Cowlicks, Crowns, Swirls, and Angel Kisses

On a horse, a hair whorl can be called a cowlick, crown, swirl, and probably some other words as well.  With a mule, they're just called angel kisses. (Which do you prefer - cowlick or angel kiss? Let your answer be revealed in the comments if you so choose.)

A whorl on a horse is where the hair changes directions in a swirly pinwheel type of way. Usually there is at least one on the head, somewhat centered between the eyes. However, cowlicks can be found on a horse's body (the neck is a common place), and there may be multiple ones on a horse's head.

A simple counter-clockwise cowlick on a horse.

Classifications of whorls:

• Simple: Hairs spread out into all directions from center point.
• Tufted: Hairs come together and form a tuft.
• Linear: Hairs grow opposite direction formed along a vertical line.
• Crested: Hairs in opposite directions come together to from a crest.
• Feathered: Similar to linear, but hair falls at an angle and appears smooth and symmetrical.

On both horses and mules, a cowlick supposedly has some significance as far as telling temperament.

(Note: As I've never known anyone who has had personal testimonies of this, I'm basing my writing off Wikipedia's article about hair whorls, as well as the other two articles I linked to below).

The general rule of finding temperament? The higher the whorl, the crazier the horse; the farther down, the sweeter the horse. I think this Tuesday when I hit the stables I'm gonna look at all the cowlicks and see if this seems to be somewhat accurate. I'll let you know afterwards. :)

There are also some other saying about horse whorls; such as a horse with a feathered one loves people,  a horse with a low cowlick can make a nuisance of himself (such as trying to open gates), a horse with an elongated whorl is more cautious, and a couple other ones.

Also, there's one more bonus of knowing where and what direction (counter-clockwise versus clockwise) your horse's cowlick is, as it's a very accurate and specific tool for identifying your horse.

Anyway, that's all for now. If you want to read more about horse whorls, there are some interesting opinions found here, here, and here.

Have an awesome day. :)