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Article: Getting acquainted with eight breeds at Santa Ynez Valley horse ranches.
- Article from:
- Sunset
- Article date:
- November 1, 1988
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1988 Sunset Publishing Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Through morning mists, the Santa Ynez Valley awakes at daybreak to hungry whinnies and nickers. These sounds come from the equine residents of this lushly pastured basin about an hour's drive northwest of Santa Barbara.
Grazing along whitewashed fences that demarcate the many horse ranches in this 40-mile-long valley are breeds from the haciendas of Peru and the mountains of Iceland. As the sun climbs and the animals become active, you can see aristocratic Andalusians flaunting the highstepping in-place trot known as the piaffe, while thigh-high miniature horses race about like packs of unruly children.
Many ranches welcome visitors, but it's ...