# Has no one mentioned Poodle Horses yet???



## Pella (Oct 7, 2014)

Because I have one, and, after Poodles, they're the best animal ever!! 

This is my American Curly gelding Sage:






























Baby Sage!











Like Poodles, Curly horses are thought to be hypoallergenic. They usually have Curly eyelashes, curls inside their ears, curly mane and tail, and in the winter, curly coats. Very rare horses.

You can read more about them on Wikipedia too:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curly_Horse


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

more info, please. not thinking of getting one. just interested. yes, i will follow the link, but more info re how you got your gelding, his behavior around you and others, etc., would be fascinating.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I LOVE curlys!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

WOW! When I read the Wikipedia description of their personality, it was like they were describing a Poodle! LOL!!!!


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## Shamrockmommy (Aug 16, 2013)

Well now I just can NOT support that unethical breeding of poodles to horses... now I've heard everything!!!
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 Just kidding! he is gorgeous! Want!!!


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

How cute! I agree with Patk more info! They really sound like poodles just in horse form.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

He sure is handsome! I currently have a paint gelding, but when I was looking for a second horse I had my eye on a curly/arab gelding. A friend of mine ended up buying him since I didn't have the cash at the moment and since he was an amazing horse he would sell fast so she jumped on the opportunity since I couldn't. They are such fun, sweet horses. What type of work/riding do you do with him?

They're definitely on my horse wish list.

My boy likes to pretend he's a curly...when its rainy his hair gets all wavy lol


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## Pella (Oct 7, 2014)

Patk, I can talk about Curlies all day long!! My favorite website is probably curlyhorsecountry.com It's a great place to go for more photos and info. 

I rode horses growing up but developed allergies to them as a teen. I had to stop riding even though I had been very focused on riding up until that point. Inhalers were needed just to be in the parking lot of the stable! About ten years went by with me sporadically trying to ride and ending up with my inhaler very quickly every time. Then, some friends of mine told me about Curlies. HYPOALLERGENIC HORSES!!!! I spent the next 2 years pestering breeders across the U.S. about why they bred the horses they did and what their breeding goals were etc. Eventually I flew from New England all the way to Washington state to meet my favorite breeder, and Sage is a grandson of her horses; the next generation. 

I decided to look for a Curly that emphasized the original body type found in the Mustang herds (other than that we don't really know where they come from). They are known for being incredibly intelligent, curious, and docile. They have a layer of fat on their bodies, sometimes have a prehistoric mustache, and slightly slanted eyes...all relics of the extremely cold climate they are thought to originate from. 

In general, Curlies are very low maintenance. If they have shelter from the wind and enough hay, they do well. I'd say they are about the opposite of Poodles in that way! However, my gelding over the years has pulled a lot of stunts...he's nicknamed Houdini for a very good reason and has 'liberated' a whole barn full of horses more than once. Mere latches do not stop him. He's moved ladders around overnight when there were construction workers at the barn, will pick up a whip and wave it at you, stands on pedestals (and also my car unfortunately...slight miscommunication there!), and does all 3 gaits off of hand signals at liberty. He is very smart, and quite pleased with himself once he's done some work, he gets his chest all puffed up...but he is in general quite a bit lazier and happier eating and doing nothing than I have ever seen a Poodle be. 

But the thing about Curlies that makes me truly passionate about the breed is their heart. Once in a group lesson, another woman started crying because the trainer fell off her horse and she was really scared. Sage dragged me over to her and used his lips to gently scrub away her tears, then stood with his head and neck over her shoulder. I've seen him comfort many people with great emotional insight. He adores kids the most and has been used as a therapeutic riding horse. He is so calm and steady that he is worth his weight in gold. 

In my experience with Poodles I would describe them as playful clowns that are also quite sensitive and easily offended...prone to opinions. They are so highly intelligent but really suffer if things are not up to their standards. I see Curlies in general being much easier going and more level emotionally, while being similar in terms of clowning around and being really smart. 

Having Sage in my life has made me examine a lot about horses and riding in general and left me in a more spiritual place with all of it. I relate to a lot of what Linda Kohanov says in the Tao of Equus and Riding Between the Worlds and I think so much of that applies to my relationship with Sage.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

thanks so much, pella. i don't ride, but have always thought horses were beautiful. i love the personality of your curly, as well as the way he looks. he sounds so smart and mischievous at the same time - and, as you said, compassionate. that's a quality animal behaviorists are beginning to explore much more in other animals and finding it is not anthropomorphizing to say it exists. thanks again for sharing. hope you will pop back into this thread occasionally to regale us with more stories about sage.


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## PoodlePaws (May 28, 2013)

I thought you would like this


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## Raven's Mom (Mar 18, 2014)

Makes me think of my old paint boy, Harlequin Joe. I got him when I was 16, he got me though those horrible teen years, and was still around for my kids to ride when they were little. I miss him so much?


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## kenzie14 (Feb 18, 2015)

PoodlePaws said:


> View attachment 229418
> 
> I thought you would like this


Wow, how did you make the ears?
That is so pretty.


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## PoodlePaws (May 28, 2013)

Oops. I didn't make it. It's a pic my friend sent me from the Internet. !!


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