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Post by majandra on Jul 31, 2016 19:16:26 GMT
I hope this is the right place to post this.
When talking to a friend, she mentioned that when I am looking to purchase another horse, to not get a horse that has winnings in halter, and preferably does not have halter champion bloodlines. Now this is in regards to Arabians, but I'm guessing the advice would apply to other breeds as well?
I'm new to learning what to look for in a horse, since Rock was given to me. It does seem though that with what little I have seen, the halter horses are more "extreme" in general. But can halter horses actually be good mounts?
If anyone happens to know a place that has good info on comparing halter conformation vs performance conformation, that would be awesome!
(on an aside, in relation to dogs, I saw the AKC is changing the breed standard for German Shepherds. a quick read looks like "functional anatomy" may be part of it!)
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Post by horselover4life on Jul 31, 2016 22:38:33 GMT
I think you need to judge each horse as a individual when it comes to meeting the needs you have.
I don't know about Arabs but in Quarter Horses they inbred {best way I can describe it} to "make" a certain look.
They did this so well they actually took out some of the key useful parts of the horse and lessened the breed {imo} by now close-line breeding so much they were breeding in faults farther down the bloodline...
Like any horse though, if bred for one thing does not mean it can not do another successfully.
Thoroughbreds are perfect examples....
That breed was bred to race yet there are more wonderful riding horses out there than racers.
Reining horses are another...
Bred for a "specialty" but they can excel at other things too.
Good blood stock is good stock....if you have a good base and carefully add diversity it enriches that line...
Breed to close and you pull the negatives from both sides not emphasize the positives...
I think if you are going to go look at a very closely bred halter horse you better know what traits are the undesirable from that cross, and what that cross throws as norms and what that cross throws as rejects and complications to the horse in general.
Personally, I could care less about papers.
I can't ride them.
I don't breed and don't plan on it.
However....
I do though know what "could" be issues with my horses blood line and looked for those things to not be present when I was buying...
Being a informed consumer makes sense, good horse-sense.
You know, this being to closely bred is not only true in horses but all species of animals.
There is not a "bred" pedigreed animal out there that has not had "improved" lines made that down the generation line did not actually start to throw rejects of issues commonly then found...
If you look, look seriously at any animal that has been refined there are issues.
Today, in dogs it is one of the reasons why the "mutts" of cross-bred "what were they thinking" has evolved...
As a purebred the problems were to numerous and unhealthy dogs were over-abundant, so they introduced blood from a totally different breed and formed some pretty weird combos and fixed the problem they created by trying to improve and refine over and over, again and again and created a disaster!
Now they have "designer dogs" that are really just mutts you spend a fortune for....a mistake a few years ago they were called, now are "the rage".
Just be careful what you look at and what the background has in it and the traits that started to pop out you might not want.
The actual breed registry site will be your best guide as each breed has specifics to it you want and also what to run far away from...
Small feet, big bodies, to finely sculpted a face, headset, eye positioning, the list is long....
Know what your breed characteristics are supposed to be, make a check-list and watch carefully for those things, along with what through the actual bloodline is passed that might not be good...
Happy shopping.
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Post by horselady on Aug 2, 2016 0:21:17 GMT
hl4l has brought up many good points.. and i being a breeder /former. of arabians i can tell you that you can take a halter horse and turn him/her into a pleasure horse. or endurance horse or just about anything you want .. you can also change the performance of other breeds into what ever you want. sure some breeders do in breeding or line breeding to bring out the best /or worse happens. of both sire and dam. as you are looking .. look first with the buyers eye... look for any blemishes or anything that might catch your eye for unsoundness... ask questions. and if papered look at them and make sure you know how to read top and bottom. if unpapered that is ok .. use your gut. and hopefully bring along someone else that can see this horse with a detachment.. than of course buy with your heart. get that vet check and make sure the horse is going to be tested for what you are going to use him for. if for jumping and endurance get those legs and feet xrayed. good luck and happy shopping and we can help you if we know more about what you are looking for  |
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Post by majandra on Aug 2, 2016 1:10:18 GMT
Thanks guys
I'm only window shopping for now- other advice given to me was to look and learn now, before my guy passes on, because then I'll only be looking with my heart.
Glad I have friends and places like this for help when I need it!
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Post by horselady on Aug 2, 2016 11:16:30 GMT
You need to determine what you want,, if a replacement for the horse you have now is ideal than that is what you look for.. if you wish to begin doing something different. let's say going from english to western than start with lessons. than proceed from there. or perhaps jumping or from western to english.. also if you can afford another do not let having more than one keep you from bringing home that horse which fits what you are looking for.
Oh and as happens so many times.. we look at a horse that it totally not what we want but that horses eye says something to us and of course we bring it home regardless of all the reading and thinking we have done.... happens all the time .
and happy to have you here .. to add to our forum family.
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429 
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Post by nhg on Aug 5, 2016 16:05:14 GMT
Interesting. I know in the stock horse world some horses that are bred to be shown at halter are not ridden at all. They're bred to be heavily muscled and generally aren't particularly athletic. Some breeders strive for halter horses that ride, too. I know almost nothing about arabs other than having a couple and I didn't realize there was a difference for them as well. I do remember Bick Branaman talking about arab halter horses needing a certain 'look' and that they get it by scaring them. Maybe the halter horses are more high strung? |
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