I've lost count of how many times I've been asked if my horse is an Appaloosa. For you non-horsey people, an Appaloosa is basically a dalmation horse. This is what an Appaloosa looks like:
My horse is a Percheron, which is a breed of draft horse. They are much larger than the "regular" horse breeds, such as Appaloosas, Quarter Horses, Arabians, Thoroughbreds, etc... My Percheron literally weighs more than twice what my Quarter Horse weighs. This is what a Percheron looks like:
I once had a lady ask me if my horse is a Quarter Horse, and when I told her "no, she's a Percheron," she said "Oh, I only knew about Quarter Horses. I've never heard of any other breeds." Uh, there wouldn't be breeds if there was only one of them...
Last night, a guy asked me what kind of horse I have. I told him "a Percheron." He then asked, "That's kind of like a pinto, right?" No, actually. Not at all. You see, a Percheron is an actual breed. Pinto is a term used to describe a horse's color. This is what pinto horses look like:
Another guess I've gotten is Friesian. This might not have been that bad of a guess, because Friesians are commonly used for driving. But Friesians only come in one color. Solid black. You can't even register a full-blooded Friesian if it has a white mark on it. I was driving a grey Percheron. Friesians:
Of course I had to save the best for last. My absolute favorite is: "Is that a Shetland?" Before I go into a description, here are a few pictures of Shetlands:
Here is a picture of a draft horse next to a Shetland pony:
And here's a cute one of a Perchron and a Mini:
I don't mind people asking me questions about my horse. But don't try to pretend you know about horses then ask me if my draft horse is a pony, otherwise you might end up here. :)
Ok, I have been cracking up at many of these and wanting to write a comment. This post did the trick!!! (I haven't visited your blog before - came on over from SnarkyRider.com)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, you must have been given a very large dose of the patience gene, because I would be falling off my seat doubled over in laughter at some of these people. Truly breathtaking idiocy! I mean, I've watched Jay Leno interview some real prizewinners in his "wo/man on the street" clips, but you poor carriage drivers really seem to bring 'em out in droves. I can't imagine how therapeutic it's been to write this blog!
I can especially relate to the inane comments about horse breeds. I happen to be the proud momma of a liver-and-white purebred English Springer Spaniel. She is from show lines and extremely breed-typical, and I keep her feathers long (I do her grooming myself - most pet owners clip them off). We have absolutely been flummoxed over some of the things people have called her. I understand "Cocker Spaniel" - we get that one all the time - or Brittany or some other variety of longish-haired hunting breed/spaniel, but my favorite of all time is the person who told their child, "Hey, look at that Beagle." WHAAAA??? I glanced around to se if any other dogs were in the vicinity. Nope. She was definitely talking about Sunshine. Now, how you look at a very long-haired brown and white dog w/ LONG feathery ears and see a much smaller, smooth-coated, tri-colored dog is beyond me.
I would have been dying over the "Is that a Shetland" comment, truly. Paralytic. That's like asking if a Great Dane is a Chihuahua! :-)
P.S. I used to ride two Perchies in a lesson program. I just adored them (except when the 18hh one would put her head in the air to avoid bridling, that wasn't much fun). I never in my life thought I'd a) ride a Percheron or b) jump one, but I certainly did and had a great time doing it!
ReplyDelete