Whorls on the sides of the withers are known as a coffin whorl because, according to superstition, the rider of a horse with such a whorl will die in the saddle. Sometimes they will have a random whorl on the side of their neck, the girth area, or withers. Whorls on the flanks, chest & crest of the neck are the most common. Whorls should be nearly perfectly even from one side to the other. Is it possible that without modern equine dentistry that the dental issues caused these horses to be bad keepers bringing debt & ruin to owners? It’s not only the hair on a horse’s heads that can tell us about the horse but whorls found anywhere on the body.

There is usually good reason for superstitions. Many with this whorl who have teeth issues. One on the cheek according to tradition & folklore is a sign of debt & ruin.

Where there is a whorl there is some point of focus. Some have them on the sides of their jaws, cheeks & temples. Whorls can be in unexpected places on the face. The side-by-side swirls give horses access to both sides of its brain in a flash, ‘wickedly fast thinker’ is a description often given to them.” The more whorls the more interesting the horse, the people who have horses with 3 or 4 or more whorls have loved them. These horses are challenging & gritty & not back down from a challenge. These double swirls seems to give the ability to hyper focus. Charlotte Cannon in Swirlology, says that “Many Grand Prix horses, dressage, jumping & eventers have high, side-by-side double swirls. Side by side whorls will be right brain, reactive & hot, as well as left brain, unreactive and confident. Whorls that are stacked, 1 above the other, show a horse that is an introvert & an extrovert. They can show tendencies from 2 different brain types. When we get 2 or more whorls it gets more complicated. With that type of whorl we need to look at the shape of the head, ear, eyes, all the other clues we are given. In the CENTER is the most common and doesn’t tell us a whole lot. The farther a whorl is from center the more pronounced the effect will be. A whorl on the LEFT SIDE IF THE FACE, again our left, means a left-brain horse. BELOW EYE LEVEL should be an introvert, sometimes considered lazy or stubborn they are smart, easily bored, & can be distrustful. To the RIGHT, our right as we face them, shows a right brained horse, reactive, emotional, nervous, defensive. Have you heard the superstitions? Do these predictions fit with your horse? If it’s HIGH, above eye level, the horse will be very smart, energetic, & outgoing. Whorls is a time-honored method of judging a horse’s temperament & personality. A.Leatherstocking Veterinary Services - HORSE WHORLS GUIDE by Noche Miller. He is yet to race on turf, is unexposed still, and remains a smart prospect. He did well to finish third, faring best of those to race near the pace and actually leading for much of the final furlong, his lack of experience compared to more battle-hardened handicappers perhaps telling. HillsĬape Express lost nothing in defeat when failing to justify favouritism in the Roseberry Handicap at Kempton on Saturday. Strong and muscular, he won with plenty to spare at the weekend and will win a listed race, at least. The Barry Hills gelding ran some excellent races last year, finishing close behind smart horses Folk Opera and Muhannak, aswell as the very smart Bankable. He's very lightly raced for a five-year-old and judging by this performance, this could be the season where he makes his mark. Tastahil looked a horse worth following when winning the Doncaster Shield on Sunday. He is definitely one to keep on the right side. This was his first trip to a racecourse and he will certainly improve for it. Pirate Ship has a smart pedigree and looks a sure-fire winner of a similar event before too much longer, travelling smoothly but forced to wait for a gap as the winner quickened, then looking green when first asked for his effort, before finishing strongly as the penny dropped. Runner-up to Rockhampton was Pirate Ship. He is due to run in one of the upcoming Derby trials and it would come as a surprise were he not in the running come June. Rockhampton took the closing maiden at Leopardstown on Sunday in the manner of a horse who'll be up to plying his trade at a significantly higher level in the near future, making smooth headway from mid-field before quickening decisively over one furlong out to win under no more than hand riding as expected, the longer trip suited him well and he will have no problem stepping up to a mile-and-a-half. Timeform take a close look at four horses that you will want to have on your side in the coming months.

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