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  • From: paxamicus AT earthlink.net
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] On work horses
  • Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:24:33 -0400

I very rarely shop for horses, they appear at my door like dogs, cat, kids, and men.

If your friends are going out and buying dinks, why don't you go with them? Why on earth are they calling you and complaining?

I don't think there's anything a pedigree can tell me as much as x rays and my own two eyes.

Sorry, I just flat out disagree that it's worth buying a papered working horse.

But do go on buying Porches. Next time you're willing to spend money on a horse to plow and trail ride with, call me. I have a nice bridge I can sell you too.


Celia





On Apr 17, 2008, at 1:37 PM, Lynda wrote:

Just means you're shopping the show crowd and not the working crowd. Which
is also why I said that a novice should take someone very experienced with
them. I absolutely hate the phone call from some parent in the 4-H group
saying "we went to the auction . . ." and then 6 months or less later "do
you know anyone who wants . . ." Or a neighbor who "when I was a young girl
I always wanted a horse . . ." and off they go to pick up this "absolutely
perfect horse" they read an ad on. Then the horse sits rotting in a pasture
because its a dink.

And, as I said, at least with a purebred they can do some research and look
at mom and dad and the grands and great-grands. They have a point of
reference. Doesn't mean they *might* not find a good grade horse. Just
means they have a point of reference and will be able to buy what they want.

If they want a horse to do a specific job then they go to that breed.

So, I'm sorry, but if they want a chic magnet I'd advise them to go straight
to that Porche and not the Taurus <g>

BTW, as a rule of thumb, the Connemaras here are the ones for a specific
purpose, jumping. That's what's been imported. Tad expensive to go to the
source to get one that has the pulling abilities.

Lynda
----- Original Message -----
From: <paxamicus AT earthlink.net>


Well, I don't know as I agree with you. I've seen Connemaras hauling
loaded carts of peat out of marshy bogs. They pull like nobody's
business, for their size.

Re the grade v papered thing, again, I disagree. Yes, certain breeds
are better for some things than others. You want to jump, I have a
Hanoverian who asks me, "How high?" Sure, it's what he was born to
do. But , he also came with a price tag.
For a nice, calm, quiet, gentle workaday beast, I don't see anything
wrong with telling him to avoid the papered "Porsche" and go right to
the Taurus. Why spend $$ for something with papers he's never going to
need?

It isn't really a mystery package provided you have someone
knowledgeable to help you.

I wouldn't buy a modern day QH if I could help it. I've paid for far
too many sets of bar shoes and isoxsuprine to keep the little darlings
sound enough to trot their kids around. It's inhumane and not worth it
and I always tried to shed them as fast as I got them in the barn.
Between wobblers and the feet and everything else, modern day QH's
have been tinkered with like the poor German Shepherd dog, their
original purpose completely bred out to provide something "pretty", as
have most American breeds, have you taken a look at what they do to
Saddlebreds recently?



Celia






On Apr 17, 2008, at 3:18 AM, Lynda wrote:

I was thinking more along the lines of being used as light draft.
They do
light buggies just fine but they don't have the build to do heavy
pulling.
Now, if you want a horse (they really aren't ponies for folks who
don't know
them but rather small horses) that can jump twice its height or can
travel
all day long, then get a Connemara. If you want an animal that will
babysit
your kids, they're the horse for you.

Breed of horse will give a general jumping off point. Buying a
grade horse
gives you a mystery package.

When we ran gymkhana horses I went looking for a Quarter horse with a
background in reining and/or cutting. I could take that horse, if
it was
not cowboy'd and clean house in barrels and poles. They had been
bred for
and already knew how to roll off your leg and turn on and off the
speed at a
flick of the wrist. I also picked up a horse that was burned out from
playing polo. A grade horse could be trained to do the job but to
have that
extra something that meant state and national championships took
that little
extra something that I got from a horse with the right breeding.

Same with racing. Sure, you can find a grade horse with a lot of
speed but
not enough. Plus I can go look at mom, dad, the grands and great-
grands
plus siblings and see how sound/unsound the line is.

My only exceptions were mustangs. For those, again, though I only
shopped
for animals out of certain herds. Of course, I was looking for
animals to
do certain things (gymkhana, Tevis Cup, Ride and Tie, jumpers, etc.).

Unless someone is an expert, take one with you before you buy any
horse.
Buying horses is one of the riskiest businesses out there.

Lynda
----- Original Message -----



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