Here are some thoughts on the judging (and therefore the riding) of young horse dressage tests, written by Susie Hoevenaars and Mary Seefried for Dressage NSW, 2008.

We often hear and read that the pure bred Arab horse has one rib, and one lumbar vertebrae less than all other breeds of horses, a statement possibly attributable to Carter (The Story of the Horse, National Geographic magazine, 1923), in his discussion of native horses North Africa. Whilst it is true that many pure bred Arab horses have one rib and one lumbar vertebrae less than many horses of other breeds, it is not a hard and fast rule. Lady Wentworth, in her book The Authentic Arabian Horse (1943), gives "...some of the more notable results of post-mortems" on the subject:

Breed	Specimens	Ribs	Lumbar Vertebrae
Pure Bred Arab	50	17	5
	9	17	6
	4	18	5
	1	18	6
Syrian Arabs	3	17	6
Thoroughbreds	1	19	5
	4	18	5
	1	18	5
	3	18	6
	2	17	6
Common Horse	3	19	5
	3	19	6
	1	18	5
Mongolian	1	19	5
Prjevalski (feral cross)	1	18	6
Barbs (modern)	4	19	6
Barb (Gibralter)	1	18	6
Zebra	1	18	6
Donkey	1	18	5

Scientific studies, such as Anatomical Variations of the Spine in the Horse (Robert M. Stecher, Journal of Mammology, 1962) indicate similar variations in the number of ribs/lumbar vertebrae per horse.

Very often, in books on the history of the andalusian or Spanish horse and even in material published by the official stud book, reference is made to the Spanish horse in history and the praise that has been heaped upon this breed by classical authors such as Xenephon, Pliny and Seneca. But no one ever says just what these authors wrote. Being of curious dispositions, we have attempted to determine 'what was really said'. So far, we have been able to uncover Pliny the Elder's comments on The Horse, including several comments on Iberian horse breeds.

Click here to find out more.

Theodosius I, a passionate horseman who would eventually become the Emporer of Rome, was born in Spain in 346 A.D. According to B. Davis, he passed laws limiting saddle weights to 60 pounds, and saddle bags to 35 pounds; to disobey this law would result in the confiscation of the equipment. He also stated that Imperial horses were not to begin their training until age six and were to be retired at twenty. He is possibly better known for making christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, and (in supporting christianity) ordering the destruction of 'pagan' temples, which resulted in the destruction of the Library at Alexandria.

Florinus, in his Hausbuch of 1750 asserted that ropes that had been used in hanging were worth their weight in gold. "Covered with a woollen cloth and wrapped around the legs of refractory horses, they turned the worst criminals into lambs".

An unfairly complicated for an all too common condition. It is derived from the Greek lethe meaning 'forgetfulness' and logos meaning 'word'.

Take a hair from the mare's tail, and tie a nail to it. Hold the nail on the hair over the mare's hips. If it doesn't swing, the mare is not pregnant. If it swings in a circle, the mare is carrying a filly, and if it swings straight, she is carrying a colt.

"Driving his team, he (the rich man, bored with life) races headlong to his villa, rushing on as if to bring aid to a burning building" From Lucretius, whose 'burning building'' comment makes us wonder whether there really are any new quips under the sun.

"That well-known Sabinus, whom you see, my friends, says that he was the swiftest of mule-drivers and that no onward rush of any flying car could pass him by..." From Virgil

It appears, however, that not all citizens were fond of such dashing driving. Johnson writes that: sympathetic Claudius appeared to listen to desparate pleas for action, for Suetonius says: "he provided by an edict that travellers should not pass through the towns of Italy except on foot, or in a chair or litter". The earliest of pedestrian zones, perhaps?

According to legend, the first Bagel was created in 1683 by a Viennese baker wanting to pay tribute to Polish king Jan III Sobieski for saving the Austrian people from Turkish invaders during the Battle of Vienna. The king, apparently, was excessively fond of riding and so the baker formed the bread in the shape of a stirrup ( bügel in German). Traditionally, hand made bagels are not round, but slightly stirrup-shaped.

It is thought that the name changed to Bagel following its introduction to New York in 1880.

Whilst some information indicates that bagels were around as early as 1810, we think that the stirrup legend is much more fun.

In February 1938, Arthur Walton and John Hammond from Cambridge University's School of Agriculture published their study on 'The maternal effects on growth and conformation in Shire horse-Shetland pony crosses'. Since this time, many other studies have been performed, however this one seems almost to have passed almost into folklore, and is referred to by many in discussions such as "can the foal grow too big for the mare to safely foal?", or "what size stallion can I put to my mare?".

Whilst tying a horses head up and using a funnel to administer a drench may no longer be common practice, the crush itself is quite similar in it's basic design to many available today. The horse shoe decoration is a nice touch.

September 2007

Dasypygal

The word is derived from the Greek dasys meaning 'hairy' and pyge meaning 'buttocks'. It is pronounced 'das-i-pai-gul', with the emphasis on the third syllable. This adjective may be useful in describing your horse, or the men in your life.

A useful tip courtesy of Pliny the Elder:

"If a horse be shod with shoes made from a sword wherewith a man has been slain, he will be most swift and fleet, and never, though never so hard rode, tire."