Sunday, June 19, 2011

SPOTS BEFORE MY EYES

I really try hard not to yell at my husband to, STOP THE CAR! when I see something along the way that needs to be photographed.  Yelling at the driver is just not a good idea.

This urge is very strong when we pass fields of Holstein cattle.

I blame this impulse on my upbringing on a dairy farm.  These gentle cows, which produce more milk than any other dairy breed in the United States, were an important part of our lives.

 Maybe that compulsion to love black and white 
is why I also find irresistible those pinto ponies. 

There are Pinto and Paint ponies.  The word pinto comes from the Spanish word paint.  Pintos can be white with large spots of color or a colored horse with jagged white markings.

A true Paint pony can only be the offspring of the American Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred.  Therefore, most Paints may also be Pintos but not all Pintos qualify as Paints.  I know, I know, it’s confusing.

Another car stopper is a field of Appaloosa Ponies.

The Appaloosa can be any combination of color and spots, but my favorite are the ones with specked rumps.  These horses descended from wild mustangs of the Nez Percé Indian territory which in turn descended from Spanish horses brought in by explorers.

You should now be thoroughly bewildered and seeing spots before your eyes.

13 comments:

Sarah said...

I used to be pony mad when I was young-I went riding for years and loved it. Consequently, I have heard these names before and did at one time know what they meant! Beautiful creatures!

Linda said...

I love cow photos. Our cows are all black. But there was the day when we had those love black and white cows. You looked super cute getting your photo taken at the fair.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

Debbie said...

oooohhhh these are wonderful!!

i am a hooter & a hollerer in the car...we have it down to "spin er around"!!!

now the hubs knows when i shout that out, i spoted something "blog worthey!!!

Carla said...

Love the just about all milk cows. There's something so soothing about their demeanor and body shape.

Please tell me you also "Mooooo" out the window when driving by a pasture full of cattle. :)

Carla said...

"Love just about all milk cows" You'd think I'd proofread my comments before hitting send.

Leenie said...

Yeah, I "Mooooooo!" How did you know?

Anonymous said...

Super photos of the cows and horses. Now I can amaze my friends with my knowledge of pinto and paint horses!!

Gayle said...

All lovely, thanks for these photos and memories.
Then there are the black and white shires which are always featured at the E. ID St. Fair. We rarely miss them, and it.
Thank you for your great blog.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Animals are so beautiful aren't they?

Pearl said...

Aww! How cute you are!

Never knew much about horses beyond what I've read about them, and now I know a little more! Good job, Leenie!

:-)

Pearl

Elizabeth said...

Reminds me of the cows of my childhood!
Yes, the black and whites are super for milk.

I'm a sucker for animals of all kinds.

susan m hinckley said...

Being something of a freak for all things spotted and/or black and white, I love a good Holstein and absolutely cannot resist a pinto pony, even though we had a nasty-tempered one growing up.

And while I believe the ladies were supposed to be looking at Little Joe on Bonanza, I am only interested in his wonderful paint horse...

Deborah Moore said...

I've always loved pinto's too. Possibly because of all of the fabulous paintings by Bev Doolittle. You're phoos are fantastic. You always make me smile