# Old sayings about horses?



## only_me (21 October 2010)

What old sayings do you know about horses?

2 whorls on a head is a sign of a good horse with a nice personality

A prophets thumb mark is a sign of a good horse

Know any more?


----------



## Montyforever (21 October 2010)

One white foot, buy him.
Two white feet, try him.
Three white feet, be on the sly.
Four white feet, pass him by.


----------



## singing dawg (21 October 2010)

Plagerised.....

Are four white feet bad? Or good? There are two different versions of 'white feet' rhymes, with different suggestions. 
The two poems are:

One white foot, buy him.
Two white feet, try him.
Three white feet, be on the sly.
Four white feet, pass him by. 

The other says just the opposite:

One white foot, keep him not a day,
Two white feet, send him far away,
Three white feet, sell him to a friend,
Four white feet, keep him to the end.


----------



## Cedars (21 October 2010)

Oh dear my poor little foalie would be passed by! But thats fine cos shes all mine 

Does it count if they're coloured though....?


----------



## NicoleS_007 (21 October 2010)

I just read that a prophets thumb mark ment the horse was blessed and if your thumb fits the print perfectly then your the horses true owner. Interesting stuff but i no longer believe  My horse had two swirls on his head and he was a moody git and he was deffo not blessed with that thumb thing haha :rolleyes


----------



## JenHunt (21 October 2010)

No 'oof no 'orse

choose hunters with the face of a duchess and the @rse of a cook...


----------



## lialls (21 October 2010)

A horse with white flecks in his coat is ment to be lucky.


----------



## Mrs B (21 October 2010)

When I was a kid in Leicestershire, there was an old rogue of a dealer called Ron Tivey. (He once turned up at the yard driving his lorry with no boots on. He'd met someone who'd admired them, so he'd sold 'em.)

Anyhoo, he always said:

" There's only one guarantee with 'osses. They'll mek ya look daft".


----------



## Three (21 October 2010)

choose hunters with the face of a duchess and the @rse of a cook
		
Click to expand...

I was taught this for cobs too!

And for breeding 'Mare for temperament, stallion for looks'


----------



## Allover (21 October 2010)

Big ears = good temperament

An ounce on the foot is a pound on the back!


----------



## NicoleS_007 (21 October 2010)

Kate Sturgess said:



			When I was a kid in Leicestershire, there was an old rogue of a dealer called Ron Tivey. (He once turned up at the yard driving his lorry with no boots on. He'd met someone who'd admired them, so he'd sold 'em.)

Anyhoo, he always said:

" There's only one guarantee with 'osses. They'll mek ya look daft". 

Click to expand...

LOL this is deffo true


----------



## BuBbleMooJim (21 October 2010)

I like this one:
Tell a gelding, ask a stallion, put it to a mare for her consideration.

The white sock one I heard was: Four white socks keep him not a day, three white socks send him far away, two white socks give him to a friend, one white sock keep him to his end. As this is an old saying I assume its because it used to be thought pale hooves were weaker than dark ones, and the more socks a horse had, the more pale feet it had!


----------



## HappyHorses:) (21 October 2010)

I remember one that was something like 'no horse looks good at blackberry picking' think it indicated the changing of their coats


----------



## Hels_Bells (21 October 2010)

"If there's an accident waiting to happen a horse will find it"!

Will be checking to see if my thumb fits my boys thumb prints tomorrow morning first thing!


----------



## only_me (21 October 2010)

I heard that it was tell a gelding, ask a mare and discuss with a stallion!


----------



## Oberon (21 October 2010)

One white foot, buy a horse
Two white feet, try a horse
Three white feet, look well about them
Four white feet, do well without 'em.


----------



## immoralorchid (21 October 2010)

a good horse is never a bad colour


----------



## Cuppatea (21 October 2010)

white socks rhyme i know:
one, buy it,
two, try it,
three, suspect it,
four, reject it!


----------



## wonkey_donkey (21 October 2010)

Hansome is as hansome does . . . . . and never a true word said !!


----------



## BuBbleMooJim (21 October 2010)

only_me said:



			I heard that it was tell a gelding, ask a mare and discuss with a stallion! 

Click to expand...

Try explaining that to my mare!!


----------



## mulledwhine (21 October 2010)

I dont know if this counts, but here goes......

There are two types of horse...

The wo your bugger

and

the go you bugger


----------



## Crazydancer (21 October 2010)

Three said:



			And for breeding 'Mare for temperament, stallion for looks'
		
Click to expand...

Oh now that explains SOOO much!!!  

I was told a rhyme about when your horse is rolling in the field, the number of times a horse rolls over on his other side, linked to health and length of life... but can't for the life of me remember what it was?? Anyone have any idea?


----------



## SKY (21 October 2010)

montyforever said:



			One white foot, buy him.
Two white feet, try him.
Three white feet, be on the sly.
Four white feet, pass him by.



Click to expand...

i was going to say that, heard that from a john wayne film, love that saying.


----------



## AndySpooner (21 October 2010)

If you buy a horse by moonlight,

You'll have to sell him by candle light.


----------



## spotty_pony (21 October 2010)

No foot, no horse


----------



## tallyho! (21 October 2010)

I talked to a friend just the other day
whos got lots of opinions and plenty to say.
We discussed what we both like to see in a horse
his requirements and mine were different of course?
He likes a clean throatlatch and a long skinny neck,
and prefers that their hocks are set close to the deck.
Short backs and hard feet and clean slopin shoulder,
and a gaskin that looks like it swallered a boulder.
He likes a short face and a big olsoft eye,
and says these are the horses hes likely to buy.
And when hed completed his lengthy discourse,
on all of the attributes of the quality horse,
he asked my opinion, and where do I start?
And I said that Ijust want horses with heart.
I said I want heart above all the other.
I dont care if hes Smart Little Lenas full brother (a champion western cutting horse)
Or just how much money that his grandmother won,
or whether hes roan, palomino or dun.
But give me a horse with some grit and some try,
and some heart and some guts and thats one that Ill buy.


----------



## AndySpooner (21 October 2010)

tallyho! said:



			I talked to a friend just the other day
whos got lots of opinions and plenty to say.
We discussed what we both like to see in a horse
his requirements and mine were different of course?
He likes a clean throatlatch and a long skinny neck,
and prefers that their hocks are set close to the deck.
Short backs and hard feet and clean slopin shoulder,
and a gaskin that looks like it swallered a boulder.
He likes a short face and a big olsoft eye,
and says these are the horses hes likely to buy.
And when hed completed his lengthy discourse,
on all of the attributes of the quality horse,
he asked my opinion, and where do I start?
And I said that Ijust want horses with heart.
I said I want heart above all the other.
I dont care if hes Smart Little Lenas full brother (a champion western cutting horse)
Or just how much money that his grandmother won,
or whether hes roan, palomino or dun.
But give me a horse with some grit and some try,
and some heart and some guts and thats one that Ill buy.
		
Click to expand...


I really like this.


----------



## sunshine19 (21 October 2010)

One white foot, ride him for your life. 
Two white feet, give him to your wife. 
Three white feet, give him to your man. 
Four white feet, sell him if you can.


----------



## Horseback Rider (21 October 2010)

Beware beware the chestnut mare !


----------



## tallyho! (21 October 2010)

By the way, four white feet thing being a sign of weak feet - complete myth!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## tallyho! (21 October 2010)

AndySpooner said:



			I really like this.
		
Click to expand...

Me too!


----------



## comet&joe (21 October 2010)

takes 13 falls to be a real jockey


----------



## Avonbrook (21 October 2010)

No foot no horse, no hocks no hunter

Never look a gift horse in the mouth 

For the want of a nail...

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink

If wishes were horses beggars would ride

Fools breed horses for wise men to buy


----------



## BuBbleMooJim (21 October 2010)

tallyho! said:



			By the way, four white feet thing being a sign of weak feet - complete myth!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
		
Click to expand...

ERM.... yes tallyho! thats why I said it used to be thought pale feet meant weak feet, god you people are so rude


----------



## charliesarmy (21 October 2010)

Yer want a good leg in each corner!


----------



## dianeholmes (21 October 2010)

You need enough black to let the devil out,

no such thing as a bad grey horse

no such thing as a bad floppy eared horse

who knows whether it all means anything at all!!!


----------



## somethingorother (21 October 2010)

lorraine&comet said:



			takes 13 falls to be a real jockey 

Click to expand...

Your instructor was mean  I was always told 7. 15 years and i've not made 7 yet, i'm either doing something very wrong or very right. Maybe i need to throw myself off a few times? Ginger Arab gave it a go at making it 5 last night though on my lesson. Little monkey showing me up.

I have heard a few times that there's no such thing as a bad Dun horse. Not that i agree...

The white feet thing, i would associate with legs. White legs are a pain in the bum if there's pink skin and mud. I love a horse with lots of white though so the old saying and mud fever experiences haven't worked for me.


----------



## the watcher (21 October 2010)

Three said:



			And for breeding 'Mare for temperament, stallion for looks'
		
Click to expand...

Similarly for breeding - breed blood to bone


----------



## lhotse (21 October 2010)

No horse looks good at blackberry time.


----------



## Irishlife (21 October 2010)

An ounce of blood is worth more than a ton of feeding.

If a man dies, sell his favourite mare or she will die too.


----------



## brighthair (22 October 2010)

groom from the bucket - basically that if you are feeding right, your horse will be shiny!
feed to work, not work to feed - feed for what you are doing now, not next week


----------



## RuthnMeg (22 October 2010)

For every time your horse rolls right over (while rolling!!) add £100 to their value.
For every time your horse rolls right over going UP HILL add £1,000 to their value.


----------



## bigboyrocky (22 October 2010)

I heard that if they can roll right over then add another £500 to thier value.. not heard about uphill or anything


----------



## madeleine1 (22 October 2010)

Three said:



			I was taught this for cobs too!

And for breeding 'Mare for temperament, stallion for looks'
		
Click to expand...

damn it my mare has the looks but not the temp lol


----------



## hairycob (22 October 2010)

re the rolling stuff - my 28yo arthritic pony should be worth way more than I paid for him then - he can roll for England, right over & uphill. LOL


----------



## cronkmooar (22 October 2010)

somethingorother said:



			Your instructor was mean  I was always told 7. 15 years and i've not made 7 yet, i'm either doing something very wrong or very right. Maybe i need to throw myself off a few times? Ginger Arab gave it a go at making it 5 last night though on my lesson. Little monkey showing me up.

I have heard a few times that there's no such thing as a bad Dun horse. Not that i agree...

The white feet thing, i would associate with legs. White legs are a pain in the bum if there's pink skin and mud. I love a horse with lots of white though so the old saying and mud fever experiences haven't worked for me.
		
Click to expand...

My how times change or is it standards have slipped

when I was learning nearly 40 yrs ago it took 100 falls to make a rider  What this is meant to refer to is you can't call your self an expert until you have fallen off 100 times - something you are unlikeley to do and therefore can never know everything!

Another is - you win your rosettes at home - you only go to shows to collect them


----------



## Andalusianlover (22 October 2010)

When going to look at a horse with regards to buying him my old grandfather would say:

You cant build a house on bad foundations or in other words look at the legs and feet first.


----------



## farriersmum (22 October 2010)

Is it..
An ounce of blood is worth an inch of bone...?
(Meaning a bit of tb is better than a bit of cob)


----------



## tallyho! (22 October 2010)

BuBbleMooJim said:



			ERM.... yes tallyho! thats why I said it used to be thought pale feet meant weak feet, god you people are so rude

Click to expand...

I beg your pardon... exactly HOW was I being rude there? Who are you referring to as 'you people'?


----------



## only_me (22 October 2010)

I also heard that you can never have a bad dun - and I have to say, I kinda agree!


----------



## perryhillbay (22 October 2010)

Scotia said:



			Beware beware the chestnut mare !
		
Click to expand...

Too true  (P.S. Don't look at my siggie! LOL)


----------



## Toffee44 (22 October 2010)

"Horses for courses"

Horses never look good at blackberry picking time, is also quoted in my ancient pony club manual.


----------



## Kat (22 October 2010)

singing dawg said:



			Plagerised.....

Are four white feet bad? Or good? There are two different versions of 'white feet' rhymes, with different suggestions. 
The two poems are:

One white foot, buy him.
Two white feet, try him.
Three white feet, be on the sly.
Four white feet, pass him by. 

The other says just the opposite:

One white foot, keep him not a day,
Two white feet, send him far away,
Three white feet, sell him to a friend,
Four white feet, keep him to the end.
		
Click to expand...

No no no you got the second one the wrong way round! It should be: 

Four white feet, keep him not a day,
Three white feet, send him far away, 
Two white feet, give him to a friend, 
One white foot, keep until the end. 

I remember it really vividly because the pony I rode as a child had one white foot. His owner had inherited him when his breeder died and she promised to keep him until the end, and she did, to a fairly ripe old age despite him being a grumpy git. I'd never heard the other version until I came on here.


----------



## Kat (22 October 2010)

dianeholmes said:



			You need enough black to let the devil out,

no such thing as a bad grey horse

no such thing as a bad floppy eared horse

who knows whether it all means anything at all!!!
		
Click to expand...

I thought it was a bit of white to let the devil out???? So a white star or sock or something.


----------



## fizzer (22 October 2010)

Green and green make black and blue.    (As in novice horse and rider)


----------



## NicoleS_007 (22 October 2010)

fizzer said:



			Green and green make black and blue.    (As in novice horse and rider)
		
Click to expand...

LOL i like this one


----------



## Katikins (22 October 2010)

Big ears mean a kind heart - and in my experience so so true!!


----------



## BFG (22 October 2010)

Ruthnmeg said:



			For every time your horse rolls right over (while rolling!!) add £100 to their value.
For every time your horse rolls right over going UP HILL add £1,000 to their value.
		
Click to expand...

I like this one my horse rolls up hill all the time (quite steep) he is not as much of a fan or rolling down hill though, but it is funny to watch.


----------



## tallyho! (22 October 2010)

I'm still wondering who was rude to me...................................... I'd like an apology.


----------



## pastie2 (22 October 2010)

tallyho! said:



			I'm still wondering who was rude to me...................................... I'd like an apology.
		
Click to expand...

I quite agree tallyho, I couldnt understand that post either!! No need for that at all!


----------



## Saucisson (22 October 2010)

Not totally for horses but from when I worked on a pig farm....

"a happy pig is a healthy pig"

So simple but I think it applies to all animals - including us funny ole two legged apes!


----------



## Starzaan (22 October 2010)

only_me said:



			I also heard that you can never have a bad dun - and I have to say, I kinda agree!
		
Click to expand...

Sadly my old boy disproves this theory.

After the fifth visit from the air ambulance, he was retired age 7... to just be pretty in the field and not kill anyone else!


----------



## JenHunt (22 October 2010)

the watcher said:



			Similarly for breeding - breed blood to bone
		
Click to expand...

that's what I was taught too!



fizzer said:



			Green and green make black and blue.    (As in novice horse and rider)
		
Click to expand...

not heard that, but it makes sense!


----------



## Millyard Rejects (24 October 2010)

I always heard-if your horse could roll right over from one side to the other he was worth a "guinea"  more? no idea what the current exchange rate is on guineas? 
There was also a rhyme about shoe a little horse,shoe a little mare but let the little colt go bare bare bare? not sure if thats it exactly?? but was refering to shoe your older or working horses but not youngstock?


----------



## Kokopelli (24 October 2010)

Starzaan said:



			Sadly my old boy disproves this theory.

After the fifth visit from the air ambulance, he was retired age 7... to just be pretty in the field and not kill anyone else!
		
Click to expand...

I disagree aswell we had one pts due to him tryimg to kill various people, it just makes you think what happened to them in the past though


----------



## polopony (24 October 2010)

hairycob said:



			re the rolling stuff - my 28yo arthritic pony should be worth way more than I paid for him then - he can roll for England, right over & uphill. LOL
		
Click to expand...

Ahaa same, but the mare I'm talking about is 32


----------



## Sanolly (24 October 2010)

Scotia said:



			Beware beware the chestnut mare !
		
Click to expand...


God I agree with that! Most of the ones I have met have been complete cows!!


----------



## thatsmygirl (25 October 2010)

I love my chestnut mares. Had 3 and all really really nice horses with fab temp.


----------



## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (25 October 2010)

"The best whip is in the corn bin"

"No foot no 'oss"

You have to fall off every horse you ride, the number of your age (!!!) before you can ride it


----------



## BuBbleMooJim (25 October 2010)

God I hope not, I would have had to fall off the horse I have now, 40 times! so....37 times to go! And this one, my grandad said that if a horse had big ears and small eyes, it was a mulish pig! and he was a blacksmith (farrier in old money) LOL


----------



## ozpoz (25 October 2010)

The gaze from the eye of a good horse is worth more than rubies..
( I agree)


----------



## Mari (27 October 2010)

This one is for breeders.  keep the best & sell the rest


----------

