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Horse Mania Newsletter #13
December 26th 1999
Subscriber Count: 454
************************************************************
The NEXT deadline for ALL article writers and things submitted to the
newsletter is January 7th. Please let me know if you cannot meet this
deadline for some reason.
************************************************************
Hello everyone!
Here it is, the end of 1999! This is the final issue of Horse Mania for
this year/century/millennium. It’s been a good first year and I think
Horse Mania will continue on for a long time! The website was put up in
May, 1999 and the very first issue, Horse Mania Newsletter #1 was sent out
on June 6th, 1999 to 50 subscribers. Now in December 1999, we are sending
out our 13th issue to over 450 subscribers! You can read issue #1 and all
other issues at the archives on the website, located at
https://www.angelfire.com/id/horsemania/archives.html and see how we’ve
come a long way! Well, I certainly hope we have. :o) I hope Horse Mania
keeps on expanding and improving in 2000!
I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to all the regular column writers! Thank
you so much for writing those wonderful, interesting, informative columns
twice a month that make the newsletter what it is. Some of you have just
started and some of you have been writing since the beginning, and I
really appreciate it all! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’d also like
to say thanks to everyone who has submitted anything at all to Horse Mania
over the year. Stories, poems, comments, articles, and contributions to
Your Opinion and Tell Us About Yours. Thank you for participating in the
newsletter and making it interesting! :o)
That’s it for now. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and
a Happy New Year! Good luck in 2000 and the future. I’ll see you in the
beginning of the new year with issue #14, out in early-ish January.
As usual any criticism, comments or suggestions are welcome! All things
that are written here without a name are by me, and everyone else's
columns has credit given to who has written it. See you until next time,
Susan
(thehorse@hotpop.com)
http://horsemania.cjb.net
'\__~ '\__~ '\__~
\ \ / \ / / cantering
In this Issue:
-Wanted
-Breeds in Focus: American Saddlebred & Highland
-Your Opinion
-Tell Us About Yours
-Quarter Horse Racing
-Archer’s Corner
-Filly Tales
-Thoroughbred Racing
-Horse Story (part 4)
-Horse Jargon
-Websites
-Horse Polls
-Pen Pals
-Voting
-Archives
-Change of Address
-References
*WANTED
-------
Here a few short descriptions of columns I would like people to write on a
regular basis. You need to be able to have a column ready every two weeks
and meet the deadlines. After you read the descriptions, if you are
interested in doing any of these please read the application instructions
below.
*Positions Open*
Horse Health- A column about all aspects of horse health. You could
profiles diseases for some issues with the Causes, Symptoms, Prevention,
Cure and any other information available. You can talk about anything
relating to horse’s health, such as injuries, pregnancy and anything else
you can think of.
Breeds In Focus- I’ve decided to let someone take this over from me so I
can concentrate on getting the newsletter more organised. You’d do profile
two horse breeds for each issue, in the exact same way I have been doing.
(See this issue’s Breeds In Focus for an example). You need to have some
good horse books on hand, and you need to do exotic breeds as well as the
more well known ones, and cover a range of pony, light horse, and heavy
horse breeds. I’ll give you a list of the one’s I’ve already done.
*How To Apply*
Before you do, please read the general writing guidelines at
https://www.angelfire.com/id/horsemania/guide.html
If you still decide you’re up to it, send me your name, age (optional),
why you want to write the column, what ideas you have for the column, and
how you’ll write it. I’m going to be picky, and the person who comes
across as the most keen and interested and reliable will get the position!
I need someone who knows they will have enough free time to write it, is
reliable and can meet the deadline every time, and who will ENJOY writing
it. So show me how keen you are! It is highly unlikely if you send me one
sentence saying “I really want to do it.” that you will get it, I want
someone who’s really going to do a good job of it and put in lots of
effort. :o)
*Remember that you can always submit anything horse-related you want,
poems, jokes, stories about your horse, experiences you’ve had or once off
articles about something horsey that interests you. And I am always open
to your own column ideas.
*BREEDS IN FOCUS- American Saddlebred & Highland
----------------
AMERICAN SADDLEBRED
Origin: USA
Type: Light Horse
Height: around 16hh
Colour: Usually chestnut or bay, solid colours.
Physical Characteristics: The American Saddlebred has a neat and fine
head, the neck is long and elegant and has a high carriage in movement.
The position of the shoulder blades allow for free action. The quarters
are muscled with a nearly level croup and a high set tail. American
Saddlebreds have long and slender legs, which are often light of bone
beneath the knee. The pasterns are long and give a comfortable ride. Their
hind legs are well formed with flat, hard, fetlock joints. They have neat,
well shaped feet when trimmed but for the show ring the foot is gong and
heavily shoed.
Use: Saddlebreds are a multi-purpose horse. It’s best known for being a
showhorse, shown under saddle, but it also does well in harness. When it’s
feet are trimmed normally instead of for the showring, the American
Saddlebred is also used for trail riding and pleasure, it can jump, cut
cattle, and compete in dressage.
Temperament: Despite being said to have a “natural fire”, they are a
docile and co-operative horse.
History: The American Saddlebred is based on two early American pacers,
the Narragansett Pacer and the the Canadian Pacer. It evolved during the
19th century. The Saddlebred was originally known as the Kentucky Saddler.
HIGHLAND
Origin: Scotland and the Western Isles
Type: Pony
Height: Up to 14.2hh
Colour: Dun (with eel stripe and sometimes zebra barred legs), grey,
brown, black, dark “bloodstone” chestnut (with silver mane & tail)
Physical Characteristics: The Highland has a fine head, which is broad
across the forehead and short between the eyes and the muzzle, they have
large nostrils. The neck is long and arched. Highlands have a short,
strong back and a high set tail. The forelegs are strong and have large,
flat knees. The Highland has hard hooves which are good on rough ground.
They have a dense double-layered coat which gives them protection from the
weather.
Use: They are still used in their original home in the forests for
trekking and in harness. Today they’re also seen in the showring, and
ridden and driven for pleasure by both adults and children.
Temperament: They are extremely docile and have an easygoing nature,
making them a good family pony. The Highland isn’t fast, but it is a
willing jumper.
History: The Highland pony has primitive origins, but there have been many
outside influenced on the native stock throughout history. Today they are
a much stronger and larger animal, which may have resulted from crossing
with Percherons and Clydesdales. Arabian blood was also introduced, making
them a more suitable riding pony.
*YOUR OPINION
-------------
In this section I will ask a question every issue and put in the
responses. Send in replies to me at thehorse@hotpop.com with "Your
Opinion" in the subject line.
Do you have a good question for “Your Opinion”? Please send it in to me at
thehorse@hotpop.com and I’ll use it!
This issue’s question is:
“If you had to pick one (human) equestrian personality of 1999, who would
it be and why?”
(This can be a famous rider/trainer, or an unsung hero working with horses
behind the scenes or anybody you think is deserving and has something to
do with horses)
Now we’ll take a look at the responses to last issue’s question which was:
“Tell us what you do for your horse in the holidays/Christmas.”
Thank you to everyone who replied!
“For the holidays, like Christmas, I buy my two horses
(Dude and Toppers) presents. This year Dude (who is an
Eventer) will be getting a new dressage bridle, a new
tack trunk, and some hind splint boots. Toppers ( a
mini, I drive him and jump him) will be getting some
new mini splint boots, a driving harness pad, lead
rope, lunge line, and a driving whip. On Christmas
morning, after all presents have been opened, I go to
the barn where I keep them, and give them their stuff.
I also give them treats. Sometimes I will ride them,
or I may just let them have the day off.”
~*Lindsay*~
“At Christmas me and my friends usually have a Christmas party for the
horses. We feed them apples, carrots, sugar cubes, molasses and horse
cookies and groom them all good and sing Christmas songs. Everyone has a
good time and the horses enjoy all the attention and food. As for my own
wonderful horse, Silver, I brush him till he shines, and then give him
his Christmas gift, something like a horse toy, a brush or a horse cake.
We have a good time and it helps the people get in a Christmasy spirit
too!!”
-Sierra
“I make my horsies some of my special cookies I make, I decorate their
stalls with all sorts of decorations (my qh always spooks @ them and my
appendix tries to eat them) and when I ride alone or with my sister, I or
we sing Christmas carols to them. Sometimes I'll buy them a new piece of
tack and it's always around Christmas that they're salt block runs out so
I buy a new one and put apple juice on it for extra flavour.
I know somebody who for every holiday, she has a halter. Like, the Xmas
one has reindeer antlers on it and the Easter one has bunny ears.”
-martine
*TELL US ABOUT YOURS
--------------------
This a section where you can tell us about your own horse, or the horse
you ride.Send it in to thehorse@hotpop.com and I’ll put it in. It can any
length you like.
This is my horse:
Show Name:Big Red
Stable Name:Bizzare
Breed:Thoroughbred Gelding
Height:16.1hh
Age:8
Big Red is so sweet. He's a great junior jumper for me. I love him so
much. I just got him for my birthday a year ago because I wanted a horse
forever and I think he is the best horse there ever was. He is chestnut
with a blaze and 2 socks and a good size for me. Big Red is the best
horse.Hes 8 years old and has the biggest heart. Though sometimes he'll
over jump in lessons he is still a very fun horse to ride.Sometimes
he'll lag his hind legs over jumpins but I'm working with him over trot
poles. Big Red is so great and I love him forever.Bye
***Ashley***
His name is Excaliburs Legacy, and he is an 8 year old American Saddlebred
Pinto, who stands to be 16.2H! I bought him last Christmas as a Christmas
present for myself. I am 16 years old, and live in Culpeper, VA. Anyway,
we
are great together, we have had some interesting times, but we trust each
other unconditionally! I use him for Endurance/Competitive trail,
Dressage,
Jumping, Cross Country, and Driving. He is alot of fun, he is just like a
little kid,he follows me everywhere! (I don't even need a leadline for
him!)
He is sooo curious about everything, it could be something he's seen a
million times, and he'll still have to go check it out! He will do
anything I
ask of him, knowing that I will never put him in danger. He is a blast to
ride (even though we've had our share of accidents), he can be solid as a
rock one minute, and the next he acts like a flighty, spooky Arab! He's
just
an all around joy!!
Samantha Williams
*QUARTER HORSE RACING by webmaster@kirbyqh.zzn.com
-------------------------------
Quarter horse racing is a great sport for spectators and for
connections of the
horses themselves which means we hate to see it end, but we have a
great race to end it
with. The race, Champion of Champions, takes all of the best horses,
3 year olds and up,
from around the country together to race in one final battle. Some of
the horses include
Tailor Fit, Old Habits, and last year’s World Champion and winner of
the race, SLM Big
Daddy.
Even though we have the race Champion of Champions, the race
still doesn’t
decide the World Champion. A comittee is chosen to select a horse of
the year for quarter
horse racing because the Champion of Champions doesn’t include two-
year olds.
Many horses have come to reign during the 1990’s, but no one
horse could really
stand out from them all except for Refrigerator. Refrigerator,
besides having a great
name, is one of the fastest and consistent horses on the racetrack.
Not only winning the
award of largest career winnings total with just over two million,
but he has also won the
World Champion award twice. SLM Big Daddy also won the award twice,
but didn’t
have the ability to capture the hearts of quarter horse racing
fanatics like me. SLM Big
Daddy could be called a brute because of his size, but he didn’t
quite have the name or
glamor to rule the 90’s.
Here is the list of horses in the 1999 Coor’s Champion of
Champions.
SLM Big Daddy - Won the 1998 Coor’s Champion of Champions (G1)
Tailor Fit - Won the 1999 Remington Park Championship (G1)
Blushin Bugs - Won the Vessels Maturity (G1)
Old Habits - Won the All-American Derby (G1)
Joanna Kate - Won the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship (G1)
Policy Tacs - Won the MBNA America Challenge Championship (G1)
Hes My Dasher - Second to Old Habits in the Los Alamitos Derby (G1)
Corona Cash - Fastest qualifier for the Z Wayne Griffin Director’s
Stakes (G3)
Honor Ease - Second fastest qualifier for the Z Wayne Griffin
Director’s Stakes (G3)
Flare For Toby - Third fastest qualifier for the Z Wayne Griffin
Director’s Stakes (G3)
Within the next two months I will have a small note about the
1999 World
Champion along with the main article. Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year!
*ARCHER’S CORNER
--------------------------
Hey guys!!!
Sorry for being around for a while. End of the year exams and stuff had
me complicated these last weeks. But now I'm on holidays until March so
I'll have plenty of time for Horse Mania.
I've been searching the web for different pages and mailing lists on
"Natural Horsemanship". It's all about training and riding in a natural
way, learning to hear what the horse has to say to you, trying to make
the horse understand you etc. All this to continue the "Horse Whisperer"
articles that are in my past issues.
Well I found this lady who's in to this "Natural Horsemanship" and I
loved the way she writes. So I've sent in one of her essays. Hope you
enjoy it all!!!!!
Hey for all the horse luvers of the world......MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A
HAPPY 2000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D and that goes for all the horses
too:)LOL!!
Oh and a special "Hi and Happy Christmas" to my BRO "North" (Eddie)
KEEPING YOUR HORSE'S 'COOL'
by Gincy Bucklin
One can watch a horse entering the ring for any sort of competition, and
be able to say, "That
horse is going to go well (or badly)," based on his degree of calmness
and self-control. The horse
who has the ability to 'keep his cool' in almost any conditions is the
most likely to produce a good
performance. Furthermore, a rider on a calm horse will be able to stay
more relaxed--and thus
perform better--herself.
Unfortunately, we often get so involved teaching the horse the
performance skills that we don't hear
what he is telling us about his attitude toward the work. And so, in
our efforts to get results we
overface the horse in some way, undermining his confidence.
Nervousness--lack of calmness--is
the horse's way of telling us that he is afraid of failure, and of
being hurt as a result. There are
horses who enjoy jumping, or polo, or cutting so much that they will
put up with anything, just as
there are children who want to ride so badly that they continue even
after severe falls. But nobody
will argue that performing in a state of fear-based tension is going to
produce better results than a
state of controlled alertness.
We are taught to think of horses as naturally nervous animals, and in
some ways they are. But if
you don't put the horse in a threatening situation, he is as placid as
a cat. If you walk into a well-run
stable when nothing is going on, the horses will all be standing calmly
in their stalls, just looking
around or sleeping. ANY HORSE WHO STANDS QUIETLY IN HIS STALL OR FIELD
WHEN NOTHING IS HAPPENING IS CAPABLE OF BEING CALM IN ANY FAMILIAR
SITUATION.
In order to help the horse maintain calmness all the time, we must
recognize the first small signs of
tension. Once the horse has lost control--to the point of bolting, for
example--it's too late to do
anything.
One of the first things you notice in a tense horse is his inability to
stay still. If he is on the cross ties
he may be throwing his head or gnawing on the ties. This could be an
indication that he doesn't like
the way he is being handled, but it could also be his awareness that
tacking up means work that he
is afraid of.
(There are horses who seem to be naturally hyper, which is another
matter. If the horse seems
over-active in the stall, check the obvious things like grain ration,
amount of turnout, and need for
extra blankets in cold weather. All of the above vary immensely from
horse to horse, and are easy
to experiment with to find the best regime for a particular animal.)
Another form of tension, not so easily recognized, is the 'sticky'
horse, the horse who reacts to his
fear by freezing instead of running. In a way this is almost harder to
deal with, because the more
you try to help him to go forward with stick and leg the tenser he
gets, often bucking or rearing.
You have to be very patient, objective and creative to deal with a
horse of this type. People will tell
you that their horse is 'just lazy' and 'doesn't like to work.' I have
yet to meet a healthy horse--or
human--who was lazy about an activity that he enjoyed!
Some other early signs of tension are: carrying the head and neck high
and tense instead of low and
relaxed; ears constantly at alert; or aggressive behavior, either to
humans or other horses. With a
little attention, you can learn to recognize the first signs that your
horse is losing his cool.
When you see that the horse is starting to become tense, the next step
is figuring out what caused
the tension, then working out the problem. To give a simple example,
you have been jumping your
horse successfully over three foot vertical fences, so you try a
three-six oxer. The horse, instead of
jumping quietly, stops the first time, then races at the fence and
tries to run out. It is immediately
apparent that the demands of the bigger fence make him nervous, so you
make a correction like
trying a lower oxer, or putting in an X a stride away. If the
experience really scared him, you may
have to go back and jump a couple of two-six fences to get his
confidence back. But you don't ask
him to jump four feet until you find a way for him to jump three-six
with confidence and calmness.
So, to keep your horse calm, two things must happen. First, you must
observe that the horse is
uncomfortable before he gets really scared, and second, be willing to
BACK UP the necessary
number of steps to get past the fear.
Going back can be a very tough thing to make yourself do. Training a
horse is a little like finding
your way through a maze. If you start going the wrong way, you get just
so far and then you run
into a wall (such as unwillingness to pick up the canter.) So you turn
back and try a different
direction, (for example, working in a larger space until his balance
improves) and go forward again.
If you are smart enough to recognize the wall as soon as you meet it,
you don't have to go back
very far.
Sometimes if you try hard enough you can get over the wall, and
sometimes if you use enough
force you can knock it down and keep going, (force the horse to canter
until he figures it out) but if
you really are going in the wrong direction, (horse is just not well
enough balanced yet) you will just
keep meeting more and bigger walls, (violent behavior or serious
unsoundness) until eventually you
reach one that you can't get over or through. Then you HAVE to turn
back.
At that point, the further you have been traveling in the wrong
direction the further you have to go
back before you can start forward again. Sometimes you have gone so far
astray that you can't get
back, so you either sell the horse, or just stay mired down where you
are.
If your horse has been tense for a long time, it is going to take a
long time and a lot of going back
to get him over it, but if the horse has talent, or if you really like
him and aren't in a hurry, it's worth
it. A horse who enjoys what he is doing not only will perform better,
but will communicate his
feelings to you, so you both have a better time.
*FILLY TALES by Erika
-----------------
About a two and half years ago, my little filly was born. On a dark clear
moonlit night, she perked her ears and walked right up to us. How odd we
must have seemed to her. Now she's two and a half and growing smarter and
prettier every day. The other day we were working together on our new
project: driving. She doesn't understand the whole driving method. She
wants me to be up front by her head and she'll contort herself into many
shapes to ensure that. I've got her saddled up (I don't have a harness
yet -
hint hint Santa) with my reins running through the dees. She stands and
turns to me and pretty much says, "You must be nuts, I don't want to be
the
leader, you lead me." After a while she does walk a little, but then she
gets spooked. While we were training the neighbors two sons came out to
play
paint ball. They chose to play right beside my working area, what a
mistake!
As they ran past a few times, Moonie began to jump and run with them,
scaring the pants off the smaller one because when Moonie runs, you can
hear
it and you can feel it! They were also scared because they'd seen what
she
could do to a dog... she LOVES to chase dogs and pick them up and throw
them. So the pushed into the woods further to get away from her. Well,
that
made little miss Moonie upset so she started screaming and pacing the
fence
line until she could see them. Once they were in sight again, she calmed
right down and started playing again.
Sorry I don't have more to write on, but its been pretty boring lately
around here. I've not been able to get out there and play with her
because
its FINALs time at my college and I'm really really STRESSING over it!!!
Hope everyone has a merry Christmas!!
*THOROUGHBRED RACING by Anna Rempfer
--------------------
**********Thoroughbred Legends**********
A Borne of Thoroughbred Racing News
***********December 9, 1999***********
Over the course of many years, there have been changes in our society
and
lifestyles. Being around longer than football, more Kentucky Derbys than
there are Super Bowls, the sport of horse racing has changed less than
many
celebrities have changed their hairstyles.
Being dubbed the name "Sport of Kings" early in it's creation, horse
racing has always enthralled people. Whether it was the rich, or the poor,
it entertained all walks of the human race. Ever since the concept of
money
has been etched into our minds, it's not always about being entertained,
but
there are still the high points of the sport.
Here's the first stop on our tour of the "fantasy racetrack", you're in
a
race, sitting atop a powerful thoroughbred (or a quarter horse racing fan,
a
quarter horse), you are in full racing mode. The bells clang and you're
off.
Crouching on the back of very powerful creature and traveling at speeds
well over thirty miles an hour, hearing the muffled sound of thunder in
your
midst. The rhythmic breathing of your steed as their stride extends and
contracts. The roar of the crowd backing up your thoughts of victory. The
feeling of complete concentration, split second decisions. One false move
and the result could be tragic. Being beaten, or worse, death. Passing the
many competitors on the track, all striving for the same purpose:
excellence. To win. Soon, you are all alone with the one creature that has
carried you so far. The wire approaches and it is over. Victory is yours.
Not bad for two minutes, huh? Back to the reality of the trip I'm
taking
your racing-lovin' minds on. The thoroughbred. The speed, the grace, the
money. LEGENDS OF THOROUGHBRED RACING . . .
MAN o' WAR ~ A half-century ago, members of the Associated Press agreed
and selected Man o' War as the greatest runner of the first half of the
20th
Century. The voting wasn't even close, and that was shortly after
Citation
had made his mark as racing's greatest Triple Crown winner. The sports
writers cast 305 of the 388 votes for Man o' War. Citation garnered 38
firstplace votes, and the next highest total was given to another Triple
Crown winner, Whirlaway.
As a two year old, Man o' War raced ten times. He won all ten races.
Trained
by Louis Feustel for Samuels D. Riddle's Glen Riddle Farm, Man o' War did
lose to Upset in the 1919 Sanford Memorial Stakes at Saratoga, but he won
his twenty other races and most of the time it resmebled an man racing
against boys. The exception came in the Dwyer Stakes against John P.
Grier,
and it was in this race, according to Robert F. Kelley, where the big
chestnut received his illustrious nickname, BIG RED. One statemen that
still rings in the years of throughbred fans is: ". . .Man o' War remains
the standard by which we judge Thoroughbreds for class."
SECRETARIAT ~ With a heart that is said to be at least three times as big
as the average horse, Secretariat was the first Triple Crown winner in 25
years, the last being Citation in 1948. Setting a record in almost all
three
races, the Preakness due to a malfunctioned teletimer was the only
recordless race, he was dubbed a "super horse". Running the Derby in
1:59
1/2 and the Belmont in 2:24 flat, and by 31 lengths nonetheless. And the
famous words spoken in the Belmont by the announcer, Chick Anderson, still
makes a fan get goosebumps: "Secretariat is blazing along! The first
three-quarters of a mile in 1:09 4/5. Secretariat is widening now. He is
moving like a tremendous machine!" The last finisher in the 1973 Belmont
was
45 lengths behind Secretariat. Thirty-one lengths, let's ponder this a
moment, that's equivalent to thirty-one horses lined up rump to nose down
a
race track. If that isn't enough to make you sit back and say "wow", "Big
Red" was syndicated for a then-record $6.08 million.
Seattle Slew ~ This colt's attitude for running was more aggressive than
most will probably tell you. "Get the heck out of my way", seemed to be
the
running style of Seattle Slew. The 1977 Derby is a perfect example of his
attitude. Breaking awkwardly from the gate, Slew unapologetically bullied
his way through the field. First he slammed into Get the Axe out of his
way,
then he put a hip into Sir Sir, and also pushed three horses - Flag
Officer,
Affiliate and Bob's Dusty - to the outside. Arriving at the front of the
pack, he engaged For the Moment in duel for the lead. At the head of the
stretch, he ran away from them all. After winning the Derby, Preakness and
Belmont, Slew was the first and only undefeated Triple Crown champion.
Yet he wasn't the type of horse whom a lot was expected. He was
purchased
as a yearling for only $17,500. The main reason he sold so cheap was that
he
wasn't a sight for sore eyes.
Today, Slew is the second oldest living Derby winner, behind Bold
Frobes,
1976 winner; and remains one of the leadind stallions in the world.
Affirmed vs. Alydar ~ Both chestnut, both determined. True competitors to
the last stride, these colts inspired a segregated form of racing. In
1978,
you were either an "Affirmed fan" or and "Alydar fan". Racing side by side
in all three of the Triple Crown races, each time Affirmed beat Alydar,
each
time by a smaller margin and each time more emotionally draining than the
time before.
Affirmed and Alydar began their rivalry as two year olds in the East,
and
all summer long they were finishing one - two and two - one. Fans and
writers were caught up in the enthralling drama. Here were two horses who
were destined to duke it out, and no other horses mattered in their
presence.
"What was if that made the difference between the two colts?" asked
turf
writer, Dan Farely. "After more than nine miles of competition the
superiority of the one over the other could be voiced in a whisper. Still
the difference was there, and it had come from within."
Aristides ~ On May 17, 1875, he became the very first Kentucky Derby
winner.
Winning by two lengths, trained by Ansel Williamson, ridden by O. Lewis,
owned and bred by H. Price McGrath. This colt is immortalized with a
bronze
statue in the Churchill Downs Clubhouse gardens.
Of course there are many great horses of racing, but that would take a
whole
other millenium in itself to name and go into detail about every one of
the
equally exceptional creatures of the sport of horse racing. Thank you for
tuning in and may the horse be with you.
*HORSE STORY (part 4) by SARAH MCKINNEY
------------
This is quite long, with 11 chapters that will be spread out over several
issues of Horse Mania. This is the fourth part. It started in Horse Mania
issue #10. If you have just joined Horse Mania recently and missed parts
you can read the previous chapters in the back issues of Horse Mania
starting from #10, located at the archives
https://www.angelfire.com/id/horsemania/archives.html
THE ONLY ONE FOR HER by SARAH MCKINNEY
CHAPTER 6
Melanie woke up the next morning early, so she could figure out a plan so
she could ride Springs at the lesson Jennifer was taking her to.
To her disadvantage, her mother and father were already awake and down at
the kitchen sipping at their coffee.
“I don’t know, Kevin. I mean, we just moved here. Can we afford another
horse so soon?” Samantha was asking her husband. Melanie stopped in her
tracks and ducked around the corner to eavesdrop on the conversation.
“Even if we can’t, this horse is definitely worth it. I don’t know why
her owners want to sell her in the first place,” Kevin was saying.
Samantha still looked doubtful, though.
“I just don’t know . . .” she started.
“Listen Sam. Why don’t we go down to see the horse early, right now?
We’ll leave the girls a note. Then you can make the decision when you see
her, okay?” Kevin compromised.
Samantha smiled as she grabbed her purse from the kitchen table and
quickly wrote a note. Then they walked out of the kitchen. When Melanie
heard the car spin out of the driveway and she saw it drive out, she let
out a relieved breath. This was actually going to work! But it was going
to take some pretty sneaky, underhanded business.
It was eight-thirty when Melanie ran out to the barn. Melanie knew, even
if her parents hadn’t planned on it, they would be staying over at the
farm, talking with the owner and seeing the horse for about three hours or
more. This was going to be a breeze, if she handled it right.
Tacking up Springs as quickly and skillfully as she could after brushing
her, and then led her out to the trails and mounted. Melanie checked her
watch. It was nine sharp. She looked all around the field for Jennifer,
but she wasn’t in sight. She probably wasn’t planning on showing up early,
and Melanie knew she should have told Jennifer her situation. But she just
couldn’t.
Finally, after waiting about ten minutes and starting to walk out into
the field, Melanie spotted Jennifer riding Snapple down to her farm. She
gave Melanie an apologizing look as she rode up.
“Sorry for the wait,” she said. “Snapple has a habit of holding her
breath when I’m tightening the saddle.”
“That’s okay,” Melanie said untruthfully. “Well, let’s get going, or
we ll be late.”
“Right.”
The girls rode together to the lesson stable by way of the field that
divided the two girls houses. When they rode past Jennifer’s house, she
pointed through the trees as they passed.
“It’s not all that big,” she confessed. “Not hardly like your farm.
Hey, what did you decide to name it?”
Melanie shrugged. She really hadn’t thought about it, but she knew it had
to be sophisticated, yet short and sweet. As they rode to the farm, the
two friends tried to think of names.
Hmmm, Jennifer hummed, thinking as she stared off into space. As she
did, Melanie couldn’t help noticing that Jennifer held her reins in her
one hand, her right hand. Snapple must neck rein, Melanie thought. Necking
reining was where the rider held both reins in one hand, like Jennifer was
doing, and flicked them left or right over the horse s neck to get them to
go. Some horses responded to it, where others didn’t.
“I know!” Jennifer exclaimed a minute later. “Well, I don t exactly
have a name. But I think it should have to do with trees, or woods,
because of the forests and fields out here.”
“Yeah,” Melanie agreed. Hmm, she thought. Wood, meadows. What do they
do? Meadows are cool and breezy. Breezy Meadows Farm? Nah. Ummm, what do
woods do? They whisper when they blow . . . I’ve got it! Whisperwood Farm!
It s absolutely perfect! Melanie shared her finding with her friend, who
agreed totally about how much it fit.
“It’s great, Mel! You’re right, it’s totally perfect for your farm!”
Jennifer exclaimed. “Oh, here we come to an intersection. Be careful and
look for cars.”
Melanie did what she was told before she crossed the bust street. As she
did, she couldn’t help feeling awful about sneaking out of the house and
being sneaky period. She hated to lie to her parents, but what was she to
do? She needed a horse to ride, and Springs was the perfect one. Getting
caught was going to be Melanie’s problem.
Melanie and Jennifer walked across the street into a driveway with a sign
out at the edge of the road reading: Cool Meadows Farm. Melanie snickered
to herself when she saw the sign. It would have been funny if she had
thought of that name.
There was one pretty good-sized barn out by the road and rolling pasture
fields, plus a nice outdoor ring. Melanie didn’t see an indoor ring from
where she was perched on horseback, but it might have been in the back of
the barn.
“This is a nice place,” Melanie said honestly. It was much nicer than
Morning Glory Farm, where it only had one dinky barn and an outdoor ring.
“It is,” Jennifer agreed. “Wait until you see the back. It s
gorgeous!”
“Are there any people in this class in our grade?” Melanie asked
curiously. She and Jennifer had already established that they were the
same age and would be going into the same grade in school the next year.
“Yeah,” Jennifer said. “But only Michelle Parker and Blake Greene.”
“Who are they?” Melanie asked as she followed Jennifer around the side
of the barn.
“Really close friends,” Jennifer replied. “I’ve known them for my
whole life.”
“Cool,” Melanie replied. She was anxious to meet some of Jennifer s
other friends.
Jennifer led her around to the opposite side of the barn, where Melanie
discovered that they didn’t have an indoor ring, but an astronomically big
outdoor ring. Bigger than the one out at the front. Melanie guessed the
one out front was for dressage.
There were already two people mounted in the ring, and a medium height
dark-haired lady in the middle if the ring. Her hair was cut short and
thinned out in the back, probably for the hot summer, and her face was
pretty and glowing as she turned to see her new arrivals.
“Hey Denise,” Jennifer greeted the instructor. Denise, as Jennifer had
called her, lifted her hand in a wave.
“Hey, Jen! Who s our guest?” she asked, baring Melanie a warm smile.
Melanie grinned back at her as she stopped Springs in front of the ring.
Jennifer bent over expertly and unlatched the ring gate, swinging it open
so both she and Melanie could fit their horses in. Melanie closed in
behind them.
“This is Melanie Nelson,” Jennifer introduced her. Melanie looked
around the ring at the two other students who were looking at her. “She
just moved here near my farm from Virginia. We met in a sort of fluke
way.” Melanie and Jennifer looked at each other and laughed.
“Well, hello Melanie,” Denise said cheerfully. “So, will you be
joining any more sessions on your horse?”
“Well, this isn’t actually my horse,” Melanie confessed. “She’s my
parents . And yes, I probably will start to take lessons here.” she said,
then quickly added for lack of suspicion, “they let me ride her. Her name
is Sierra Springs. I call her Springs.”
“Well, it’s great to have you and your horse, Melanie,” Denise said.
“Can you tell me some about your riding experience?”
“Well, my trainer back home said that I’m ready to move into the
training level, that I just need the right horse to take me there,”
Melanie explained truthfully. She hoped she didn t sound stuck-up in front
of everybody.
“Well, that s very impressive, Melanie. Do you mind if I test you on
it?” Denise asked. Melanie shook her head.
“No.”
“Okay,” Denise said as she set up seven gymnastic fences in a row for
Melanie and Springs. Melanie smiled. She was going to do great. Gymnastics
came so easy to her.
Melanie took Springs over the gymnastic fences with ease, rising and
dropping in her seat when Springs jumped and landed. She did it in perfect
form, as did her horse. They had a clear round.
“Now I really am impressed, Melanie,” Denise said. “I’ve never seen
anyone breeze through gymnastics like that. But, I’m still going to set up
a course.”
Melanie watched carefully as Denise set up a pretty complicated course
around the large ring. It consisted of eight fences, which started with an
in and out, and then a medium-sized coop. Then there was a triple
combination, and then a brush jump and a regular crossbar.
Melanie smiled at Denise as she urged Springs into a canter over the
first two jumps; the in and out. Then she came up to the coop. Springs
pricked her ears, but Melanie knew she could handle it. She had jumped
much wider and taller in the ring and in cross-country.
The only fence Melanie and her mount had trouble with was the last fence,
a simple crossbar, but it was pretty tall. Melanie misjudged the height
and didn’t give Springs enough leg. She knocked down a pole, but when
Denise set it up and insisted they take it again, they rode it clean.
“Very nicely done,” Denise praised Melanie as she patted Spring s
velvety coat. “You’ve got potential, Melanie Nelson.” Melanie beamed as
she reached down to give Springs a well-deserved pat, also.
For the rest of the lesson, everybody talked and had a really good time,
especially Melanie. She couldn’t remember when she had had that much fun
at a lesson or anywhere, for that matter. There was a lot of fooling
around, but everybody’s riding ability benefited from it.
“That was some great riding,” Blake said, flashing a dreamy smile
Melanie’s way. “Denise’s right, you do have potential, Melanie.”
“Thanks,” she said shyly. Blake flashed her another wide smile, his
dark brown eyes sparkling with life. He unsnapped his helmet and
dismounted the horse he was riding, Friendly Prince, and tucked it under
his arm. Blake ran his hand through his brown hair, making it stick up on
end from the sweat that lay there from riding.
“Melanie’s going places,” Michelle agreed. “She and Springs both
are.” Melanie smiled and thanked the girl, though she didn’t bother to
explain that Springs wasn’t her horse.
Jennifer glanced at Melanie when Michelle said this, raising her eyebrows
and shrugging, as if to say, Let it go , and that’s what Melanie did. She
continued to talk to Blake and Michelle.
“How old are you, Melanie?” Blake asked her with a grin. Melanie just
about slid out of her saddle at his warm smile.
“Uh, thirteen,” she said in a daze. “I’ll be going into eight grade
this year. How about you?”
“The same,” he answered kindly. “Boy, though, I hate school. Summer is
the best, mainly ‘cause I can ride whenever I want.”
“Yeah,” Melanie agreed. “I love being around my horses. School just
takes up too much time from riding.”
“Hey, can I enter this conversation, or am I not invited?” Michelle
asked, walking her horse, Morning Romeo, up to Melanie and Blake. Jennifer
walked Snapple beside her.
“Sure,” Blake said sweetly. But Melanie noticed something different in
his tone when he had talked to her. She couldn’t put her finger on it,
though.
“Ah, Melanie, I think we’d better be heading home. You said you had to
be there by eleven o clock, and it s eleven fifteen now,” Jennifer said
as she remounted Snapple. Melanie checked her watch. It was eleven
fifteen! Her hazel eyes widened as she also remounted. She took Spring’s
reins in her hands and turned to Blake.
“See you around Blake,” she said. Then, she quickly added, “You too,
Michelle.”
Michelle and Blake waved to them, and then headed back into the barn
where they kept their horses.
“So?” Jennifer asked her when they had crossed the road from the farm
and where headed back to Melanie s house.
“So what?” she asked in confusion.
“Blake’s cute, isn’t he?” Jennifer asked, her blue eyes sparkling with
life.
“Yeah, I guess,” Melanie said, trying to hide her smile and her
blushing face. She knew she had just met Blake, but she thought he was
really nice; not to mention the cutest boy she had ever seen.
“Sure, sure,” Jennifer said in a joking tone as she looked over at
Melanie. The two girls exchanged laughs.
They rode along the field for a while, just enjoying the scenery around
them. Melanie loved Kentucky, and she was beginning to like it more than
Virginia. She had already made new friends, and riding the trails and
having lessons with Denise was awesome. Melanie was glad her father moved
them there.
“Hey,” Jennifer said as she stopped Snapple and dismounted. Melanie
frowned at her friend.
What are you doing? she asked. Jennifer pulled Snapple by her reins
over to Springs.
“Let’s switch horses until we get home,” Jennifer suggested. “That is,
I mean, if you want to.”
Melanie shrugged and dismounted. “Sure.” Truthfully, Melanie had been
dying to check Snapple out for herself, and she bet that Jennifer was
feeling the same way about Springs. Switching horses, the girls mounted on
each other s mounts and adjusted their stirrups and reins to the correct
height. Melanie had to lower Jennifer s stirrups pretty far down since she
was a lot taller than her new friend. But that was okay, simply because
the leathers were nice and supple and therefore, easy to move up and down.
The two girls started off at a walk until their mounts got used to a new
person on their backs. Snapple’s stride was way different than Spring’s,
probably because the shorter horse had some Arabian in her. But she
pranced along the trail with ease, smooth as it came.
“How is she?” Jennifer asked from over on Spring’s back. Melanie smiled
at her friend and reached down to pat Snapple s silky coat.
“Just awesome,” she explained. “What about Springs?” Jennifer bared a
huge smile.
“I love this horse!” she exclaimed. “Wanna trot?” Melanie beamed. She
had been waiting for Jennifer to ask.
“You bet!”
The girls urged their mounts into a nice, relaxing trot along the edge of
the woods. Melanie posted in stride to Snapple’s gait, only pausing and
sitting the trot for two bounces when they rounded a turn and started to
post along the woods clockwise.
Melanie shut her eyes for a sheer second, loving every moment of being
out in the woods on an awesome horse.
Melanie looked over at Jennifer and smiled. “Canter?”
“Yeah!” she exclaimed, urging Springs with her legs and voice.
The girls cantered for a while until they felt the horses start to pant
hard. Then, they slowed them to a walk to cool them down. By then, they
were at the trail that led to Jennifer s house.
The girls dismounted automatically and switched back horses. When they
remounted, they laughed for no reason. Melanie covered her mouth with her
gloved her hand and snickered.
They two friends exchanged a high-five before speaking.
“See you later, Melanie,” Jennifer said. Melanie smiled at her.
“Yeah,” she said. “See you tomorrow, Jennifer. Hey, I’ll call you
tonight.”
“Okay,” Jennifer said as she started into the woods. “Bye!” she
called over her shoulder.
Melanie checked her watch. Oh no! she thought as her hazel eyes widened
and she urged Springs into a canter. She had caught her breath by then. It
was already eleven thirty! She would be so grounded if her parents were
home.
What excuse could she use? Springs got out and she had to go get her? No
way, who in their right mind would carry a saddle along to find a horse,
and besides, Springs wasn’t out in the pasture. How could she have gotten
out otherwise? Oh, I’m so grounded!
But when Springs cantered up to the stable yard, Melanie’s parents car
wasn’t in the driveway. She breathed a sigh of relief. Shoo, she thought
as she wiped her brow. I m home clean.
Suddenly, Melanie stopped. She had seen movement on the other side of the
barn. She rode closer to get a better look. Where her parents here? She
looked around once again to look for their car, and suddenly saw it parked
by the barn with the horse trailer attached to it. Melanie froze.
Suddenly, her mother stepped out from the corner of the barn with a stern
expression on her face.
CHAPTER 7
“Melanie Nelson! Get your butt over here this instant!” her mother
called. Melanie’s heart started to pound right out of her chest as she
urged Springs into a walk toward her mother. Her father stepped out behind
the barn as well, with a mad, no, furious look on his face.
“Mom, Dad I . . .” Melanie started. Her father put his hand up and all
but rolled his eyes. Melanie knew she was in deep trouble.
“Melanie, what were you thinking?” Samantha asked her daughter, her
angry look now replaced with a worried one. She came over and held Springs
while Melanie dismounted.
“I was at a lesson, with Springs,” Melanie explained. She looked down
at her hands. They were trebling. She knew she was going to get grounded
forever.
“ A lesson?” her father asked, his shoulders slumping in disbelief as he
raised his eyebrows. “Melanie, Springs or you could have gotten hurt, or
worse . . .” He let his voiced trail off.
“No we couldn’t have, Dad. Springs isn’t foolish, and I’m not exactly a
beginner,” Melanie defended herself and Springs with a sarcastic tone.
“Still, horses are unpredictable,” Samantha explained to Melanie.
Melanie already knew, but she hadn’t thought of it before she said okay to
the lesson. And your father is right. You could have gotten hurt. I m
very disappointed in you, Melanie Anne Nelson.”
Melanie hung her head. She knew what she did was wrong, but she had done
it anyway. She guessed she deserved punishment, and she was sure she was
going to get it.
“Of course you know this means you’re punished,” her mother said, as if
reading her mind.
“I know, I know,” Melanie said in an exasperated tone, nodding. “What
do I have to do?”
“Well, first of all you’re going to be restricted from riding for two
weeks,” her father said. Melanie’s mouth almost dropped open, but she
continued to listen.
“And,” her mother continued, taking over for her father, “you’re in
charge of the new horse’s grooming and tacking up, whatever she needs.”
The new horse? Melanie asked herself, frowning. Oh! They must have bought
the one they went to look at this morning! But Melanie kept listening.
“Anything else?” she asked. They looked at each other, shrugged, and
shook their heads.
“No, but I think you’ve got a job ahead of you with this new horse.
She’s a handful. I’m still not sure we should have bought her,” Samantha
said, shooting a glaring look at her husband. Kevin blushed.
“C’mon,” he said. “I’ll introduce you to her.”
Melanie followed her mother and father to the training barn, which was
the middle barn in the large horseshoe shape. They walked around the
outdoor ring in the middle, and to the training barn.
The training barn, as all of the barns, was made of pure stone and had
Dutch doors for in the front and back of the barn for each stall. They led
outside, and inside there were sliding doors.
The new horse must have been in one of the front stalls, because her
parents didn’t use the door going to go into the row of back stalls.
Instead, they walked to the far end of the barn and pointed to the last
stall.
Melanie walked to the stall that her father was pointing at, hearing him
mutter, “That horse is a bugger. Would kill the rest of the horses if I
let her out with them.”
Melanie walked to the stall and peeked in. At first, she didn’t see but a
jet-black rump facing toward her, and in the dark barn, she could hardly
make out the horse’s shape.
Then, when the horse turned her head and looked at Melanie, revealing her
wide blaze, Melanie could see the finely crafted lines that made up the
horse. The horse whinnied.
She was jet-black, almost looked like a Friesian she was so black. Not a
white spot on her body except her wide blaze and three white stockings.
Melanie knew at first sight this was a purebred Thoroughbred.
“Oh,” was all she could manage to spit out in a bewildered tone.
“Gorgeous, huh?” her father asked, coming up and putting his hands on
Melanie’ s shoulders. All Melanie could manage out was a grunt. “As
gorgeous as all get out. I just wish her personality was as great as her
beauty.”
“What’s her name?” Melanie managed to ask.
“Honor Bright,” Samantha chimed in. “She’s a three-year-old Irish
Thoroughbred. Owner says she has lots of heart and talent. I wish she’d
just show it when someone rode her.”
“Will you lead her out?” Melanie asked, still in a daze. She felt like
she was being hypnotized by the horse’s astounding beauty.
“Okay,” her father said as he grabbed the horse’s lead shank and
halter. “Stand back, though. No telling what this filly will do.”
Melanie did what she was told and stood back. She stood at the edge of
the ring and watched as her father brought the beautiful Thoroughbred out
for all to see.
Melanie watched as her father brought out Honor Bright into the
daylight. As he opened the Dutch stall door, the horse tried to rush out.
Kevin caught her and put on her halter, clipping the lead line to it and
leading her out.
Honor Bright pranced out of the stall, carrying her head high and
letting out an ear-piercing whinny. But the filly was beautiful. As she
pranced, Melanie admired her three white stockings that ran halfway up her
calves.
Boy, would I love to ride her! She’s got to be a great jumper! Melanie
thought. But she remembered what her mother had said. The filly had heart
and talent, but she wasn t willing to jump or show her talent with a rider
upon her back.
“When are you going to start to ride her, Mom?” Melanie asked her
mother, her eyes still glued on the beautiful filly as she danced around
the stable yard.
“I’m not,” Samantha explained. Melanie took her eyes off of Honor
Bright and set them on her mother.
“Say what?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at the arch.
“I’ve hired some young jockeys for the farm. I mean, I will ride her to
start, but then one of the jockeys will take over,” Samantha explained.
Melanie shrugged as she turned her attention back to the horse. She had
dropped her head and had started to graze, but when a horse bellowed from
inside of the broodmare barn, Honor jerked her head up and whinnied
sharply.
“Can I pet her?” Melanie asked her father, inching over. Her father
looked skeptical, but he nodded in agreement.
“Okay,” he agreed. “But be careful.”
Melanie cautiously inched over to Honor. The filly pricked her ears as
she watched Melanie’s every move. But she let her approach slowly. When
Melanie walked up to the mare, she sniffed the air rapidly and started to
back away, but when she sensed Melanie was a friend, she stood still and
allowed her to run her hand down her wide place.
As she did so, Melanie noticed that the filly had a distinctive
moon-like curve in her blaze at the top, starting from her eye and ending
all of the way up her face. It was beautiful, different, as was Honor
Bright herself. Melanie knew she was going to have a great time taking
care of the filly.
“No, it’s not your fault, Jennifer,” Melanie told her friend on the
phone that night. “I brought it on myself.”
“But I feel responsible. I mean, if I hadn’t even suggested it, you
wouldn t be grounded from riding right now,” Jennifer took the whole
thing out on herself.
“It’s not all that bad,” Melanie told her as she ripped some tape off
a box that she was unpacking in her new room. “I mean, now I get to take
care of Honor.”
“So tell me more about her,” Jennifer said excitedly. “So you really
like her?”
“You bet!“ Melanie exclaimed as she lifted some of the things out of
the box and set them on the floor. “I wish she was my horse. Then she
wouldn’t be so terrible.”
“Oh, is that so?” Jennifer asked good-naturedly, laughing. Melanie
giggled, too. “I’d like to come and see her.”
“I guess you could come over tomorrow,” Melanie said. “I mean, my
punishment was on me riding. Not you.”
“Okay, I ll do that,” Jennifer said. “In fact, it ll give me a chance
to ride a green horse at my farm that my dad wants me to train. Hey,
speaking of farms, did you give your parents that name for your farm?”
Melanie had totally forgot about that! “No,” she told Jennifer
sheepishly. “I forgot.” Suddenly, Melanie’s sister came into the room.
She smiled at Melanie.
Hey, she mouthed as she grabbed a box and walked out. Melanie waved to
her.
Jennifer laughed. “Too bad,” she said. “You know what? Blake called
me about an hour before you called and told me what a great rider he
thinks you are.”
That caught Melanie’s attention. She looked up as her hazel eyes
widened. “Really?” she asked. “He’s not too shabby himself.”
“Nope.”
For the rest of the conversation, Melanie couldn’t stop thinking about
what Jennifer had said, or for that matter, what Blake had said. She
wondered if he liked her. She sure liked him.
To be continued next issue.....
*HORSE JARGON by Bethany
------------------
Coat Colors with Strange Names
Flea-Bitten--gray coat, developing small dark spots with age.
Liver Chestnut--dark, liver-colored hairs, almost the color of a
bloodstone.
Yellow-Dun--yellow hair on black skin. Blue dun has greyish or black
hair.
Blue Roan--black or brownish body, with white hairs giving a bluish
tinge.
Red Roan--Bay or bay-brown body, with white hairs giving a red tinge.
Dapple Grey--rings of dark hair on a gray coat. These disappear with
age.
Skewbald--large irregular patches of white and any other color but black.
Piebald--like a skewbald, except black and white.
*WEBSITES
---------
If you have a horse website or know of a good one, please send in the URL
to thehorse@hotpop.com for it to be listed here.
Virtual Equine Scavenger Hunt
https://www.angelfire.com/yt/ScavengerHorse
Lindsay's Horse Clipart Page
http://www.erols.com/dberreth/
All The Neigh
https://www.angelfire.com/hi2/horseclub
An online horse club for horselovers!
Allied Sim Horse Assosiation (ASHA)
http://www.alliedsimassoc.com/asha/
This association aims to unite all the sim horse games on the internet and
to share ideas.
If you are the owner of a sim horse game, or even just a player in one,
you might want to take a look at this site.
*HORSE POLLS
------------
I have some Horse Polls on the website for you to vote for your opinion!
Go to https://www.angelfire.com/id/horsemania/polls.html to vote!
Current Questions:
Which of these is your favorite Horse Breed?
What style of horseriding do you prefer?
Current Results:
Which of these is your favorite Horse Breed?
Total Number of Votes: 79
Thoroughbred- 15 (19%)
Arabian- 22 (28%)
Quarter Horse- 20 (25%)
Other Horse Breed- 21 (27%)
Other Pony Breed- 1 (2%)
What style of horseriding do you prefer?
Total Number of Votes: 66
English- 30 (45%)
Western- 7 (11%)
Bareback- 11 (17%)
Both English & Western- 18 (27%)
I don't ride- 0 (0%)
I plan to change the polls soon, so this may be your last chance to vote
for these. Please only vote once, thanks!
*PENPALS
--------
Here is the Pen Pal section for adults and children. If you'd like an ad
here send me (thehorse@hotpop.com) in this form with "pen pal ad" in the
subject line.
First Name:
Email Address:
Country:
Age:
Horse Owner?:
Other Comments: (no more than 30 words please)
You can leave out anything if you don't want to give it out, such as age
or country. ill put in probably a maximum of 5 ads per issue so don't
worry if yours takes a while to appear. Feel free to resubmit an ad, as we
have a regular stream of new people joining Horse Mania in between each
issue.
ads for this issue:
Name: Melissa
Email Address: HorseRider@writeme.com
Country:USA
Age:10
Horse Owner?:Yes, his name is Battle Cry.
Other Comments: I would like to have a pen pal from 10-12 years old. My
horse is a retired racehorse now training in jumping.
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*ARCHIVES
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Missed an issue? Want to see a back issue? Remember that all Horse Mania
issues are archived at
https://www.angelfire.com/id/horsemania/archives.html Issues usually appear
there within a week.
*CHANGE OF ADDRESS
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If you have changed your email address and would like to receive the
newsletter at your new one, just fill out the form at
https://www.angelfire.com/id/horsemania/change.html and I will notify you
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*REFERENCES
-----------
Here is where some of my information has come from and I recommend these
books!
The Encyclopedia of the Horse, 1994, RD Press
The Complete Book of the Horse, 1979 (reprint 1985), New Burlington Books
Horses & Ponies, 1997, Kingfisher Books
The Visual Dictionary of the Horse, 1994, Dorling Kindersley Ltd, London
Horse (Collins Eyewitness Guides, 1992, Dorling Kindersley Ltd, London
Horses, Ponies and Riders, 1984, Reed Books Pty. Ltd.
Horses, 1981, J. Warren Evans, W. H. Freeman and Company
Starting Riding, 1992, Usborne
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End of Horse Mania Newsletter #13
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