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Perhaps some of the most passionate horse lovers are the young ones (which is probably why their toys are the best), so I devoted a whole post to horse gift ideas for kids.
From rain boots to Barbie to Shrinky Dinks, there is something that will appeal to almost any youthful horse fan (and perhaps some of the older ones too). 😉
For each one there is a link to where it can be found on Amazon and a closer look at the product where available, enjoy!
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Those of us who have spent time in the horse world can tie quick-release knots in our sleep, but if you don’t know how to do it, the process can be a mystery.
An important thing to master & there are lots to choose from. A quick-release is really the only kind of knot that should be used to tie a horse (and anyone who has seen a scared horse drag a hitching post halfway across their arena will agree).
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Learning isn’t always easy, but when it is about something you love it can be entertaining.
It’s amazing how much I’ve learned about horses while writing this site. Even more amazing is how much I have left to learn.
Here is a strange mix of basics, tips, ideas and facts that any horse lover can appreciate.
Basic Horse Tips | Random Horse Facts | Best Ways to Whiten Socks | Hiring a Horse Sitter | Name That Horse Breed Quiz | Horse Translated | How You Can Help Starving Horses
It’s been fun visiting past posts and re-reading things I had forgotten. I’ll be sharing more of The Equinest archives on Saturdays, hopefully new readers will find things they haven’t seen yet & older readers will enjoy revisiting old favorites.
Festival Features
A couple of weeks ago I did a post with some flower macro photography and people seemed to like it. As I was searching for flowers I ran across a number of unusual plant macro shots I wanted to share too.
Here is a selection of up-close-and-personal images of some pretty (and pretty unusual) plants. The personality of each one is beautifully captured by the photographers.
It’s always fun to take a break from horses & look for something different & unusual to share with my readers.
The main goal of American Spotted Paso breeders is to create an animal with the beautiful pinto color patterns and the smooth easy to ride gaits of the Peruvian Paso.
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A trade show, exhibition and all around worldwide horse extravaganza featuring a long list of highlights and celebrities.
All brought together to allow the public to learn and enjoy the wonderful world of horses.
Highlights
The Equus family is larger and more diverse than you may think. Each member with its own distinct look and coloring.
As I started delving into the equus family tree I realized just how colorful and beautiful these animals really are. I’m hard pressed to pick a favorite & sad to see so many of them in danger for their lives.
There are far too many colors to put in one post, so I’ve separated into sections. Today we’ll meet the horses, asses and onagers & next week the zebras.
These two groups contain all of the color & some of the most (and least) common members of the Equus family.
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Name
Betsy Kelleher
Website and Places you can find me online
My website is www.goduseshorses.com and I recently started a new blog, MARES and more, exploring the world of the female equine.
I’m also on Facebook and Linkedin and I recently joined the online Rocking G Riding Club.
Where I am
My husband and I live in a mobile home park on a lake at Granite City, Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis.
Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I was born in Iowa and grew up on a small farm where my grandfather used a team of horses. My parents divorced when I was very young, and Dad and I lived with his folks. My first riding horse was a 1600 pound Percheron mare. I spent a lot of time walking or riding through our wooded pasture and I have always loved the woods. I graduated from Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa) in journalism. I was married to my first husband for 42 years, had three sons, then we divorced and I remarried almost seven years ago.
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Evariste was a French painter, born into a family of lawyers who (interestingly enough) encouraged his art and sent him to Paris when he was 18 so he could learn from well known sculptors & painters of the time.
This is a bright artist who spent much of his time focusing on the darker themes of life. Much of his work depicts struggle, battle and turmoil, although his equine pieces tend to be some of his more whimsical work.
In stark contrast to the darkness of the themes is the the loving attention to detail that goes into each of his pieces.
The final show in the Palm Beach Dressage series is held at the Equestrian Estates and has been a part of the series since 2000.
Qualifying Competitions
April 2-4
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Perhaps one of my favorite toys growing up were my Breyer horses & I can admit to hours spent creating felt leg wraps and yarn halters for them.
Back then there weren’t nearly as many cool options for models and a DIY attitude kept them looking flashy. These days it seems they have thought of everything, from travel wraps to show jumps to trailers.
There are tons of fun accessories and miniature equipment for those who still enjoy a model horse or two.
Here are some of the cool Breyer accessories I could find, all things I would loved to have had as a child.
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Colors