Global Horse Culture

Global Horse Culture on Facebook and Twitter

Become a fan of Global Horse Culture on Facebook, and follow all the blog updates and more.

You can also follow Global Horse Culture on Twitter.

And remember you can support this blog by making your horse book and DVD purchases at my Amazon store: I've selected my favorite horse books and DVDs, organized into categories like The American West and Art & Collectibles, and other handy topics.

Breton Show Harness

Just another quick photo: a Breton horse in a fantastic show harness, with elaborate metalwork all over and bells around his neck. Just lovely!

Romanian Wedding Procession

This brief article about a traditional village wedding ceremony in Romania includes several photos of the amazingly decorated horses used in the procession. Take a look at the Winter Wedding in Valen.

There are more photos of Romanian rural life, (though not of horses) at photographer Kathleen McLaughlin's other website, here.

Sorraia horses in action

This short video shows two Sorraia horses in a carriage driving event in Portugal. The Sorraia is an ancient breed thought to have been influential in the development of the Lusitano horse. The Portuguese breed association page is here. You can find English information here. 

A Song for the Horse Nation

I had a wonderful visit yesterday to the incredible "Song for the Horse Nation" exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City.

Better yet, I had the pleasure of meeting the woman behind the blog Horse Pollen. We enjoyed the fascinating exhibit together, and additional brainstorming about blogging, horses and social media.

Keep an eye on Horse Pollen for her upcoming post about it. Update: Here it is!

The exhibit continues through July 7, 2011. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area. The exhibit fills several rooms and the workmanship and creativity in the pieces is inspiring. If you are a beadworker, it is not to be missed! The museum building itself is beautiful and contains several other excellent exhibits and a great gift shop.

If you can't get to the exhibit you can buy the book, which is illustrated with tons of beautiful photos.

Puerto Rican Criollos...for racing!

The Puerto Rican Criollo is a gaited breed of mixed ancestry* (that's what "criollo" means) with a variety of gaits. The slowest gait is a short-stepping fast walk, called the paso fino (which can be seen in this video). The paso largo is a lengthened, faster running walk. Like the speed rackers of the United States and the Icelandic Horse, some Puerto Rican Criollos can do a singlefoot gait (called andadura) at tremendous speeds. Some may pace at high speeds. Racers, called Caballos de Andadura, are often raced drag-race style in short sprint heats, two-by-two.

Gaited Mule in Brazil

This is a short video of a gaited mule on a country road in Brazil, in São Paulo state. This is a show-quality mule, out for a training ride. Mules are quite popular in Brazil, and this one is bred from a Mangalarga Marchador horse (one of the most popular breeds in Brazil).

May we all still be riding at 100!

This is the trailer for a charming documentary about cowgirls. You have to love the great attitude and life experience of these ladies - one cowgirl featured in the trailer is over 100 years old and still riding!

There's more about the film, including photos, comments from readers, and stories about more cowgirls, at the filmmaker's blog.

Amazing Book of Rare Horse Colors

I just got this book, and I couldn't recommend it more. It is a coffee-table style book full of full page gorgeous photos of horses with the most unusual colors and patterns. There are brindles, blue eyes, pintaloosas, badger-faced Gypsy horses, dun paints, wild Curly horses...all photographed in fabulous action shots and artistic poses.

A super book for those who love unusual horse colors!

Lattice Braids

The lovely blog Equine Ink has a cool post about Lattice Braids - a beautiful way to dress up a horse with a long mane. Check it out here.

The Baroque Horse Store

Some years ago I mentioned The Baroque Horse Store - an interesting online source for unusual tack, especially aimed at owners of Friesians and other baroque breeds. I've since noticed a huge increase in the number of products available there, and got in touch with Melissa, the owner, to ask her more about her business.