Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Horse Quirks


I’ve been tagged again by my friend, MiKael, at risingrainbow.blogspot.com for a game of “Horse Quirks” Meme. Since I’m always happy to talk about my girls, I’ll share six strange traits with you. I’m going to open up this game to anyone who wants to blog about their favorite horse’s habits, tagging only those who want to participate. I felt too much pressure last time around, and I don’t want to impose on anyone. We’ve all got enough pressure in our lives so let’s keep the blogosphere as a world of free will.

Okay, here are some little known facts about Silk and Siete:

1. Siete loves rain and snow, but doesn’t enjoy being sprayed with a hose. She tolerates it, but her mother, Silk, adores being bathed. On the other hand, Silk hates to stand outside in rain or snow.

2. Silk loves to have her tummy scratched. She sticks her neck way out when I do it and makes a funny face. Siete’s favorite spot is on her butt, along her tail, and she also makes that “oooh, it feels so good” face.

3. Out on the trail, Silk will stand absolutely still even if all the horses around her are freaking out and bolting away. I know because it’s happened several times. That’s one of the many reasons that I love her.

4. Siete is very neat. She only poops in one corner in her stall. She loves to have her mane and tail nicely brushed and her coat clean. If a few little girls want to fuss over her and play “horsey spa day”, she is always ready. Silk prefers to roll in mud and not only poops everywhere in her stall, but also buries it under the shavings.

5. Silk has a very bouncy lope (or canter), which makes it difficult to sit without banging around on her back. Banging around on her back hurts her, and she gets very grumpy. So, we don’t lope anymore. It’s fine with me, especially since she is a dream to ride in every other way.

6. Siete loves to drink hot water if you hold a bucket of it in front of her. She’s a “tea” drinker. If I think that she’s not getting her fill during the day, after her dinner, I always offer her “tea” and dessert (an apple). I’m obsessed with my horses having enough water since my deepest fear is colic.

They have many more lovable traits, so don’t get me started. And please, let me know if you decide to play too.

15 comments:

Rising Rainbow said...

Victoria, thanks for playing along. The only reason I didn't balk at this thing was because it came from a non-horse person.She specifically tagged me for quirks about horses.

She has always been frightened of horses but that seems to be changing by reading the horsey blogs. I figured anything that might help someone like her get over that fear and learn to love horses was probably a good thing. So thanks for playing along.

It is funny how they are such opposites. My tidy mares teach their foals to be tidy too! I have actually seen them nip babies who didn't conform obviously that didn't happen for you. Horses are so funny! LOL

detroit dog said...

This is a wonderful post - really makes you think about the animal. So many things about Silk remind me of my girl Bastet. (

Perhaps I will do a similar post, but obviously about a dog.

Heidi the Hick said...

#6 really got me. I lost one that way. The vet assured me that I did nothing wrong, but I still wonder every day if they ran out of water and yes, I'm obsessed with my horses always having water in front of them. And it has to be clean too or I worry that they won't drink it.

But, ol Champ liked to dip his hay in his bucket. Tea!

I giggled about the cleanliness. Right now I have two horses who both poop in the corner of the stall, but the horse I ride in lessons buries it like a cat!

Also I had a pony who loooooved getting a shower. She'd play with the hose until you gave up and hosed her down.

My little mare has never spooked, but always snorts when she sees something questionable. It turns any scary situation comical!

Okay, I could go on and on but won't!!!

Thanks for the quirky horse list. It was fun!

billie said...

Fun post! I'll probably play along as an addendum to the post about soaking boots and 4-year olds I'm about to write!

Grey Horse Matters said...

Hi Victoria,
I am officially volunteering for the 'horse quirks' meme posting, in the hopes that I won't get tagged by more bloggers. You're girls have some interesting quirks, that's what makes having horses so much fun. I'll get to work on this posting soon.

detroit dog said...

Victoria, you've inspired a meme on my The Dog House site: Random quirks shared by you and your pet.

Thanks again for the thought-provoking post.

Victoria Cummings said...

Thanks, Everyone, for jumping right in and volunteering to play. I will check out your blogs for your list of Horse (and Dog) Quirks and I hope that all of the rest of you click over to those bloggers who want to play too!

Anonymous said...

Victoria, I'v just found your blog and I do enjoy it so. Question for you. Your beautiful Siete, her name, I believe it means seven in Spanish, but am wondering is that what she was named for, and if so, why? Love the question mark in white on her face :)

Carney said...

Hey, great blog! As for Quirks , well, my Tamara is a neat "pooper" too, but she takes her Tea cold.

Victoria Cummings said...

Jamie - Thanks for stopping by. We all think that's a white blaze in the shape of a "7" on Siete's face, not a question mark - thus, her name. Her registerd name is "My Impulsive Hobby" since her dad is "Impulsions" and her mom, Silk, is out of "Hobby Horse".

April's Place said...

love the pictures!

Farm Girl said...

I love your blog and the way you write about your horses. I see quite a few similarities with my horses. I also have a mother and daughter. I liked the "Horse Quirks" post and will list some of my horses' strange quirks too, but I'd rather not be tagged to play. I have loved horses as far back as I can remember, and I have passed the half century mark.

Lasell Jaretzki Bartlett said...

I've volunteered as well and written out some horse quirks on my blog. I think anyone interested can track it down by clicking on my blog "ID". I don't know the rules of this so I just wrote what came to mind! It was fun to ponder some about these critters of my heart.

M. C. Valada said...

I think that horse quirks is a fun topic, so I've put some of Ace's up on my blog at http://mcvalada.blogspot.com, along with some videos of him. Thanks for the challenge.

Horses all have such unique personalities which outsiders just don't understand. If you haven't read it, Desmond Morris' Horse Watching is a fun book. (He's also done Dog Watching and Cat Watching.)

XAgirl said...

My dads horse always jumped over water, even if it was a small puddle.
If you have orange juice or coffee in your hand, his horse always has to check it out.
My dads horse has an obsession with those giant balls kids can bounce on. He grabs it by the handle and swings it up and down. Letting it hit his forehead and chest. Same goes for traffic cones.
He once tried to walk into the house!