What A Difference A Whorl Makes.
These two horses.
Their features are so much alike in so many ways. Sensitive, but not overly so, ears. Steady confident heads. According to the head shapes they should have almost the same temperaments.
I had carrot tops. It got them to line up perfectly for me so we could see this. How handy 😆
The palomino has a single nearly centered whorl. The chestnut has side by side doubles. I’ve had the pleasure of starting both of them. Well, working on the pally, but still. The differences between them are far bigger than their very similar appearances might have us think.
The chestnut was one of the hardest horses I’ve ever started in my life. He came to me already ‘ruined’ with a lifetimes bad habits learned in his few short years. He taught me so much and very literally changed my life as I learned the lessons he had for me. He is a great horse, and he knows it. He fears nothing and when he bucked during his training it was in joy while breaking into a canter. He has reached a mture age where he seldom feels the need to do that anymore. I sat on him bridleless after a few weeks riding.
The palomino is sweet and willing and sucks up knowledge as fast as I can feed it to him. He is like a big puppy dog who wants to play. He will probably never be as great, or at least as fully aware of his greatness, as the chestnut, but he may well go farther. Between his lack of baggage and the lessons I now know after being taught them by the other. He is taking longer in the starting without the confidence of the double whorl. He has a tendency to spook and although I have no fear of him purposely doing anything untoward as we start riding together I don’t believe I will be getting on him without a bridle in the beginning stages of his riding.
It’s amazing the difference a whorl makes.
