[Merlin's Heir]

Table of Contents
Intro and Rules
Species Characteristics
Breeding
Customs
Affiliates

Squirrel Horses
Squirrel Horses (Equus Sciurus) are a newly discovered equine species native to northern parts of the US and southern areas of Canada. They are named for their strange physical characteristics that are somewhat reminiscent of tree squirrels. However, they are not actually related to squirrels.
Their origin and ancestry is unknown. They were discovered quite suddenly in the fall of 2012 when hikers in mountainous areas began reporting sightings of "squirrel-tailed horses" in the forests. At first, everyone just thought this was another "bigfoot"-like thing. But then more sightings were reported, and soon it was looked into by the Natural Wildlife Federation. What they discovered wasn't something hallucinated by a dehydrated camper lost in the woods.
After keeping the new species off-limits to the public for several years to study them, they have been determined a domesticable equine species under no threat of extinction, despite their low numbers. They have few natural predators, despite the presence of carnivores such as wolves, mountain lions, and other such creatures in their natural habitats, Squirrels seem to be mostly left alone by them, except when alone and weakened by injury or illness.
Now, since the NWF has concluded their research, the Squirrels have had a massive rise in popularity. Before the NWF officially made their research public, the rumors of mysterious horses of the forests had been waved off as silly fantasies. But now, everyone knows about them, and everyone wants their own. In order to preserve and protect them, the National Squirrel Horse Foundation (NSHF) has taken on the task of preventing people from attempting to capture them on their own, while rounding up a few choice horses every now and then and selling them.
This is one of their Squirrel Horse "outposts," where Squirrels are brought in from the wild and sold. They are not tamed before they are sold, though they do have some minimal contact with humans (feeding, leading them around, etc.). But their training is mostly up to whomever purchases them.

Adopting
Ah, so you want your own Squirrel Horse? Well then, you've come to the right place. It's our job to adopt out Squirrels to the best possible owners. But before you adopt, you need to know what you're getting. Be sure to read all the rules and important information, that way you don't make any mistakes that could prevent you from adopting. It's very important, so make sure you've read everything.
Adopting a Squirrel is always free. All you have to do is fill out the form on the Squirrel's page and post it. When the artist chooses to close for judging, they will choose the form they like best and that person gets the Squirrel Horse. If you didn't win, you can congratulate the owner and try another Squirrel Horse. However, you cannot complain, whine, or say that you should've won or that your form was better. If you do, it'll only make it harder for you to get a Squirrel Horse, not easier.

Rules
-- Do not claim artwork/species as your own or attempt to copy it
-- Do not claim a Squirrel Horse that doesn't belong to you
-- Do not design your own Squirrel Horse
-- You must have been on CS for at least 6 months to adopt
-- Do not harass, complain, whine, beg, or otherwise be a nuisance to the community
-- Respect the rules, the staff, and your fellow adopters
-- Do not depict the Squirrel Horses as any other species
-- Do not change their designs
-- Do not ask for customs/breedings when slots are closed
-- You can have as many as you want, but you can only adopt one each day
-- I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason, or to confiscate Squirrel Horses if I see fit

Staff
Merlin's Heir -- creator, owner, artist

Support Squirrel Horses
If you'd like to support us, you're welcome to use the banners and stamps below to spread the Squirrel Horse love. You can also make your own banners/stamps, if you like. If you're using art that belongs to someone else, remember to ask first. You can use the adoption art, so long as you don't edit it (you can crop it, but don't recolor/resize/etc.), and if you're using someone else's SH, make sure you have permission.


By Merlin's Heir (SH pictured is Geronimo)

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[url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=2657818][img]http://i62.tinypic.com/iqk3o7.png[/img][/url]

[Merlin's Heir]

Species Characteristics
Though Squirrel Horses are, for the most part, much like normal horses, they do have some unique physical and coloration characteristics, all of which will be addressed in this post.

Squirrel Horses have normal equine bodies and are range from 14.3hh to 16.2hh in size. Their manes are naturally short, and much softer and fluffier than normal equines' manes. Their strange tails have hairs of the same texture. The tail, a thin but strong cartilage appendage from which the fluffy hairs grow downwards, is the main reason for the name "Squirrel Horses," as it is somewhat reminiscent of a tree squirrel's tail, though far less sparse and fluffy. Squirrel Horses' tails are quite thick, actually, and very luscious. The eyes and nostrils are fairly small, but this doesn't seem to affect their breathing or vision.
Squirrels are lithe and versatile. Their legs are long and slender, but very powerful, enabling them to sprint over impressive distances and jump fairly well. Their necks are slightly longer than most equines, because their diet often consists of tree fruits hanging above, and the longer necks makes it easier to reach them. The use of the tail is as yet unknown, but the thicker and shinier tails seem to be indicative of a healthier horse.
There is some slight gender dimorphism in Squirrel Horses, as seen in the above illustration. Stallions have flatter heads and their mane goes further down along their back. Mares, on the other hand, have slightly dished faces, and their manes don't extend as far down the back. As is usually the case in animals, the males tend to be taller and stronger than females.

List of Physical Characteristics
-- Short, soft mane than extends a little ways down the back
-- Fluffy, thick, squirrel-like tail
-- Long neck
-- Long, slender legs
-- Small eyes and nostrils
-- Males' heads are flatter, their manes extend further down the back, usually taller
-- Females' heads are slightly dished, their manes don't extend as far
-- 14.3 to 16.2hh in height

Coloration
Squirrel Horses come in all the same colors as normal horses do, from bay to silver smoky grullo roan leopard appaloosa. However, some colorations are rarer or more common in Squirrels, and there are a couple unique color-related characteristics of the Squirrel Horse. When you adopt a Squirrel, you will be given its genetic information. This is just a good thing to know, and will be necessary information if you wish to breed your Squirrel.
Cream dilutions are some of the harder-to-find colorations in Squirrels, so you won't see many buckskins perlinos here, and pearl genes aren't expressed very often. However, the cream genes seem to be more common in chestnuts, but since chestnuts are recessive, there still aren't many palominos or cremellos.
Appaloosas are also somewhat rarer as well, and when they do appear, they usually have a blanket/snowcap or fewspot pattern.
Pintos, on the other hand, are quite common. Along with tobiano, overo, and the others, Squirrels can also display another pinto pattern known as squirbino (SqSq). It's just white patches (not spots, mind you) appearing in seemingly random places on the horse's body. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or rhythm to it; just random white patches. Minimal expression is one medium-sized white patch anywhere on the body (except face/lower legs). Maximum expression covers nearly the entire body, but leaves some color in various places.
And now we come to the very interesting coloration trait of the Squirrels, something they are well known for. Every single Squirrel, regardless of age, color, gender, or any other factor, has a single patch of chestnut coloring somewhere on their body. It can come in various shades, but it is always that light red-brown color. They tend to be somewhat round in shape, and often appear on the back, top of the neck, or chest, though they can appear anywhere on the body. The mark may not be as easily visible on some colors, especially chestnut, but it is always there. It's also a "top layer" marking, showing over any other marking may be present, such as facial/leg markings, pinto markings, and appaloosa markings. Nothing shows on top of it. If it crosses over a place where the mane/tail grow from, it lightens the hair (on the mane/tail, not body) to an ivory or cream color, much like flaxen or silver dilutions. If it goes across the eye, the iris becomes a pale, whitish blue. The chestnut patch can be anywhere from fist-sized to coving the entire rump.

List of Coloration Characteristics
-- Cream dilutions aren't very common
-- Appaloosa patterns aren't very common
-- Pinto patterns are fairly common
-- Have a unique pinto pattern (squirbino) of random white patches
-- Always have a chestnut-colored patch of color somewhere

Squirrel Horse Terminology
Squirrel/SH: (capitalized) Short for Squirrel Horse
Squirlie: A Squirrel foal, though they are also called Squirrel foals
Rare (Color): One of the less common colorations (cream dilutions, appaloosas, etc.)
Chestnut: When not referring to overall color, it's means the chestnut patch all Squirrels have

[Merlin's Heir]

Breeding
Naturally, lots of people are going to want to breed their Squirrel Horses and get cute little foals. Which is why we've arranged a breeding program here! So, if you're looking to breed your Squirrels, you've come to the right place. But before you get too excited, please remember that there are rules and limitations that you'll need to know.
Also, we do not currently have foal lines. These may or may not come into existence in the future (I'm debating whether or not it would be too much hassle), but for the time being at least, all foals will be made on adult lines. But, of course, you're still quite welcome to draw/write about them as foals.

Rules
-- Each Squirrel Horse can only breed five times
-- Each Squirrel Horse can only breed once every two weeks
-- Squirrel Horses must be at least two weeks old (since adoption) in order to breed
-- Each person can only get a maximum of one foal each month
-- Don't ask for a breeding when no slots are open
-- Be patient; this takes time
-- The person who orders and pays for the breeding gets the foal

Pricing
Unlike adoptions, breeding isn't free. Squirrel foals have specific needs, which we provide for a small fee. Currently, the payment options are as follows.
-- Two uncommon wishlist pets
-- Three Easter event tokens
-- Five wishlist items (not bought with C$)
-- One Halloween 2014 Sleipnir (dapple gray 8-legged horse)

How It Works
Breeding requires a Squirrel mare and stallion that meet all the criteria stated in the rules. They both belong to you, one can be someone else's, or they can both belong to someone else. But if one belongs to someone else, then you will need permission from them to breed their Squirrel.
Then all you need to do is wait until a slot is open, then fill out the form provided and send a trade with the payment. If I accept your form, then I will accept the trade and create the foal. You cannot choose any particular details about the resulting foal; you'll just have to rely on choosing parents that have traits you like.
Once the foal is done, you will be notified and congrats! You've got your own Squirrel foal! It's simple and easy.

Slots
1. CLOSED
2. CLOSED
3. CLOSED
4. CLOSED
5. CLOSED

Form
This is to be PMed to me, with a link to the payment trade. Please title your PM "Squirrel Horse Breeding." If both Squirrels belong to you, you may remove the "Permission Quotes" field or leave it blank. You will also need to provide the mare and stallion's genetic info, which you were given when you adopted your Squirrels. If one or both Squirrels belong to someone else, you will need to ask them for the genetic info.

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[b]Username:[/b]
[b]Link to Mare:[/b]
[b]Mare's Genetic Info:[/b]
[b]Link to Stallion:[/b]
[b]Stallion's Genetic Info:[/b]
[b]Permission Quotes:[/b] (if applicable)
[b]Payment:[/b]

[Merlin's Heir]

Customs
Customs are not available at this point in time. However, once these adoptables have been up and running and gaining popularity for a little while, customs will be introduced.

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[Merlin's Heir]

Affiliates
Here you will find all the adoptables/adoption agencies that we are associated with and/or support. Please check them out; there are some really neat ones out there.
If you would like to be one of our affiliates, please PM me.

Our Affiliates
Fairway Falabellas:

[Merlin's Heir]

Reserved

[Merlin's Heir]

Reserved

[Ruby-Skylark]

Marking