Thumbprint of the Prophet

Monday April 1 2013

I've always known that Stormy was special (besides being The Most Beautiful Horse On The Planet), but I've recently discovered another reason why:

He bears the Thumbprint of The Prophet.


According to an Arabic folktale, this birthmark, an indent usually found on the side of a horse's neck, indicates a descendent of one of the five Arabian broodmares so treasured by the Prophet Mohammed above all his other horses, that he marked them with his thumbprint.

Ilil Arbel, Ph.D. tells the folktale of The five mares of Mohammed (Her page is here on Panthon.org.):

The hot desert wind blew against the tent, driving the dust inside. Fatima walked softly in, carrying an earthenware jug full of cold water, and handed it to the Prophet. "Please, stop tormenting yourself, Mohammed," she said, "drink some water!"

"I will drink when the test is over, and the horses can drink, too. I cannot drink knowing they are thirsty," said the Prophet to his daughter.

"I do not understand this test, nor do I like it," said Fatima angrily. "Depriving the horses from drinking for three full days is cruel. I cannot believe you would do it, a man who loves animals better than himself!"

"I must. Allah commanded me -- would you have me disobey God? The spread of Islam depends greatly on the loyalty and strength of our horses. The best of these horses, said Allah, will be honored till the end of time... But it is the evening of the third day now, so let us go to the horses and conduct the test."

He took a horn that hung at the tent’s entrance, and walked toward an enclosure where about a hundred horses were confined, a little distance from the water hole of the oasis. The horses looked reproachfully at their beloved master as he quickly opened the gate. Tormented by thirst, the horses galloped to the water hole, but before they could reach it, Mohammed raised the horn to his lips and sounded the call for war.

The horses ignored it. They were so thirsty that perhaps they couldn’t even hear it, and went on galloping toward the water. But not all of them. Five mares stopped. Without hesitation, they turned around and returned to Mohammed, ready to do whatever was required of them.

The Prophet stroked their silky manes, tears in his eyes. He led them to the water and envisioned the glorious future as they drank. He knew that these mares would foal the finest of Arab horses, the only horses of pure blood, the horses that would help bring Islam to every corner of the Earth.

It is said that The Prophet marked each of these mares with his thumbprint, and any horse today with the Thumbprint of the Prophet has descended from one of these fine Arabian mares. This only confirms my knowledge that there is no other horse like Stormy!



(And this is what Stormy thinks of my newly-discovered fame for him.)

The Turquoise Bead

Friday March 29 2013

It's rather ironic that a person who's deathly afraid of lightning can't hear thunder. When I can hear thunder, it's already too late and I am much too close to the lightning. (And I can't always depend on my riding partners… they know I'm afraid of lightning, so they don't always mention it when they hear thunder, thinking they might be doing me a favor.)

With the absence of one sense, however, I have learned to use my senses of sight and intuition to recognize thunderstorms by interpreting the aspirations of clouds: by the color, the size, the shape, the intent.

Even the slightest inkling of a section of a poofy cloud of a possible thunderstorm, and my neck hairs are alert and ready to stand on end, and the cloud is guilty before proven innocent. I can now sniff out and spot a thunderstorm and its direction of travel two states away.

Knowing I like to read, and knowing I'm afraid of lightning, my aunt Carolyn sent me a lovely book, The Anthropology of Turquoise, and pointed out a part mentioning that traditionally the Navajo wore a turquoise bead in their hair to protect them from lightning.

Well.

Seeing that I have been caught out totally exposed in half a dozen terrifying (to me) lightning storms, and seeing that I still can't seem to avoid encountering lightning storms here in Owyhee on horseback, I contacted my friend PJ, who just happened to have some real turquoise beads, and she sent a handful to me and Jose.



I tied a tiny turquoise bead onto Jose's bridle, so that we never go on a ride without it.

But after riding Mac yesterday with 2 very suspicious-looking dark rain clouds near the end of our ride (but no turquoise bead on Mac's bridle), and after riding Jose today into another almost-suspicious rain shower cloud (with a forecast of 20% chance of scattered thundershowers), I got to thinking.


I wondered if a bead tied to the bridle would even work, or does it have to be tied to hair? If it does work tied to Jose's bridle, will the turquoise bead protect us both? Does the bead have to be in my hair? Does Jose have to wear one in his hair too? Or does it even work for white people anyway? (Or at least white people interested in and respectful of the Navajo culture?)

Further investigation says a turquoise bead was fastened to a lock of hair to safeguard against snakebite (which would also be handy here… I was almost bitten by a baby rattlesnake in Brown's Creek Canyon last fall, and I encountered a record 10 or so rattlesnakes last year).

It's already that time of the year with the unpredictable spring weather - wind, rain showers, heat, freezing temperatures, spitting snow, and thunderstorms.

I think to be on the safe side, I'll just dig out those other turquoise beads and add two more to my daily riding gear - one for my hair, one for Jose's hair. Between those 2 turquoise beads and the one permanently attached to his bridle, we might stay safe. Can't hurt, and it might help!

Southern Racehorse: March/April Cover

Wednesday March 27 2013

My photo of a horse jogging on the racetrack in the morning fog is on the cover of the March/April 2013 issue of the Southern Racehorse.

I relish shooting many horse disciplines. This summer my goal is rodeos - so appropriate here in the West, and cutting - a discipline I'd like to try in the saddle, though I expect I'd fall off a good cutting horse! I should probably stick to staying behind the lens there.

More samples of my published work are here:
http://www.theequestrianvagabond.com/PUBLISHED.html

Thanks again, editor Denis Blake!

Grumpy Old Men

 

Monday March 25 2013

Well, they might look grumpy, but really the 20+ 'old' boys Stormy and Krusty are playing, going at it hard.

My horse Stormy the Thoroughbred (the lighter one with the long blaze) is learning the art of ferocity from Mighty Mouth, or Bitey Mouth, Krusty the Olov Trotter.

No mercy, and no crying Uncle!

[slide show here]


or link
https://picasaweb.google.com/TheEquestrianVagabond/GrumpyOldMen3202013

Owyhee Spring

Friday March 22 2013

With the Owyhee spring comes the unpredictable weather: heat, cold, rain, wind, and the surprise snowfall.

It's a treat to wake up to the unexpected white stuff on the ground.

But, oh, that cold wind! Its roaring grates on your nerves, sets your teeth to gnashing, and stands your goosebumps on alert and your neck hairs on end.


The horses turn tail to the blusterous gales, and I hunker down inside, watching the snow evaporate and listening to the howls.

Get Well - Say It With Stormy!

Wednesday March 20 2013

This Stormy The Horse greeting card was inspired by our endurance riding friend Dave Rabe, who cracked his head at a ride in December. Dave was getting better, then had to have surgery, and he's slowly getting better again. He wasn't wearing a helmet, but he promises he will wear one once he gets back to riding!

Stormy and I wanted to send him an appropriate Get Well card, so Stormy designed this one.

More Stormy the Horse greeting cards can be seen and ordered here, and don't forget, you can get your own horse customized on these cards!
http://www.theequestrianvagabond.com/ArtForSale.html

Stick It

Sunday March 176 2013

You'd be hard pressed to find cactus around here in Owyhee. It exists, but not so's you'd find enough to stick your nose in it.

Except for Bodie. He found it, and stuck it where it hurts - his nose, which he uses for just about everything - eating, sniffing, feeling.

Even if the horse held still, you obviously don't want to try pulling it out with your bare hands, because the other spines will stick in your skin. You don't want to try pulling it out with gloves, because even if you get a grip on it, you'll probably poke it further in, or poke other spines in his nose.



Best is to use a comb, and rake it over the area quickly, flipping the whole cactus piece out. Fortunately I haven't found any single cactus spines in any of the horses. These can be a nightmare to remove, often requiring veterinary sedation and subsequent treatment, as many people living in Arizona have probably learned.

Bodie hardly knew what happened, and right after I swept the cactus off his nose, I gave him a good (much appreciated) scratch.