Global Horse Culture

"The Equine Nude"

Take a moment to go see a really beautiful slideshow of photos by Juliet Harrison,  posted at the StableWoman Gazette. It's done for Valentine's Day, and entitled "The Sensual Equine Nude II." Funny how easily I recognize a few of those horses just from glimpses of their necks and manes!

Roman Noses

A reader named Corujalinda made an interesting comment on the post about the Campolina horse. She said that technically they don't call the distinctive nose of the Campolina a "Roman nose."

Freio de Ouro 2010

The Freio de Ouro (Golden Bit) is a huge annual competition for the Crioulo breed in Brazil. Competitors and breeders from throughout southern Latin America come together in Esteio, a city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, for a best of breed competition and associated auctions and expositions. The Crioulo is the main breed found in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, and is also bred in Argentina, Uruguay and Chile (in those Spanish-speaking countries it is called the Criollo). Argentina and Uruguay in particular share a strong horse culture and breed bloodlines with Rio Grande do Sul.

Ringed parade tack

Something you'll come across on occasion in parts of Brazil (I've seen it mostly in the state of São Paulo) is parade tack made of brass rings. Here is an example of a breast collar, being shown to me by a student at the Universidade do Cavalo, in Sorocaba:

 

The Campolina

 

The Campolina is a popular saddle horse breed from Brazil, most commonly found in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It is a gaited breed, tall and lean, with a distinctive "banana nose,**" quite large ears, long neck and sloping croup. It is ideal for long distance riding, and famed for its pleasant temperament and comfortable gaits. They are also used for general ranch work.

Riding the Canterbury pilgrimage route

A group in Great Britain which is trying to raise funds and awareness to create an official Museum of the Horse in that nation is undertaking a special ride. According to their announcement "Caroline Baldock and her two companions will be riding some of the ancient Canterbury pilgrim's road" at the end of September. The three day journey will be used to raise funds towards the Museum of the Horse, a project they have been promoting for some time.

Keeping Dobbin Around

I've been intrigued by the variety of methods people use to keep horses in one place - that is, variations on tying or confining them. The styles vary with the lifestyle and landscape, and each method has advantages and disadvantages. Some are based on the obvious necessities of the environment: for example if trees are hard to find, then wooden fences or buildings won't be your first choice; if you move around a lot, nomad-style, then you will probably use something lightweight and moveable, like a tether, to keep your horse nearby. Depending on where you live, some of these methods may seem very normal, and others quite unusual!

 

Link roundup

Here are a few interesting links and blog posts I've come across recently:

For those interested in details of ornamental tack, here is an academic article (with many illustrations) about the different styles of tack found in various Central Asian and Siberian ethnic groups. It's quite fascinating! 

Our friend Dario has a post with extensive links to images of Neo-Assyrian horses, tack and horsemanship, as depicted in ancient art.

Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider has an intriguing book review and a cute post about William Shatner (horse related!)...

And heartfelt good wishes to Julie at Riding Aside, who is sadly forced to cease blogging for the time being. Send good thoughts her way!

Angela Swedberg, artist and horsewoman

I posted briefly before about Angela Swedberg, an artist who makes beautiful Plains and Plateau Indian clothing, horse gear, and other items using historically accurate methods and materials. To my delight, Angela is featured in the September 2010 issue of Cowboys & Indians, one of my favorite magazines. The article is from an interview I did with her about her work. Copies are in the stores now: get one if you can, it's a beautiful 2-page spread with lots of photos!

In talking to her for that article I discovered that she is not only an artist, but also a horsewoman. I asked her to tell me about her personal experience with horses, and more about the meaning and function of the fantastic horse masks, such as the horse in the photo above is wearing.

Running on a sunny day

I just love this photo of my gelding running in his paddock on a sunny day:

He's looking more confident and mature than he did on the day he arrived!