There exists a vast array of “horse facts.” This doesn’t mean that
every “horse fact” is, in fact, true, but rather that we each need to sift
through all the “stuff” we hear and decide for ourselves whether a “fact”
is true, true-enough, or a perpetuated myth.
Lest you think I hold myself forth as an expert, perish that thought! I
have pulled a couple doozies over the years.
For example, I used to spout (somewhat sanctimoniously, I might add) that
blue eyes were a Paint characteristic. Until I had a blue-eyed foal. Then
another. And...just to throw things into perspective—a third and a fourth!
This led to doing some actual research.
What did I find? Very little. Oh, I ran into multiple references that
said, “blue eyes are a Paint characteristic,” but not one reference had
proof...these references were “just people” who had heard it from someone
else, who had heard it from “some authority, like a big-name trainer.“
What I did find in reputable texts, however, was the statement that blue
eyes were common in Paints because of the large amount of white on the
face and the underlying pink skin surrounding the eye.
My (unscientific) conclusion: Somehow the blue eyes are often linked to
pink skin around the eye.
The other reference I found—and I cannot recall where!—was a simple
statement that “horse eye color comes in the same range as human eye
color, and in a similar ratio.” (There are gazillions of people with brown
eyes. Blue, green, gray, hazel, and yellow are comparatively rare.)
One must be ever vigilant about stating “Fact” when it may be, instead,
conclusions drawn on incomplete information or something erroneous that
has been spouted so frequently it has become “fact” merely because of
familiarity.
Along similar lines, we are faced with the “wise council” of what we call
the “Old Timers.” Some Old Timers swear by keeping broodmares underweight
so foals are smaller, thus (they believe) are delivered easier.
(Scientific evidence, however, indicates that a mare conceives easier,
carries with fewer problems, and has an easier foaling when maintained at
approximately 5 percent overweight.) I’ve had Old Timers offer me training
advice, usually along the lines of using a running W to pull the front
legs out from under to teach “Whoa,” using whips or a board with nails in
it to teach a horse to move over, and even tying a horse to the pickup and
dragging him up and down the road to teach forward movement and keeping
his feet under him. (I’ve also heard about using a tractor to pull a
recalcitrant horse into a horse trailer, to “teach him how to listen!”)
Advice abounds, whether from an Old Timer, a neighbor (who has never been
close to a horse), or a trainer of some notoriety. This leaves each
of us in an interesting position: having to think.
The point is—examine what you hear or read, and see if it makes any real
sense. Don’t take everything as “fact” just because it appears in print,
or is stated by someone you think knows a lot.
How does this tie in with ICAA and the Appaloosa?
As an organization, and individuals within that organization, we are
frequently faced with misstatements, misunderstandings, and false
information. It is not uncommon to hear something along this line: “Oh,
your horse is not eligible for ApHC? You can register it with ICAA!” or
“My horse is Foundation-Bred. See, back eight generations ago there’s a
horse with an F-number!” Or one of my favorites: “But an Appaloosa is
supposed to be a Quarter Horse with spots!”
These examples illustrate that most people believe without forethought,
which leaves us in the position of educating without alienating. But
before we can effectively educate about the classic Appaloosa, we each
must become secure in our own knowledge—knowledge based on something more
firm than “I heard from this Old Timer that…”
Step One in that is simply to think things through, and research when
necessary. Ask questions, and weigh each answer received. Step Two is to
embrace one’s earned knowledge and recognize it as being valid. Step Three
is gentle education as appropriate.
Gentle education essentially revolves around promotion, whether it is
having our unflappable Appaloosa wandering the trails or strutting his
stuff in the open show arena. It is about showing the partnership that can
be achieved between human and horse. It is about letting our Appaloosas be
themselves, for their distinct personalities and skills often sell
themselves.
The color, though...that’s what catches the eye, and brings the focus upon
THAT PARTICULAR horse. We all know it: An Appaloosa ain’t just another
brown horse. |