Stable Days

AWESOME HORSE VIDEO!

Hi Horse Pals,

I loved this video and thought it was amazing and I thought you would like it too!

 

Crocodiles ... The Snappy Truth

 

Fact #1 Unlike most other reptiles, crocodiles do not shed their skin but grow into it instead.

 

Fact #2 If a mother crocodile senses danger to her young, she can protect them by putting them in the gular pouch inside her mouth. Young crocodiles do not remain with their mothers beyond two years.

 

Fact #3 The easiest way to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile is by the teeth. When an alligator closes its mouth all of the teeth fit inside and none are exposed. When a crocodile closes its mouth one tooth on each side remains exposed.  Also, alligators are darker. Crocodiles have a lighter skin that is grayish green.

 

Fact #4 Crocodiles don’t have litters of babies they have nests of eggs! These are called “clutches.” Some crocs will dig from 10-30 feet into a creek bank to make a burrow for their nest. Then they create a hidden entrance that is at the water line or just below. A clutch can have as little as 8 eggs or as many as 80!

 

Fact #5 The jaws of a croc can exert 2,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. They break through both bones and flesh! 

 

Fact #6 New born crocs are 10 inches long! The mother will carry them from the nest to the water. They grow 12 inches a year and can live up to 45 years and longer in captivity. In Madagascar the crocodile was almost extinct due to hunting them for their skins. Other threats are from fishermen’s nets and habitat loss.

 

Fact #7 Crocodiles have the ability to keep their eyes open under water and close their nostrils while under water.

 

Fact #8 Crocodiles also have special glands in their tongues that can get rid of excess salt, so they tend to live in saltwater habitats. Alligators have these glands, too, but they don't work as well as the crocodiles, so alligators prefer to live in freshwater habitats.

 

Fact #9 When fish are migrating, crocs may hunt cooperatively by forming a semi-circle across the river and herding the fish. They then eat the fish that are closest to them.

 

Fact #10 The first species of crocodiles appeared 240 million years ago and are said to have evolved from dinosaurs. This is the same time the Dinosaurs existed. They are closely related to dinosaurs and birds than other reptiles.

 

Fallen Stars of the Sea ~ Star Fish!

I always love to hold and see Star Fish!  One day last winter, my sister and I saw hundreds of them at one of our local beaches!  It was such an amazing sight. I love how they all are different colors, sizes and even shapes.

 

Fact #1 Starfish are also known as sea stars and are not really fish despite the name given to them. These are echinoderms, which are found abundant in the deep blue seas and shallow waters as well.

 

Fact #2 In case a starfish loses its arm, it is capable of regenerating the same!

 

Fact #3 Starfish are not completely blind, even though they do not have eyes. Starfish sense light and shapes through an eyespot (an organ sensitive to light) located at the tip of their arms.

 

Fact #4 There are over 2,000 species of starfish.

 

Fact #5 Starfish are about 5 to 10 inches, and can weigh 11 lbs.

 

Fact #6 Sea stars belong to the Phylum Echinodermata. That means they are related to sand dollars (yes, they are a real animal), sea urchins, and sea cucumbers.

 

Fact #7  Depending on the species, a sea star's skin may feel leathery, or slightly prickly. Sea stars have a tough covering on their upper side, which is made up of plates of calcium carbonate with tiny spines on their surface. A sea star's spines are used for protection from predators, which include birds, fish and sea otters.

 

Fact #8 They have bony, calcified skin, which protects them from most predators, and many wear striking colors that camouflage them or scare off potential attackers. Purely marine animals, there are no freshwater sea stars, and only a few live in brackish water.

 

Fact #9  Not all sea stars have 5 arms!  While the five armed variety are the most well known, not all sea stars have five arms.  Some have many more. Take the sun star for instance, which has up to 40 arms!

Fact #10  Starfish normally live up to 35 years in the wild.  Wow!

 

 

Gentle Giants ~ Elephants

 

My grandma's favorite animal is the Elephant!  And they are one of mine, too! They are very beautiful!  I love how wise they look and how they are all about family! They all love one another!

Fact #1  Despite the size of ears, the elephant’s hearing is poor and elephant's eyes are small and its eyesight is poor as well.

African elephants' ears are used to aid ventilation.

One of the softest parts of their body is at the back of the ears, which is called the knuckle. Elephant trainers, called Mahouts, use their feet to steer or give commands to the animal via the knuckle at the back of the ears.

Fact #2 African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their larger ears that look somewhat like the continent of Africa. (Asian elephants have smaller, rounded ears.)

Fact #3 An elephant's trunk is actually a long nose used for smelling, breathing, trumpeting, drinking, and also for grabbing things—especially a potential meal. The trunk alone contains about 100,000 different muscles. African elephants have two finger like features on the end of their trunk that they can use to grab small items. (Asian elephants have one.)

Elephants spend about 16 hours a day eating alone!  They consume as much as 495 pounds of food per day!

Fact #4  Life Span - elephants can live for up to 70 years!

Fact #5 They live in tight social units led by an older matriarch and

males leave the herd between the age of 12 and 15.

Fact #6 Elephants normally walk about 4 mph and are

able to swim for long distances!

Fact #7 Their tusks are made of ivory and are actually enormously enlarged incisors.

Fact #8 They have the largest brains in the animal kingdom!

Fact #9 Walking at a normal pace an elephant covers about 2 to 4 miles an hour (3 to 6 km/h) but they can reach 24 miles an hour (40 km/h) at full speed.

Fact #10 An elephant's skin is extremely tough around most parts of its body and measures about 2.5 cm (1 in) thick.

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HUGE T-SHIRT SALE AT THE STABLE DAYS STORE

Hi Horse Pals ~

With Spring here, we're having an awesome t-shirt sale at our store.  Pick up your "It's All About Horses"  tee at the lowest price ever!!  We have super soft tees and stylish tank tops that are perfect for riding or just hanging out!  And they make cool gifts, too!

To go to our store, simply click on the beautiful horse that says "Store" on the top right column of the blog!

Happy Shopping!  Your Horse Pal, @raya

P.S.  Whenever you buy anything from our store, you are also helping animals because a portion of all sales goes to animal rescue!  We also have really cute peace t-shirts, too so check them out!

Ha Ha Ha ~ Hyena

Hi, this week I am going to highlight the Hyena  I always thought they were very interesting and fun to learn about.  I also think that they get over looked and that they are very cute as pups.

Here are some fun facts that I learned:

Fact #1 There are four species of Hyena: spotted, brown, striped, and the aardwolf. All hyenas are usually nocturnal. The spotted hyena is the most well known.

Fact #2 Spotted hyenas live in Africa in savannas, grasslands, woodlands, forest edges, subdeserts and mountains. They live in territorial clans of related individuals, sometimes up to 80 members. Spotted hyenas are hunters and scavengers. Besides flesh, they eat skin, bones, and even animal droppings. Spotted hyenas are 28 to 35 inches tall and weigh 90 to 190 pounds. The spotted females are heavier than the males. Spotted hyenas make a variety of sounds: wailing calls, howling screams, and the well-known "laughter," which is used to alert other clan members of a food source.

Striped hyenas live in Africa, Arabia, Asia Minor and India in savanna, thorn bush, and stony desert regions. They weigh from 55 to 121 pounds. Striped and brown hyenas are predominantly scavengers, though they do supplement their diets with small prey from insects to foxes.

The aardwolf, also, lives in Africa. It’s main food source is the harvester termite. They also eat insect larvae, and eggs of ground nesting birds. Aardwolf are smaller than other hyena relatives, weighing only 50 and 60 pounds and standing only 15 to 20 inches tall at the shoulder. Except when raising cubs, aardwolf are solitary animals.

Fact #3  In one feeding frenzy, a spotted hyena can eat up to one third of its body weight.

Fact #4 Hyenas are not related to dogs, although they do have some similar greeting ceremonies.  Spotted hyenas are the largest of three hyena species. Brown and striped hyenas are the other two. Although hyenas appear similar to dogs, they are actually more closely related to cats.

 

Fact #5 Spotted hyena cubs are born with their eyes open!

Fact #6 Typically silent, a striped hyena usually travels unnoticed, noiselessly moving through the brush. Its loudest call is a rarely heard cackling howl. The hyena makes successive rapid, brief whinnies or cackles when it's excited. Threat displays with rival hyenas begin with a growl rising to a roar, followed by a low, snapping lunge.  Spotted hyenas are quite vocal and make a wide variety of sounds, including the "laughing" that has long been associated with their name.

Fact #7  Spotted hyenas have good hearing and sharp eyesight at night. They are fast and can run for long distances without tiring. Packs work together effectively to isolate a herd animal, sometimes one that is ill or infirm, and pursue it to the death. The victors often squabble over the spoils, either among themselves or with other powerful animals like lions.

Fact #8 The common predators of hyenas are the leopard, lion, hunting dogs and crocodile.

Fact #9 Spotted hyenas form groups which are called 'clans', which can grow up to 80 members. 

Fact #10 Carrion is a favorite food, and the stench attracts the hyena by night as it does the vulture by day. In some cases they dig up dead bodies and devour them. They also prey on living animals.

Class: Mammalia (Mammals)
Order: Carnivora 

Family: Hyaenidae

Genus: Hyaena 

Species: hyaena

Body length: 3.2 to 3.9 feet (100 to 120 centimeters)

Tail length: 10 to 14 inches (25 to 35 centimeters) 

Shoulder height: 2 to 3 feet (60 to 94 centimeters) 

Weight: 49 to 121 pounds (22 to 55 kilograms)

Life span: 10 to 12 years in the wild, 20 to 25 years in zoos 

Number of young at birth: 1 to 5 (usually 2 to 4) 

Weight at birth: 25 ounces (700 grams) 

Age of maturity: 2 to 3 years 

With an Oink, Oink Here!

 

Hi Horse Pals ~

Here's a story on one of everyone's favorite farm animals!  Enjoy!

@raya

 

Some of the most famous and well loved animals in children's literature have been Pigs... Babe, Wilbur and Freddie, to name a few.  They are some of my favorite stories and I was excited a reader asked me to write about Pigs! 

Here is what I've learned about pigs:

 

Fact #1 The hog (pig) has existed for at least 45 million years as a stocky, round bodied, flat snouted creature . They come in all sizes from the small pygmy hog (1 foot tall at the shoulder and 13 pounds) to the giant forest hog (40 inches at the shoulder and 300 pounds). Of course, domestic hogs can be much heavier (record is over 2500 pounds)

 

Fact #2 Average lifespan of pigs in the wild is 15-20 years but may be up to 27 years.

 

Fact #3 Litter size varies from 2-12 piglets. Domestic pigs have much larger litters with one of 37 recorded. 

Fact #4 Hair varies from lots of bristles and practically hairless to the curly woolly coats of Ecuador herd hogs. Colors vary too, from the white or black solid and many colors in between to the rust colored with white and black highlights of the Red River Hog.

Fact #5 Pigs have no sweat glands and, therefore, do not sweat. Which means, pigs are clean: they do not sweat and become greasy. They only get dirty when they roll in mud to cool themselves off. Pigs need mud on their body for the following reasons: to cool themselves off (since they can’t sweat) and to keep bugs and other insects off their body.

 

Fact #6 A Pig's best sense is its smell—its long spout is very sensitive and can smell food a few feet below the land surface.

 

Fact #7 The largest pig was a Poland-China hog named "Big Bill." He weighed a portly 2,552 lbs and was so large that he dragged his belly on the ground. He had a shoulder height of 5 feet and a length of 9 feet.  

 

Fact #8 A full grown pig can drink up to 14 gallons of water a day!

Fact #9 The only continent that doesn't have native pigs is Antarctica!

 

Fact #10 A frightened pig can scream as loud as a jet plane taking off! (113 decibels)

 

Jumping For Joy ~ The Kangaroo

Hi Horse Pals ~

I thought the kangaroo would be a fun animal to highlight, so here are some fun facts about the Kangaroo.

Fact #1 The Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) is the largest surviving marsupial anywhere in the world. Fewer in numbers, the Red Kangaroo occupies the arid and semi-arid centre of the country. A large male can be 6 ft 7 in tall and weigh 200 lbs.

Fact #2 Kangaroos are the only large animals to use hopping as a means of locomotion. The comfortable hopping speed for the Red Kangaroo is about 13–16 mph, but speeds of up to 44 mph can be attained, over short distances, while it can sustain a speed of 25 mph for nearly 1 1/4 miles. This fast and energy-efficient method of travel has evolved because of the need to regularly cover large distances in search of food and water, rather than the need to escape predators. To move at slow speeds, it uses its tail to form a tripod with its two forelimbs it then raises its hind feet forward.

Fact #3 Eastern Greys can jump as well as the big Reds: up to 29 feet in one bound, and can reach speeds of nearly 30 mph.

Fact #4 Kangaroos are the only large animals that move by hopping.

Fact #5 The large and strong tail is used for balance when hopping, and as a fifth limb when moving about on all four legs.

Fact #6 All kangaroos are herbivores. The grazers or browsers eat only plant matter.

Fact #7 Kangaroos can survive on very little water; sometimes going for many weeks without it - most of the moisture they need is gained from their food - grass, young shoots and leaves from certain trees.

Fact #8 The Red Kangaroo has long distinctive ears, powerful back legs with long feet and a long thick muscular tail. Its front legs are smaller. The female has a pocket of skin called a pouch on the lower part of her stomach to carry her young.

Fact #9 Kangaroos are sociable and move in groups of 10-12 up to 100. There is usually one dominant male in the group. He will fight outsiders and younger males trying to take over the group.

Fact #10 When a kangaroo is born it is blind and has no fur. The 3/4 of an inch long Joey takes three minute to climb, without help, through the fur on its mother's belly into the her pouch. Once inside, the Joey clamps onto one of her four teats and sucks her milk. For the first four months it doesn't let go of the teat. Once it has a covering of fur the young Joey leaves the pouch for short exploring trips. The Joey stays out for longer periods returning only for milk, until it becomes independent.

I hope you learned as much as I did!

Heads Held High ~ Giraffes!

Hi Horse Pals ~

I love giraffes and had a lot of fun writing about them.  Hope you enjoy these fun facts!

Your Horse Pal, @raya

One of the most beautiful wild animals in the world is the Giraffe! It is the Logo for Toys R Us ... Geoffrey the Giraffe! Here are some fun facts about the Giraffe:

Fact #1 A giraffe eats about 140 pounds of food a day.

Fact #2 At one time it was believed that giraffes were mute but they do make sounds. A form of communication used by giraffes is called infrasound and cannot be heard by humans. Giraffes do grunt, snort and bellow.

Fact #3 The color of a giraffe's coat tends to become darker with age.

Fact #4 A giraffe's neck can measure up to 5 feet in length.

Fact #5 Just like humans, giraffes have seven vertebrae in their necks. Unlike humans, however, each vertebrae is about 5 inches (11 centimeters) long. The neck of an adult giraffe is about six feet long (1.8 meters), and is extremely muscular.

Fact #6 Adult males weigh 2420 to 4250 pounds, females 1540 to 2600 pounds. Males are 9 to 11 feet at the shoulder and 18 to 19 feet at the top of their horns. Females are about 2 feet shorter.

Fact #7 Besides being prehensile, a giraffe's tongue can be 18 inches long.

Fact #8 The Giraffe is the tallest living animal and can reach vegetation that other herbivores cannot. Giraffes eat foliage (broad leafed deciduous and evergreen), grass, shrubs and fruit, and don’t require a lot of water. Their favorite food is the acacia tree. A giraffe browses most of the day and at night they lie down to rest and ruminate.

Fact #9 When giraffes walk they move both right legs forward and then both left. When running they use the back legs first and they move on the outside of the front legs.

Fact #10! Baby giraffes are 6 feet tall and weigh an average of 150 pounds when they are born.

HORSE PAL, DARBY SHARES THE SKYROS PONY :)

 

Hi Horse Pals ~

Horse Pal, Darby sent this and we wanted to share it with all of you.  Enjoy!

 

Here is a pony that I recently found out about. I found a really good site that tells you horse breeds, and about the horses. It is https://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/Horses.htm#R 

Anyway, they have a lot of breeds that I have never even heard of...like this pony, the Skyros Pony.

It is a Greek pony found throughout Greece. It is a light riding and also a draft pony. It is ussually found in the colors white, dun, bay or gray. It also says that the breed is nearly extinct. It's so sad to see many great breeds like the Skyros pony become extinct...

Thanks, Darby!  If anyone else would like to share interesting horse facts, feel free to email us at arayastabledays@gmail.com and we'll post them for you.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, HORSE PALS!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my horse lovin' pals and their horses!!  Make sure you give your horse a big hug and kiss from me today!  I know Dandy is my one and true Valentine!

Here's to sending lots of love to all of your animal friends!!  

Happy, happy Valentine's Day!

Your Horse Pal, @raya

The Water Horse ~ The Hippopotamuses

 

Hi Horse Pals ~

Here's my latest newspaper article.  Aren't these hippos too cute?

@raya

 

Fact #1  Hippopotamuses love water, which is why the Greeks named them the "river horse." Hippos spend up to 16 hours a day submerged in rivers and lakes to keep their massive bodies cool under the hot African sun. Hippos are graceful in water, good swimmers, and can hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes!  However, they are often large enough to simply walk or stand on the lake floor, or lie in the shallows. Their eyes and nostrils are located high on their heads, which allows them to see and breathe while mostly submerged in water.

Fact #2  Amazingly agile for their bulk, hippos are good climbers and often traverse rather steep banks each night to graze on grass. They exit and enter the water at the same spots and graze for four to five hours each night in loop patterns, covering one or two miles, with extended forays up to five miles. Their modest appetites are due to their sedentary life, which does not require high outputs of energy.

 

Fact #3 At sunset, hippopotamuses leave the water and travel overland to graze. They may travel 6 miles in a night, along single-file pathways, to consume some 80 pounds of grass. Considering their enormous size, a hippo's food intake is relatively low. If threatened on land hippos may run for the water—they can match a human's speed for short distances.

Fact #4  Hippos are efficient grazers - their lips are almost two feet wide!

Fact #5  The tusk-like incisors and canines grow continuously. They are ivory, valued even more highly than an elephant’s because they do not turn yellow with age.

Fact #6 With very thick skin, especially over the back and rump, the grayish-brown body is almost completely hairless, with only a few bristles around the mouth and the tip of the tail. The hippo has neither sweat nor sebaceous glands but does have unique glands that produce a viscous red fluid, leading to the myth that hippos "sweat blood."

 Fact #7 Two hippo species are found in Africa. The large hippo, found in East Africa, occurs south of the Sahara. This social, group-living mammal is so numerous in some areas that "cropping" schemes are used to control populations that have become larger than the habitat can sustain. The other, much smaller (440 to 605 pounds) species of hippo is the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). Limited to very restricted ranges in West Africa, it is a shy, solitary forest dweller, and now rare.

 Fact #8 Hippo calves weigh nearly 100 pounds at birth and can suckle on land or underwater by closing their ears and nostrils. Each female has only one calf every two years. Soon after birth, mother and young join schools that provide some protection against crocodiles, lions, and hyenas.

 
Fact #9 A single young is born either on land or in shallow water. In water, the mother helps the newborn to the surface, later teaching it to swim. Newly born hippos are relatively small, weighing from 55 to 120 pounds, and are protected by their mothers, not only from crocodiles and lions but from male hippos that, oddly enough, do not bother them on land but attack them in water.

 Fact #10 Young hippos can only stay under water for about half a minute, but adults can stay submerged up to six minutes. Young hippos can suckle under water by taking a deep breath, closing their nostrils and ears and wrapping their tongue tightly around the teat to suck. This procedure must be instinctive, because newborns suckle the same way on land. A young hippo begins to eat grass at 3 weeks, but its mother continues to suckle it for about a year. Newborns often climb on their mothers' backs to rest.

 

Flight at its highest ~ Birds!

 

Hi Horse Pals ~

Hope you all enjoy this story on birds ...

I love to hear the birds outside my window every morning singing their songs.  There are many types of birds all over the world from  pigeons to swans to bald eagles to hawks!

My top three favorite birds are the bald eagle, blue jay and the cardinal bird.  

Here are some fun facts about birds:

Fact #1  The egg of the hummingbird is the world's smallest bird's egg; the egg of the ostrich, the world's largest.

Fact #2  Precocial birds like chickens, ostriches, ducks, and seagulls hatch ready to move around. They come from eggs with bigger yolks than altricial birds like owls, woodpeckers, and most small songbirds that need a lot of care from parents in order to survive.

Fact #3  The world's only wingless bird is the kiwi of New Zealand.

Fact #4  The only known poisonous bird in the world is the hooded pitohui of Papua, New Guinea. The poison is found in its skin and feathers.

Fact #5  A hummingbird has to fly if it wants to move an inch. Its feet are only strong enough for perching. When it takes off it doesn't spring into the air like most birds do. A moving picture of one taking off from a thin twig showed the twig rising before the bird let go.

Fact #6  An ostrich can run faster than most horses. A large ostrich will sometimes take steps twenty-five feet long.

Fact #7  There are 3 main species of ostriches of which only one, the Struthio Camelus Domesticus (the African Black), is found in captivity.

Fact #8  Hummingbirds are the tiniest birds on the planet. The Bee Hummingbird of Cuba is 2.24 inches long or 5.7 cm, and nearly half of that length is in beak and tail! But not all hummers are tiny. The Giant Hummingbird, which lives in the Andes Mountains from Ecuador to Chile, is 8 inches long—as big as a starling! 

Fact #9  Woodpeckers have stiff tail feathers which act as a brace for moving along vertical tree trunks.

and Fact #10  An average adult bald eagle weighs about nine pounds and is about three feet in height and the wingspan of an eagle measures from 5.5 to 7.5 feet.

I hope you learned as much about birds as I did!  

 

ZooBorns! Cute Baby Wild Animals!

Hi Horse Pals,

I wanted to tell you all about this really great site!  It is called ZooBorns!  It shows you all the baby animals born at zoos from around the world!  

It is very cool.  You can see many different types of animal babies that you may have never seen before!  

Here is a great post from ZooBorns: 

The seven Lion cubs born at the National Zoo are now sporting seven names. Just before the cubs made their debut in the Lion yard yesterday morning, the Zoo announced their names: John, Fahari, Zuri, Lelie, Baruti, Aslan and Lusaka. “We were touched to receive so many thoughtful name suggestions for the cubs from so many different sources,” said Dennis Kelly, director of the Zoo. “Each of the seven final names has a special meaning or connection that the cubs will carry with them during their time here at the National Zoo.”

Photo credits: Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

More [PHOTOS] below the fold...

The names of Shera’s cubs, which were born Aug. 31, are:

John: The sole male in the litter is named after John Berry, who was the Zoo’s director from 2006 to early 2009 and is currently director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Berry helped to bring the cub’s mother Shera, aunt Nababiep and father Luke to the Zoo in 2006.

Fahari (fah-HAH-ree): The National Zoo advisory board chose Fahari, which means “magnificent” in Swahili, for this cub. Keepers say that early in life she was the big eater among both litters and for a long time was larger than all of the other cubs, including her brother. Although that has changed recently, keepers are confident that she will continue to be bigger than life.

Zuri (ZUH-ree): The Friends of the National Zoo board chose the name Zuri for this female cub. Zuri means “beautiful” in Swahili. The lion keepers say it is a fitting name for a cub whose coat is thicker, plusher and redder than the others in the pride.

Lelie (la-LEE-ay): Lelie is the winning female name submitted by a first-grade classroom at Marshall Elementary School in Manassas, Va., in the Name a Cub: Cam Contest, which the Zoo hosted with the Washington Post. Lelie is Afrikaans for “lily,” and the students selected it because lilies are common at Kruger Park, which is the largest national park in South Africa and provides refuge to about 2,000 African lions.

The names of Nababieps cubs, which were born Sept. 22, are:
Baruti (ba-ROO-tee): Baruti is the winning male name submitted by a daycare class at Bright Horizons Child Care & Education at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., in the Name a Cub: Cam Contest. Baruti is an African name meaning “teacher,” which the class thought was appropriate for a lion that keepers describe as “quiet” and “calm.”

Aslan: This cub received his name Dec. 10, when Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes, actors in The Chronicles of Narnia movies, visited the Zoo to reveal that the cub would be named Aslan after the lion in the films.

Lusaka (lu-SAH-ka): The name Lusaka holds a special place at the Zoo—it is the name of the beloved 18-year-old lioness that died at the Zoo last January. The lion keepers decided it would be a nice tribute to the lion who they considered the matriarch of the lion/tiger house and describe as having an “overload of personality.” Keepers picked this cub in particular because she was Nababieps’s sole female cub, and sometimes they see the older Lusaka reflected in Nababiep’s disposition.

Both litters were sired by Luke, who was the Zoo’s sole male lion until the birth of the cubs. The two litters are the result of years of careful research and observation and the first for the Zoo in more than 20 years. Starting Dec. 20, lion keepers will decide on a day-to-day basis whether the cubs will spend any time in the yard, how long they will be out and when. This decision will be based on weather and how the cubs adjust to being outdoors.

Lions are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as the result of climate change, hunting and habitat loss. 

I love love looovvvveee Lions!  :)

Every so often I will put a post from Zooborns and put it on my blog for Horse Pals to see.

Your Horse Pal, Araya

 

Leaping Beauties --- Gazelles

 

Hi Horse Pals ~

Happy New Year!  Hope you all are having a great 2011 so far!

Here's a story I wrote for the paper I thought you animal lovers might like:

Our friend reported that her favorite wild animal is the Gazelle so I've decided to highlight this amazing animal this week!  It has been a lot of fun learning more about the Gazelle!  I was most impressed by their leaping abilities.  I watched some online footage of them running and leaping and jumping and they are so graceful and beautiful.

  

Here are some fun facts and interesting information about the Gazelle ~

Fact #1 Gazelles are antelopes of the genus Gazella. They are generally small, delicate herbivores with tawny coloring, white underbellies, and heavily ringed horns. Most of the 19 species of gazelles inhabit Africa, but some can be found in Southwest and Central Asia. The majority of gazelles prefer open, grassy plains, living in herd sizes as small as 8 individuals to hundreds of animals. Their diet of grass, scrub and leaves keeps them constantly grazing and they have little need for water, being able to extract moisture from their food.

Fact #2 Even with all of the many predators, the Thomson's Gazelle and Grant's Gazelle thrive with impressive numbers. The Grant's Gazelle inhabits a wider range of territory in Africa while the Thomson's Gazelle has a larger population. Both species share grazing ground and the herds frequently intermingle. Even so, to tell them apart is fairly simple. The Thomson's Gazelle or Tommie, is smaller and has a striking black band, stretching from shoulder to hip, bisecting their tan and white coloring. Tommys are exceptionally alert and rely heavily upon their impressive senses of hearing, sight and smell to detect any threat.

Fact #3 Some gazelles, especially those that live in desert regions, are critically endangered. The Sand Gazelle, Cuvier's Gazelle and Dama Gazelle are among those who have seen their populations drastically decline in the last few decades. Drought, habitat destruction and poaching are all to blame. Laws and regulations have been passed to protect these species, but they are infrequently enforced so these gazelles continue to reduce in number.

Fact #4  The Sand Gazelle is not a leaper, but instead eludes predators with incredible bursts of speed, sometimes reaching 60 miles per hour.

Fact #5 Most gazelles give birth to one fawn, but it is not uncommon for the Cuvier's Gazelle to have twins.

Fact #6  The Dama Gazelle is the largest of the species, weighing about 190 lbs and standing about 42" high at the shoulder.

Fact #7  Characterized by their long slender legs, gazelles are medium-sized antelope. They are swift runners and jumpers, and when nervous or excited, will exhibit a behavior called pronking, a method of locomotion where the animal jumps vertically into the air with an arched back and lands on all four rigidly straight legs. Why gazelles do this is not clear. Some theories suggest that by making themselves more noticeable, they are signaling to predators that they are aware of the danger, or they may be showing off their fitness and strength to intimidate animals on the prowl for a meal.

Fact #8 Speke's gazelles have three to five folds of skin around their nose. It can be inflated to create a warning sound resembling a honking noise.

Fact #9 These grazing antelopes live in herds, which can consist of as few as ten or as many as several hundred animals. During the plentiful rainy season, thousands of animals can be seen gathering in large groups. 

And fact #10 Gazelles typically frequent wide-open spaces and plains, where they browse on grasses, shoots, and leaves.

I hope you learned as much as I did!  Also, if you what to see the cutest wild animal babies then go to https://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/page/1/ to see baby animals from all around the world!  I love the site!

Araya

EMERGENCY RESCUE - FUNDS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY TO SAVE 96 FOALS/MARES

Hi Horse Pals ~

We just received this email from another Horse Pal and wanted to help spread the word!  Please let other horse lovers know about this!

Thank you, @raya and @very

EMERGENCY RESCUE - FUNDS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY TO SAVE 96 FOALS/MARES 

96 Mares and Foals being sold to highest bidders in Fallon, Nevada Livestock auction.  Need $100 per horse to save from slaughter.  

Please help right now! 

https://www.wildhorserescue.org/

No time for photos, or descriptions.  

These are Paiute reservation wild horses.  They brought 363 horses to the sale.  We can't save them all - but we can try to save the babies and their moms. 

Please help NOW!  

Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue  

KING OF THE JUNGLE: THE LION

Hi Horse Pals ~

Here's my latest story for the newspaper ... thought you might enjoy it!  Had a great jumping week with Dandy ... hope you did, too!!

Your Horse Pal, @raya

I have always loved wild animals! They are all so different and have a special way of life! But my favorite of all is the lion! They are all so royal and magical! I espcially love the males with their manes! I wanted to learn more about lions and here are some interesting facts I found:

Fact #1 --- The Lion (Panthera leo) is the only big cat that lives in social groups. These groups are called prides and consist of 3 to 30 lions. The females are often related and share care of the cubs, including suckling. The lionesses do the majority of hunting with some driving prey towards an ambush of other waiting lionesses.

Fact #2 --- Lion cubs weight about three pounds at birth. By age 2, they are good hunters. They are full grown at 5 to 6 years of age. A litter usually is 2 to 3 cubs. Adult male lions weigh 330 to 500 pounds, females 265 to 400 pounds. Height is 3.5 feet (females) to 4 feet (males). Length 4 ½ to 8 ¼ feet, with the males at the higher end of the range. Lions are the second largest feline. The tiger is actually the biggest wild cat.

Fact #3 ---- Male lions begin to grow their manes at about 18 months old. It continues to grow until they are 5. 

Fact #3 ---- The Swahili word for lion is simba. It also means king, strong, and aggressive. 

Fact #4 ----- Lionesses are more agile and faster than male lions. Both male and female lions roar.

Fact #5 ---- Lions lie around for 21 hours a day.

Fact #6 ---- Lions can go 5 to 6 days without drinking water.

Fact #7 ---- Lion cubs have spots at birth that disappear with age.  

Fact #8 ---- Lion is known as the king of beasts for his bravery and fighting skills!

Fact #9 ---- The average lifespan of lions in the wild is 15 years but they may life up to 25 years or beyond in captivity.

Fact #10 --- White lions were found to exist in the late 20th century. The pale color of their coats is due to a recessive gene. 

There is also a big cat called a liger. It is the world's largest big cat. An average male liger weighs over 900 pounds and stands almost 12 feet tall. Ligers have a mane like a lion and stripes like a tiger. The reason that they are called a liger is because the father was a lion and the mother was a tiger. If the situation was reversed and the mother was a lion and the father was a tiger, he would be called a tigon, and would be a dwarf instead of a giant. A fully grown tigon is usually less that 350 lbs. Ligers are not sterile, and they can reproduce. If the mother was a lion and the father was a tiger it would be called a tigon. 

MISTY MORNING ... MY CAT RESCUE STORY

Hi Horse Pals ~

Here's a story I recently wrote for my friend's newspaper.  Hope you enjoy it!

@raya

One day when I was dog walking, I saw a cat in the road and I tried to get her off the road and she ran!  She was an all grey cat and was very scared!  I had never seen her before and I wondered where she came from!?  She was very wild!

And then one day when we went out to feed our cat, Keyoh, we saw her again!  She was looking at us as if to say "Can I have some?"  So we put another food bowl out in our yard for her so that she did not have to be so close to the house so she could feel safe.  We tried to pet her many times but every time she would run!  Every day we would just put the food bowl closer to our house and then one day she came up to it and laid on the porch.  We slowly opened the door and she stayed!  We sat near our door for a few minutes and then we tried to get closer and she still stayed!  We sat there for a few more minutes and then she came to us!  She let us pet her and then she went back to the food!  And from then on, she has let us pet her!  We tried to come up with a name for her and then we came up with Misty!  We thought it was the greatest name for her!  She is a small cat and has long gray hair.  She has green, yellow eyes and is very beautiful!  And now she runs up to us and meows for food.

We love helping animals and I think that we helped Misty find someone who will always make sure that she is OK, and that is what animal rescues do!  I have always wanted to help animals and love to donate money and other things that the animal rescues need!  You can go to any animal rescue in your neighborhood and donate things that your pets don't use - food, money and some animal shelters have a list of things they need!  With the holidays around the corner, remember to add animal rescues to your holiday giving!

   

A DAY IN THE LIFE ... MY DREAM HORSE BARN

Hi Horse Pals,

One day my dream is to own a horse barn and give lessons there. It would be called Moonlight Meadows Stable. We would specialize in English and jumping. It would have 10 horse stalls and 3 out door pens, a lounge, a tack room, hay and feed room, and indoor arena and two out door arenas. It would also have a big pasture for the horses. I made a model of the barn last year and have been wanting to share it with you. I made the roof removable so I can just life it off and you can see inside. Hope you enjoy the pictures! I had a lot of fun making it!

Your Horse Pal, Erica

A DAY IN THE LIFE ... A SHOW JUMPER!

Hi Horse Pals ~

Horse Pal, Elizabeth just sent us these awesome shots of her and Snickers.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

@raya and @very

WELCOME NEW HORSE PAL HANNAH FROM ENGLAND :)

Hi Horse Pals ~

We want to send out a warm welcome to our newest Horse Pal from England, Hannah!  We look forward to hearing more about your riding adventures.

Your Horse Pals, @raya and @very

My name is Hannah.  I  am 12 years old and I love horses when I grow up I would love to be an equine vet so I can work with world horse welfare.  I live in england and love Stable Days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) This is Toby. He belongs to my riding school and I love him so so so much. He is bright bay with a blaze down his face. Toby is a cheeky pony always looking for treats!! He is 12.hh so I have grown out of him but I still love him and would love to see him in the stable days blog.

2) This is Missy. Missy also belongs to my riding school and I love her. She is great at dressage and she is an ambitious jumper. She looks after her riders well although she can come off the track if you are not careful. Missy is dark bay and it would be great to see her in the stable days blog.

3)  I do not have a pic of Summer.  She is a 14.2 connemara cross, she is not mine but I ride her and look after her when her owner is at work. She is good as gold and if you fall off she will stand by you untill you are ready to get back on again.

PRESIDENTS AGREE ... DOG IS MAN'S BEST FRIEND!

Hi Horse Pals ~

Here is another article I wrote for the newspaper that I thought you might all enjoy!

As you know, I am a HUGE dog lover, along with the rest of the world!  Did you know that it is the most popular animal in the world?  And our U.S. Presidents agree!  Throughout history, Presidents have owned and loved dogs making them famous during their White House years and beyond.

Here are some fun facts about Presidents and their canine companions!

The first U.S. President George Washington owned 10 Hounds called Mopsey, Taster, Cloe, Tipler, Forester, Captain, Lady Rover, Vulcan, Sweetlips and Searcher.

Abraham Lincoln owned at least 2 dogs and their names were Fido and Jip.

Theodore Roosevelt owned a Pit bull Terrier named Pete, a Chesapeake Retriever named Sailor Boy, a Terrier named Jack, a mongrel named Skip and a Spaniel named Manchu.

Calvin Coolidge owned at least 12 dogs:

A Terrier (Peter Pan), an
Airedale (Laddie Buck/Paul Pry),
2 White Collies (Oshkosh/Rob Roy and Prudence Primm), a
Shetland Sheepdog (Calamity Jane),
2 Chows (Tiny Tim and Blackberry), a
Brown Collie (Ruby Rough), a
Yellow Collie (Bessie), a
Bulldog (Boston Beans), a
Police Dog (King Kole) and a
Bird Dog (Palo Alto).  That is a lot of dogs!

President John F. Kennedy owned the following dogs:
Welsh Terriers - Charlie and Pushinka,
German Shepherd – Clipper,
Irish Cocker Spaniel – Shannon,
Irish Wolfhound – Wolf,
Terriers - White Tips, Blackie and Streaker. 
John F. Kennedy was the first President to request that his dogs meet the presidential helicopter when the President arrived at the White House.
 Soviet Premier Kruschev gave him a dog named Pushinka who was the offspring of the Russian space dog Strelka.  Pushinka had 4 puppies of her own puppies who JFK called “pupniks”!  Pushinka often made the President laugh by climbing up the ladder to Caroline's tree house. The Prime Minister of Ireland gave JFK the Irish Cocker Spaniel, Shannon.

Richard Nixon owned 4 dogs:
 Spaniel (Checkers), an
Irish Setter (King Timahoe), a
Terrier (Pasha) and a
Poodle (Vicky)
When he entered the White House a member of his staff gave him the Irish Setter, King Timahoe, which he named for the little village in Ireland where his mother’s ancestors came from.

Gerald Ford owned a Golden Retriever named Liberty who gave birth to nine puppies at the White House.

George H W Bush owned a Springer Spaniel called Millie and her puppy named Ranger. "Millie", the Springer Spaniel, is the subject of a book that has sold more copies than the autobiography of George Bush himself.

President George W Bush's dogs include a Scottish Terrier named Barney and an English Springer spaniel named Spot. Spot was named after Scott Fletcher, a former Texas Rangers baseball player. President Bush's dog Spot is the only dog to live in the White House during two administrations. Spot was born to Millie, George H.W. Bush's dog, when George H.W. Bush was President. Spot was given to his son George W. Bush who returned the Terrier to the White House for his term of office.

And President Obama and his family have a Portuguese Water Dog named Bo who now calls the White House home.  Bo was a gift from Sen. Ted Kennedy, who owns three dogs of the same breed, known for high spirits and said to be a good fit for kids with allergies.

It doesn’t matter what breed or age or name a dog goes by; it is clearly man’s best friend!

MY FAVORITE HORSES ... VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE HORSE!

Horse Pal Shanae sent us these beautiful horse photos and we thought it would be fun to have Horse Pals vote for their favorite!  Just leave us a comment and let us know what you think.

Shanae wrote:  The black one is Midnight 15.03hh Male and the Palomino is 15.05hh Female and both are Quarter horses.

 

FINALIST IN ART CONTEST ... ART UNLEASHED!

Hi Horse Pals ~

I just got exciting news today that I am a finalist in an art contest I entered!  I chose to draw a picture of Madison, my adorable canine friend who is currently training for Seeing Eye Dogs of America.  You may remember her; I wrote a story about her a while back that I posted on the blog.  She will be a wonderful canine companion to a very lucky person.

If you go to the link below, you can vote for Madison!!  Here is the picture I drew:

Congratulations, artists. You are the finalists in Art Unleashed: A Contest for Kids!

 

Visit www.cci.org/artunleashed to see your artwork online and vote for the winning entry. There is no limit to the number of votes you can cast before November 1 when the survey closes. Tell your friends and families to vote for your creations!

 

Thank you again for participating in Art Unleashed: A Contest for Kids. The contest is in celebration of the new Los Angeles office of Canine Companions for Independence. Canine Companions provides assistance dogs to people with disabilities completely free of charge. We appreciate your support.

 

TAKE THE TEST ... WHAT COLOR HORSE ARE YOU?

Horse Pal, Shanae has sent in this test for our Horse Pals to take. Answer the questions below in a comment and Shanae will tell you what color horse you are!!

Thanks, Shanae!

Your Horse Pal, @raya

1.  What is your favorite color?

2.  What type of horse rider are you?

3.  How long have you had horse/s?

HAPPY FREEDOM DAY, HORSE PALS!

Happy 4th of July to all of our Horse Pals and their horses!!  Have a great day and enjoy these awesome photos.

Your Horse Pals, @raya and @very

 


  
 

CHECK OUT OUR NEW STABLE DAYS STORE FOR AWESOME HORSE GIFTS!

Hi Horse Pals ~

Avery and I are so excited to launch our own Stable Days Store!  Click on the store button located on the right column at the top of our blog to check it out.

We have created a "Live Your Passion" line of products that go with our motto of 'playing hard and living free'.  We helped design these t-shirts and tote bags and hope you all like them. 

 

You will also find our Stable Days DVD for sale in our store.

The cool thing about buying any products in our store is that you are also helping animals because we donate a portion of all of our sales to animal rescue.

Our t-shirts and tote bags make great gifts for all your family and friends.

Happy shopping, @raya and @very

P.S.  We are in the process of designing a dog tee so check back soon!!

  

WELCOME NEW HORSE PAL, JAZMINE FROM TEXAS! :)

Hi!!!

My name is Jazmine (AKA. Jaz!!) I have just found your site!  I love horses!!  My name is Jazmine.  I'm 13. I live in Austin, Texas.  

My Mom breeds Arabs and I will take over the job after her.

I have 6 horses but my favourite is Chelsea; she's a chestnut Arab!!!!  Chelsea is a bit hard to take a picture with because shes always running!!!  Here she is running her heart out!!

My Dad is a photographer; he takes awesome shots of all Mom's horses.

All the other 5 horses include Benny a Shetland pony gelding, Salsa a chestnut Australian stock horse mare, Tino a black Arabian stallion (Mom uses him for her breeding!), Angus a Shetland mare and Roxi a Chestnut Mini!!

I ride mostly English but my favourite is endurance and just free riding i call it!!

I've been riding ever since i can remember and am absolutely in LOVE with it!

Here are some pics of my horses!

Benny

 

Salsa
 

Tino
 

Angus
 

Roxi

I hope you enjoy the info about me!!  ~jaz~

A DAY AT THE BARN WITH HORSE PAL, KYLA :)

Hi Horse Pals ~

You may remember a while back when our cousin Kyla came to our barn and fell in love with horses.  Since then, she has been taking riding lessons in Northern California and she LOVES it!!  

This week she visited us at our stable and we had an awesome day!  Kyla and her brother Jake helped me run Dandy before our ride and we made a great grooming team.  Dandy was very spoiled. 

After my training session with Lisa and Dandy, I trained Kyla on Dandy and she had a blast!!  It was a lot of fun.  She rode in a round pen and trotted and posted nicely.  Dandy took very good care of her.

 After, we gave Dandy a bath together and some of her favorite treats.  It was a perfect barn day!!

Your Horse Pal, @raya

WELCOME NEW HORSE PAL, ERICA :)

Hi Horse Pals ~

I wanted to welcome our newest Horse Pal, Erica who I've had a lot of fun corresponding with! 

Erica plans to contribute to the blog, too so keep an eye out for her posts!!

Your Horse Pal, @raya

Hi, my name is Erica. 

I found out about Araya's site last summer and we have been E-mailing for a while. But now I am excited I can join the Horse Pals Club, because it seems like a lot of fun. I have been riding since I was about 8. I ride English style and I just started jumping last winter. Jumping is awesome!!! I don't have a horse of my own, but I take lessons. Right now I am riding a Quarter Horse named Charlie. He is awesome and lots of fun to ride. 

Have a great summer!

Your Horse Pal,  `~`~*Erica

WELCOME NEW HORSE PALS, MEG AND CLAIRE FROM AUSTRALIA :)

Hi Horse Pals ~

Meg and Claire have been following the Stable Days blog for a while and just joined our Horse Pals Club.  Here is what they wrote to share with you all:

Here is some info about us ...

We are cousins and are best friends! We live in Perth, Western Australia.

We are both 12 years old and we share a welsh (section A) Pony called Clyde.

We have both been riding ever since we can remember and my mum used to have an Australian stock horse called Fancy but she died of old age a couple of years ago...

We are both BIG fans of Stable Days and wanted to be a part of the growing club!

Your horse Pals Meg and Claire

Sadly my friends dont really understand why we love horses so much and they are more into shopping and netball and things.....

Only people who share the love understand!!

DARBY'S HORSE TRAINING TIPS

Hi Araya! I have another couple of tips about training, if you want to post them. :)  Darby 

#1: After you work with your horse, and it is a new horse, freshly getting trained, tie it up and let it sit for 30 minutes, so that the horse can think about what it has just learned/did.

#2: Always do groundwork and desensitizing, even if your horse is bomb proof, it is always good to keep the horse up to date.

#3: If you can't ride a horse that needs riding due to an injury or whatever, take your horse on walks, so that it still gets normal exercise.

#4: It is a fun and good idea to keep a horse log. That's what I do, I list the horse's names and show names, and what I did with them that day, and I date it with the day that I did it. Today I wrote that I put Patches' bangs up in a ponytail, lifted her feet up and filled her water trough. Just keep a diary on your horses, like brushing them, today I didn't brush the horses, because they don't need it every day because they are going to get dirty anyway, so I wrote that I didn't brush them.

Thanks for the tips, Darby!  I love the idea of keeping a horse log.  Sometimes I feel like the blog is my log!  If anyone else has any training tips, feel free to send them our way and we'll post them for all of our Horse Pals.

EXCITING NEWS ... DARBY MAY GET A NEW HORSE!

Hi Horse Pals ~

We got this exciting email from Darby that we wanted to pass along.  If anyone has any name ideas, please post a comment!!  Keep us posted, Darby.  BTW, love the drawings, they're awesome!!  He looks like a beauty.  Araya and Avery

P.S. Darby's great drawings reminded us that we would love to see any of your animal art and share it in our Stable Mates' Art where we just added Darby's artwork.  Check it out!

I might get this new horse, that is a QH and he is a line back dun, but I don't know what to name him. I am thinking about Buddy. I drew a picture of him on paint, and I attached it to this email. Have a look and tell me what you think! It's not a very good drawing, but I don't have any pics of him yet. He is a champ roper! He tags along like a dog too, and he is kinda red colored, but a dun, and he has a completely red blaze, and white socks under black points!

JUMPING JIMMY!

Hi Horse Pals,

Avery and I have both been riding Jimmy a bit lately.  I have been having a lot of fun jumping with him.  He's been really good!  We jumped a line and a bounce! It was so fun.  I feel like I learn a lot from jumping him.

At first he was a little spookish, but after we jumped some more, he was fine.  The bounce had three jumps and the line had four strides. Jimmy is aa Arab/Clydesdale cross.  

Here are some photos of Jimmy and me jumping:

 

P.S.  I rode him again yesterday!  He was so good!  We worked on flatwork and he did great!

Q&A: ADVICE FOR HORSE SEPARATION ANXIETY

Horse Pal Darby has a question and she would love our Horse Pals' feedback.  Maybe some of you who live on a farm can help with her dilemma.

Question: Okay I have a Quarab horse named Denali, and her companions are 2 miniature horses named Patches and Latte. I also have a Tennessee Walking Horse named Salsa who is at my uncles so that doesn't help, but any way, when I take Latte out of the pen, Denali totally forgets that Patches is there and goes crazy. I think that it is separation but she runs the whole length of the pasture which is about 6 or 7 acres and she ends up covered in sweat and one time she had a bloody nose from it. I don't know what to do because I need to take the miniature horses out to train them better, but I don't want Denali to run through the fence or hurt herself. Do you have any advice?

THE TRAINING ADVENTURES OF LATTE, THE ADORABLE MINIATURE

Hey guys!!! I decided to do a post on my sister's miniature horse Latte!!!! She is SO pretty! Right now she is still under training though, there are some things that we need to work on, but she is doing totally great, amd I am training her all by myself! I am training her to be western saddle broke. Today I took her out and tied her to our new horse trailer and she was a little jumpy, not too bad though. She kept pacing and walking as far as the lead rope would reach, but she didn't rear or buck and kick. So I gave her a couple of treats and brushed her till she shined. She is SO beautiful, I wish you could see her in person, you would absolutely fall in love with her!!! She is also just the sweetest little thing, although she bites. But all miniature horses bite. She is also VERY funny! When she walks her bangs bounce, it's like her whole mane and tail are on the top of her head, she has such a thick mane! She is Green Broke I would say, because you can put the saddle and blanket on her and tighten the cinch, and lead her around, but she has some flaws. She is scared to death of the wood cutter, but we will work on that. Patches looks like she will get another white patch right on her cheek! And Denali is pretty much the same, just a calm-crazy little horse. And Salsa, well she was about 4 1/2 feet tall when i first saw her and now she is 6 feet tall.  by Darby

P.S.  That's so awesome you're training Latte, Darby!  I love training horses, too!  

FANCY PAWS: Big, Small, We Walk Them All! by Araya

Hi Horse Pals - 

Here's my latest article for our friend, Michaela's newspaper.  Avery and I are SO excited about our new business!  Check it out!!

Your Horse Pal, @raya

My sister Avery and I, have started a dog walking business.  We wanted to help dogs with dogs and we thought this would be the best way to do that.  A portion of our profits is going to Seeing Eye Dogs of America.  We  came up with the name of our dog walking business, Fancy Paws, and then we made flyers that described our services.  We distributed the flyers in our neighborhood and the next day, we got a call!  It was from our neighbor.  They have a Boxer dog and he is ten years old.  He is white with brown dots and his name is Sparky.  He is SO cute!  When we first walked him, he was so good!  We went around out neighborhood and when we brought him home, he tried to follow us home!  The next time we walked him, he was so happy to see us!  He ran around and we when we were on our way, he lead us to where we went last time!  It was too funny!  We now walk Sparky every Saturday and Sunday.

Here are a few pictures of him:

I can’t wait for the next walk with Sparky! 

WESTERN RIDING BY DARBY

Hey Araya, you probably know mostly about English riding, so I wanted to make a post telling more about western riding. That way everybody can learn about both riding styles, although there are more styles like Australian.  So, here it is:

In Western riding, you use a western saddle. A western saddle is very different from the other saddles because of the horn on the front of the saddle. To some people western saddles are so comfortable because of the horn. Western saddles are a very good saddle for beginning riders because it has the horn to grab onto, even though that doesn't help the balance part of it. :). The most famous western riding horse is of course the Quarter horse. The first pure Quarter horses were sired by Copper Bottom and Steel Dust, so if you ever ask a rancher what the first pure Quarter horse studs were, they will probably tell you those two horses, but infact the first sire that ever helped make the quarter horse was a thoroughbred stallion named Janus. Dan Tucker is also one of the first pure quarter horses, he sired the great Peter McCue and he was the grandsire of Joe Hancock. There are 3 different types of Quarter Horses: Bulldog, Thoroughbred, and Intermediate. The Bulldog type has massive muscles, large hindquarters and shoulders and a belly that is large also. The Thoroughbred type is the sleekest type, with muscles but they are the fastest, they are very lean, they have fine bone, and their legs are sleeker than the other types as well. The last type has large muscle, good bone, a short back and deep body, the head is short, broad and full at the jowl, the ear small, and the neck full. The quarter horses are found in most colors, although in National Registry paints, pintos and appaloosas are not permitted. In Western RIding you can do reining, western jumping, cutting, trail riding, competitive trail riding, extreme cowboy, racing, barrel racing, pole bending, cowgirl chick, mounted shooting, parade, bronc busting, bareback bronc, saddle bronc, western pleasure,goat tieing, roping, branding, dragging, bulldogging or steer wrestling,penning, cowboy polo, hide and seek, and flag game.

Dictionary:

Reining~Reining is when you are doing a show, your horse will do rollbacks, spins, left lead circles(big and small), right lead circles(big and small), sliding stops, flying change, rundown, backup, and pausing.

Rollbacks~Rollbacks are after your horse does a sliding stop, the horse does the sliding stop, and turns around its hind feet staying where they are and their front feet in the air turning with the horses body.

Spins~Spins are when your horse is at one place, the horse turns much like a rollback. The horses hind feet stay where they are but the front feet jump up and down so that the horse goes in a very fast circle. This movement has to be done both right and left ways.

Circles~The circles in reining are when the horse goes from walking to loping on the right lead, without trotting. If a horse is going to do a right circle the horse must extend its right leg farther than its left leg, and it must start out walking but start loping on the right lead without trotting. The horse will do this in both big and small cirlces, and in both leads. 

Slidin Stops~Sliding Stops are when the horse gathers speed going faster every stride that it takes until it reaches a full gallop, then it will stop and slide. Before doing a rollback to turn the opposite direction.

Flying Changes~A flying lead change is ussualy seen in English riding, during dressage. A flying lead change is when the horse changes leads in mid stride.

Rundown~A rundown is when the horse gallops somewhere along 20 feet from the rail and then does the sliding stop. The rundown is just running down the fence.

Backup~The backup is when the horse backs up very quickly in a strate line for 10 feet and then pauses before going onto the next activity.

Pausing~The pausing is stopping for a few minutes before going onto the next activity. 

Lope~A lope is the same gait as a canter.

Walk~The walk is when the horse is in its most relaxing gait, and the slowest gait.

Trot~The trot is when the horse does the next gait after the walk, and before the lope, usualy riders post when trotting, even if they are riding western or english.

Gallop~The gallop is the fastest gait for the horse.

Right Lead~Right lead is when the horses right front leg and back right leg are extending farther than the horses left legs.

Left Lead~Left lead is when the horses left front leg and left hind leg are extending farthar than the horses right legs. 

Western Jumping~Western Jumping is a lot like Cross Counrty English Riding. The horses and rider jump over trees, and other obstacles that you might find if you were working cattle.

Wading~Wading is when the horse goes into a lake or pond or river etc. that the horse has to swim or is deep enough that the horse can tough or barely tough.

Gait~A gait is a horses natural speeds, trotting, walking, loping, and galloping.

Posting~Posting is when you sit up and down in time with the horses movements, when trotting.

Cutting~Cutting is when there is a herd of cattle and the horse cuts one out of the herd, then follows it, stopping shortly every time the cow stops so that it cant get back to its herd.

Trail Riding~Trail riding is a favorite for all riders, trail riding is a relaxing ride through the forest, mountains, valleys, canyons etc.

Competitive Trail Riding~Competitive trail riding is when riders go through a trail trying to stay in their own time limit, not under or over.

Extreme Cowboy~Extreme cowboy is when you and your horse go through a series of obstacles, curtains, wading, penning, shooting, circles etc.

Racing~Western racing is racing another cowboy to the finish to get a free rootbeer.

Barrel Racing~Barrel racing is when you go through a cloverleaf pattern, trying to beat everyone elses time and trying not to knock any barrels.

Pole Bending~Pole bending is weaving throught the poles trying not to knock any over and trying to beat evveryone elses time also.

Cowgirl Chick~Cowgirl chick is standing on the horses back or saddle loping around, doing tricks with your horse such as saddle spins, and side riding. You would weave VERY close to another person and then separat VERY far apart.

Mounted Shooting~Mounted shooting is going through a maze shooting targets, such as bloons, and getting to the finish with out missing any bloons and beating other peoples times.

Parade~Parade is just as it says, parade, you ride around town all dressed up with your horse.

Bronc Busting~Bronc busting is training a young horse.

Bareback Bronc~Bareback bronc is riding a bronc bareback and holding on tight for 8 seconds and beating everyone elses time.

Saddle Bronc~Saddle bronc is riding the bronc with a saddle and holding on tight for 8 seconds and beating everyone elses time. 

Western Pleasure~Western Pleasure is a show that you just ride freely, or riding freely anywhere.

Roping~Roping is divided into: Breakaway roping, tiedown roping, heeler and header in team roping.

 Breakaway Roping~Is when you rope the calfs head with no other teammate.

Tiedown Roping~Tiedown roping is roping the steer than jumping off of your horse to tie the steers legs together, the steer cant get up until 6 or 8 seconds, depends on the show.

Team Roping~Is when you have a teammate and you are either a header or a heeler.

Heeler~Is when you rope the steers back feet.

Header~Is when you rope the steers head.

Goat Tieing~Is when you race up on your horse and tie the goats feet together, it cant get up for 6-8 seconds again it depends on the show.

Branding~Is when your horse drags steers to the branding iron. 

Dragging~Is when a calf is roped then dragged to the branding iron to get branded.

Bulldogging~Is when a horse runs up along a cow and the guy jumps off the horse grabbing the steers head and pins the steer to the ground.

Penning~Is when you drive a steer from pen to pen with your horse. 

Cowboy Polo~Is polo with a western saddle.

Hide And Seek~Is when you and your horse hide while a group of riders and horses try to find you.

Flag Games~Is when one team has a flag and hides it and the other team doesnt watch. then the other team tries to find the flag while your team tries to defend the flag, blocking it from the other teams hands.

IN HONOR OF SONNY, THE AMAZING HORSE, BY NINA

Hi Horse Pals!  Our Horse Pal, Nina wrote this beautiful poem in honor of Sonny, a horse she recently lost.

Hi Araya, 

I just heard today that one of my school horses was put down today. He broke his shoulder and there was no way to fix it and he was really old too.  His name was Sonny and here is a poem that I wrote for him:

Sonny, We love you.  You were such a great horse.  You still are a great horse.  I know that you are in a much better place now.  You were so fun to ride. I miss you so so so much!  You were the best horse in the barn.  I LOVE YOU SONNY!!

WELCOME NEW HORSE PAL, DELANEY FROM TEXAS! :)

Hi I'm Delaney from Roosevelt, Texas. 

I have three horses. There are Roany,Dollar,and Blaze. Roany is a 21 year old roan Quarter Horse.  We have been working with him and we are supposed to be doing competitive trail riding, barrels, and poles in the summer. Dollar is a Thoroughbred/Quarter Horse mix and Blaze is a Shetland/Welsh Pony mix. 

I do barrel racing and poles. Horses are actually my favorite animals. My favorite breeds are Quarter Horses,Paints and Appaloosas.  Roany is actuallly a heel horse. I ride Western but I like hearing about English news!!!! 

And I love your guys' website. Did you know that I actually am very close to the world-famous roper Ollie Smith?!?!? And I know Houston Power who's dad was a winner in the NFR!!!!!!!!!

Your Horse Pal, Delaney

Q&A: HOW DO I OVERCOME SHOW NERVES?

Araya~

The show season is aproaching, and Snickers and I are going to a show next weekend. Lots of times when i go to a show, i get nervous and forget a lot that i have learned, and then i can't do my best. people always tell me "just ride!" but it doesn't help. any tips?  ~Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth ~

That's a great question and one that every rider feels at some point.  I think we can take inspiration from watching the Olympic athletes - when we are in the show ring, that is our time to keep complete focus and know that we have been working hard to get to this moment.  

I noticed when I was watching the skiers how they went through the entire course on top of the hill before they even started skiing and that is what I do when I have a jumping course.  This way you can work through whatever issues you or your horse may have at a certain turn or jump before you even get there.

And deep breathing comes in real handy to overcome nerves!  Remember, each course is an opportunity to do your best and have fun!!

Hope this helps.  Here's to a wonderful show season!!

Your Horse Pal, @raya

HORSE PAL, NINA SHARES FUN PHOTOS :)

Hi Araya,

I just found these photos and I thought maybe you could put them on the blog.

In the one photo where it looks like i am laughing, my friend was behind the camera because I didn't want my pic taken.

 the palomino is a lesson horse named Cheerio.

The black is a lesson horse named Buck and that was my first horse show(at the barn) where I did jumping.

thank you so much.  write back.  Nina

Thanks for the great photos, Nina!!  We always enjoy seeing Horse Pals riding!!  Happy jumping!!

Your Horse Pals, @raya and Avery

P.S.  The black horse is really pretty ... what breed is he or she?

WELCOME NEW HORSE PAL, AVERY FROM MICHIGAN! :)

Hi Horse Pals ~

Please welcome our first new Horse Pal in 2010, Avery!! We look forward to learning more about you and seeing lots more photos of you and Honcho.

Your Horse Pals, @raya and Avery

Hi, my name is Avery.  I live in Michigan, and I ride English, and every thing from dressage to showmanship except jumping, cause my horse is too old. I have been riding for several years, and my horse's name is Honcho. Sadly, I will probably have to buy a new one soon, because he is like, 24. However, he is still in great health. 

(This is Honcho being ridden bareback with a halter by me!) 

I have another pic of him in a jester costume at a Halloween fundraising event, with another horse, Bubbles!!!  I can't find it though! ;p

HAPPY NEW YEAR, HORSE PALS!!!!!

Hi Horse Pals!

We want to wish you all a very happy new year and a decade filled with lots of love, happiness, joy and HORSES!

 Thank you all for being a part of our horse community and a special thanks to Darby for all of her great contributions to the blog!  We look forward to seeing more of you in the new year!!

LOTS of LOVE, Your Horse Pals, @raya and Avery

P.S.  I love these paintings... Which one is your favorite?

Q&A: HOW DO I OVERCOME MY NERVES WHEN APPROACHING BIG JUMPS?

Hi Horse Pals ~

Nina has a great question along with some fun photos to share with you all.  Feel free to give your advice, too!! Good luck and have fun, Nina!

Your Horse Pal, @raya

Hi again,

I was wondering if maybe you could give me some advice.

Tomorrow for winter horse camp we are going to be doing a jumping course and there are going to be some tall jumps and I sometimes get nervous about big jumps.

Do you have any advice for me?  Thank you so much. Your the best.  Write back.

Nina

 

Belle and I

Palamino lesson horse

Hi Nina ~ I think the best advice I can give in jumping is to stay relaxed and calm into the jumps and trust your horse. When you ride with confidence, your horse feels it.  Also, ride your best so your horse can do her best jumping. And reinforce her good jumping by talking to her and petting her after the course.  I also like to go through the entire course in my mind and see myself jumping well before I even start the course.  This way you have the course in your mind and you can let yourself focus on the riding.

Have fun at winter horse camp and let us all know how it goes!

Happy jumping, @raya

WINTER PHOTOS OF WYOMING'S HORSES

okay here are some winter shots of the ranch. but actually we hardly got any snow this year.

darby

 
 denali looking out at the south pasture

haybales by the fence

  denali

Patches

denali 

 latte

denali and patches

 Patches when we painted the horses

latte when we painted the horses

 pepperonni playing in the water

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, HORSE PALS!

We wish you all of our Horse Pals and their four legged friends a very happy holiday and a fantastic new year!  May 2010 be filled with love, friendship and lots of horses!!

We look forward to hearing from you all in the new year!! 

Happy winter trails, @raya and Avery

Q&A: THINGS I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT YOU:)

Hi Horse Pals,

I love the idea of questions and answers and I had so much fun answering Horse Pal, Darby's, that I've written my own. So I am going to do a post about that.  Here are my Q's.

1: Do you plan to have your own barn some day, and if so, what would it look like?

2: Will you have dogs at your barn, if so, what breeds?

3: What are your favorite breeds of horses?

4: Do you have a horse now and if so, what breed?

5: What is your favorite breed of farm animal (not including horses)?

6: What is your favorite sport besides horse riding?

7: What is your favorite holiday?

8: If you had to live in one other place, where would it be?

9: What is your favorite breed of dog?

10: Where do you live?

11: Does it snow where you live?

12: Do you like this post:)

I love this idea and I hope you like it too.

If you have any questions that you would like to ask Horse Pals, you can send them to me at araya@stabledays.net and I will post them on the blog. 

Your Horse Pal, @raya

LET US KNOW WHAT BREEDS OR FAMOUS HORSES YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT!!

Hey guys, if you have a certain breed of horse or a famous horse, horse sport or different type of riding you would like me to write about, please leave a comment on one of my posts on the blog or e-mail it to araya@stabledays.net and I will do a post for you.  Or, you can write your own post and e-mail it to Araya and she'll post it for you.

Thanks, Darby

P.S.  Great idea, Darby!  I can't wait to hear what our Horse Pals would like to see posted!  I know Avery and I would love for you to do a post or 2 on famous jumpers!

IT'S A WINTER WONDERLAND, HORSE PALS!

Hey Araya,

Emmi here and I just wanted to share some photos of Ava having fun in the snow!  I took them not too long ago and I thought you might enjoy them.

Emmi

Gorgeous photos, Emmi!  Thanks for sharing them!!