#sooty

Inspired by this post

We've all been taught that bay horses have a black mane, a black tail, and black legs, while chestnuts have none of these, and that's how you tell them apart. But some chestnuts (see the link above) have a mane and tail so dark they appear black, and some bays have such a small amount of black on their legs that it can be completely hidden by their white markings. How do you tell these apart? Here are some tips.

Genetics

Chestnut (e/e) is recessive to non-chestnut (E/_), so if you can get your hands on the pedigree and both parents are chestnut, then the horse cannot be anything but chestnut. But if one or both parents are bay or black, it doesn't tell you anything.

Legs

Bay legs: the pastern and fetlock at least are black. In wild bays (right), a touch of black on the hocks and knees is common.

(x) (x)

Chestnut legs: red down to the hoof, frequently with gradual lightening.

(x) (x)

Ears

In bay horses, the rim or at least the tip of the ear is black (and you can see it from the back too).

(x) (x) (x)

Chestnut ears for comparison:

(x) (x)

The untrustworthy mane & tail

Some chestnuts' mane and tail are two different colours. This isn't something I've personally ever seen on a bay. If a horse has a black mane and a brown tail (or vice versa), it's probably a chestnut.

(x)

From what I've observed, the dark chestnut tails tend to be lighter at the base, whereas bay tails tend to be more uniform in colour (not accounting for discolouration due to sun exposure).

(x) (x)

Example

Left: red legs all the way down, red ears. Nevermind the black mane and tail this is a chestnut 100% Right: black pasterns and fetlocks. You can see the black rim on the ears. Wild bay.

(x) (x)

Quiz time

Also, I hope you have fun on your vacation! Going anywhere fun?

Sooty you are THE BEST. The best. <333333

--

“Just wanna…squish ya.” Vash slurs.

His hand comes up and squishes your cheeks together. Your brows tick up while your mouth purses like a fish. “Ye’h?” You say.

He hums. Scoots closer on the bench. The bar is full of life, and Vash has drunk enough to fill half their bellies. You can smell the booze on his breath when he leans in. “Just squeeze!” He wraps his arms around you and does just that. You let out a wheezy breath. He’s just barely holding back.

Then, his teeth are at your shoulder, and he bites.

“Ow! Vash!” You slap his ear.

Vash lets out a sweet giggle, rubbing his forehead on the teeth marks he just made on your skin. “Sorry! You’re just…y’er just cute.” He lays his cheek on your shoulder, now, and stares doe-eyed up at you.

You blow air out your nose. “Does that mean I get to bite you back?”

He gasps dramatically. “You think I’m cute?”

Shyness grips you, but you take up his hand and bite his palm softly. Vash stills, goes quiet for the first time since the night started. A sudden intimacy overtakes you both.

You desperately shake it off. Shake his arms off too. “There. Now we’re even.” Despite your embarrassment, the side of your mouth turns up in a half smile as you lean an elbow against the bar and look away.

Vash stares at you a long, long moment, his cheeks getting redder and redder. Then, he signals the bartender with a loud bellow. “BARTENDER! Another round for me and the cute lady!” All the while, he stares at the indents of your teeth on his palm, rubbing a thumb over them.

--

George Harrison’s foreword to the Geoff Tibballs book The Secret Life of Sooty (1990), alongside a photo that appeared in that book, captioned: “One of Sooty’s greatest fans, George Harrison’s son Dhani, with his dad.”

It was so lovely to meet Adam Savage yesterday at Supanova Sydney!

I had made him a small pouch using some of my first ever handspuns that I had woven using a pin loom into cloth. He was fascinated and appreciative of the gift & I hope it serves him well into the future.

Sooty also came along to show off his handmade travel puppet box.