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Fee
Platinum Member
2601 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Nov 2011 : 9:23:49 PM
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I took this picture of Jinny at the weekend
The minute I looked at it on my phone I noticed how far below the eye line her forehead whorl is! That reminded me of what Temple Grandin said about forehead whorls http://www.grandin.com/references/horse.genetics.html
Is your horse's forehead whorl, above, level or below the eye line? Any have a double forehead whorl?
Fee
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TAE
Bronze Member
232 Posts |
Posted - 21 Nov 2011 : 9:59:50 PM
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I'll have to try to get the mud off Li again and get a photo tomorrow.
Li has a whorl pattern on his face unlike any other horse I've seen.
He has a normal whorl an inch or two above the top of his eyes. Then he also has a swirl halfway between the bottom of his eyes and the top of his nose with feathering upwards to just below the first whorl and then he also has a tiny whorl on the end of his nose.
He also has quite a few other whorls on his neck, sides and chest, which are all perfectly semetrical!!!
I couldn't say if a single whorl position could be linked to temperament, but my boy is wonderfull, so brave and eager to please and enjoys a little adventure.
Today we hacked to a neighbours to try using their arena for the first time. Despite two of their mares putting their heads through the fence from their field to watch him, he did 30 min of gentle walk and trot, he did everything asked of him and didn't messs about, and gradually relaxed to move nicely. Only the position of his ears betraying where his thoughts were whilst he had his audience.
Not bad for a 4year old colt that only started very light work this summer |
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Vik1
Platinum Member
1711 Posts |
Posted - 21 Nov 2011 : 10:05:46 PM
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| Both of mine are level with the eye. Velv is def the flightier of the 2. |
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Callisto
Platinum Member
6905 Posts |
Posted - 21 Nov 2011 : 11:40:10 PM
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My Arab x NF pony when I was a child was a chestnut mare with 2 whorls well above the eyeline, horizontally level with each other - we always said it was where her (devil's) horns had been cut off. I wouldn't say she was flighty - bossy, stubborn and with a huge talent for bucking and rolling as soon as she detected mud/water regardless of her rider , but she always looked after me (in her own way) and she was brave. She was definitely the defender of our small herd - when we rode along the South Downs Way we stayed at a B&B where the horses had to share the field with a herd of bullocks - she kept them penned up in a corner all night, while the geldings took advantage of the rest of the field. |
  Zahkira (GR Amaretto x Taffetta)
Linda
East Sussex |
Edited by - Callisto on 21 Nov 2011 11:50:57 PM |
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Quarabian
Platinum Member
Wales
4340 Posts |
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faymouse
Silver Member
United Kingdom
412 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 12:46:59 AM
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That was a very interesting article... and Jinny has one of the lowest whorls I have seen... I have also hear said that the more whorls the more laid back the horse. My TB mare has them all over and is immensly chilled! I shall be looking at horse everywhere now! |
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barbara.gregory
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4531 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 11:20:37 AM
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Not sure that I agree with all of the article. I always understood that the leg markings rhyme was because the white skin/hooves were not as weather/sun resistant so farmers didn't like them whereas carriage and riding horses were OK as they looked flashy.
My Spanish mare had three whorls on her forehead just above eye level and close together; she was a nice mare with a nice temperament. Breeding for just one trait is risky unless you know what you are doing. It is the same old story, man made problems in the pursuit of money!
Barbara |
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carole ferguson
Silver Member
United Kingdom
457 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 12:30:39 PM
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Both Astarte and her mum Ishtar had double whorls horizontally between their eyes - and although they were both rather macho mares - they were really wonderful to ride and show - and would take anybody around any show-jumping or cross country course.
Ishtar was a 50% thoroughbred 50% American Saddlebred - and Asters was by the Saddlebred stallion Goldmount Bourbon Genius.
I still really miss them - my lovely golden girls |
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Pasch
Platinum Member
2277 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 12:53:53 PM
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The italian version of the saying goes like this:
Balzano da uno,non lo vuole nessuno / One sock,nobody wants him
balzano da due,forte come un bue / two socks,strong as an ox
balzano da tre,cavallo da re / three socks,fit for a king
balzano da quattro,cavallo matto! / four socks,crazy horse! |
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LYNDILOU
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
13976 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 1:05:37 PM
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venus has two on either side of her star, dont know if you can see then in this picture.
you can if you enlarge picture |
   
www.dreamfield-arabians.com |
Edited by - LYNDILOU on 22 Nov 2011 1:07:21 PM |
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debs
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3218 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 1:59:10 PM
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OOOH will look later!
There is another book with whorls/ personalities... Linda Tellington Jones, I must dig it out!
Ali has 3 socks.... well 1 sock and 2 stockings, hey if he is fit for a king, I guess he'll do me!!! |
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Mrs Vlacq
Platinum Member
Wales
3776 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 2:46:39 PM
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| We are uperstitious here.... low forehead whorls are a sign of an intelligent and honest horse (for us)... and double whorls are lucky. All the best horses seem to have had a double whorl. Purely anecdotal of course, but the pattern is holding...I also noticed all my favourite horses have a snip - and the one that didn't develped one as 2yr old - tiny white smudge, but its as if she knew |
    
- V Khazad - V Calacirya & V Sulime - Quarida(L) - V Boogie Knights - V Hamra Tofiq |
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Callisto
Platinum Member
6905 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 2:53:33 PM
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| My pony (see above) had a snip too! |
Zahkira (GR Amaretto x Taffetta)
Linda
East Sussex |
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Foxtrot
Bronze Member
England
66 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 3:47:11 PM
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Fascinating artical, of our 6, 4 have a single whorl in the middle of their forehead and are very straight forward types.
One mare has a double whorl about an inch above her eyeline, very flighty, intelligent and talented but could be easily misunderstood.
My sisters WBx has 5 whorls  on his forehead! Very kind but complicated horse that gets stressed very easily and is very sensitive to strangers!
So theres some truth in it. I think theres a book written by the tellington touch lady (sorry forgotten name) re different traits linked to whorls and conformation. |
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Kharidian
Platinum Member
England
4297 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 4:22:58 PM
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Both of my boys have the usual central whorl between the eyes; both very sensible characters.
Chips has very unusual feathered whorls on the outside of both forearms - I have to groom the hair upwards!
Caryn |
Kharidian (Prince Sadik x Khiri)........ Alkara Cassino (H Tobago x Rose Aboud)
aka "Roger".................................... aka "Chips"
     
The first image is from an original painting by Pat Shorto.
South-East Essex |
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carole ferguson
Silver Member
United Kingdom
457 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 6:16:26 PM
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| My Venessa has a large feathered whorl up the side of both her front legs from just above her knee to almost her elbow. Quite a fiddle to brush as they go different directions from the rest of the hair. |
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Kharidian
Platinum Member
England
4297 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 6:29:31 PM
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Hee hee, we'll have to compare when they're in summer coats, Carole!
Caryn |
Kharidian (Prince Sadik x Khiri)........ Alkara Cassino (H Tobago x Rose Aboud)
aka "Roger".................................... aka "Chips"
The first image is from an original painting by Pat Shorto.
South-East Essex |
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TAE
Bronze Member
232 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2011 : 9:23:50 PM
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I'm a terrible photographer but you should be able to make out the two whorls on the front of Li's head, the one on his muzzle is barely visible with the really short hair.
It's the feathering that connects them thats so unusual.
Li has 12 whorls in total, 4 in the centre line of his head and chest and 4 in exactly the same place on each side |
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debs
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3218 Posts |
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george
Gold Member
Wales
1353 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2011 : 9:44:30 PM
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My Blue (who I'm bringing back into work after being a mum for a few years) has two whorls I'm not sure about positioning but will check in the morning, she is quite pushy by nature but if I ask her nicely most of the time she will oblige, she will put in some huge  when first ridden (and she's not cold backed) she just has this look in her half blue eye once settled she's fine. I wouldn't say she is nervous though, incidentally she is a historical coloured with a lot of white on her.......hmmm, maybe time for some more googling |
George xxx
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hazelcat74
Silver Member
472 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2011 : 10:23:29 PM
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| This is really interesting. A few yrs ago a lady told me that she thought that whorls could be an indicator of temperament, but I didnt really take much notice. However my 3 do fit with what the article says, 2 have a whorl at eye level and are very sensible, and my other girl has one high above eye level and can be flighty and awkward to deal with but only if not handled very quietly and calmly, handled properly she is fab |
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arretonarabians
New Member
Australia
11 Posts |
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george
Gold Member
Wales
1353 Posts |
Posted - 25 Nov 2011 : 4:16:04 PM
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Above eye level, and side by side....yes she is as stubborn as a mule! |
George xxx
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Fee
Platinum Member
2601 Posts |
Posted - 27 Nov 2011 : 6:51:01 PM
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TAE that is very unusual, never seen that before 
Debs thanks for that, I just knew she was going to be an Inky MkII Today she was playing with a sweeping brush, spinning it round with her feet and lifting it up by the bristles and letting it drop. She's also been in the tack room 
Fee |
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Topic |
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Forehead Whorls
