Meanwhile, back at the ranch

[austintorn@aol.com]

Hi filly,

I "sea" that you are a horse, even living in White-Horse…

[labelwench]

Once Madelaine was saddled, reins from the side-pull (A bit-less noseband used to guide the horse by direct pull, left, right, straight back to halt.)secured to the saddle horn, the rider worked the mare in a large circle attached to a lunge line. This exercise served as a lesson review, allowing the horse to run and cavort in the snow before settling down to work. Madelaine was always enthusiastic and would run and leap, changing direction when her rider requested.

She was also the first horse the rider had worked with that had developed her own feedback cue. When Madelaine was ready to concentrate on her tasks, she would voluntarily drop to a walk and continue at that pace until bid otherwise. Once she offered the cue while travelling in each direction, the mare was ready for a rider on her back.

Madelaine stood motionless while her rider mounted. One tour of the yard to check equipment and they were headed out on the trail. The snow was an honest two feet deep, well past Madelaine’s knees, but she was a solid 1000lb youngster and she waded along merrily. On the return journey, the rider decided they might as well break open the property side-line, there having been no traffic along which the entire winter.

Suddenly, she found herself one jump behind her horse! The mare had exploded forward in response to something the rider was as yet unaware of. With great bounds, the mare surged ahead, the saddle pounding the rider with each leap. Knowing she had no way of stopping the plunging horse and that gravity was gaining the upper hand, the rider chose her moment and kicked free.

Time slowed as she observed the speed with which the trees were hurtling by. Her trajectory and position were only minimally under her control, yet she managed to get her head out of the path of the pine tree. She willed herself elsewhere, that she might not resist the inevitable impact. She and the tree were as one before she was thrown on her back into the snow.

Pain! Her instep, her left leg, her left shoulder, she triaged herself, as she observed the direction of Madelaine’s departure. Determining that nothing was broken, she dragged herself to her feet, wallowing along in the tracks left by the mare.

[labelwench]

Horses tamed earlier than thought

The site has only recently been opened to researchers
Horses were domesticated much earlier than previously thought, according to a team of researchers.

They found evidence suggesting that the animals were used by a culture in northern Kazakhstan 5,500 years ago.

Until now, the earliest evidence of horse riding was metal parts from harnesses dating from the Bronze Age.

Writing in Science, a team from Exeter University, UK, suggested that the community in Kazakhstan rode their horses 1,000 years earlier.
They also ate them and drank their milk, possibly as an alcoholic brew.

The researchers traced the origins of horse domestication to the Botai culture of Kazakhstan.

Analysis of ancient bones showed that the horses were a similar shape to domesticated horses from the Bronze Age.

The team studied the remains for evidence of damage to their mouths and teeth caused by the riding bits used to harness the animals.

The scientists also analysed the remains of food and drink in pottery and traces of horse meat and milk.
Communities in Kazakhstan have been milking horses for thousands of years

Horse milk is still drunk in Kazakhstan, usually fermented into an alcoholic drink known as koumiss.

Lead researcher Dr Alan Outram from Exeter University, said horse domestication was an important indication of the state of human civilisation.

"The domestication of the horse does have implications for human culture globally," he said.

"It increases people's ability to trade and it has great advantages in warfare.

"So if we are moving the origins of horse domestication much further back, we are going to have to think about the impact on the development of human culture at the time."
Some researchers associate the domestication of the horse with the spread of bronze working across Eurasia thousands of years ago.

It may also be linked to the ancient expansion of the Indo-European languages - a widespread language group which today includes English, German, Hindi and Persian.

[austintorn@aol.com]

Hi Labelwench,

You might like RascalPuff's blog:

http://www.toequest.com/forum/blogs/...gonsprout.html

It seems to be in the vein of what you just posted. I believe there are many more sections to this, too, in his blog, that get into warfare via horses and more.

[timeparticle]

Ok, Lw. This beauty and her horse is right off my ranch. I asked her to visit your ranch, soon...

[austintorn@aol.com]

'Time uncovered brings new insights' and ladies barely covered improve one's sight.

[timeparticle]

'Time uncovered brings new insights' and ladies barely covered improve one's sight.

Yes, Austie, she prefers to dress comfortably. This ranch is now R rated.

[austintorn@aol.com]

At Austin’s Ranch:

I took a picture of this horse, who was in a nondescript place about a mile from my house, then cut him/her out of the photo with Photoshop, and then put the horse in a place with better scenery, also near my house. Since the horse could have walked there, it is not really such a fake picture. I like to limit my compositions to scenes that could actually happen, as does TimeParticle, too.

[labelwench]

Thank you, Timeparticle and Austin, for posting those lovely images of beautiful beings and pastoral scenes on this lonely thread from the far north.

The warm colours and subjects do much to stir the heart and soul, with winter still clutching the land tight in it's grasp. The horses and I are eagerly awaiting the soft, warm earth underfoot and the green of new growth.

Much appreciated.

Labelwench

[timeparticle]

Thank you, Timeparticle and Austin, for posting those lovely images of beautiful beings and pastoral scenes on this lonely thread from the far north.

The warm colours and subjects do much to stir the heart and soul, with winter still clutching the land tight in it's grasp. The horses and I are eagerly awaiting the soft, warm earth underfoot and the green of new growth.

Much appreciated.

Labelwench

Your very welcome.