What Is…
by Kristin Berkery When I was a kid I was very familiar with the Godolphin Arabian, thanks to Marguerite Henry’s King of the Wind. Ms. Henry took a lot of liberties with the story, but I’ll address that another time. It’s still one of my favorite children’s books and I think it’s a good way [...]
Continue reading What is the difference between an Arab and a Barb? »
by Kristin Berkery Chariot racing is believed to be the first Olympic sport in ancient Rome, as well as the only sport in the original Olympiad that was not performed in the nude. To simplify control for the driver, only two-horse chariots, called bigas, were used in battle. However, chariots featuring more than two horses [...]
by Kristin Berkery I’m not talking about a jenny, a female donkey, but a jennet — a type of horse that is the foundation of many modern breeds. The jennet, pronounced “JEN-it,” was the result of crossing Barbs, or Barbary horses from Morocco, with Iberian stock in Andalucía, Spain. Islamic Berbers conquered a portion of [...]
by Kristin Berkery The equine eye is an amazing structure that works in concert with the brain to take the many elements being viewed, like detail, distance, and color, and construct a complete image. The horse is particularly interesting for its wide field of vision and ability to see in the dark better than humans. [...]
by Kristin Berkery At first glance, the stallion pictured here looks like a palomino. But click on the photo to view a larger version and you start to see more characteristics than you’d find on a palomino. First, he has some dark coloration on his legs, especially around his knees and hocks, and darker shading [...]
