Category Archives: horse
A Special Breed of Horses
My friend who lives in the Czech Republic took a visiting friend to see the Kladruber horses that are still bred at the town of Kladruby nad Labem. They sent me some photos taken with a cell phone. Most of the finest horses were still indoors, but they were able to get some photos of those who were outside.
The Kladruber breed was founded in 1579 by Rudolf ll, a member of the House of Habsburg, and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It was developed for the purpose of pulling the imperial coaches for ceremonies and funerals. It was a fine breeding of the best horses, yet strong and capable of pulling heavy carriages.
The Kladrubers also have some of the Lippizaner and Orlov Trotter bloodline.
They have been designated as the household breed at the Royal Court of Denmark. They serve on ceremonial occasions at the Royal Court of Sweden, and are used by the Swedish mounted police.
When they are hitched to a royal carriage in groups of four or six, their powerful, arched necks, give them a pompous, ceremonial look. For more than 400 years, these horses have been bred for their high-stepping trot that makes them look so fine in royal pageantry.
Quiet Time
quiet time is scarce
nap interrupted again
find another spot
H is for Horses, Home on the Range
Not a bad life for a horse while the weather is warm enough. These horses in Montana, even in October, find that it’s still great to have wide open spaces in the sunshine, for romping around on top of a field full of food.
But when the owner calls them to come home, it’s a treat to get a decent meal and a safe place to sleep for the night.
I listened in on the horses’ conversation:
Ready for another day on the range. Our owner said, “No horsing around now,” but we’ll do what we like. What would you do?
Whenever a vehicle stops by our gate, we line up and look as smart as we can. You never know when someone will point and say, “I’d like to have a better look at that one.”
While we wait for someone to buy us, we stand at the fence looking pretty — like girls in a beauty contest.
But shh! No one needs to know that we’re full of beans. They’ll find out soon enough after they buy us.
The Weather Wins
Evidence of winter damage can last for years in America’s prairie landscapes. Farmers did their best to put up strong buildings to withstand the elements in the days before modern building materials were available. Even so, the fierce storms often proved too much for the buildings. These roofs most likely had a huge dump of snow on them at one time. The weight crushed the roofs as it crushed the farmer’s will to rebuild. In the dry climate, with little rainfall and lots of heat, crops could easily fail, discouraging even those who would have wished to rebuild.
Many buildings were left to their fate in the lonely landscape.
Even in more modern times, nature was more powerful than man. I hope the family who lived here wasn’t in the trailer when it blew over. If they were, they would have been rocking and rolling.
The tenants in these houses have moved out long ago. Most likely they, or the people they sold to, live nearby.
Somebody has to feed the horses.
Even the horses are hiding behind the house to get out of the blazing sun or the howling wind.
And yet, it’s a beautiful place to visit. Just very hard to live there, because the weather always wins.
wordsfromanneli 