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A week without equestrianism…
As a student, I have quite many balls to catch every single day. Many obligations, including a postgraduate degree. And the equestrian club is far enough. And I can’t always book a place with the Uni’s riding club. If you haven’t grown up with horses or simply equestrianism is not your day job, it’s normal to struggle sometimes to fit the sport in your schedule, amongst the other, not less important activities. So, how does this week pass? Badly. Because: I can’t concentrate. I always think about horses and my missed sessions I am anxious about sticking to the sport I am simply depressed and I groan about everything I get angry when…
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Videos of Appaloosa horses
Two days ago I wrote about the Appaloosa breed. Here are some videos I found that you may like. The Appaloosa horses have actually a very nice movement and quite well-shaped, round body.
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A leopard’s coat: The Apaloosa
Today I have been exploring the special Appaloosa breed. The Appaloosa is an American horse known for the beautiful, leopard-spotted pattern on its coat.It is considered the most popular stock horse in the United States and is mostly used in western riding riding disciplines. From prehistorical cave artwork in Europe it is assumed that the Appaloosa has lived in the old continent as well. Similar artwork has been found in China. The original, American Appaloosa is claimed to have been bred by the Nez Perce, a native American population who lived in the Pacific Northwest. It is also claimed that the numbers of the original breed dramatically fell as a…
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The beauty challenge: grooming a friesian horse!
All creatures have the right to beauty and horses are no exception, especially when they participate in shows. We want them clean, shiny and impressive at special occasions. Besides, it is also a matter of hygiene, preventing funghi and bacteria. Problems that add to the costs’ part of the owner’s budget. If you are not too enthusiastic about grooming, then a friesian horse is probably not for you. Yes, it’s all this hair that it carries. And imagine all this hairy stuff getting sweaty and messy in summer, at high temperatures (42 celcius, for example). You don’t want a stinky horse, that carries loads of organisms that you can’t see,…
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Rising trot tutorials
Who has watched me riding knows it well; my sitting trot needs improvement. Desperately. And I know it well; I go mad every time I think about this. And my instructors both in Crete and England are often frustrated. Why? Why can’t I trot like other beginners who also ride just once a week? So, my instructors have reached the following conclusions: My legs need to get stronger. I think too much when I trot. More thinking than feeling. I rise up to the sky, which means that it takes me ages to return to the saddle (here’s some difference. It took me ages to rise from the saddle in…
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The Cretan horse breed
Someone has said the Cretan horse “doesn’t waste the time of those who waste its own time”. This is just one of the comments about the special characteristics of Crete’s indigenous equine breed. The Cretan horse is also called “Georgalidikon”, or “Messaritikon”, and is very different to any other breeds that I am aware of. It has been used in rural work, commerce and warfare, its glorious moments unfolding during World War II. Many of them were used for the defense operation of the Greeks against the Italians in Epirus and some of them -though very few- returned alive. But in general, Cretan horses were used throughout the Greek territory…