An Ongoing Series

While I can’t agree with the harsh treatment of the animals in this race, I could say the same thing about most modern horse sports. This one is steeped in tradition and part of our equestrian history. This show features Barry and Joe who only have three training days to learn the rules, size up the competition, acclimatize to the heat and meet the wild Mongolian horses. I’ll post more episodes as they come available.

Stay Tuned

I have a few episodes to post and I’ll be posting them in the weeks to come. Feel free to let me know what you think about the race in the comments below – I know there are some strong opinions out there.

Dilutions

There are a wide variety of dilution genes which can affect the two base colors as well as those affected by modifiers and white patterns. Today I want to share a little about the cream dilution produces a rather wide spectrum of colors, and has a different effect in single and double doses.

Cream Dilution

The cream dilution affects base coats by lightening them. The most obvious effect is on chestnut and bay animals, even a single dose will have an affect on their coat. Although black based animals can carry the gene, it usually requires a double dose to produce obvious changes to black hair (including the mane, tail and points of a bay).

Cream Colors

The color spectrum that cream creates is quite large, a single dilution on a chestnut will turn palomino and a single on a bay will produce buckskin – on a black coat a single dilution will have very little affect. A double dose of cream turns chestnut bases to cremello, bay bases to perlino and black bases to smoky cream. All double dilutions will have pink skin and blue eyes – and are often incorrectly mistaken for albino, which doesn’t exist in equines.

A chestnut base is the only one whose mane and tail are affected by a single dose of cream. However, a double dose turns almost any color into glorious creamy white hair.

Learn More About Color

Be sure to visit the new and improved color section for more information about cream horses and stay tuned, next week we’ll continue the dilution genes by looking at the silver dilution gene – which incidentally creates animals that look very similar to palominos.

The Man And His Horse

Within a Meadow, on the way,
A sordid Churl resolv’d to stay,
And give his Horse a Bite;
Purloining so his Neighbours Hay,
That at the Inn he might not pay
For Forage all the Night.

With Heart’s content th’ unloaded Steed
Began to neigh, and frisk, and feed;
For nothing more he car’d,
Since none of all his Master’s breed
E’er found such Pasture, at their need,
Or half so well had far’d.

When, in the turning of a Hand,
Out comes the Owner of the Land,
And do’s the Trespass eye;
Which puts poor Bayard to a Stand,
For now his Master do’s command
Him to return and fly.

But Hunger quick’ning up his Wit,
And Grass being sweeter than the Bit,
He to the Clown reply’d;
Shall I for you this Dinner quit,
Who to my Back hard Burdens fit,
And to the Death wou’d ride?

No; shou’d I as a Stray be found,
And seiz’d upon forbidden Ground,
I’ll on this Spot stand still;
For tho’ new Riders shou’d abound,
(Or did Mankind this Field surround)
They cou’d but use me ill.

Urge no Man to despair; lest in the Fit
He with some Counterblow thy Head may hit.

Good for a Laugh

This poem is a fun poke at horse ownership and it’s amazing how relevant something written centuries ago can still be. Be sure to also check out more amazing rhymes in the horse poetry section.

A Little About Evening Trumpet Flowers

Gelsemium sempervirens is also called Carolina Jasmine, Evening Trumpet Flower, Woodbine and Yellow Jasmine. This is an evergreen vine with dark, green and lenceolate leaves. Yellow flowers are fragrant, trumpet shaped and grow in clusters.

How Dangerous Is It?

Although common, this plant is highly unpalatable to equines and rarely a real problem. However it contains highly toxic strychnine-related alkaloids which can irritate the skin upon contact.

All parts of this plant are toxic and can be fatal to equines.

What To Look For

You know your animal the best, so you should know when something is amiss. Evening Trumpet Flower toxicity symptoms include weakness, dilated pupils, depressed respiratory system and paralysis.

Learn More

Be sure to check out the Evening Trumpet Flower page to learn more about the plant and while you are at it why not check out more toxic plants?

*It should be noted that I’m not a veterinarian. This information is written specifically for horses and should be used for reference purposes only. If you think your horse has eaten something toxic call your vet right away.

Sweet Tilly

Meet Tilly, the blind miracle horse and the special children she works with at Sunshine Acres Children’s Home where they offer an equestrian program. Horses are truly an amazing way to enhance the lives of people of all ages.

Have You Stretched Today?

Horses are truly inspirational animals and so is this children’s home. Be sure to check out their website for more information about what they do.

Modifiers

There are a variety of modifying genes which affect base colors as well as each other, they can be further affected by dilutions and white patterns. Today I want to share a little about the flaxen modifier affects mane and tail hair – creating an animal often mistaken for palomino.

Flaxen Modifier

Not much is known about the flaxen modifier and as genetics advance more is being discovered about this mysterious gene. Flaxen only affects animals with a chestnut base and manifests itself by lightning the mane and tail (and sometimes lower legs) hairs considerably. This is a strange gene because it can change over the years, it can even disappear and reappear.

Flaxen Colors

Because this modifier only affects chestnut base mane and tail hair the color range is limited. However it has been known to have an affect on everything from the lightest golden chestnut to the darkest liver chestnut animals.

The mane and tail is the only thing affected by this modifier, however it won’t always affect them both to the same degree.

Learn More About Color

Be sure to visit the new and improved color section for more information about flaxen horses and stay tuned, next week we’ll start in on the dilution genes and start by looking at the cream dilution gene – which produces animals that look flaxen, but aren’t.

The Horse And The Ass

In such a world, all men, of every grade,
Should each the other kindly aid;
For, if beneath misfortune’s goad
A neighbour falls, on you will fall his load.

There jogg’d in company an ass and horse;
Nought but his harness did the last endorse;
The other bore a load that crush’d him down,
And begg’d the horse a little help to give,
Or otherwise he could not reach the town.
‘This prayer,’ said he, ‘is civil, I believe;
One half this burden you would scarcely feel.’
The horse refused, flung up a scornful heel,
And saw his comrade die beneath the weight:-
And saw his wrong too late;
For on his own proud back
They put the ass’s pack,
And over that, beside,
They put the ass’s hide.

And the Moral is…

This is just one of Fonaines’s fables and quite a rather sad one at that, you can read the whole book here. Be sure to also check out more amazing rhymes in the horse poetry section.