Re: MORE ON THE MOYLE

Barbara Madill (WFMADILL.FMF@worldnet.att.net)
Sat, 25 Jan 1997 19:13:15 +0000

At 06:21 PM 1/25/97 +0000, you wrote:
>I thought I'd add a little to what Mr. Morris noted concerning the Moyle
>Horse. Several endurance riders from the East ( Virginia and Maryland)
>bought some of these horses. They were found to be a bit skitterish ( turns
>out when purchased they were barely green broke), little heavy on the fore
>hand, and had terrific feet. Most Farrier marvelled at how much hoof they
>had. They were indeed tough, but what was intriguing was the way their foot
>moved at the trot. All four feet when raised and breaking over had a
>peculair " foot swing" so what you observed after the horse past was this "
>scything motion ( I hope I spelled this correctly). One rider noted that he
>didn't need his Corn Picker for his farm anymore. He would just ride his
>Moyle horse down the rows of corn and the foot motion would bring the corn
>down on each side of the horse.
>
>I don't know if folks are still riding these horses in reasonably large
>numbers any more. They were a little difficult to handle. Though they were
>tough they did not seem as a breed to be any more suitable for Distance
>riding than the Arabian or Part Arabian horse. We should consult the AERC
>records to see if really enough of these horses were competed to form a
>rigorous opinion.
>
>
>
> Regards
> Pete Fields
>
>
Many, Many years ago I remember that Matthew brought some Moyles back East
after the Tevis -- weren't their names Alexander and Onion? Wasn't the mare
that Winkie rode back in the early 60's (Sweet Pea) a Moyle?

So far, no one has commented on what I was told was the breed's most unique
feaure, an enlarged liver.

(It's been a while since we've met, Pete -- I've stayed with the 3 day
100's. Hope you're still doing the Endurance, and hope to find you in the
madding crowd at Biltmore in May --- if you're not entered, do it, only a
few slots being held for 100's, despite near overflow!)

A voice from the past, and now, the South,
Barbara Madill in NC