Stuffed Animals

Take Your Horse to His Enclosure: Introduce him to this place and just let him be! Once you have got him to your barn or pasture, let him get accustomed to the surroundings. Stay around him when he is exploring his new residence and don’t forget to feed him well. Let him know that you are going to be there for him.

Groom Him: Groom your horse slowly, especially in the initial stage. Horses are sensitive, they would understand your touch and your motive. Grooming as an activity will create a bonding between the both of you and help you connect.

Spend More Time with Him: The main step to get to know your horse better is by spending more time with him. He is like this new person you want to be friends with. The more time you will spend with him, the more you’ll get to know him better.

Observe How He Socializes with Other Horses: A horse is a highly social animal, hence observe how he gels with his other mates. Understanding this behavioral type will help you understand what’s going on in his mind when he behaves in an unusual manner. Also, it is believed that when a horse molds his behavior by adapting it from a trained horse he learns faster.

Be Gentle: Don’t yell or try giving him commands immediately, give him some time. Let him get used to your style of teaching and training. A horseman should know neither fear, nor anger. ~ James Rarey

Communicate Well: Horses speak in a different language but you can totally understand it, and that would require time. Talk to your horse like you would want to. Give him a name and call him with that often. Even when you are trying to talk to him use repetitive phrases like calling out the name of the horse food that he eats, and familiarize him with terms like walk, ride and race. It is said that, horses can’t talk in the human language but they can speak if you listen.

Take Time to Judge Him: Horses are really fast to respond to any stimuli. So take your time before to judge your horse and categorize him. The more you let them free you’ll understand their traits better. Once you know how he’d react in different situations, you can keep your tricks ready and use some strategies to influence him.

Understand Your Horse & His Personality Type: Horses are divided into two type of personalities overachievers and sensitive. Over achievers are usually horses who try to anticipate their master’s action and often react before even receiving the commands. These horses are highly independent and are often misunderstood by those who are new to horses. The art of controlling such horses lies in learning the act of dominating them. The other personality type is sensitive. Such horses are great followers of commands and allow to take charge easily. However, they are called sensitive because they can get upset for something as small as a loose shoe or a harsh command. You’ve gotta watch out, as they can get impulsive.

Ravens are considered to be harbingers of ill-omen and death in most Western folklore. They are considered so evil, that their favorite food is said to be the flesh of a dead man.

In Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and Semitic myths, the raven is a messenger of bad or stormy weather. In Sweden, they represent the ghosts of murdered people. In Germany, they are symbols of eternally dammed souls.

Odin, the most powerful of all Norse gods, had 2 pet ravens, Hugin and Munin who saw and heard everything and reported such information to Odin.

In the Bible, the raven was the first animal to fly or leave Noah’s Ark, to see if the flood had died down. Ravens are mentioned in 7 of the Bible’s verses.

The raven is a key mythological figure in North American folklore. It is regarded as the beast that created the Earth, a trickster and sly being and even its black plumage is explained in an ancient Indian story.

In Irish Celtic folklore, ravens were mediators between the gods and the mortals. They would bring prophecies and messages between the realm of the gods and Earth. The Celtic goddess Morrigan takes the form of a raven to visit those who will soon die on the battlefield.

The best raven myth is that of the Welsh/Celtic god, Brân the Blessed. The Welsh word for raven is bran. Brân the Blessed was the King of the Britons and was dying after a vicious battle against the Irish. He was so anxious to protect his people, that he told his followers to cut off his head and bury it under the White Hill, so that his presence would prevent Britain from ever being invaded. This is why the Tower of London (built over White Hill) is populated by ravens and has 6 official raven residents. Legend has it that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, the British empire will fall.

From the above amazing facts about ravens, it just goes to show you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover or in this case, a bird by its color. Whether scavenger, predator or prankster, the raven is a classic example of brains with an eye for mischief.

Gemsbok
It is also called an Oryx Gazella. They are a part of the antelope species. It is light brownish in color, weighs between 350 – 550 pounds, and grows about 4 feet tall. It has white and black patches on its face, rump and legs. They have beautiful long horns too. The male has straight horns which are curved outward, while the females have horns which are curved both outward and rearward. These animals are often hunted for their horns. They are really fast in running and can reach speeds up to around 35 mph.

Warthogs
They lie in the same species as a domestic pig. They have a flat face covered with warts, thus the name. They are not appealing in terms of their appearance. They have four rounded tusks, which make them look all the more ferocious. They are usually gray or black in color. They are approximately 2 meters tall, and weigh between 120 – 250 pounds. They have sparse hair on their back and a thicker mane. In spite of their aggressive appearance, they do not prefer fighting.

Gecko
In appearance, they resemble lizards. There are about 12 different families of geckos found in Namibia alone. The Barking Gecko, Day Gecko and Dwarf Gecko are a few of them. The interesting feature of the Barking Gecko is the interesting sounds that it makes. The Day Gecko is generally active during the day and it is found on the trees. The eyes of a gecko seem just like a pin point during the day, but they dilate considerably during the night.

Namib Long-eared Bat
Very little information is available on these species. They are endemic to the Namib Desert. They generally roost on the loose barks of the Acacia trees found on the banks of river Kuiseb. They have light brown colored fur, which is common for most of the desert animals. Their inner wing membranes are olive brown in color.

The Golden Mole
Now these are typical burrowing animals. Their eyes are covered with skin and fur. They have tiny ears. They use their sense of touch to sense vibrations and interpret any attack. They are about 8 – 20 cm in size, and they live underground.

Silver-backed Jackal
These jackals are reddish in color. They are also called Black-backed Jackals because of their silver and black colored back. Their tails are black and bushy, and they have reddish limbs. They are around 15 inches tall.