The Equinest archives

Horse Breeds From Greece

Greece FlagIt’s Friday and the perfect day to visit a new exotic location and learn about the fascinating horse breeds it’s given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is an interesting ride, today a peek at the breeds from Greece.

War Horses

Greece isn’t home to a huge variety of horse breeds considering its great history and island formation. There is a strong delination between the two types of equines bred here, horses for war and ponies for agriculture. Modern horse stock is still reminiscent of ancient calvary animals carrying heavily armed knights off to battle. They are heavy of bone and thick with muscle.
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The Horse’s Mouth – Episode 4

Click to see VideoToday’s video is episode four of a series that I just recently ran across. The Horse’s Mouth tells the inspirational stories of horses & their people.

Episode 4

Each episode is dedicated to a different horse lover, their equestrian facilities and their horsey friends. The fourth episode interviews Kathy Bartley founder of Bear Valley Rescue in Sundre, Alberta. Kathy and her husband Mike rescue horses from auctions, SPCA seizures and owners who can’t afford their animals. This episode shares about the rescue (and the more than 50,000 horses a year sent to slaughter in Alberta alone) it also discusses the costs associated with horse ownership for potential horse owners.
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The Horses of Paul Gauguin

GauguinPaul Gauguin was a French post-impressionist painter during the last half of the 19th century. As a child he lived in Peru where his mother collected Incan pots. His mother’s influence and this exposure to this early art helped to shape & influence his style.

Painting Part Time

For many years Gauguin wasn’t a full-time artist, he spent much of his life traveling and living in different places. After a failed marriage and battling bouts of depression he traveled to French Polynesia where he was inspired to paint perhaps his most famous and beautiful pieces.
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Horse Breeds From Germany

German FlagIt’s Friday and a great day to visit a new exotic location and learn about the amazing horse breeds it’s given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is an interesting ride, today a look at the breeds from Germany.

Growing Them Strong

Germany is home to an incredible number of well-established breeds for the size of the country, each breed with their own story – many of which were changed forever by the events of the 20th century. Among the German breeds is my personal favorite & oldest of the German warmbloods, the Holsteiner. Descendant from marsh horses of the Elmshorn district of Holstein initially bred for war, this breed has gone on to become an incredibly versatile, athletic & level headed sport mount – on springs.
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The Horse’s Mouth – Episode 3

Click to see VideoToday’s video is episode three of a series that I just recently ran across. The Horse’s Mouth tells the inspirational stories of horses & their people.

Episode 3

Each episode is dedicated to a different horse lover, their equestrian facilities and their horsey friends. The third episode interviews horse trainer, author and speaker Chris Irwin about natural horsemanship. Chris’s ideas are interesting and are based in sound reasoning, horses are animals of prey and we are one of their predators. Understanding this and the instinctive behavior associated with it can make a huge difference in your relationship with your horse.
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Pinto Horse Breeds

Pinyo Horse BreedsAlthough I say this about a lot of colors, the pinto white pattern is hands down my favorite. Piebald, skewbald, sabino or tovero I love them all.

Lovely Spots

The distinction between pintos and paints is simple. Any animal with a pinto white pattern is a pinto, however only animals with Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred bloodlines are allowed to become registered paints. That said there are a number of other breeds that breed specifically for those lovely spotted coats and include a wider variety of genetics.
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Horse Breeds From Georgia

Georgia FlagIt’s the end of the week and time to visit another exotic location and learn about the amazing horse breeds it’s given rise to. Looking at each breed in the context of their origins is an interesting ride, today a look at the breeds from Georgia.

Growing Them Strong

Despite its small size Georgia is home to a variety of geography. This variety requires animals who can handle the intense variation in footing & vegetation while still thriving. There are only two breeds from Georgia that I can find, and you can bet they are tough as nails.
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The Horse’s Mouth – Episode 2

Click to see VideoToday’s video is episode two of a series that I just recently ran across. The Horse’s Mouth tells the inspirational stories of horses & their people.

Episode 2

Each episode is dedicated to a different horse lover, their equestrian facilities and their horsey friends. The second episode interviews Tina Watkins of Inhand Equine Massage Therapy who educates horse owners, trainers and lovers about the value of massage for their equine partners.
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