July 1963 School Magazine

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

July, 1963

July, 1963

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

THE APPALOOSA

We also have several language clubs comprised of the students of foreign languages and an International Club which consists of anyone interested in people and places in all parts of the world. Several other clubs cover the fields of science{ music{ art{ drama{ writing{ politics{ and sports. There is something for everyone. There is quite a difference between your sports and ours. In a co-educational schooL the boys gain the attention as far as sports are concerned and they engage in keen competition with other high schools in the country while the girls~ as spectator~~ cheer them on. There is no competition among girls of different schools and our only outlets for physical activity are in our daily gym lessons or after school with the Girls{ Athletic Association (G.A.A.). This after-school activity{ however{ is only recreational and offers no competition. I am hoping to organize some sort of competitive scheme for the G.A.A.s of various high schools when I return home. I hope that this will result in an improvement in the athletic ability of each girl. The American Fie~d Service{ the exchange program that is sponsoring mel chooses students our age to represent their nations while living in a different country. They feel that at this age we have developed no strong prejudices and are open minded and yet mature enough to adjust to and appreciate our new homes. This program · offers an experience which cannot be surpassed. I hope that it may continue to open doors to students our age all over the world so that the knowledge and understanding that we spread may someday make this world a more peaceful place in which to live. Brisbane has become my second home. I am living with a wonderful family. I attend the finest school around{ and I have been fortunate enough to meet some very fine people. Being · made an accepted member of this school has made my stay most enjoyable and I am sure that it will be difficult to leave all of this in August. -SUE REYNOLDS, VIC.

For most of US 1 History is a subject for which we do as little extra-curriculum work as possible, but on page one of flOur Pacific Neighbours~~ by N. D. Harper{ an arresting state- ment led me to further investigations. It is quoted that the merchandise of traders in Roman times consisted of among other things{ ~~horses that sweat blood 11 1 which came . from China. Those horses which sweated blood are the breed known today as the Appaloosa or Pony of the Americas. The term f{blood-sweatingll arose fr'om the fact that the horses of central Asia are infested with a small parasite that produces a swell- ing under the skin on the shoulders and along the back. After vigorous exercise the swellings bleed a little{ forming small spots of clotted blood around the openings. Originally these horses came fr'om Persia. ·The body of the horse is pink-skinned and covered by a silky white coat with a large number of black spots superimposed. The spots vary in size and it is a curious fact that they can be felt by a touch of the finger. The horses were prized as war horses because they were strong and looked very showy when ridden. Wu Til the best known Emperor of the Han dynasty of China{ heard of th~se beautiful horses belonging to the Persians{ and acquired ~orne to use in, the battles against the Mongol hordes{ as they were far superior to the smalL shaggy horses of the Chinese. It is from China that the traders obtained their {{blood-sweating horses~~ They were held in such high esteem by their ~ew Chinese owners that the horses were referred to as f{Heave.nly Horses{{ and have figured prominently in Chinese art cmd literature. 1 The spotted horses that the traders brought from China to Europe{ soon spread all over Europe and by 1600 they had reached England Some are still to be found in the British Isles. At the time when British settlers were moving to Virginia{ a few mares and stallions were also shipped to Virginia. The Appaloosas found their way to the excellent grass pastures of the plateau country west of the Rocky Mountains{ where the Nez Perce Indians claimed their living and hunting grounds. This tribe . was quick to learn the details of horsemanship and the spectacular beauty of the 23

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