The horses

[RK9]

I know we once had a thread on the musketeers and their horses, but I can't find it. Can I ask - who rides what again? I know Jacqueline has a lovely gray, and Ramon a light bay. What about d'Art, Siroc and the Captain?

[thedaringhattrick]

They're all geldings, except for maybe Jacqueline's mare... and I thought she was white, not grey.

D'Artagnan always has a dark bay; the captain has a speckled grey and Siroc sometimes has a light brown or a grey horse too (he can't seem to decide)

[RK9]

Well, I've discovered that white horses are called 'grays', because according to Wikipedia, their pelt isn't white, it's gray but very fine and looks white when taken together. I guess it's like the polar bear that way?

I've never seen Siroc on a gray horse. By light brown, do you mean a chestnut horse or a bay?

[sue]

You know, not having checked underneath or anything...but going by the fact that Leanna could only control males...I thought that the horses were all stallions. A mare, or even a gelding wouldn't have thrown their riders in that one scene.

And I go with Daring...I thought Jacques' horse would be white, since I know little of the terms used! Especially for colors.

D'Artagnan's horse is dark brown with a big white star on his face, and Ramón's has a smaller white slash on his forehead.

[RK9]

Um, well, let me try and clarify from what I've learned about horse coat colorations (had to do research for Lord of the Rings fanfics)... Then maybe you can help me confirm - I want to know because I need to write a fanfic. I'm no horse-person, but from Wikipedia and other resources I've come to understand this:

I looked it up again and it seems that I'm mistaken. Gray horses are often mistakenly called white because their fur is white, but gray horses have black skin underneath and dark eyes. White horses are completely white with no other color present and have pink skin, and usually have blue eyes. I would need to check a picture of Jacqueline's horse again, but I think daring is correct that it is a white.

Ramon's horse is undisputedly (this is probably not a real word, lol) a bay. A light bay, to be exact. Bays have black points (the mane, tail and lower legs). So d'Artagnan has a dark bay (also called a mahogany bay). I'm not sure about Siroc's, which is why I need confirmation.

Chestnuts have no black. They are usually a reddish-brown color, but they do have dark brown chestnuts as well, which are simply called "brown" horses, or liver chestnuts. I'm not certain, which is why I'm asking if this is the horse Siroc normally rides. If it has a black mane, tail and lower legs, then it is a bay. If not, it's a chestnut.

And since we're in the general show area, I think I can ask - what does everyone speculate their names are? Do they seem to exhibit personalities? All this is info I need for my fic, and I bet others would be interested to know anyhow even if they aren't writing anything... Do share your thoughts, please!

Edit: I checked a behind the scenes picture of Zak and Karen on their horses... Jacqueline's horse might be a gray. The horse's mane appears to be either a sun-lightened black, or gray. I'll try and get the pic up later. For Tobias and Mark's horses, I have no pics. I have my VHS tapings, but well, let's just say that the best recording I could get wasn't too revealing on the horses' actual colors. It's very fuzzy, and sometimes is faded.

[sue]

Dec 4, 2008 15:05:06 GMT -5 RK9 said:

And since we're in the general show area, I think I can ask - what does everyone speculate their names are? Do they seem to exhibit personalities? All this is info I need for my fic, and I bet others would be interested to know anyhow even if they aren't writing anything... Do share your thoughts, please!

Edit: I checked a behind the scenes picture of Zak and Karen on their horses... Jacqueline's horse might be a gray. The horse's mane appears to be either a sun-lightened black, or gray. I'll try and get the pic up later. For Tobias and Mark's horses, I have no pics. I have my VHS tapings, but well, let's just say that the best recording I could get wasn't too revealing on the horses' actual colors. It's very fuzzy, and sometimes is faded.

I think you are right about Jacques' horse having gray points, and as for personalities, I think you are free to use your imagination, there. I have noticed nothing on that count.

And, for a really clear photo of Tobias' horse, try the gallery on his website. I believe there are also a few snapshots of the four of them out having some fun on a day off. I believe they are riding the same horses...Those are on Karen's fansite. I think they are under personal photos.

Okay, Tobias' horse was pretty dark all the way, except for that blaze on his forehead.

www.officialkarencliche.com/gallery/index.html

Under the Tube subtitle, check photosL 06, 26, 28, 31, 37, 56.

This one isn't bad...
www.branwen.net/pics/Karen-Cliche-7/21909

This is a favorite of mine:
www.tobiasmehler.com/cpg144/displayimage.php?album=13&pos=0
www.tobiasmehler.com/cpg144/displayimage.php?album=15&pos=10
That's Karen's and Zak's horses in the background, I believe.
Ok, you can find the rest from there.

And the other thread on horses is under Actors/Actresses: other actors.

[thedaringhattrick]

In a recent fanfic, I've named Jacqueline and d'Artagnan's horses. I write Jacqueline's horse as being a white mare called "Dauntless." D'Artagnan's horse is always a dark bay gelding by the name "Nero."

I imagine Siroc's horse would be called something like "Cobalt", "Frith" or "Wizard."

I think Ramon would name his horse "Sylvester" or "Don Juan."

Hmm...

And Siroc's horse is a warm chestnut, kind of reddish. Jacqueline's horse is usually white (with gray mane). But honestly, they switch them up from episode to episode.

I think I saw Siroc with a gray horse in "The Girl from the Upper Gaborski"

[RK9]

I liked the name "Savant/Savante" for Siroc's horse myself. Another name, "borrowed" from the Magnificent 7 fandom, is "Chaucer". Interestingly enough, Chaucer is also a chestnut.

For me, I picture Ramon as riding a spirited mare, with the name "Callen". When I was little I read about a mare named "Callen", a spirited, independent type of horse that I thought would match Ramon nicely. A passionate creature that can only be tamed by an equally passionate Spanish soul. Now I think "Don Juan" would be a good one too, if he were riding a stallion or gelding. (Oh, and by the way, in the story, Callen was paired with a horse named "Sirocco", lol, yet another reason why I liked Callen for Ramon's horse.)

D'Artagnan... No inspiration there, though lately I've wanted to name him "Toby". LOL.

And Jacqueline's horse... I never did see the first episode of YB, you see, so I read the transcript and there was one part where Jacqueline rode off and Ramon said "Mira", so I mistakenly thought that her horse was named "Mira". Then, when I got used to that idea, I discovered that "mira" is apparently Spanish for "look", or something? And boy, did I feel dumb...

Thanks for the help and the pictures. I'm at home on dial-up, and still waiting for them to load. But I think I have discerned so far that Jacqueline rides a gray, d'Art a dark bay with a star (not a blaze, sue, a blaze is a white streak right down the horse's face. Does s/he have any socks on her/his feet? I seem to remember the horse had white socks?), Ramon has a light bay with a blaze on its face and white socks, and Siroc rides a chestnut (I'm thinking sorrel from your description, daring). Maybe the gray was a replacement horse while his own horse couldn't be used? Oh, and Duval has a dapple gray. There. I think I've got them. Thanks for all the help! (Still waiting for all the pics.)

[sue]

Oh, man! And I thought my dsl (regular) was slow! I had dial-up for about a week before I decided THAT wasn't going to work! Just when something was about halfway loaded, the phone would ring and stop it! (I only have one line).

Yeah, Mira! means look.

And, sorry, as I said, not sure of the terms...but I really DID know that the streak was a blaze, and D'Art's has a star...just one slip of the tongue . And, if there IS one with socks, it's Ramón's, I believe.

Hey, I've never looked at them in such detail before, but, yeah, they changed them around a bit...I now notice that Ramón's horse sometimes has a larger blaze than others...I have one shot of D'Artagnan's horse which shows ONE sock (back right hoof). He he. This is fun. I love looking for details!

[RK9]

Yeah, I remember noting that one of them had one socked hoof last time, only I thought it was Siroc's - my bad!

Oh, I only have dial-up at home. When I visit my grandma, I have wireless/broadband. But it was too late yesterday to visit my grandmother. My dial-up seems to have run out of money... ugh. But at least my mom has agreed to get dial-up asap.

[sue]

Hey, that MIGHT have been a horse that Siroc usually rode, OR, he might have ridden a different one with socks...just the one photo that I found was definitely D'Artagnan's horse in the scene.

And, I like the name Savant...and I'm not sure, but wouldn't a military person WANT a stallion, for its strength and spirit??? I don't know much about the beasts, but it seems to me that would be the case.

For D'Artagnan, you need a name that indicates fleetness...I think his would be a strong and fast horse. (just my opinion)

[RK9]

Well, from what I understand, stallions aren't generally preferred because they can act up more than a gelding, especially when they get near a mare in season, or just because they have hormonal urges - that's from wikipedia, though they have a different word for it. Like in Lord of the Rings, Viggo Mortenson shared how his stallion Uraeus, well-trained as he is, once held up filming in front of the Black Gates because there was a mare in season, and it wasn't just that he wanted to get to the mare, but he also wanted to chase all the other stallions and geldings away from her too! Geldings as a rule are calmer and better-behaved, with less testosterone in their system, so they are less likely to act up or have mating urges, and so they're more suitable as an everyday working animal. And from wikipedia:

Geldings as war horses

Geldings were once prized by classical steppe warriors as war horses because they were quiet; without mating urges, they were less prone to call out to other horses, easier to keep in groups, and less likely to fight with one another. These qualities are still valued today, particularly on modern cattle ranches where working horses are commonly kept in groups and also need to be ready to go at a moment's notice.

Mares, like stallions, have been reported as obstinate and difficult to handle, so I would suppose if a musketeer used a mare/stallion, it wouldn't be a green rookie who's never handled one before, you know? It would have to be someone who knows how to handle horses, who can keep their mounts in check. It's not a question of strength - when the chips are down, they need horses who will behave and do what they're told. Of course, people argue that if the stallion/mare is well-trained, then they are easier to handle... but i guess that's another story.

[sue]

As for geldings vs stallions...I figured that soldiers (by definition, these noblemen would be experienced horsemen) would WANT that spirit and be ABLE to control them. But that's just my imagination.

More importantly...in Da Vinci's notebook, Ramón's horse DOES have white socks. In fact, it is a different horse from other scenes. More white on the face. There MUST have been more than four horses used for the show, and the implication might be made that the soldiers rode more than one horse for different sorties. But that may be where you remember seeing the sock-footed horse from. Just thought I'd confim that.