The racing information was really helpful though I wish I hadn't read was the number of TB foals registered yearly versus the number that succeed or become breeding stock. There are so many OTTB's out there going to slaughter instead of having a second life as mounts and companions, it's shocking.
Specific to my horse, I learned more about let-down. As an off-track goes through the physical changes associated with muscle mass decrease prior to fleshing out they can show dry and dull coat, appetite loss, and weight loss in spite of adequate calorie intake. The syndrome is a normal faze for many and can even present clinically as anemia as the horse's blood literally learns how to deal without the large dumps of adrenaline the races create (and the drugs the horse may have been given).
Whisper is now on the upswing of this and is sporting some squishy chest areas, and that her skin reaction to flies will be the worst of her life this first year off track. Racetracks are kept scrupulously clean, as well as routinely fogged to keep fly populations in check, a stark contrast to an open horse pasture bordered by cattle.
I lost myself in the history of the Thoroughbred all over again, picking up some new stories. Thoroughbreds originated Arabians, of course, but did you know that hot blooded is not just a phrase but that TB's actually have different blood composition from cold blooded horses? They have a higher red blood cell count allowing for better oxygenation of the blood and in turn making them better athletes. Whisper has Native Dancer twice in her bloodline, the first real successful gray Thoroughbred to race in his time, but all gray TB's can be traced back to the Alcock Arabian foaled in 1704 after gray fell heavily out of favor in England.
The TB's also retained the Arabian's fewer vertebrae and fewer ribs than other horses. Their long backed appearance is really only due to shoulder angulation lining out to open hip lines resulting in covering a lot of ground where they stand.
The TB's also retained the Arabian's fewer vertebrae and fewer ribs than other horses. Their long backed appearance is really only due to shoulder angulation lining out to open hip lines resulting in covering a lot of ground where they stand.
The stories are so memorable, all the imaginary rides I took on the Goldolphin Arabian as a kid now stand before me in my beautiful gray girl. I have my dog breed, Siberian Husky. that I have been and always will be affiliated with, but never in my years with horses did I feel that connection to any one breed of horse before now. Quarter Horses are everywhere and wonderful all-round horses. Promise certainly displays a lot of the appealing attributes of America's Horse. Arabians are stunning beauties with athletic tendency in an artwork's body. But the Thoroughbred, at least this Thoroughbred, may have begun to claim me.
3 comments:
Very interesting. I didn't know that TB's retained the vertebrae and rib distinction from the Arabian. They certainly don't look it.
I was totally hooked on "horse books" as a kid growing up. One that really stayed with me was the story of Man O' War, a novelization with the main character being a teenage exercise rider. I still remember it so clearly. I've loved following TB's ever since. Their drive to run reminds me of Border Collies drive to work!
Really enjoyed reading this.
Lynn, I LOVED Man-O-War. I read that one so many times! I might get you hooked on some Siberian readings of the Yukon Quest Alone and Winterdance
I was also hooked on dog books. White Fang, Call of the Wild, and some other "Far North dog" books whose names I can't recall. I haven't read the ones you mention, however. As you can see, I was (and still am) a voracious reader. Haven't read any dog or horse books in years however. It would probably be fun to go back and read some of the old books. I did, a few years ago, reread a couple of the "Black Stallion" books and they were as good as ever. I tend to read mostly Science Fiction and serial killers these days (really uplifting reading). Again, I enjoy reading your blogs.
From Lynn (Couldn't get the comment thingy to work as anything but anonymous.
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