At present I can't afford to maintain a horse. My "I want one" was half-wishful thinking and half-future planning, for when my financial situation improves. (When, not if. When! *repeats positive-thinking mantra*)
And your suggestion of horse rescue is a wonderful one! It makes it more likely that, when that financial situation improves and I can afford horse maintenance, I'll be able to have the kind of horse I want. I've been researching small animal rescues for my next house pet, but living in a city at the moment (big city: Chicago), we don't get a lot of large animal rescues mentioned in the local pet/animal companion papers (though, on the other hand, we do *have* a local, freebie pet/animal companion paper, with a lovely 3-page listing of rescue agencies in the greater metropolitan area).
I had heard of the "Irish Cobb" myself, but never seen a photo. When I first saw the photos, they were all called "Gypsy Van(ner)" or "Gypsy Cobb". It took a while to put the two together.
And I also had a thing for Arabians and Lipizzanners (and Andalusions). Even with horses, I'm a hair-slut, I guess. I am lucky in that the Spanish Riding School did frequent local tours here when I was a kid, so I got taken to see them 2-3 times back then as birthday treats. I wish I'd been old enough that I could still remember more details. I do hope to get up to Tempel Farms (http://www.tempelfarms.com/) to see the Tempel Lipizzans perform, maybe this summer. ::knocks on wood:: They do the whole airs above ground et al (there's some lovely pictures on the site link).
And I still remember the first time I "met" a Shire in person. Lincoln Park Zoo has a "farm-in-the-zoo" section, with farm animals - for many inner city kids, it's the only chance they have to see something as "exotic" as a cow or chicken - including a horse barn. And one year, I think I was about 12, there was this ... just astoundingly massive horse that - well, I'd just been at the main zoo and seen the elephants and hippos and other bigbigbig mammals, but that horse was far and away the single most impressive living being I have ever seen. Though, being long-time horse-mad, I may be just a tiny big prejudiced. *wink*
Will you be at VividCon? Come say hi to me if you are (for that matter, you may've been there in the past and we've already talked - my memory is like a rusty sieve).
And, oh dear, I've found yet another horse breed to geek out over, the Haflinger (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haflinger_%28horse%29). Was looking up how to spell Tempel Farms and that link came up. Not quite as badly as I'm in horse-lust with the Vans... (I foresee more latenight horse-geek web link surfing/googling in my future.)
Re: Hobby Horse
And your suggestion of horse rescue is a wonderful one! It makes it more likely that, when that financial situation improves and I can afford horse maintenance, I'll be able to have the kind of horse I want. I've been researching small animal rescues for my next house pet, but living in a city at the moment (big city: Chicago), we don't get a lot of large animal rescues mentioned in the local pet/animal companion papers (though, on the other hand, we do *have* a local, freebie pet/animal companion paper, with a lovely 3-page listing of rescue agencies in the greater metropolitan area).
I had heard of the "Irish Cobb" myself, but never seen a photo. When I first saw the photos, they were all called "Gypsy Van(ner)" or "Gypsy Cobb". It took a while to put the two together.
And I also had a thing for Arabians and Lipizzanners (and Andalusions). Even with horses, I'm a hair-slut, I guess. I am lucky in that the Spanish Riding School did frequent local tours here when I was a kid, so I got taken to see them 2-3 times back then as birthday treats. I wish I'd been old enough that I could still remember more details. I do hope to get up to Tempel Farms (http://www.tempelfarms.com/) to see the Tempel Lipizzans perform, maybe this summer. ::knocks on wood:: They do the whole airs above ground et al (there's some lovely pictures on the site link).
And I still remember the first time I "met" a Shire in person. Lincoln Park Zoo has a "farm-in-the-zoo" section, with farm animals - for many inner city kids, it's the only chance they have to see something as "exotic" as a cow or chicken - including a horse barn. And one year, I think I was about 12, there was this ... just astoundingly massive horse that - well, I'd just been at the main zoo and seen the elephants and hippos and other bigbigbig mammals, but that horse was far and away the single most impressive living being I have ever seen. Though, being long-time horse-mad, I may be just a tiny big prejudiced. *wink*
Will you be at VividCon? Come say hi to me if you are (for that matter, you may've been there in the past and we've already talked - my memory is like a rusty sieve).
And, oh dear, I've found yet another horse breed to geek out over, the Haflinger (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haflinger_%28horse%29). Was looking up how to spell Tempel Farms and that link came up. Not quite as badly as I'm in horse-lust with the Vans... (I foresee more latenight horse-geek web link surfing/googling in my future.)