International Pinto Arabian Registry, Inc.
Did You Know?
"Horses should be washed with warm water which has been laced with some sort of body wash containing a little oil and only when they are hot. A horse should be sweating before you wash him. If a horse comes in and he's just a little sticky under a saddle or at the girth, wipe him with a damp sponge but don't automatically wash him. It's the surest way to kill a coat I know."
From "J. Arthur Reynolds: Showing on the Line"
Practical Horseman, June 1976 How to Measure a Horse's Back for Proper Saddle Fit
To measure a horse for a saddle, take a soft piece of lead or electrical wire about 18 inches long and heavy enough to hold its shape. Mold the wire over the horse's back just behind the withers where the saddle would sit. Trace the resultant shape onto paper and mark the corresponding sides NEAR and OFF. Take two more "shape" measurements with the same wire -one about 9 inches behind the first; the other to discover the silhouette of the back from the beginning of the withers to the beginning of the croup. This picture will provide the saddler with enough information to determine the proper fit on the horse. It is also useful to let the saddler know such details as your height, weight, and inseam measurements to ensure that the saddle will fit you as well.
Did You Know?
Horse Words
Philip (or Phillip) -- from the Greek words philos and hippos, meaning lover and horse, respectively -- means, obviously a lover of horses, as in Philip of Macedonia or Prince of England.
Hippalectryon -- a four-legged beast with the foreparts of a horse and the hind parts of a rooster.
Hipparch -- a cavalry commander
Hippia -- referred to Athena, as the "horse goddess"
Hippiatrics -- equine veterinary medicine
Hippocampus -- a sea horse in classical mythology
Hippocurius --referred to Poseidon and meant "horse tending"
Hippodrome -- an arena for equestrian spectacles
Hippogriff -- a creature with the foreparts of a griffin and the hind parts of a horse (which should abviously be griffohip)
Hippology -- the study of horses
Hippophagist -- one who eats horseflesh, or practices hippophogy
Hippophile -- one who loves horses
Hippopotamus -- a "river horse"
Modern civilization started out as a horseless society, even though horses had been on earth for millions of years, evolving right alongside Homo sapiens. Babylonia, for all its sophistication and wisdom, had no horses, and Egypt managed to build its pyramids without any help from equines.
Even the Arabs didn't use horses until after the beginning of the Christian era. It wasn't until the barbaric tribes of Persia invaded the plains of Mesopotania on horseback and drove out the inhabitants that civilized Babylonians became aware of the advantages of using "asses from the east."
Just A Little English/Spelling Lesson
Just A Little History Lesson
