I tend to be in the exact middle of cob size and horse size. My saddle fit is not the normal extra wide Haflinger size, either. . .I take a medium wide. And these shipping boots. . .
Allie tried them on my and they fit length wise, but not width wise. Funny how my little legs are thicker than Dulce, the Quarter Horse who uses them! But this size will have to do. . . once Allie finds gets some of our own for next years show season or better yet, trail rides!!
And then there is the bridle issue I have been having. My bridle is just barely wide enough for my forehead, but it is the perfect length. With use, the brow band has stretched out, but Allie is afraid to invest in a new one. All the horse sized bridles seem too long, but a cob or pony sized bridle is way too small. Ugh! All a horse wants is a pretty bridle to show off in, right?
Show season is over. That means I won't be seeing my big boys, Notch and Clutch for a while or my Haflinger love Rambo. Allie wants to let my mane fall on both sides of my neck again. And I can grow out my whiskers and my magical piece of chest hair! It is like a piece of mane hair that grows out of my chest!
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Being a Haflinger is a hard thing to be. It means being forced to move in unnatural ways. . .like with your rear end. It means not being able to eat all the grass in the world because you might get hurty hooves and real fat, real quick. But it means wanting to eat all the grass and not caring out hurty hooves or being fat! Conundrum!
Being a Halfinger is a hard thing to be. . .it means not belonging an any one category either. Not horse (even though we are), NOT pony, not draft. . .
According to this recent discussion on Facebook on the American Haflinger Registry group, we are not actually classified as drafts! Do you believe that? This is the link to the whole discussion, starting off with a horse that was somewhat like me when I first came to live with Allie. She needs to find a good home like I did. I hope you can see it.
I've been lied to my whole life!! I thought I was a draft. Guess not. . .what do you think? And then, to muddle things up even further, this article was in the Warmbloods Today magazine! According to this article, I am a Warmblood! Can you imagine? Me, a Warmblood? One of those expensive-y dressage horses? Ha!
Being a Haflinger is hard. To me it means having a nice home, lots of food, and a good person to love me. What does being a Haflinger mean to you?
~Shyloh
It means I have a tail that's the envy of all non-Hafy horses along with their peoples. It means I'm just the perfect size to hug on even though I don't like it. It means some peoples think I'm stubborn and obstinant. But, that my Mom knows I'm really very smart and creative :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes. . .the tail envy! And the curse of the too smart for their own good Haffies!
DeleteMitch sez: Yeah, the Girl thought I was gonna need a treeless saddle once upon a time. Now I go around in a quarter horse tree. Who knew!
ReplyDeleteAnd Warmblood huh? Well that'll make the Girl pleased. She's got a Warmblood. Sweet.
Her plan is to let my middle mane mohawk grow out so she can braid it all and it'll all fall over my neck. I'm in a race with she-who-has-PMS (you know, my neighbor, the one the Girl calls her sweetheart) to see who's mane grows out faster and prettier. My tail is longer but hers is thicker. The Girl says PMS stands for "pissed off mare syndrome"
Fall is here. Soon the Girl will shave us. I'll be thinking of you, Shy. And Camryn getting to keep your hair. On the other hand, I don't live in Ohio anymore and we don't get much rain. That means I can actually have more trouble with a full winter coat in those rare 70/80/90 degree days in late fall and early winter. I would sweat and not dry out.
I'd like to see of photo of a shaved Mitch!
DeleteWell, Shy, it's like this. You are unique. You are more adorable than those fancy-dancy um-ah dressage-y Warmblood horses. You aren't one of those ordinary horses that buys a saddle and bridle at some tack shop. You are a "custom" kind of horse. That makes you special. And don't forget that gorgeous mane and tail. Maybe being a Haflinger isn't so hard, after all.
ReplyDeleteCustom. . .I like it!
DeleteYou need to tell your mom to get a super sexy browband for your bridle. All the cool horses have them. Then you get to keep the bridle that fits. And when other horses ask why you are so hard to fit just stick your nose up and say "I am not hard to fit. Myyyy mom just buy me custom tack because she loves me more"
ReplyDeleteShe has been looking for a browband to fancy me up, but hasn't found one yet.
DeleteYeah, I was always told they were in the draft family. Who know?? LOL.
ReplyDeleteI thought they were, too. We show in the draft class. I think they are just so versatile they could be anything :)
DeletePart of their greatness, you know?
Oh Shy we can sympathise completely! We have never heard of a Haflinger being a warmblood, who'd want to be one of those?! We mules are neither pony nor horse and nothing fits us :-( we can understand. Just remember though, it's great to be different!
ReplyDeleteThat was the first I have ever heard of a Halfinger being considered a warmblood, too. Maybe Haflinger are more like mules :) I would not be upset about that!
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