Equestrian Court of Grammatical Peeves

[jvanrens]

@Rackonteur

Piebald – white and black. Skewbald – white and any color other than black.

If you follow horse colour genetics, those terms are useless. There are over 30 white patterns and 3 base coats without modifiers (cream, dun, pearl, champagne etc) being factored in.

[jvanrens]

@RHdobes563

And it’s funny, too, because The Black was bred to a Standardbred mare, and Bonfire (The Black Stallion’s Blood Bay Colt) was born.

Likely at that time the Standardbred book wasn’t closed. At one point all they had to do was trot or pace up to the standard, which was set by the registry so it could have maybe been possible. I can’t for the life of me remember the decade they were supposed to have taken place in.

[SillyHorse]

@jvanrens

I can’t for the life of me remember the decade they were supposed to have taken place in.

If you mean the story, it was 1946.

The studbook closed officially in 1973. Wikipedia:

At the foundation of the United States Trotting Association in 1939, a closed stud book was proposed. The studbook was not officially closed until 1973, however, it is likely that it was effectively closed prior

[Janet]

According to Wikipedia, the Standardbred stud book was officially closed in 1973, though it had been “effectively closed” before that.

[SillyHorse]

Jinx!

[jvanrens]

Thank you! Too lazy to google it, and my memory is crap for numbers. So the Black could have been bred to a Standardbred and have a registerable horse with USTA. I’m sure there weren’t too many outcrosses by '73, though if you look at all the pinto Standardbreds in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, people were still outcrossing there more recently.

[SillyHorse]

Alec would be turning 87 this year.

[SillyHorse]

@jvanrens

@Rackonteur

PROLLY for PROBABLY. Why are American young people suddenly posting in baby talk? CRAY-CRAY? Crazy for anyone over the age of 4.

Prolly has been around since the early 90’s on the internet. This isn’t anything new.

It’s still ridiculous. When I see that, or “wanna” or “gonna,” I wonder how long it will be before humans are just grunting and pointing.

[Mallard]

I scribbed for a senior judge who always gave his scribes a spelling test. The word he wanted you to spell was ‘loose’

[jvanrens]

@SillyHorse

@jvanrens

@Rackonteur

PROLLY for PROBABLY. Why are American young people suddenly posting in baby talk? CRAY-CRAY? Crazy for anyone over the age of 4.

Prolly has been around since the early 90’s on the internet. This isn’t anything new.

It’s still ridiculous. When I see that, or “wanna” or “gonna,” I wonder how long it will be before humans are just grunting and pointing.

I didn’t say it wasn’t ridiculous, just that it isn’t recent. I wish it would go away personally. It bothered me then.

[JBCool]

I hate to say it, but wouldn’t he be older than that? The first book came out in 1941 and Alec was already a teenager. If he was 13 then, he’d be (gasp) 95 this year. But we all know he’s really ageless

[SillyHorse]

When I looked for info, some site that seemed legit said the book took place in 1946 and Alec was 10 at the time. Obviously incorrect.

But I agree 100% – he’s ageless.

[JBCool]

In my mind, he was always 16ish. I mean, in the book he was travelling back from India by himself and I doubt they sent 10yos off to do that even then. Besides, he had to be old enough to have a crush on, right?

[Janet]

@JBCool

in the book he was travelling back from India by himself and I doubt they sent 10yos off to do that even then.

Yes they did. Several members of my family (father, grandmother, great aunt, and others) travelled, by sea, unaccompanied, between South Africa and England, or between USA and England at that age, in the first half of the 20th century.

[JBCool]

I stand corrected. Wow and eek!

[Event_Horse]

@Alterration

And add me to the list of people who become incredibly aggravated when people go on very confidently about things they don’t actually know in the horse world. It’s on my list of New Year’s Resolutions to not let it bother me so much.

I had a coworker insist that Thoroughbred foals have to wear a bit from the day they are born. I tried to explain but she was adamant because she learned it when she visited the Kentucky Derby museum.

I have found some errors at the Museum of the Horse at the KY Horse Park, but that bit thing seems really egregious (assuming she didn’t misinterpret something she read).

[Alterration]

@Event_Horse

I had a coworker insist that Thoroughbred foals have to wear a bit from the day they are born. I tried to explain but she was adamant because she learned it when she visited the Kentucky Derby museum.

I’ve been there, there’s NO way that’s there unless it changed considerably.

[Mondo]

They probably learned that the foals wear a halter from the day they’re born, and not being horse people, thought it was a bridle, or took that to mean they had a bit in their mouth.

[Alterration]

That would make sense. Hurts my brain!

[ShenanAnna]

Not being horse people, maybe they didn’t know the difference, or even what they were talking about. I had the guy who lived at the small property where I boarded my half-Arab say, when talking about putting a lead rope around a horse’s neck, that “they put the reins over his head.”