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[paxamicus AT earthlink.net]

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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