Magnificent Thirteen – Horse Whispering
Out of my love and gratitude for horses, this month’s article names 13 different horses that have been a presence in the lives of nations, foundations, military, competition and media. Let’s play ‘Trivia’ ….JUST FOR FUN and FOR THE LOVE OF HORSES.
The names of the thirteen horses are: (1) Travelar  (2) Burmese  (3) Clever Hans  (4) Muhamed  (5)  Figure  (6) Big Brown  (7) Champion  (8) Gun Rock  (9)Traveller  (10) Jim  (11) Buttermilk  (12) King  (13) Trigger
Any of these names bring a memory or a question to mind? Now the “fun” begins; after each statement see if you can identify the horse by placing the name of the horse. Giddy-up!  Let’s go!

1.	 Horse of great stamina; British spelling of its name; grey American
 Saddle bred; General Robert E. Lee’s most famous horse during the
 American Civil war; notable for speed, strength, and courage
 ___________
2.	 Known as the “world’s wonder horse” partnered with Gene Autry in film,
 radio, and television; sorrel-colored; had a blaze down his face and
 white stockings on all his legs except the right front; his first
 onscreen credit was for 1935’s Melody Trail   ____________

3.	 Horse was used to produce serum containing diphtheria antitoxin
 (antibodies against diphtheria toxin; produced over 30 quarts);
 failures in oversight led to the passage of the Biologics Control Act of
 1902, leading to the 1906 formation of the US Food and Drug
 Administration, or FDA   ___________
4.	 Cowboy Roy Rogers’ best friend; brought sunshine (encouragement
 and hope) into the lives of people worldwide (particularly  children);
 golden palomino stallion; originally named “Golden Cloud”  __________
5.	 Orlov Trotter horse; horse owner claimed his horse was able to
 perform arithmetic and other intellectual tasks; the study of this
 human/horse relationship was undertaken to show an advanced
 level of number sense in an animal; formal investigation brought
 about important knowledge in the observer-expectancy effect and
 later studies in animal cognition  ___________

6.	 An outstanding early Quarter Horse stallion who influenced the breed
 throughout the early years of the American Quarter Horse
 Association; originally named Buttons; sire of many famous Quarter
 Horses   _____________
7.	 American Thoroughbred racehorse, coming from 20th position;
 known for winning the 2008 Kentucky Derby and 2008 Preakness
 Stakes    ____________
8.	 A small bay stallion; became the foundation sire of the Morgan horse
      breed; known for passing on his distinctive looks, conformation,
      temperament and athleticism; known for versatility ___________
9.	 Favorite mount of Queen Elizabeth II; a black mare; ridden by the
 Queen for Trooping the Color for 18 consecutive years from 1969 –
 1986   ____________
10.   German horse reportedly able to mentally extract the cube roots of
       numbers (which he would tap out with his hooves); tested by
       psychologists and scientists (his left foot represented the tens, while
       his right foot represented the ones); known for being able to read
       and do simple math   _____________
11.  Was a day away from being slaughtered when rescued; had been
       severely abused which resulted in a very unkind demeanor; new
       owners’ dedication turned this horse around to become a friendly,
       affectionate, and playful horse; a Quarter Horse (originally named
       Soda); new owner renamed horse after seeing a cloud pattern in the
       sky that reminded her of a song; became one of the most famous
       horses in the world of films and television   ____________
     12.  Mascot of the University of Southern California; appears at all USC
            home football games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum;
            (including numerous Rose Parades); gray in color (referred to as
            “white” by many)  ____________
     13.  Horse was brought by the U.S. Army Cavalry to the campus of
            University of California (which was breeding horses for the Calvary at that time);
            was adopted as the official mascot of the men’s basketball team and
            accompanied the team to games and rallies    _____________
Here’s to the fun of remembering, wondering and questioning. These three things we experience when we are in the presence of one of these amazing animals.  Hope you had fun with the trivia.
By: Deb Kitchenmaster