The equine thread

[elbkup]

The Chincoteague ponies are cared for far better than the wild mustangs, which I don't think receive much in the way of care. Actually there are two different herds, one on the Maryland side, which are also called Assateague horses, and one on the Virginia side, called Chincoteague ponies. The one on the Maryland side receives no care. I do not know how they keep the island from being overrun, unfortunately some probably die of illness due to lack of vet care, some drown in storms, some wander into the road and get killed (the Chincoteague ponies are fenced off from the road). I was reading that awhile back - the 90s? a bunch of previously purchased Chincoteague ponies were brought back and set loose on Assateague because the numbers had gotten so low over there.
The ponies on the Chincoteague side are rounded up twice a year for veterinary care and are monitored over the year to identify and treat any minor injuries. I remember at the auction a lady let me go up with her and look at a pony she was interested in buying and the pony allowed it's feet to be picked up and be examined. The proceeds go to the Fire Department because they are the ones who take care of the ponies. Also, some of them are "buybacks" - people buy them and send them back to the island to live for life. Which doesn't accomplish thinning of the herd, so I'm not sure what purpose that serves.
Anyway, that's what I know about it in a nutshell. The ponies have to go somewhere, they need to keep the size of the herd stable. Money is needed for their vet care and supplemental feeding in the winter. I'm not sure what else could be done with them other than auctioning them off.

What a nice memory you have visiting the island with your Dad. The event is all very romantic but care wise the practicalities need to be addressed and it seems to be handled on Chincoteague better than most. I did not know about the Assateague side of things .. sad; I think the Sable Island horses are similar. No human contact whatsoever so nature does the culling.. a hard life for them. I wonder how and why the little pony found its way to Skydog in Oregon.. she doesn’t say in the note with the video. But, since Skydog is mainly a Mustang Sanctuary, with donkeys and the occasional Zebra, the Chinciteague pony will eventually be released to run with Mustangs. Fingers crossed it goes well but it has a good chance.. anyway..

 

[moonvine]

What a nice memory you have visiting the island with your Dad. The event is all very romantic but care wise the practicalities need to be addressed and it seems to be handled on Chincoteague better than most. I did not know about the Assateague side of things .. sad; I think the Sable Island horses are similar. No human contact whatsoever so nature does the culling.. a hard life for them. I wonder how and why the little pony found its way to Skydog in Oregon.. she doesn’t say in the note with the video. But, since Skydog is mainly a Mustang Sanctuary, with donkeys and the occasional Zebra, the Chinciteague pony will eventually be released to run with Mustangs. Fingers crossed it goes well but it has a good chance.. anyway..

Some people believe wildlife should be wild...but horses/ponies are typically domesticated animals. It seems no one knows for sure where they came from. The shipwreck story in the Misty books is one theory. There are others. But whatever theory one subscribes to, they all seem to point to the ancestors of the ponies being domesticated at one point in time. A lot of people place a high value on "freedom" for animals. I think freedom is a human construct. Animals know if they have food to eat, water to drink. They know if they are dying in a storm or worse, dying of an untreated injury or illness. If they were owned animals it would be abuse to treat them like this, but since they are feral animals it isn't. Anyway, I digress.
A ZEBRA? What do they do with the Zebras? Do they run with the mustangs? I'm fascinated now.

 

[elbkup]

Some people believe wildlife should be wild...but horses/ponies are typically domesticated animals. It seems no one knows for sure where they came from. The shipwreck story in the Misty books is one theory. There are others. But whatever theory one subscribes to, they all seem to point to the ancestors of the ponies being domesticated at one point in time. A lot of people place a high value on "freedom" for animals. I think freedom is a human construct. Animals know if they have food to eat, water to drink. They know if they are dying in a storm or worse, dying of an untreated injury or illness. If they were owned animals it would be abuse to treat them like this, but since they are feral animals it isn't. Anyway, I digress.
A ZEBRA? What do they do with the Zebras? Do they run with the mustangs? I'm fascinated now.

Skydog has a few locations and is private land. Horses free range, lead “horse lives” but are monitored so have their needs met and are cared for. I like the arrangement though they do have their critics…
They are Zorses.. zebras that have been cross bred with horses .. or donkeys.. (a practice that should be outlawed imo) or bred as hunting fodder
and then abandoned or sent to kill pens.
Skydog rescues them and they live out their lives in safety. So much good could come from the human-animal connection but as it stands now that connection can be tragic; it could do with complete reassessment but that would take enormous evolution.. still, incremental strides forward are made every day for which we can be grateful.
It slowly gets better with each passing decade thanks to those of us who love have their best interests at heart

 

[elbkup]

For Duende
American Mustang
Age 16
Passed too soon..

The Horse Whisperer - Video&Music

Les 2 titres de la bande originale (dans l'ordre):1) The Rhythm of the Horse (0:00 - 2:33 min) 2) Percheron Stallion (2:34 - 4:32 min)BO "The Horse Whispere...

youtu.be

 

[elbkup]

In honor of Secretariat and the 150th Kentucky Derby posting a very short video of George Davis, Sectetariat’s exercise rider who probably knew the Great Horse better than anyone.. his nuances, personality, grace, elegance. He talks briefly about those things here and is shown riding.. they are one soul ..

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

youtu.be

 

[Diana Delafield]

In honor of Secretariat and the 150th Kentucky Derby posting a very short video of George Davis, Sectetariat’s exercise rider who probably knew the Great Horse better than anyone.. his nuances, personality, grace, elegance. He talks briefly about those things here and is shown riding.. they are one soul ..

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

youtu.be

What a wonderful job to have!

 

[elbkup]

It’s summer so time to post lots of stuff non-skating related that might be of interest..
UK farrier at work.. (gonna post this in Animal Fun too just because..

Aron Tyler farrier Dip WCF on Instagram: "💛🖤Best way to start the week with the cutest stallion ….. #stallion #happy #smiling #farrier #horse #horses #goofyhorse #mademyday #mondayfunday #monday #reel #video #asmr #cute #cool #farriersofinstagram #mo

977K likes, 14K comments - arontyler_ on August 5, 2024: "💛🖤Best way to start the week with the cutest stallion ….. #stallion #happy #smiling #farrier #horse #horses #goofyhorse #mademyday #mondayfunday #monday #reel #video #asmr #cute #cool #farriersofinstagram #monday".

www.instagram.com

 

[elbkup]

When you think you’ve seen everything…

 

[elbkup]

Facebook

www.facebook.com

And then there’s Jerry..

 

[FaustinaF]

Thank you all for sharing your stories! I'm sorry for the loss of some of your horses.. I can't imagine how hard it should be.
@elbkup , your horses are WONDERFUL!! I know horses can be very intelligent, surprising, loyal, looking for affection and jokes. They can be really friends!
I always loved horses, they were part of my childhood since I was 6 or 7, I started to take horse riding lessons with my sister Maria (older than me), and we continued for few years. Ponys were so sweet, but I remember one of them was particularly funny because all of a sudden he began to stop abruptly in the middle of the trot while Maria was riding him, like a joke, and my poor sister obviously fell down every time, however never hurting herself! The little pony continued to do this spiteful joke for a long period!
Now we use to ride horses sometimes, but we have a permanent horse friend from the neighboor fence who every morning spies our plants and takes his head out from the fence to bite some of them! I don't know the breed, but it riminds me a Quarter. I named him Elliott for the invisible dragon, since he's not always eating grass, appears and diappears sometimes maybe for a ride.
Unfortunately, I couldn't ride sportively no longer due to suggestions of my doctor for my idiopathic arthritis, but it's still good to ride sometimes. I love all breeds of horses, but especially Holdstain, Quarter, Arabian too, Appaloosa, and so on! We use to read horses magazines, follow the rodeo a lot and show jumping discipline, and we are specially fan of Martin Fuchs from Switzerland
We always wanted to own a horse, and when we were children, we imagined to build even a ranch! So every horse I meet, it's welcome to become my closest friend!

 

[elbkup]

Thank you all for sharing your stories! I'm sorry for the loss of some of your horses.. I can't imagine how hard it should be.
@elbkup , your horses are WONDERFUL!! I know horses can be very intelligent, surprising, loyal, looking for affection and jokes. They can be really friends!
I always loved horses, they were part of my childhood since I was 6 or 7, I started to take horse riding lessons with my sister Maria (older than me), and we continued for few years. Ponys were so sweet, but I remember one of them was particularly funny because all of a sudden he began to stop abruptly in the middle of the trot while Maria was riding him, like a joke, and my poor sister obviously fell down every time, however never hurting herself! The little pony continued to do this spiteful joke for a long period!
Now we use to ride horses sometimes, but we have a permanent horse friend from the neighboor fence who every morning spies our plants and takes his head out from the fence to bite some of them! I don't know the breed, but it riminds me a Quarter. I named him Elliott for the invisible dragon, since he's not always eating grass, appears and diappears sometimes maybe for a ride.
Unfortunately, I couldn't ride sportively no longer due to suggestions of my doctor for my idiopathic arthritis, but it's still good to ride sometimes. I love all breeds of horses, but especially Holdstain, Quarter, Arabian too, Appaloosa, and so on! We use to read horses magazines, follow the rodeo a lot and show jumping discipline, and we are specially fan of Martin Fuchs from Switzerland
We always wanted to own a horse, and when we were children, we imagined to build even a ranch! So every horse I meet, it's welcome to become my closest friend!

We are all kindred spirits here in this thread so understand and share your feelings. My sister and I are in mid to late ‘70’s so as we loose the ones we have there are no replacements; only the pony Oliver and Harmony (born in 2000 so now age 24) are left; they are loved and healthy and have the company of other horses from neighbors. They can still be full of mischief and Harmony is a true princess who likes everything just so and is indulged .. but they will be the last. I hope you get your wish eventually but I am sure your love for them will grow over the years; I read through these pages after you posted and it brought back so many memories. Duende was the only Mustang we had, bought young from one of the awful Bureau of Land Management round ups out west. He was lucky he came to us.. a beautiful red .. but he contracted laminitis so left us too soon at 16 years.. never to be forgotten.. buried in the field next to the house.
Thank you for your stories of the horses you and your family have known and loved.. stories to be cherished.

 

[FaustinaF]

Thank you for your post @elbkup !
I'm happy to share stories with you, and share together many memories! It's always a precious thing.
I love Mustang horses... my love for them started when I watched "Spirit" when I was a child! Some time ago I knew a horse from an owner of horse stables of riding school, beautiful, red with white face and black mane, and his name was the Italian version of Duende, "Duendo"! Unfortunately, I've been told he died because of eating a toxic grass... Maria used to ride him when she started again riding lessons at that school three years ago, and then we came across this sad news. I always imagine that horses who are no longer with us ride wild in beautiful fields like in Spirit.
We are passionate about country horses movies, and I recently learned from a movie that horses, not only pony, are often used for pet therapy and for self-esteem goals for many people. It's a proof of the love horses are able to give!

 

[elbkup]

Thank you for your post @elbkup !
I'm happy to share stories with you, and share together many memories! It's always a precious thing.
I love Mustang horses... my love for them started when I watched "Spirit" when I was a child! Some time ago I knew a horse from an owner of horse stables of riding school, beautiful, red with white face and black mane, and his name was the Italian version of Duende, "Duendo"! Unfortunately, I've been told he died because of eating a toxic grass... Maria used to ride him when she started again riding lessons at that school three years ago, and then we came across this sad news. I always imagine that horses who are no longer with us ride wild in beautiful fields like in Spirit.
We are passionate about country horses movies, and I recently learned from a movie that horses, not only pony, are often used for pet therapy and for self-esteem goals for many people. It's a proof of the love horses are able to give!

We follow worldwide sites for working animals, good and bad, and there is much out there that breaks your heart and takes strength and grit to delve into though necessary to discourage mistreatment at all levels. The romance behind horses and horsemanship is held up by mindfulness of their care and best interests. Animals are so vulnerable in this regard. It starts, as you well know, with love and good common sense.
Did you ever see the film The Horse Whisperer?
The horse in the film called Pilgrim is owned by a young girl called Grace. They are in a terrible accident and though they both recover physically, both are left with emotional scars, Pilgrim is frightened by all human contact, Grace walks with crutches. Grace’s mother is determined to heal them both and, in desperation, hauls them hundreds of miles to the only man - a whisperer - she is told can help… after long months of tough emotional and physical endurance and training this is the final result:
WARNING! Don’t try this at home! An uplifting movie, this ending could have been negative and VERY different!

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

youtu.be

 

[FaustinaF]

Hello! It's a noble thing you do for horses! I know a professor at my university who saved a horse who was no longer good for horse racing, and if it wasn't for her the poor horse would died... Now he's living happily!
Oh no I've never seen the Horse Whisperer!!! I watched the video... so emotional, very touching... I will surely see it!! Thank you!! One of the most recent movies about horses I've seen is "Walk, Ride, Rodeo" of 2019, a dramatic true story from which you can learn so much. Have you seen it? An other movie that touched me was "Dreamer" that I would recommand it to all horse lovers. These days I found "A horse called Bear" of 2015, it seems to be nice, I will see that too. It's nice to exchange ideas and opinions each other about "horse matters"