EQUERRY.COM - Horse Quotations

It's better to want the horse you don't have than to have the horse you don't want. Contributed by Andreas Eribacher	Rick Meyer

When I hear somebody talk about a horse or cow being stupid, I figure its a sure sign that the animal has outfoxed them. Contributed by Andreas Eribacher	Tom Dorrance

If you are going to teach a horse something and have a good relationship, you don't make him learn it - you let him learn it. Contributed by Andreas Eribacher	Ray Hunt

Horses lend us the wings we lack. Contributed by Jennifer Hazen	Unknown

If there's a lot of try in the human, there's a lot of forgiveness in a horse.	Walter Josey

Horses see in black and white, and riders ride in grey. Contributed by Breanne Morrison	Cindy Ishoy

"...virtue shall be bound into the hair of thy forelock ... I have given thee the power of flight without wings." Contributed by Tonie Domino	The Koran

Behold, he cometh up as clouds, And his chariots are as the whirlwind; His horses are swifter than eagles-- Woe unto us. We are undone.	Jeremiah 4:13

A nail may save the horseshoe, the horseshoe may save the horse, the horse may save the rider, and the rider may save the kingdom.	Turkish proverb

Horses lend us the wings we lack. Contributed by Amber Guest	Unknown

Of all animals kept for the recreation of mankind the horse is alone capable of exciting a passion that shall be absolutely hopeless.	Bret Harte

Why is it that a woman will ignore homicidal tendencies in a horse, but will be furious at a man for leaving a toilet seat up? Contributed by Stephene Crumpton	Unknown

I rejoice in the union with a spirit who speaks to me with his heart ... And I understand	Carole Hudgens

He is my silent teacher ... guiding me to understanding	Carole Hudgens

The Horse. Man's noblest companion.	Unknown

Only when you see through the eyes of the horse, can you lead the dance of the mind. Contributed by Kathleen Gabica	Pete Spates

A horse in the wind, a perfect symphony.	Unknown

Creature with a pretty face, wild spirit, gentle grace walking in a golden lace beneath the open sky.	Unknown

"A horse doesn't care how much you know until he knows how much you care." Contributed by Robin S. Ott	Pat Parrelli

"There is something about jumping a horse over a fence, something that makes you feel good. Perhaps it is the risk, the gamble. In any event it's a thing I need. Contributed by Lee DeLeo	William Faulkner

"The horse is an archetypal symbol which will always find ways to stir up deep and moving ancestral memories in every human being." Contributed by Lee DeLeo	Paul Mellon

"To many, the words love, hope, and dreams are synonymous with horses." Contributed by Diane Roe	Oliver Wendell Holmes

"The eyes, circled by his sad and beautiful darkness, were so sorrowful, lonely, gentle, and nobly tragic, that they killed all other emotions except love." Contributed by Cara Jensen	T. H. White

A kingdom without horses was not a kingdom, and a king without horses was not a king.	Stan Steiner

The kick of a quiet horse strikes strong.	Armenian proverb

A good horse is never a bad color.	Anonymous

The sunshine's golden gleam is thrown, On sorrel, chestnut, bay and roan.	Oliver Wendell Holmes

One white foot - buy him; Two white feet - try him; Three white feet - look well about him; Four white feet - go without him.	Old English rhyme

A horse should be treated like a gentleman.	Leland Stanford (1824-1893)

Horses, like babies, are there only to be admired.	Marcia S. Copper The Horseman's Etiquette Book (1976)

I am your equal. I am a wild creature that can never be like you. I have heart, courage, and the game spirit that is my heritage, and I will be respected. I will be taught, and I will please, and maybe in time I will be your intimate. But I will never be your possession. Mine is a fierce love, which knows no mercy for failure. No sympathy for weakness. I have come from the desert with its closeness to the spirit of nature which you do not understand. I was born of the Wind, mine is a warrior spirit. I cannot be humiliated in punishment or defeated even in death. For my spirit lives on in my children's children. Contributed by Jonna B.	Unknown

...and he whispered to the horse, trust no man in whose eyes you do not see yourself reflected as an equal. Contributed by Lauren	Unknown

That some people are happy to live their lives around horses is almost as baffling as the fact that horses are happy to live their lives around humans. Contributed by Lauren	Unknown

To err is human. To forgive, Equine. Contributed by Wendye Keidel	Unknown

Horses and dogs have been man's most intimate and faithful companions since the dawn of history, but the horse has certainly been the most useful. In sport, agriculture, transport and warfare, the horse has contributed more to human pleasure, ambition and progress than any other animal.	Prince Philip (1921-) foreword to Monique and Hans B. Dossenbach, The Noble Horse (1987).

A horse's dark eyes Speak to me only in a Language that I hear. Contributed and Written by Nora Mahan	Nora Mahan

Where ever man has left his footprint in his long ascent from barbarism to civilization, we will find the hoofprint of a horse beside it. Contributed by Angela Buyrns	John Trotwood Moore

The horse is a creature who sacrifices his own being to exist through the will of another...he is the noblest conquest of man. Contributed by Angela Buyrns	Buffon

A horse is wonderful by definition.	Piers Anthony (1934-) Virtual Mode (1991)

The horse, the noblest, bravest, proudest, most courageous, and certainly the most perverse and infuriating animal that humans ever domesticated.	Anne McCaffrey (1926-) The Lady (1987)

A horse can lend its rider the speed and strength he or she lacks ... but the rider who is wise remembers it is no more than a loan. Contributed by Robyn Schonhoff	P. Brown, b 1928

The nature of the horse remains unchanged, whether it carries the saddle of the prince, or whether it draws the cart of the wagoner. The noble ones accept the yoke, they serve, but will never be slaves, for to themselves they can never be traitors. Contributed by Juliana Thomas	H. H. Isenbart The Kingdom of the Horse

God forbid that I should go to any heaven in which there are no horses. Contributed by Maggie	Robert Browning

Whose only fit companion is his horse.	William Cowper

Lived in his saddle, loved the chase, the course, and always, ere he mounted, kiss'd his horse.	William Cowper

He doth nothing but talk of his horse.	William Shakespeare

Look back at man's struggle for freedom. Trace our present day's strength to its source, And you'll find that man's pathway to glory Is strewn with the bones of a horse.	Unknown

He who knows others is wise - he who knows himself is enlightened.	Leo-tzu C.604-C.531 B.C.

Never let his fire die out, but kindle it with words. Let him know that you are honored to be carried along on his strong shoulders and swift feet. Contributed by Susan Grant	Carl Raswan Drinkers of the Wind

If wishes were horses - dreamers would ride. Contributed by Michelle S. Melton	Unknown

I look at the beauty of my lil' mustang stud and think that is how I would love to be if I were a horse. Free, graceful, beautiful, and not a care in the world. And all eyes are on me when I display my beauty.	Athena T. Wilder

For want of a Nail the Shoe was lost; for want of a Shoe the Horse was lost; and for want of a Horse the Rider was was lost; being overtaken and slain by the Enemy, all for want of Care about the Horse-shoe Nail.	Benjamin Franklin Poor Richards' Almanac 1758

They say princes learn no art truly, but the art of horsemanship. The reason is, the brave beast is no flatterer. He will throw a prince as soon as his groom.	Ben Johnson 1573-1637

Again the early-morning sun was generous with its warmth. All the sounds dear to a horseman were around me - the snort of the horses as they cleared their throats, the gentle swish of their tails, the tinkle of the irons as we flung the saddles over their backs - little sounds of no importance, but they stay in the unconscious library of the memory. Contributed by Juliana Thomas	Wynfors Vaughan

Riding: The art of keeping a horse between you and the ground. Contributed by Mary Watters	The London Times

People ought to quit worrying so much about whispering to their horses and just start listening to them." Contributed by Kelley Thomson	Greg Darnall (As quoted in the AQHA America's Horse Magazine: wording may not be exact)

A horse's behavior will be in direct proportion to the number of people watching you ride him. Contributed by Juliana Thomas	Cooky Mclung

This is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way. Contributed by Vicky Thomas	Doris Lessing

Where in all the world is nobility found without conceit? Where is there friendship without envy? Where is beauty without vanity? Here one finds gracefulness coupled with power, and strength tempered with gentleness. A constant servant, yet no slave. A fighter, ever without hostility. Our history was written on his back. We are his heirs. But he is his own heritage, the horse.	H. H. Eisenbart in Eisenbart and Buhrer: The Kingdom of the Horse (1969)

No hour of life is lost that is spent in the saddle.	*Winston Churchill*

In riding a horse, we borrow freedom.	Helen Thompson B. 1943

I think that if I become a horseman, I shall be a man on wings.	Xenophon The Cyropedia IV iii

If you act like you've only got fifteen minutes, it'll take all day. Act like you've got all day and it'll take fifteen minutes.	Monty Roberts

A good trainer can hear a horse speak to him. A great trainer can hear him whisper.	Tom Petty

The line between brilliance and explosion is always fine, but it is the place where genius always thrives. Contributed by Jan B. Newman	Robert Dover Dressage Today 7/96

Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving earth.	William Shakespeare Henry V

So did this horse excel a common one In shape, in courage, color, pace and bone... What a horse should have he did not lack, Save a proud rider on so proud a back.	William Shakespeare Venus and Adonis

...through his mane and tail the high wind sings, fanning the hairs, who wave like feather'd wings.	William Shakespeare Venus and Adonis

When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: He trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.	William Shakespeare

A lot of what's about horses is nuts and bolts -- If the rider's nuts, the horse bolts.	*The Horse Whisperer*

"Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order."	*John Adams*

"The respect of tradition should not prevent the love of progress." Contributed by Joyce McFadden	General L'Hotte Dressage Master

"You will find it is always easier to walk if there is a horse between your legs." Contributed byTracy Vinciguerra	*Tex Bix Bender*

"Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order." Contributed byTracy Vinciguerra	*John Adams*

"Anyone who is concerned about his dignity would be well advised to keep away from horses." Contributed byTracy Vinciguerra	Duke of Edinburgh

"Learning dressage takes two lifetimes -- yours ... and your horse's." Contributed by Sue Ivy	Unknown

"I smell her still, I see her still, I hear the way she used to move about at night. What horse is ever so old as to forget his dam?" Contributed by HC	John Hawkes in "Sweet William"

"Horses leave hoofprints on your heart." Contributed by Tracy Vinciguerra	Author unknown, 1995

"No heaven can heaven be, if my Horse isn't there to welcome me." Contributed by Tracy Vinciguerra	*LM, 1995*

"When I competed, I tried to do my best. In my early years, I just went as fast as I could to get out of the ring as soon as I could. I concentrated so hard that I really messed up by not taking the time to show the judge what my horse and I could really do. My scores got better when I learned to just relax and take the attitude, 'Hey, I'm on my horse and I'm going to show my horse off.' That's when I started to take time to prepare him for each movement -- I rode the test better, and my scores improved enormously. When I rode for myself, that's when I got better. It's a matter of confidence and getting used to showing." from Equerry Exclusive Interview with Linda Zang	*Linda Zang, 1998*

"Some people have animal eyes - bears' eyes, cats' eyes, pigs' eyes, but horses have human eyes and I love horses better than people." Contributed by Nicole	Jose Garcia Villa Filipino Author

"There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse." Contributed by Shelley Schoenrock	*Robert Smith Surtees*

"A horse is a thing of such beauty...none will tire of looking at him as long as he displays himself in his splendor." Contributed by Juliana Thomas	*Xenophon, 400 B.C.*

"Where in this world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity? Here, where grace is laced with muscle, and strength by gentleness confined. He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity. There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent; there is nothing so quick, nothing more patient..."	Robert Duncan The Horse of the Year Show

"Honor lies in the mane of a horse." Contributed by J. Thomas.	Herman Melville

When your homing carloads swing Past us down the crisping lanes, and your dazzling headlights fling, snow white roses on our reins, would you choose your sheltered flight, would we take your cushioned ease, for the wide and scented night and the horse between our knees? Contributed by J. Thomas.	*W.H. Olgivie*

A good horse makes short miles. Contributed by J. Thomas.	*George Elliot*

God first made Man. He thought better of it and made Woman. When He got time He made the Horse, which has the courage and spirit of Man and the beauty and grace of Woman.	*Brazilian saying*

Yet if man, of all the Creator plann'd His noblest work is reconed, Of the works of His hand, by sea or land, The horse may at least rank second.	Adam Lindsay Gordon 1833-1870 Hippondromania

The sun it was, ye glittering gods, ye took to make a horse.	Dirga-Tamas Indian Vedic Poet, c1000 BC

"...through his mane and tail the high wind sings, Fanning the hairs, who wave like feathered wings."	*William Shakespeare*

There on the tips of fair fresh flowers feedeth he; how joyous is his neigh, there, in the midst of sacred pollen hidden, all is he; how joyous is his neigh.	*Navajo Song*

The substitution of the internal combustion engine for the horse marked a very gloomy milestone in the progress of mankind. Contributed by B.K. Jones	Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

"...and God took a handful of southerly wind, blew his breath over it and created the horse..."	*Bedouin Legend*

Twilight gathers and ends our play, Hoofs in the distance echo away; Shadows into the dusk we pass... Come what may, we have had our day Over the grass.	Will H. Ogilvie b. 1869 Over The Grass

Sing, riding's a joy! For me I ride.	Robert Browning 1812-1889 The Last Ride Together

"What a piece of work is a horse! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a man! The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals!"	James Agate 1877-1947 Alarums and Excursions

Of all Creatures God made at the Creation, there is none except man more excellent, or so much to be respected as a Horse.	*Bedouin Legend*

"Most important is love of the horse. It is the leitmotif that should underlie all our intercourse with the most lovable of creatures. A horse will overcome its inborn shyness and gain confidence, the fundamental condition for mutual understanding, with a man whose love it feels. Subsequently, when strictness or punishment becomes necessary, the horse will know that it was deserved, for it has never suffered injustice or arbitrariness. It has been able to judge the rider's good nature by the fact that he was on the lookout, so to speak, for the slightest indication of responsiveness to his controls to find an opportunity to reward his horse, and that he was magnanimous in forgetting to punish when the mistake was due to clumsiness or inadequate understanding."	*Waldemar Seunig's book "Horsemanship"*

"...patience, inexhaustible patience--especially when psychological and physical defects are present--is necessary to make the horse understand what we want of it. Patience is equally necessary in order not to grow immoderately demanding, which always happens when we do not reward an initial compliance by immediate cessation of the demand, but try to enjoy a victory until the horse becomes cross or confused."	*Waldemar Seunig's book "Horsemanship"*

"His neigh is like the bidding of a monarch, and his countenance enforces homage. He is indeed, a horse."	William Shakespeare

"Confidence is absolutely essential because without it the horse just cannot make a sufficient surrender of himself, mentally and physically, to learn and to absorb our teaching. Mental and physical processes are so intimately connected, that they cannot be separated."	Henry Wynmalen "Dressage"

"Horses are so forgiving."	*Tom Dorrance*

"There is nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."	*Will Rogers*

"...This most noble beast is the most beautiful, the swiftest and of the highest courage of domesticated animals. His long mane and tail adorn and beautify him. He is of a fiery temperament, but good tempered, obedient, docile and well-mannered."	*Pedro Garcia Conde, 1685*

"In riding a horse, we borrow freedom."	*Helen Thomson, b. 1943*

"A canter is a cure for every evil."	*Benjamin Disraeli (1804-81)*

"The air of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears."	*Arabian Proverb*

"Where in this wide world can (a person) find nobility without pride, friendship without envy or beauty without vanity? Here, where grace is laced with muscle and strength by gentleness confined. He serves without servility, he has fought without enmity. There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent; there is nothing so quick, nothing more patient."	Ronald Duncan from "To the Horse"

"We have almost forgotten how strange a thing it is that so huge and powerful and intelligent an animal as a horse should allow another, and far more feeble animal, to ride upon its back."	*Peter Gray, b. 1928*

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."	*Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)*

"Far back, far back in our dark soul the horse prances . . . The horse, the horse! The symbol of surging potency and power of movement, of action . . ."	*D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930)*

"Gypsy gold does not chink and glitter. It gleams in the sun and neighs in the dark."	*Saying of the Gladdagh Gypsies of Galway*

"It takes a good deal of physical courage to ride a horse. This, however, I have. I get it at about forty cents a flask, and take it as required."	Stephen Leacock (1896-1944) from "Literary Lapses Reflections on Riding"

"There is something about riding down the street on a prancing horse that makes you feel like something, even when you ain't a thing."	*Will Rogers*

Show me your horse and I will tell you what you are. Contributed by Joe O'C.	*Old English Saying*

Anything forced and misunderstood can never be beautiful. And to quote the words of Simon: If a dancer was forced to dance by whip and spikes, he would be no more beautiful than a horse trained under similar conditions.	*Xenophon, 400 B.C.*

The horse symbolizes beauty, grace, and power, and a rider feels part of that spirit. Contributed by J. Thomas.	L.S. (?)

"When you're young and you fall off a horse, you may break something. When you're my age and you fall off, you splatter." Contributed by J. Thomas.	Roy Rogers

Every horse thinks his own pack the heaviest. (Aphorism)	*(unknown)*

"Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear or a fool from any direction."	*Cowboy wisdom*

"Speak your mind, but ride a fast horse."	*(unknown)*

Nothing does as much for the insides of a man than the outsides of a horse.	Ronald Reagon North Platte, Nebreska, 1987

Life is good; a horse makes it better! Contributed by Raine	*(unknown)*

He who said he made a small fortune in the horse business Probably started out with a large fortune! Contributed by M.S.O.	*(unknown proverb)*

People on horses look better than they are, People in cars look worse than they are. Contributed by M.S.O.	*Myra Mannes*

"Horse sense is what keeps horses from betting on what people will do."	*Raymund Nash*

"Some folks get credit for having horse sense that hain't ever had enough money to make fools of themselves."	*K. Hubbard*

[He was] "so learned that he could name a horse in nine languages...So ignorant, that he bought a cow to ride one."	*Benjamin Franklin*

"Sir, I would horsewhip you if I had a horse."	*Groucho Marx*

"I just played a horse yesterday so slow that the jockey kept a diary of the trip." "I once bet on a horse that was so slow I bet it to live."	*Henny Youngman*