Cracker Horse
The Cracker horse is the oldest breed of horses in Florida. The Spanish brought horses over to Florida in the 1500’s by Ponce de Leon. These horses were known for their gait and also for agility and speed. The Cracker Horse is 13.2 to 15.2 hands and weights anywhere from 700 to 1000 pounds. As time progressed the Cracker horses were used to herd cattle. Florida cowmen were given the name ‘’Crackers’’ because of the sound of their cow whip and their horses were also given the name for herding cattle. The Cracker horse has a variety of names the Chicksaw pony, Marsh tackie, Florida cow pony and Grass Gut. Florida cracker horse are also willing workers showing spirit, amazing stamina and endurance. They are used for trial riding, team roping and pulling wagons. Cracker horses were great at herding smaller cattle but when it came to the big western cattle they were having trouble. Then that’s when the Quarter horse was brought in and the Cracker horse almost became extinct. But there was a few families the kept breeding the Cracker horse which kept the Cracker horses alive. In 1989 the Florida Cracker Horse Association was established with 31 Cracker horses registered. Today there are over a thousand registered. Every year in February the Cracker horses participate in what is known as the Cracker Trail Ride. This trail ride is 110 miles across the Florida terrain this last for a week. Other horses come from Kentucky and Tennessee to participate in this event and cannot keep up with the Cracker horses. The Cracker horse may be small, but their endurance can last more than other horses.

Hawaii’s Donkeys
            On Hawaii’s Big Island lives a population of about 400-600 feral Donkeys, locally called “Kona nightingales”. That is about 6 Donkeys for every square mile. They were brought to the island in 1825 to be used as pack animals on farms, sugar and coffee plantations. When you drive around the island there are donkey crossing signs and you can sometimes see them roaming about. However because of a bad drought season the donkeys started to wander into people’s backyards looking for food and water. This was a big problem because of their excessive numbers.
          The Donkeys have been found drinking out of people’s swimming pools. They’ve been found eating grass at schools and other public places. They were crossing highways causing hazards for people and themselves. The island cannot support their numbers because their population has not been kept in check.
          In 2010 the Hawaiian government rounded up most the donkeys and sent a portion of them to the mainland. Those that made the 2,500 mile trip landed in Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue in California. They plan to re-home all of the donkeys. The end goal in Hawaii is to create a local sanctuary for the wild herd, giving the beloved donkeys a safe permanent home and help control the population.

AND - BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!
WELCOME BACK K.I.U.W.K! (Kicking It Up With Kira)
 
HERE WE GO..WE ARE OFF TO A GREAT START, TEAM!
 
SOME OF OUR SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHTS:
This year included in our devotions, we have highlighted states (countries) where student’s (or their family members) were born.
We briefly note the state coming into the union, it’s motto and interesting points on explorers. The students prepare assigned reports on horses in the region.

       This week Maureen, my long time horse-breeding friend from Wisconsin called to check in.


Maureen always is a chocked-full waling encyclopedia of horse breeding 101. She calls to check in and follow up on the horses that she has sold over the years to see what their accomplishments may be. It was Maureen who brought up Pal & Beauty when they were 2 and 3 Months old. It was also Maureen who delivered Scarlett & Rhett so many years later.


So while I had her on the phone I asked a few questions:

Q: What is the line of the breed of the Arab horses she breeds as it concerns VG horses (i.e. Pal, Beauty, Scarlett, & Rhett)?

A: CRABBET BREED - WHICH IS OF ENGLISH DESCENT

Q: Who was instrumental in bringing the Arab breed to the U.S?

A: A FELLOW NAMED BABSON (ILLINOIS) 1850-1930 BEGAN TO DEVELOP THE BREED IN AMERICA.

Q: Are there many other ARABIAN breeds?

A: YES, THERE IS FROM THE PURE BRED ARABS COME A POLISH BRED ARAB, KNOWN AS THE WITEZ II AND ALSO THE RUSSIAN BRED ARABS.

    Egyptian Arabians are considered the purest breed of horses. Among Arabians there are several strains, which means variations of Arabian horses with differing characteristics. Modern Arabians are different crosses of these strains. This is the predominate difference between Modern Arabians and straight Egyptian Arabians.
    Egyptian Arabians are blends of many pure strains of Arabs with distinct desert lineage. Ancient Egypt and many other African and middle eastern countries had established them as animals of significant importance. They were mainly war mounts, but were given the best accommodations at home in splendid stables and gardens.
     Most people refer to the purest breed as King Solomon’s horses. King Solomon was in possession of nearly 40,000 of these noble beasts. In I Kings 10:28 it says, “ Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price.” The current price was 150 shekels of silver, which is almost 4 pounds of silver, which is equal to about 830 US dollars.
       They are respected for their beauty, grace, courage, strength, and intelligence. These horses have been decked with gold, walked down silk carpets, and feast with kings. King Solomon recognized the beauty and majesty of the Arabian horse which is still one of the most cherished and coveted breed to this day.

       The early Cumberland Ponies may have been shipwrecked on Cumberland Island by the Spanish; similar to other feral horses on the east coast. The Cumberland Ponies are a blend of wild and pleasure horses, brought by the island's inhabitants. The wild horses of Cumberland Island look different compared to their northern cousins. While Chincoteague and Assateague ponies are smaller in size and have fuzzy coats, the Cumberland Ponies have short hair, and long necks, legs, and backs.
      The Cumberland ponies eat a mixture of sea oats and beach grass that have become scarce, due to too many horses. With the lack of sea oats and beach grass the dunes of Cumberland are eroding faster that they should. Beach grass helps hold in the sand, but with the horses there, the grasses on the dunes are disappearing. The lack of sea oats and beach grass is bad to the Eco-system and to the horses. The horses can get Sand Colic, Painful and sometimes fatal to the horses' fragile digestive systems.

      Where did the saying "Justin Morgan had a horse." come from? Back in 1792, A farmer owed Mr. Justin Morgan a lot of money. To pay his debt the farmer gave him two colts. One was good looking and big; the other one was little and scrawny. When the scrawny little colt grew up it beat the fastest Thoroughbred at that time. It became known as the Morgan after it pulled an unmovable log loaded with three big men on top all the way to the mill without stopping. Descendants of the Morgan are the American Saddlebred, Tennessee Walking Horse, and Standardbred. Toady Morgans are sued for pleasure, pulling, and show.
 

My horse Justin
Justin is named after Mr. Justin Morgan. He is a Morgan mixed with a Welsh Mountain Pony. This mix of breed was bred for pulling carts in mines. Our horse is fifteen years old and fourteen hands tall. His coloring is bay with a black mane and black stockings. Justin is very sweet and gentle - a good kid horse!