Horse Trivia

**Vermontcat** · 04-03-2003, 12:49 PM

Originally posted by Luka-pop

Thanks Vermontcat! No, I've never been to the UVM Morgan Farm, but I wish I could. Where/when is it? Actually, one of the stallions, Who's Yer Protege, was recently gelded. BTW, do you ride saddleseat? Just asking cuz parking out is a saddleseat thing, ya know~

It took me a while to find the link because they moved their website, here it is
http://www.uvm.edu/morgan/
You can also go to the American Morgan Horse Associations website and find many Morgan links at www.morganhorse.com
The UVM Farm and horses are beautiful. They are in Weybridge, Vt near Middlebury. Every summer they have an open house, this year it is on Wed. August 13th. You should go if you have a chance, it is free that day and they have many Morgan demonstrations to show how versatile the breed is. I didn't go last summer because it was like 100 degrees that day but I did go the year before and I hope to go again this year!
Luka, I don't ride Saddleseat, mostly English and I used to do hunter/jumper, now more pleasure riding and Western trail riding. I have seen plenty of the Saddleseat at local Morgan shows though. I ride my friend's Morgan horse who it seems just naturally will Park when I stop to talk to her while on him or when I am getting on or off of him.

Ok, I gotta work on answering some of these questions, I will be back later.

**Vermontcat** · 04-03-2003, 01:38 PM

Ok, I found a couple of other links to the Frederic Remington sculptures
http://www.4youryard.com/page_1.html
http://www.fredericremingtonart.com/sculptures.htm

Now I will try to answer a few questions
First YLL, Don't mares and stallions have the same # of teeth?
Horses have small stomachs which is why they can't handle large amounts of grain.
True or False #1 is False, a horse should be cooled down after a workout before offering a small amount of water.
True or False #2 I think is True.

Luka,
#1) Is it when changing direction in the ring that you need to be on the incorrect diagonal?
#2) The mane falls to the right side so it is out of the way when tacking up the bridle(doing the buckles). I have known a couple of horses whose manes refuse to stay on the right!
#3)I am guessing that the whip is carried on the outside because in English riding the crop is carried on the outside.

**Desert Arabian** · 04-03-2003, 04:39 PM

Vermontcat, nope stallions/geldings have 40 teeth (12 incisors, 4 tusks, 24 premolars and molars. Mares have 36 teeth. You are correct on the other answers.

**Luka-pop** · 04-03-2003, 05:25 PM

Here are my answers...
1) you switch your posting when you're reversing directions, but in that case, there is no outside or inside. However, the only time you're supposed to post on the wrong diagonal is when you're going for your Vitory Pass at a horse show.
2) The mane falls on the right side, because in the medieval times, the soldiers/knights used to carry their swords on their left hip. When they were riding their horses, and when they had to pull out their swords during battle (done by reaching the right hand over to the left hip), their sword used to get caught in the manes that were on the left. So they forcefully made the mane fall on the right to prevent entanglement. The tradition just became a standard over the years.
3) They carry their whips on the inside, because carriage driving began in England. In England, they used to have bushes and hedges on the outsides of the roads. When they were carrying their whips on the outside, their whips repeatedly got caught on the bushes. That's why they decided to carry the whips on the insides.

interesting, eh.

**HoRsELUvR** · 04-03-2003, 07:48 PM

yea that is pretty interesting.I should have known that switching posting diagonal when you switch directions,cuz my riding teacher is always reminding us to do that!

**Luka-pop** · 04-04-2003, 07:43 AM

Those were really good guesses though. My old instructor used to tell me that I had to switch diagonals and the side of the crop! Geez

**HoRsELUvR** · 04-04-2003, 03:42 PM

Yea i know its kind of annoying to switch your crop every time you go in a different direction, so i usually just leave it where it is.

**Vermontcat** · 04-05-2003, 09:20 PM

Luka, yes that was very interesting.

I guess we are ready for a few new questions, I have two easy ones.

1) How long is the gestation period for a pregnant mare?
2) How soon after birth can a foal stand and walk?

YLL, were there any other unanswered questions from before? If there were maybe you should post the answers.

**Luka-pop** · 04-06-2003, 08:10 AM

Hmmmm. I've never birthed a foal.
1) no clue
2) I know that zebras and giraffes can stand and walk around in 10 to 20 minutes.

**Desert Arabian** · 04-06-2003, 09:40 AM

A mare is pregnant for 11 months, generally right after the foal is born it stands up (sometimes they look around a bit then get up)- they do that because in the wild they would be easy targets for prey.

**Vermontcat** · 04-06-2003, 09:16 PM

YLL, you are right about the pregnancy lasting 11 months.

The info I have said that the foal will stand and walk within an hour or two of birth. It is so cute to see them try out their wobbly little legs for the first time.

I thought of one more question for those of you who ride in horse shows you should know it.

What does it mean when a horse in a show has a red ribbon tied in his tail?

YLL, I think your Zebra is so cool!

**delidog** · 04-06-2003, 11:07 PM

Kicker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actyually...in the Hunt field also

**Luka-pop** · 04-07-2003, 06:20 PM

Kicker, or also "Watch out! My horse doesn't like other horses so don't get too close." (bite, charge at the horse, buck, etc.)

Here's one for a shower!

Saddleseat riders "park out." What do hunters do? It's when the horse's front legs and hind legs line up (what's the show term for the position?).

**Equinebehaviorist** · 04-08-2003, 02:35 AM

Square up? That is what some halter horses do that sounds like this, anyway. I am a shower, but I rein and do halter and WP, not english.

**Vermontcat** · 04-08-2003, 12:29 PM

Deli and Luka you are both right, the red ribbon means the horse kicks and you better not get too close!
I wish every rider would know what it means and respect it!
I had a bad experience in one of my first shows as a teen riding my favorite horse who was a kicker and a girl passed me so close on the inside that our knees and stirrup irons bumped together. Sure enough my horses ears pinned back and she was ready to kick the other horse when I used my inside rein to correct her and she bucked me off! We had to stop the class and I got back on and finished but didn't win anything.

My riding teacher said I did the right thing so she didn't kick the other horse but I think I should have just let her kick her.