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Horse Breeds From Ireland

Ireland FlagIt’s the end of the week and time to visit another beautiful location and learn about the hardy 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 Ireland.

Made Ireland Tough

Most of the breeds from Ireland are smaller and tougher than your average horse. In large part due to the climactic conditions and physical geography of the country itself. Perhaps my favorite being the Kerry Bog Pony, tinier than the Shetland and once used to transport peat moss from bogs.
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How to Photograph A Horse From Under A Jump

Click to see VideoToday’s video is a quick how to that can help turn your amateur photographer skills and average camera into a pro. Learn how to photograph a horse from under a jump (ahem, without getting kicked).

Not An Easy Subject

Suffice it to say, horses are beautiful animals but difficult photography subjects. Either moving too much so they come out shaky or just not looking quite as gorgeous as they are in real life. Jumping is a particularly difficult movement to capture so every little tip helps. A little creativity can help turn mediocre photography skills into pro-league images.
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Horsemanship for Women Coloring Pages

Horsemanship for WomenLast week I posted part one of this interesting line drawing series and today I’ve got more to share (and this is hardly all of it, there is more to come).

Skirts & Horses

These drawings were published in 1887 in a book called Horsemanship for Women by Theodore Hoe Mead & illustrated by Gray Parker. Clearly over a century later, horse women have changed. We no longer wear skirts when we ride and while some of us still enjoy the art of sidesaddle, most of us prefer to put a leg on either side, because it just makes sense.
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Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known

Woman on a horse at night

Today’s bit of horse in poetry was composed by William Wordsworth in 1798. While it isn’t about horses, they do play a part in the tale he weaves.

Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known

Strange fits of passion have I known:
And I will dare to tell,
But in the lover’s ear alone,
What once to me befell.

When she I loved looked every day
Fresh as a rose in June,
I to her cottage bent my way,
Beneath an evening-moon.

Upon the moon I fixed my eye,
All over the wide lea;
With quickening pace my horse drew nigh
Those paths so dear to me.
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Horse Breeds From Iran

Iran FlagIt’s the end of the week and time to visit another exotic location and learn about the fabulous 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 Iran.

Family Business

Perhaps one of the purest ancient Iranian breeds is the stunning Asil, an incredibly pure strain of Arabian. The bloodlines of these animals are kept within tribes and families and their breeding was thought to bring spiritual and material gain. As with many ancient breeds, their origins are unclear, however rock carvings of horses have been found in the area that date back 5,000 years.
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Horse Soccer

Click to see VideoI think I’ve written about this sport before, at first I thought it was a joke – but it’s actually quite serious and it kind of looks like fun! Who can argue with an enormous soccer ball?

An Easier Option

To me it seems far easier on everyone involved than games like polo, where a tiny ball must be chased at full speed. It’s not quite akin to football itself, but that’s another story.
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Coloring Pages – Horsemanship For Women

Horsemanship for WomenIn my endless searches for fun horse stuff online sometimes I run across a jackpot. This time is no exception and I found a treasure trove of cool horse drawings that will make great coloring pages too. There are so many it’ll take weeks to share them all!

Outdated Concepts

It’s clear that times have changed since theses drawings were created, but it’s an interesting peek into a world most women of today can no longer recognize. I mean seriously, spending time around horses in a long skirt is simply not practical. These drawings come from a book called Horsemanship for Women by Theodore Hoe Mead & illustrated by Gray Parker which was published in 1887.
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Horse Breeds From Indonesia

Indonesia FlagIt’s Friday and a good day to visit another exotic location and learn about the unique 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 Indonesia.

Not Really Horses

Most of the Indonesian horse breeds aren’t actually horses at all, they are technically ponies. Per capita, they may have the most pony breeds of all countries. An island nation, the ponies of Indonesia are quite similar in ancestry, but have been shaped over the years to meet local needs from island to island.
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Vaulting – Extreme Horse Sports

Click to see VideoWhen it comes to horses there is a wide variety of sports which can easily be dubbed as ‘extreme’. In fact most people I know in the equestrian industry proudly wear their extreme title.

Vaulting

I’ve been riding my whole life and quite frankly it’s enough just to stay in the saddle sometimes so vaulting simply confounds me. It’s quite artistic and clearly requires about 30 hours of practice a day – where do they find the time? Instead of just one video today I thought I’d share a few, each one providing a glimpse into the interesting world of vaulting.
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