...Fun Facts continued *Thoroughbred, Morgan, and Narrangansett Pacer blood was combined to create the Saddlebred. *Desert races lasted for 3 days in the 1800's and the Arabian became famous for its endurance in these trials. *The skull of the horse is comprised of 34 bones. *The wild and native horses of South America are all extinct, as are the earliest horses from North America. ************************************************************************************** What's In A Name: Results The gray Quarter Horse racer in last issue's What's In A Name had some really good suggestions. I chose Gentle Attitude, sent in by Tiffany. Other suggestions were: Jesse James (Cara), Quick Flash of Lightning (Nikki), Go For Blue (Cassandra), and Grey Wind (Dana). Thanks for your participation!! Feel free to make a suggestion for this issue's What's In A Name!! *************************************************************************************** What's In A Name? Name: ? Breed: Paint Age: 8 History: Reining, Cutting, and Barrel Racing Status: Consistent on the barrel pattern, a Top Ten National Cutter, and an expert reiner. Colors: sorrel and white paint pattern Gender: Mare Disposition: A highly talented, sweet mare. An absolute competitor, but when not showing, is a gentle pasture pal. *Do you have a name for this mare? Submit your suggestions by January 29th, and you may be the featured winner in HorseTrax #4!! ************************************************************************************** Poems & Quotes "Sometimes he trots, as if he told the steps with gentle magesty and pride. Anon, he rears upright, curvets and leaps as who should say 'Lo, thus my strength is tried.' " -Shakespeare "If training has not made a horse more beautiful, nobler in carrige, more attentive in his behavior, revealing pleasure in his own accomplishment...then he has not truly been schooled in dressage." -Col. Handler "A man on a horse is spiritually as well as physically bigger than a man on foot." -John Steinbeck "Visions of horses...make the moment brighter, inspire respect, and make the heart beat faster." -The Founders of the Sunshine Horse Lovers Club. "The horse will leap over trenches, will jump out of them, will do anything else, provided one grants him praise and respite after his accomplishment." -Xenophon ************************************************************************************** I've Always Wondered...Neck Signals     Knowing the signals that your horse makes is often important. If you are knowledgeable of their movements and actions, you can better know how to react responsibly to them. In this issue, I have chosen to discuss neck signals (all 10 of them!).      Head shake: vigorous sideways action intened to ward off flies or other irritations.      Head toss: upward action to achieve the same as the head shake.      Head jerk: up and back movement to achieve the same as the head shake as well. Besides irritation, these three movements may also be a form of socialization, most often to show his annoyance with either another horse or a human.      Head bobbing: the horse ducks his head down and back over and over again. This action is sometimes confused with head shaking, but once recognized, it is easy to determine which movement it is. Head bobbing is done to get a better view of an object of interest.      Head wobble: the nosetip of the head twists from side to side while the top of the head stays fairly still. This is his way of "clearing his head" as if preparing himself for a task.      Head thrusting: this forward movement is also known as Head lunging and Nose nudging. They are self-assertive actions. the thrust and lunge are are aggressive, as in biting, but the nudge is more of a movement meaning "But...what about me?!" It is an attention demanding action and is used with both humans and other horses.      Head snaking: a wobble that is a curious side to side movement, accompanied by an out-stretched neck. Commonly seen when a stallion is having difficulties herding his wandering mares. By snaking his neck in this way, the mares know to not further test him, lest they wish to be bit.      Neck wringing: entire neck twists dramatically in all directions. Sometimes this is a playful action, but other times it can mean something serious such as "I want out of here!" ************************************************************************************** Quick History: Man o' War      In the first half of the 20th century, Man o' War is deemed the most popular American horse. He was born on March 29, 1917 in Lexington, Kentucky to owner August Belmont. Belmont sold his colt for $5,000  to Samuel D. Riddle, and then trained by Louis Feustel.      At 2 years of age, Man o' War won 9 out of his 10 races. In the race in which he did not place first (the Sanford Memorial Stakes), he was beat by Upset by only a half length . In 6 of these races, Man o' War carried 130 pounds. He did not run in the Kentucky Derby as a 3-year old because Riddle believed that early May was too early for him. But he did win the 1920 Preakness and won ten succeeding races, including the Belmont.      Man o' War was a red chestnut, standing 16 and 1 5/8 hh, 71 3/4 inch girth, and weighing 1,100 pounds. When he became a breeding stallion, his weight reached 1,370 pounds. continued on next page...                                                                                                                            Next Page