One White Foot -

Over Easter we were staying near Appleby in Westmoreland, the site of the Appleby Horse Fair, and wherever we looked, we saw horses. I have always loved horses and as a child fantasied about being able to ride bare backed, with my hair and the horse's mane flying, across vast tracts of land. As an adult (before children) I owned - firstly a driving pony called Oliver who had a personality bigger than his short stature and later a rather stupid chestnut with a ridiculous phobia of sparrows and sheep - I didn't keep him long as where we live, sheep and sparrows are a-plenty!

 One little saying that often runs through my head when I am looking at horses is 'One White Foot' which an old proverb about horse trading and it goes thus.

One white foot - buy him

Two white feet - try him

Three white feet - look well about him

Four white feet - go without him

From anecdotal research (I for years worked as a veterinary nurse) it appeared that there is an historic belief that white hooves were 'softer', more prone to cracking therefore rendering the horse as a liability rather than an asset and the black or darker hooves were harder and therefore stronger. 

The colouring of hooves is dictated primarily by the horse's pigmentation and both hoof colours can experience problems of splitting or cracking just as we either suffer or revel in our own finger nails (or in my case - the lack of them!)

But I find something charming about four white stocking legs - and the little chestnut pony was quite startled when I took his picture, as you can tell by the look on his face! 

Now, if you will excuse me, I have to dry Eldest's PE kit shirt with the hair dryer and get it to him in time for his PE lesson ....... no, please don't ask....

Have yourselves a lovely weekend, coz I certainly intend to!! 

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