An important thing to master & there are lots to choose from. A quick-release is really the only kind of knot that should be used to tie a horse (and anyone who has seen a scared horse drag a hitching post halfway across their arena will agree).

Once you know how, you’ll never forget…and this is a knot that comes in handy in non-equine situations as well.

It’s amazing how much I’ve learned about horses while writing this site. Even more amazing is how much I have left to learn.

Here is a strange mix of basics, tips, ideas and facts that any horse lover can appreciate.

Basic Horse Tips | Random Horse Facts | Best Ways to Whiten Socks | Hiring a Horse Sitter | Name That Horse Breed Quiz | Horse Translated | How You Can Help Starving Horses

Visiting the Past

It’s been fun visiting past posts and re-reading things I had forgotten. I’ll be sharing more of The Equinest archives on Saturdays, hopefully new readers will find things they haven’t seen yet & older readers will enjoy revisiting old favorites.

Pamela DeMuth is an artist, coach, writer, and published author of “The Spirit of Horsemanship: Natural Training though Feel for Harmony with Your Horse”.

Tell us a little about yourself for those who haven’t yet read the book.
I came to horses at a young age via an inborn passion and to horsemanship years later, after purchasing a particularly difficult young horse. The love of Zorro sent me on a quest for information in order to better communicate with him. After a degree of success from my studies, I found myself in a rut. Eventually I found Ray Hunt, the teacher of horsemanship through feel, timing, and balance. Later Brent Graef and other teachers who were willing to share their knowledge and skills.

These horsemen went beyond conventional ideas of horse handling and training. It was then that I began to see inside of the horse that which was really inside of me.

A full bio is on my web site www.SpiritofHorsemanship.com.

What is your earliest memory of writing, and do you remember what you wrote about?
I wrote advertising blurbs in the 80s as a graphics designer and descriptions for my art shows, but secretly wrote stories and books which I never intended to publish. I also wrote many papers during college for my BFA. My writing instructor was a department chair and an excellent teacher.

I do enjoy conversation with others and sharing experiences and ideas. It is a joy to express in words the images that enter my head on a considered subject. All I need is a question and the images flow.

However, The Spirit of Horsemanship is about specific horse related studies which have evolved over many years and much practice. My book is intended for the consummate seeker of harmony with horses.

What inspires you when you get writers’ block?
I have days I am not sure about the direction of the writing, but generally I have a specific outline of the material to cover, then the outline is rearranged. The subjects in the outline act as guidelines for the content. The material is so well-lived, it comes easily to be converted to writing. I rarely have a true block.

Do you have any secret rituals (that you are willing to share) to help you through writers’ block?
If I have any outside pressure or intention other than the documentary of the pictures in my mind, they will not come. It doesn’t help to think of anything but the moment right where I am in the telling. Then I enjoy the writing and it writes itself. Later I can rearrange, edit, whatever may be needed. Just go with the flow without self restriction, just as in a daydream.

What kind of books did you read as a young girl, and do you remember which ones were your favorites?
I was not particularly interested in reading until about 12 years old when I discovered horse stories in the library. My favorite for a time was a book about a young girl who had a circus pony: “The Piebald Pony”.

Before my horse book discoveries, my father read many books to us. He mostly read children’s classics such as “Freckles” and “Daddy Longlegs”.

Are there certain authors or other people who helped to influence and shape your writing?
As an adult I have read zillions of books of every type. I would say that the accumulation of styles have influenced my writing, but ultimately it has become my own style.

What is the best advice that you ever received regarding your writing?
Be as brief and clear in meaning as possible.

Use words, examples, and descriptions that are easy to understand.

Arrange new information between commonly understood information for ease of conception.

Be positive and encouraging while explaining the benefits of each new area of expertise (what is it, how does it work, and what are the consequences of using the new method or skill?)

What is the worst advice that you ever received regarding your writing?
Really only any reference to doubting myself or my writing; there is no reason or place for self doubt.

Was the publishing process what you expected and in what ways?
No, because I had no idea where publishing would come from but believed in the possibility. I can’t remember how I was led to my publisher, Outskirts Press, but they proved everything they claimed and more.

The book took only a few months to publish and most of that time was due to my changes and delays. I learned as I went and it will be much easier to publish the next book.

What is similar about the horse as an animal and the art of writing?
Believe in your horse as you believe in yourself and your writing.

Gain the harmony with your writing without losing the spirit.

Self expression and communication is life.

Many Thanks

Thanks to Pamela for answering the interview and sharing more about her. Be sure to check out her Spirit of Horsemanship website, follow her on Twitter & friend her on Facebook to learn more about her.

And thanks again to Eleanor for putting the interview together, you can subscribe to learn more about her and her palomino Sage on her horse blog.

Stay tuned for more interviews with horse artists, photographers & authors.

Festival Features

• Nationally known clinicians
• Huge trade show with hundreds of equine-related exhibits
• Equine educational presentations
• Horses displayed by area breeders
• Horsefest Shootout
• Cowboy Church on Sunday

When

March 12- 14

Find Out More

Horsefest
(800) 356-8255
(417) 833-2660

Location

Ozark Empire Fairgrounds
3001 N. Grant
Springfield, MO 65803
(417) 833-2660

Be sure to visit the 2010 Equestrian Events Calendar and check back for info about the 2011 Horse Fest.

A couple of weeks ago I did a post with some flower macro photography and people seemed to like it. As I was searching for flowers I ran across a number of unusual plant macro shots I wanted to share too.

Here is a selection of up-close-and-personal images of some pretty (and pretty unusual) plants. The personality of each one is beautifully captured by the photographers.

It’s always fun to take a break from horses & look for something different & unusual to share with my readers.

Something Different

Hope you enjoyed something different and besides, plants are an important part of every animal’s life. Be sure to learn about which ones are poisonous to your horse too.

The main goal of American Spotted Paso breeders is to create an animal with the beautiful pinto color patterns and the smooth easy to ride gaits of the Peruvian Paso.

Perfect Mix

An ideal mix retains 75% of the paso blood while continuing to keep the spotted genetics in the mix. Although different registries have been developed to accommodate different degrees of Paso blood, to register with any of them the animal must have at least one pure Paso parent.

Even Flashier

A multicolored coat gives these animals an even flashier look to go with their high energy level and gaited action.

Learn More

American Spotted Paso Registry
American Spotted Paso Facts

All brought together to allow the public to learn and enjoy the wonderful world of horses.

Highlights

• Hop Top Show and Hengste
• Equine Expertise Centrum
• Breeding show Stallions 2009
• Honza Blaha

When

March 14 – 22
Daily 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Find Out More

Equitana Niederlassung der
Reed Exhibitions Deutschland GmbH
Völklinger Str. 4,
D – 40219 Düsseldorf
+49 (0)211 90191 201

Tickets
Travel Center
Ehibitor List
Highlights & Celebrities

Location

Exhibition Centre Essen
Norbertstraße
D – 45131 Essen
+49.(0)201.7244.0

Be sure to visit the 2010 Equestrian Events Calendar and check back for info about the 2011 Equitana Equestrian Sports World Fairs.

As I started delving into the equus family tree I realized just how colorful and beautiful these animals really are. I’m hard pressed to pick a favorite & sad to see so many of them in danger for their lives.

There are far too many colors to put in one post, so I’ve separated into sections. Today we’ll meet the horses, asses and onagers & next week the zebras.

These two groups contain all of the color & some of the most (and least) common members of the Equus family.

Also known as the European Wild Horse or the the Eastern European Horse and is now extinct. They were once found throughout the steppe region of eastern Europe and western Eurasia. However their widespread range led to their demise, they were slowly gobbled up by domestication & crossbreeding.

It is thought that the Tarpan died out early in the 19th century.

The last of the true wild horses (after the demise of the Tarpan), the Mongolian Wild Horse or Przewalski’s Horse is the only surviving ancestor of domestic horse as we know them today. These animals used to range from eastern Europe through Russia, Mongolia & China, they can now be found in a zoo near you.

Due to hunting, loss of habitat and competition for resources with domestic animals the Mongolian Wild Horse is critically endangered.

Far from extinct, the domestic horse has flourished into a wide variety of unique breeds & colors. People began domesticating horses around 4000 B.C. and today wild horses on every continent (with the exception of the Mongolian Wild Horse) are all descendant from domesticated stock.

The Nubian Wild Ass is thought to be the ancestor of domestic donkeys. In addition to displaying dun characteristics, they also carry a stripe across their shoulder which is common with domestic donkeys. These animals were found in the northeast of Africa and are said to have first been domesticated around 6,000 years ago in Egypt or Mesopotamia.

The Nubian Wild Ass is listed as critically endangered and most likely totally extinct in the wild.

A very close relative to the Nubian Ass, the Somali Wild Ass is the smallest of the wild equids. They share physical characteristics of their brothers however they carry a unique feature, dark black striping on their legs, belying their close relation to the zebras. Believe it or not, these animals are more at risk from hunting than any other threat, although destruction of habitat and competition for scarce resources are major factors.

The Somali Wild Ass is listed as critically endangered & virtually extinct in the wild.

Also called a burro in some parts of the world, the domestic Donkey can be found around the globe. First domesticated around 3000 B.C. they have spread into a wide range of breeds, colors & shapes. Although all of the subspecies can interbreed, (a post for another day) generally their offspring are barren & unable to reproduce.

The Mongolian Wild Ass can be still be found in small pockets in Mongolia & northern China, they are now extinct in Kazakhstan. The main threat to these animals is hunting, they provide a cheap alternative for domestic meat to local people. Despite their protection under law in Mongolia, (and their dwindling numbers) the persistent hunting & loss of habitat is a serious threat to this subspecies.

The Mongolian Wild Ass has lost about 50% of its former range in the past 70 years and is listed as a vulnerable species.

The Syrian Wild Ass is now extinct but were once found in the region from Palestine to Iraq. These animals were common during the 16th & 17th century and traveled in large herds. However by the 18th century they had disappeared from the Syrian Desert & by the early 19th century Northern Arabia too.

The last of the Syrian Wild Ass subspecies was extinguished completely early in the 20th century.

The Indian Wild Ass used to be found from western India, through Afghanistan and southeastern Iran. Today they can only be found in the Gujarat provence in the Rann of Kutch (mainly because there is an ass sanctuary there). The drop in their numbers is in large part due to disease, however habitat degradation and competition with domestic stock play their parts too.

The Indian Wild Ass is listed as endangered, although conservation efforts have been beneficial.

The Turkmenian Kulan can be found in a variety of habitats from Iran to Mongolia and were abundant in the wild until relatively recently. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union their numbers have dropped dramatically.

I had difficulty locating any listing information for the Turkmenian Kulan, if anyone knows, please share in the comments.

The Persian Onager can be found from Mongolia to Saudi Arabia to southern Russia & Kazakhstan to northwestern India & Tibet. They have no natural predators, but humans have done a good job of destroying their numbers. Hunting, competition for food & resources and degradation of habitat are all taking their toll.

The Persian Onager was once considered their own species, today they are a critically endangered subspecies.

Perhaps one of the most populous of the wild asses, the Kiang is widely distributed through Tibet, regions of China, Nepal & India. Three subspecies have been defined in different ranges, however their taxonomy is still controversial and unsure. The Kiang is the largest of the wild ass species and their only natural predator is the wolf. Humans hunt them for meat & their skin which is used for leather.

The Kiang is lower risk than most of this page, however they face the same issues if conservation efforts aren’t enforced.

A Big Family

This is just half of the family (if you don’t count hybrid cousins, that is) so be sure to check back next week when we meet the zebras. You may just be surprised at how many different stripes there can be!

Image from Linda Snyder

Name
Betsy Kelleher

Website and Places you can find me online
My website is www.goduseshorses.com and I recently started a new blog, MARES and more, exploring the world of the female equine.

I’m also on Facebook and Linkedin and I recently joined the online Rocking G Riding Club.

Where I am
My husband and I live in a mobile home park on a lake at Granite City, Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis.

Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I was born in Iowa and grew up on a small farm where my grandfather used a team of horses. My parents divorced when I was very young, and Dad and I lived with his folks. My first riding horse was a 1600 pound Percheron mare. I spent a lot of time walking or riding through our wooded pasture and I have always loved the woods. I graduated from Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa) in journalism. I was married to my first husband for 42 years, had three sons, then we divorced and I remarried almost seven years ago.

I just celebrated my 70th birthday, but I don’t feel that old! I see myself as a horse lover who writes from a Christian perspective.

When did you first start writing about horses?
I had written for radio and newspaper as well as writing scripts for training programs. One day, I asked myself why not combine my love of writing with my true love of horses? Planning to write free lance magazine articles for the horse market, I did have one article published in Horse Illustrated in 1989 on getting started in distance riding. I had acquired my first horse in 1977, and I began to see special meaning in my experiences with Fanny. I started writing things down, and it gradually evolved into my first book. Sometimes a Woman Needs a Horse finally came out in 2004, taking about 27 years from start to finish.

Why mares?
I didn’t plan to write about mares; I started writing about my experiences with my first horse, which happened to be a mare. I realized one day that most of my favorite horses had been mares! My first ride was on a pony mare that belonged to my uncle in Montana. Then I rode Bell, one of the team of Percherons. Then I had Fanny, the subject of my first book. I owned several geldings for awhile, then my husband bought Lady before realizing how headstrong she was and I ended up keeping her for myself.

Because of my experiences with Lady, I started my second book, MARES! (ya gotta love em), Fifty Stories to Aid & Inspire Mare Owners. My husband actually encouraged me to do the second book because I was always looking for ideas on how to work with mares and I couldn’t find any books to help.

Have a favorite breed?
No. I’ve owned Appaloosas, Arabs, a Saddlebred, and one quarter-mix gelding who was the best trail horse I’ve ever had. Right now, I have two Tennessee Walkers that I ride, mostly because my husband bought gaited horses and I ended up riding them. Riding a gaited horse is really different. Much easier on an old back, I must admit, but I miss a good trot and canter! I’ve always wanted to ride dressage, so now I am playing with dressage techniques on my gaited horses.

Who are your main literary influences?
I can’t say for sure. Most of the books I read are on writing and about horse training. But I once loved “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant and chose to read it for a high school interpretive reading contest (and won a first rating).

What is your favorite book ever?
It used to be Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. I read that book several times and even wrote a paper on it in college! More recently, I favor Kim Meeder’s books, Hope Rising and Bridge of Hope. Her true stories are well written and amazingly inspiring. I’ve also enjoyed Cheryl Dudley’s new book, Horses that Save Lives, and Connie Funk’s Beauty from Brokenness and Susan Richards’ Chosen by a Horse.

Do you (or did you) have an animal that is the muse behind your work?
As I’ve mentioned, each of my two books began because of a mare. First it was Fanny. All my experiences training and riding her seemed so extra special and I felt God was orchestrating it all for a purpose.

Then it was Lady, because of her demanding alpha ways combined with her strong affectionate nature. I write a monthly column for the Illinois Horse Network (newspaper) and I often write about Lady. She is very intelligent and our bonding is unusually strong.

Do you have any secret rituals you do to help you get in the zone to write?
Most of my actual writing is done mornings. I try to get up an hour before my husband and write an hour or two while my mind is fresh and the house is quiet. My inspirational writings stem from my readings of devotional books and sometimes from sermons. I also find a lot of inspiration from reading a monthly devotional book, In Touch, by Charles Stanley. My horse-related writing usually comes after a riding lesson or some event. I often feel inspired to write something down, so I try to carry a small notebook with me.

Is there a particular place that brings you inspiration?
I enjoy sitting by the lake behind our mobile home, feeling the serenity of nature and listening to the many birds in the area. I also love being in the woods. Nature is where I feel at peace and at the same time inspired to seek God.

I have a great desire to “capture” the changing seasons by words or by camera, and I love to just look at the clouds, at sunsets, and watch various birds. I think being close to nature frees my creative mind to work better.

Is there one book you’ve written that will always be your favorite?
Definitely. When I wrote Sometimes a Woman Needs a Horse, I felt it was my life’s task—to write the message God had given me that I was to share with the world. I kept rewriting it and looking for a publisher, and rewriting it again and again–and I really believe that somewhere in there, God helped me find the words. When I feel uncertain, I often read certain chapters to find assurance and encouragement.

What effect do you think the Internet has had on writing in general?
It’s like an explosion! With all the websites, the blogs and the opportunities for getting published, almost anyone can get involved. The possibilities seem endless and limited only by one’s level of imagination.

Image from Donna Thompson

Has it had an effect on yours?
I find it very useful when searching for information, for ideas, for places to advertise and promote my writing, and for getting in touch with so many wonderful people who share similar interests! I belong to an online writing group, Story Circle Network, which helps to encourage my writing. But most of all, the Internet offers many ways to promote what I’ve written!

What else are you passionate about?
I was once very passionate about competitive trail riding and training Fanny, but I’m not sure I feel that deeply about anything now. I’m busy promoting my second book on mares and I’m sort of passionate about de-cluttering my house from all the stuff generated from past plans and dreams that no longer apply to my life. I thought I would be more passionate about training my young Walking Horse gelding with dressage principles, but there are many other things grabbing my attention as well.

Working on anything new?
I recently started a blog I call MARES and more…exploring the world of the female equine.

I’m hoping to get other mare owners (or lovers) to join in with their problems, questions, solutions and experiences. I haven’t found any other blogs just about mares, so I’m hoping this will grow into a useful forum.

More to Come

Thanks to Betsy for answering the interview and sharing her work. Be sure to check out her website to learn more about her and purchase her books.

Also stay tuned for more interviews with horse artists and photographers.
Are you a horse artist or do you know an equine artist you’d like to see featured? Add your name and website in the comments below or drop me a note to get involved.

Dark Themes

This is a bright artist who spent much of his time focusing on the darker themes of life. Much of his work depicts struggle, battle and turmoil, although his equine pieces tend to be some of his more whimsical work.

In stark contrast to the darkness of the themes is the the loving attention to detail that goes into each of his pieces.

More Horse Art

My artist series is growing on a weekly basis & I think it is interesting to present artists throughout history alongside the interviews with contemporary artists. Be sure to check out some horses of other well-known artists as well.

Alfred deDreux | Rudolf Koller | Peter Nicolai Arbo | George Stubbs | Leonardo da Vinci | Eugene Delacroix | Paul Rubens | Picasso