There’s kind of a prevailing notion that Spock is a tougher cookie than the rest of the crew, because he’s physically stronger and always so composed and because of quirks of Vulcan biology (including healing trances) that occasionally save him from things a human wouldn’t have survived.
But it strikes me that outside of muscular strength, lucky breaks, and a refusal to admit it, he’s actually kind of delicate. It’s in a chronic, almost autoimmune way. Most of his “advanced healing abilities” have to do with being able to either ignore injuries or function despite them, not being able to avoid them. He’s the first Vulcan-Human hybrid to ever survive; he’s had to spend time in test tubes and incubators since literally before he was born. At least some of his medical concerns will always be unprecedented and unpredictable, even to the most experienced doctors. (Think about the fact that nobody knew he was going to experience pon farr until he did.)
He mentions several times in TOS that hyposprays and other medical procedures make him nauseous–actually that might be where a lot of his early animosity toward Bones comes from. He’s a vegetarian who regularly gets stranded in uncharted space; even much less ambitious travel is not generally kind to people with dietary restrictions. (Is copper deficiency a thing?) We rarely (if ever?) meet other Vulcans as thin as he is.
No matter where you fall in the controversial Vulcan Body Temperature Debate, he’s a person who grew up in one climate and environment who now has to live full-time in an extremely different one, one that’s been engineered to be “ideal” for a different species. And as a touch telepath he has an entire extra psycho-physical system that can be attacked or disrupted, one that nobody else on the Enterprise has to worry about–or can help him with.
I don’t really have a point here except the one I always have, which is that Spock is more delicate and vulnerable than he lets on.
I never made a post about draft horses. :T They are the gentle giants of the horse world, sometimes growing as large as 20 hands and over 2000 lbs. The tallest horse in the world is an American-type Belgian horse named Big Jake (I think???).
A very big (but good) boy!
Despite their size, draft horses are known for their quiet, even temperaments, which make them good work horses. They were originally bred to pull wagons and plows, and they still do that. The most famous draft horses are probably the Budweiser Clydesdales, i.e. the horses in those Superbowl commercials that make us cry every goddamn year.
Draft horses can be ridden, and they are often crossed with lighter breeds, such as Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, to create tall, sturdy-boned, quiet sport horses.
Such horses were a common sight during foxhunts, as “hotter” breeds, like Arabians and Thoroughbreds, tend to lose their minds a bit in the chaos of the hunt. Draft horses can also be crossed with Mammoth Jack donkeys to create draft mules, which are also used to pull plows for the Amish.
Mammoth Jack donkey:
Draft Mule:
There are a lot of draft breeds, some more common than others. Many of the common ones are easy to tell apart from the others, but they’re all large-boned and tall, except for the draft ponies, such as Halflingers and Norwegian Fjord horses.
The Belgian
There are two Belgian horses, one that’s popular in Europe and another that’s very common in the US.
This is the European-type “Brabant” Belgian, which tends to be very thick boned and roan in color.
This is the American-type Belgian, which is lighter-boned and always sorrel/palomino in color:
Here is a Brabant Belgian mare pulling some shit:
A lot of draft horses really do enjoy pulling stuff, as much as a horse CAN enjoy doing anything that’s not eating grass and farting. Horse pulls are a common sight in Middle America, often done using Belgian horses. Here’s one of a team pulling 9200 lbs. They pull for a very short period of time, often only a few seconds.
Next up is the Percheron, which has a similar body type to the Belgians but are always black or dapple. They can be slightly more spirited than Belgian horses, with some demonstrating high stepping action.
They are not to be confused with Friesians, who have much more “feathered” legs and feet (long hair around the lower legs) and are lighter-boned. Friesians also don’t come in dapple colors, like the horse at the top of this post.
Clydesdales
Clydesdales are recognizable because they are a) always bay colored and b) almost always have four white socks and a blaze on their faces. They also have much more feathering on their legs than Percherons or Belgians. Clydesdales are more common in parades and the like because they tend to be slightly lighter than Percheron and Belgians, and because of this, they’re more agile and “showy”. You probably would not want to plow with a Clydesdale. You could, but their feathering means their feet get dirty much easier than a Belgians might.
Shire Horse
Shires come in a variety of colors, usually black or bay, and they are probably the most “feathered” horses of the popular breeds. They’ve got lots of fur on their feet.
Gypsy Vanner Horses
Gypsy Vanner horses got their start pulling Roma wagons, but now they’re mostly used in fantasy photoshoots, and you can see why. They are beautiful horses, definitely not the type you’d want toiling in the muck. They are almost always paint colored, which distinguishes them from Shire horses.
These are the main, most popular and commonly seen full-sized draft breeds, at least in the US. However, there are also draft ponies, the most popular of which is the Halflinger, which resembles a shrunken Belgian horse. They are ALWAYS sorrel/palomino colored, but their frame can vary. Some Halflingers are lighter-boned and more suitable for riding. Others are thicker-boned and better for pulling.
The other unmistakable draft pony is the Norwegian Fjord, easily recognized by the black stripe in the center of its mane, like a reverse ice cream sandwich.
This can lead to some creative hair cuts
So there you go. That’s a somewhat comprehensive review of draft horse breeds. Here is a size comparison for funsies, with the average riding horse in the middle.
Wanderings and Perigrinations 