studbook in 1941.

  If you are looking for a reliable mount that has a comfortable trot and smooth gal op, you might want to look at some “seasoned” Quarter Horses. (That means they have been trained properly and are at least five or six years old.) They come in any color or combination of colors. They’re temperament is general y friendly, yet determined to get the job done that you ask them to do.

  The Shetland Pony

  Many beginning riders incorrectly believe that the smal er the horse, the easier it is to control him. You might be thinking, “I’m tiny, so I need a tiny horse!” But many beginners have found out the hard way that a Shetland Pony is sometimes no piece of cake.

  Shetland Ponies originated as far back as the Bronze Age in the Shetland Isles, northeast of mainland Scotland. Research has found that they are related to the ancient Scandinavian ponies. Shetland Ponies were first used for pul ing carts, carrying peat and other items, and plowing farmland. Thousands of Shetlands also worked as “pit ponies,” pul ing coal carts in British mines in the mid-19th century. At the same time the Shetland found its way to the United States when they were imported to also work in mines.

  The American Shetland Pony Club was founded in 1888 as a registry to keep the pedigrees for al the Shetlands that were being imported from Europe at that time.

  Shetlands are usual y only 10.2 hands or shorter.

  They have a smal head, sometimes with a dished face, big Bambi eyes, and smal ears. The original breed has a short, muscular neck, stocky body, and short, strong legs. Shetlands can give you a bouncy ride because of their short broad backs and deep girths. These ponies have long thick manes and tails, and in winter climates their coats of any color or combination of colors can grow long and fuzzy.

  If you decide you’d like to own a Shetland, spend a great deal of time looking for one that is mild mannered. Because of past years of hard labor, the breed now shows a dogged determination that often translates into stubbornness. So be careful, and don’t fal for that sweet, fuzzy face without riding the pony several times before you buy him. You might get a wild, crazy ride from a “shortstuff” mount that you never bargained for!

  The Tennessee Walking Horse

  If you buy a Tennessee Walker, get ready for a thril ing ride as smooth as running water!

  The Tennessee Walking Horse finds its roots in 1886 in Tennessee, when a standardbred (a Morgan and Standardbred trotter cross) stal ion named Black Al an refused to trot; instead, he chose to amble or “walk” fast. With effortless speed comparable to other horses’ trots, Black Al an’s new gait (each hoof hitting the ground at a different time) amazed the horse world. Owners of Thoroughbreds and saddle horses were quick to breed their mares to this delightful new “rocking-horse” stud, and the Tennessee Walker was on its way to becoming one of the most popular breeds in the world. In just a few short years, the Walker became the favorite mount of not only circuit-riding preachers and plantation owners, but ladies riding sidesaddle as wel .

  Today the Walker, which comes in any black, brown, or white color or combination, is a versatile horse and is comfortable when ridden English or western. He is usual y 15 to 17 hands tal and has a long neck and sloping shoulder. His head is large but refined, and he has smal ears. Because he has a short back, his running walk, for which he is known, comes natural y.

  If you go shopping for a Tennesee Walker, you wil find a horse that is usual y mild mannered yet raring to go. Although most Walkers are big and you might need a stepstool to climb on one, you wil be amazed at how smooth his walk and rocking-horse canter is. In fact, you might have trouble making yourself get off!

  Some Popular Breeds (Based on Body Color) The Appaloosa

  French cave paintings thousands of years old have “spotted” horses among their subjects, ancient China labeled their spotted horses as “heavenly,” and Persians have cal ed their spotted steeds

  “sacred.” Yet, the spotted Appaloosa breed that we know today is believed to have originated in the northwestern Native American tribe cal ed the Nez Perce in the 17th century.

  When colonists expanded the United States territory westward, they found a unique people who lived near the Palouse River (which runs from north central Idaho to the Snake River in southeast Washington State). The Nez Perce Indian tribe had bred a unique horse — red or blue roans with white spots on the rump. Fascinated, the colonists cal ed the beautiful breed “palousey,” which means “the stream of the green meadows.” Gradual y, the name changed to “Appaloosa.”

  The Nez Perce people lost most of their horses fol owing the end of the Nez Perce War in 1877, and the breed started to decline for several decades.

  However, a smal number of dedicated Appaloosa lovers kept the breed alive. Final y, a breed registry was formed in 1938. The Appaloosa was named the official state horse of Idaho in 1975.

  If you decide to buy an Appaloosa, you’l own one of the most popular breeds in the United States today. It is best known as a stock horse used in a number of western riding events, but it’s also seen in many other types of equestrian contests as wel . So if you would like to ride English or western, or want to show your horse or ride him on a mountain trail, an Appaloosa could be just the horse for you.

  Appaloosas can be any solid base color, but the gorgeous blanket of spots that sometimes cover the entire horse identifies the special breed. Those spotted markings are not the same as pintos or the

  “dapple grays” and some other horse colors. For a horse to be registered as a pureblood Appaloosa, it also has to have striped hooves, white outer coat (sclera) encircling its brown or blue eyes, and mottled (spotted) skin around the eyes and lips. The Appaloosa is one of the few breeds to have skin mott
ling, and so this characteristic is a sure fire way of identifying a true member of the breed.

  In 1983, the Appaloosa Horse Club in America decided to limit the crossbreeding of appaloosas to only three main confirmation breeds: the Arabian, the American Quarter Horse, and the Thoroughbred.

  Thus, the Appaloosa color breed also became a true confirmation breed as wel .

  If you want your neighbors to turn their heads your way when you ride past, then look for a wel -trained Appaloosa. Most registered “Apps” are 15 hands or shorter but are ful of muscle and loaded with spots.

  Sometimes, though, it takes several years for an Appaloosa’s coat to mature to its ful color. So if it’s color you’re looking for, shop for a seasoned App!

  The Pinto

  The American Pinto breed has its origins in the wild Mustang of the western plains. The 17th and 18th century Native Americans bred color into their

  “ponies,” using them for warhorses and prizing those with the richest colors. When the “Westward Ho” pioneers captured wild Mustangs with flashy colors, they bred them to al different breeds of European stock horses. Thus, the Pinto has emerged as a color breed, which includes al different body shapes and sizes today.

  The Pinto Horse Association of America was formed in 1956, although the bloodlines of many Pintos can be traced three or four generations before then. The association doesn’t register Appaloosas, draft breeds, or horses with mule roots or characteristics. Today there are more than 100,000 Pintos registered throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia.

  Pintos have a dark background with random patches of white and have two predominant color patterns:

  1. Tobiano (Toe-bee-ah’-no) Pintos are white with large spots of brown or black color.

  Spots can cover much of the head, chest, flank, and rump, often including the tail. Legs are general y white, which makes the horse look like he’s white with flowing spots of color.

  The white usual y crosses the center of the back of the horse.

  2. Overo (O-vair’-o) Pintos are colored horses with jagged white markings that originate on the animal’s side or bel y and spread toward the neck, tail, legs, and back. The deep, rich browns or blacks appear to frame the white.

  Thus, Overos often have dark backs and dark legs. Horses with bald or white faces are often Overos. Their splashy white markings on the rest of their body make round, lacy patterns.

  Perhaps you’ve heard the term “paint” and wonder if that kind of horse is the same as a Pinto. Wel , amazingly, the two are different breeds! A true Paint horse (registered by the American Paint Horse Association) must be bred from pureblood Paints, Quarter Horses, or Thoroughbreds. The difference in eligibility between the two registries has to do with the bloodlines of the horse, not its color or pattern.

  So if you’re shopping for a flashy mount and you don’t care about a specific body type of horse, then set your sites on a Pinto or Paint. You might just find a wel -trained registered or grade horse that has the crazy colors you’ve been dreaming about for a very long time!

  The Palomino

  No other color of horse wil turn heads his way than the gorgeous golden Palomino. While the average person thinks the ideal color for a Palomino is like a shiny gold coin, the palomino breed’s registry al ows al kinds of coat colors as long as the mane and tail are silvery white.A white blaze can be on the face but can’t extend beyond the eyes. The Palomino can also have white stockings, but the white can’t extend beyond the knees. Colors of Palominos can range from a deep, dark chocolate to an almost-white cremel o. As far as body confirmation, four breeds are strongly represented in crossbreeding with the Palomino

  today:

  the American

  Saddlebred,

  Tennessee Walker, Morgan, and Quarter Horse.

  No one is sure where the Palomino came from, but it is believed that the horse came from Spain. An old legend says that Isabel a, queen of Spain in the late 15th century, loved her golden horses so much she sent one stal ion and five mares across the Atlantic to start thriving in the New World. Eventual y those six horses lived in what is now cal ed Texas and New Mexico, where Native Americans captured the horses’ offspring and incorporated them into their daily lives. From those six horses came al the Palominos in the United States, which proves how adaptable the breed is to different climates.

  Today you can find Palominos al over the world and involved in al kinds of settings from jumping to ranching to rodeos. One of their most popular venues is pleasing crowds in parades, namely the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, every New Year’s Day.

  Perhaps you’ve dreamed of owning a horse that you could be proud of whether you are trail riding on a dirt road, showing in a western pleasure class, or strutting to the beat of a band in a parade. If that’s the case, then the Palomino is the horse for you!

  If you’re shopping for the best in bloodlines, look for a horse that has a double registry! With papers that show the proper bloodlines, an Appaloosa Quarter Horse can be double registered. Perhaps you’d like a Palomino Morgan or a Pinto Tennesee Walker?

  Who Can Ride a Horse?

  As you have read this book about Skye, Morgan, and some of the other children with special needs, perhaps you could identify with one in particular. Do you have what society cal s a handicap or disability?

  Do you use a wheelchair? Do you have any friends who are blind or have autism? Do you or your special-needs friends believe that none of you could ever ride a horse?

  Although Keystone Stables is a fictitious place, there are real special-needs ranches and camps that connect horses with children just like Skye and Morgan, Sooze in book two, Tanya in book three, Jonathan in book four, Katie in book five, Joey in book six, and Wanda in book seven. That special kind of treatment and interaction has a long, complicated

  name,

  Equine

  Facilitated

  Psychotherapy or “EFP.”

  EFP might include handling and grooming the horse, lunging, riding, or driving a horse-drawn cart.

  In an EFP program, a licensed mental health professional works together with a certified horse handler. Sometimes one EFP person can have both credentials. Whatever the case, the professionals are dedicated to helping both the child and the horse learn to work together as a team.

  Children with autism have benefited greatly from therapeutic riding. Sometimes a child who has never been able to speak or “connect” with another person, even a parent, wil bond with a horse in such a way that the child learns to relate to people or starts to talk.

  An author friend has told me of some of her family members who’ve had experience with horses and autistic children. They tel a story about a mute eight-year-old boy who was taking therapeutic treatment.

  One day as he was riding a wel -trained mount that knew just what to do, the horse stopped for no reason and refused to budge. The leader said,

  “Walk on” and pul ed on the halter, but the horse wouldn’t move. The sidewalkers (people who help the child balance in the saddle) al did the same thing with the same result. Final y, the little boy who was stil sitting on the horse shouted, “Walk on, Horsie!” The horse immediately obeyed.

  So the good news for some horse-loving children who have serious health issues is that they might be able to work with horses. Many kids like Morgan, who has cerebral palsy, and blind Katie in book five actual y can learn to ride! That’s because al over the world, people who love horses and children have started “therapy riding academies” to teach children with special needs how to ride and/or care for a horse. Highly trained horses and special equipment like high-backed saddles with Velcro strips on the fenders make it safe for special-needs kids to become skil ed equestrians and thus learn to work with their own handicaps as they never have been able to do before!

  A Word about Horse Whispering

  If you are constantly reading about horses and know a lot about them, you probably have heard of horse whispering, som
ething that many horse

  “behaviorists” today do to train horses. This training process is much different than what the majority of horsemen did just several decades ago.

  We’ve al read Wild West stories or seen movies in which the cowpoke “broke” a wild horse by climbing on his back and hanging on while the poor horse bucked until he was so exhausted he could hardly stand. What that type of training did was break the horse’s spirit, and the horse learned to obey out of fear. Many “bronco busters” from the past also used whips, ropes, sharp spurs, and painful bits to make the horses respond, which they did only to avoid the pain the trainers caused.

  Thankful y, the way many horses become reliable mounts has changed dramatical y. Today, many horses are trained, not broken. The trainer

  “communicates”with the horse using herd language.

  Thus, the horse bonds with his trainer quickly, looks to that person as his herd leader, and is ready to obey his every command.

  Thanks to Monty Roberts, the “man who listens to horses,” and other professional horse whispering trainers like him, most raw or green horses (those that are just learning to respond to tack and a rider) are no longer broken.

  Horses are now trained to accept the tack and rider in a short time with proven methods of horse whispering. Usual y working in a round pen, the trainer begins by making large movements and noise as a predator would, encouraging the horse to run away. The trainer then gives the horse the choice to flee or bond. Through body language, the trainer asks the horse, “Wil you choose me to be your herd leader and fol ow me?”

  Usual y the horse responds with predictable herd behavior by twitching an ear toward his trainer then by lowering his head and licking to display an element of trust. The trainer mocks the horse’s passive body language, turns his back on the horse, and, without eye contact, invites him to come closer.