What do you guys think of these colts? Pics on page 3,6,7,8 & 12

[onthespot]

I had high hopes for that one.

 

[starryhen]

Well, was that photo of the thin bay horse the Andalusian/QH? That is a good cross. The horse looks ok and of good character from the photo just ill kept - and, of course, untrained. A lot of Mustangs and rescue horses make very good mounts. I would also advise passing up the Paint/Arab. That is about the worst cross (I breed Arabians and Morgans and have one of those Paint/Arabians ... hmmm). He had a poor neck which makes me think the rest might be poor, also. A lot of people breed for color and nothing else. The youngster looked fine. The dam looked fine. Stallions have peculiarities growing up, They say they need a dominant mare around to knock em silly when they misbehave. You seem to be a healthy, sensible young lady (in the photo) with a good amount of experience so you could probably figure out things. Wait for three to start. You can do all sorts of ground work up until then. Make sure the horses are of good conformation and general good health. Long toes can be trimmed and ribs covered. Good temperament is crucial. If the horse looks at you kindly or curiously and perhaps stands to be rubbed that is a good start. I am partial to weanlings because I don't get all the trouble other people put into them but a good solid egg (scuse me) is worth a lot.
Oh, and make sure you see the horses move (the bay might have some trouble due to the untrimmed feet) - walk and trot maybe a canter.

 

[Akane]

The only horses I've seen go lame after starting them late, aside from accident and injury, had conformation flaws which made it inevitable or someone decided to start doing a whole lot of tight circles endlessly until it wore on the joints. Circles at any age, including on the ground lunging, is going to make a horse more likely to go lame and amongst some groups of riders endless circles are their favorite training method. I went to showing western gaming horses to avoid that crowd. Most barrel horses are not started until they are 3, walk/trot the first year while introducing them to the correct type of turns, cantered and shown lightly with no serious goal of winning for their 4th year, and then maybe they will be running serious patterns by their 5th but more likely the 6th. I can count on one hand the number of barrel horses started on that time table that went lame without it being a fence, trailer, or injury from another horse. Most continue to run in to their teens and I've been on a few 20-25year old barrel horses that will still run a pattern. You can't say that about most racehorses and they aren't dealing with the sharp turns and stops of many western disciplines or the jarring a jumper would experience. I've also seen plenty of quarters, thoroughbreds, arabs, and crosses of those that weren't worked with until they were 4-5 and it took no more time than it would have otherwise. The difference is you expect them to make more progress quicker since they are older so it seems to take more effort and time when it's probably less than you'd spend waiting and making slow steps with a younger horse.

 

[EweSheep]

Dang!

 

[Hound]

Possibly it is just the photos, but I do not like the look of the front legs of the QH at all. He appears to be toed-out/knock kneed in almost all of them which makes me think it can't just be the angle. This is another issue that would affect long-term soundness.

 

[danischi24]

So I went to go see the pinto/arabian today & he was lovely! Skinny & fly rubbed but lovely

Very spirited, smart & good to work with. The owner was afraid of him but I walked in there & after 5 minutes we had an understanding. Also, he's just over 2 years old (& his teeth say older), I guess the advert was old. He has 3 problems though. One is the sweet itch from flies. He has patches of hair missing & no mane or tail from rubbing the itchy places. Two is that he has a bad hind leg conformation & Three is a bump just below his near hock which I sent pics of to my horse vet aunt for advice. Here are some pics:

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Quote:
I don't know jack about horses, but it looks to me that he has the potential to be a gorgeous horse. Aesthetically, the paint/Arabian cross is one of my favorites.

 

[NellaBean]

I would be concerned about poor hind end conformation. Hind end is the powerhouse of the horse.......

 

[babyblue]

the back end does not look great. however getting the hoofs trimmed...they look bad and weight in him and proper conditioning he might make an ok light ridding horse. but hes not something id ever plan on using hard or competing with.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Quote:
I think she's said several times she's not planning on competing or working the horses, just a trail horse.