|
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
 
| I recently stumbled across halter horses and I see a lot of them selling cheap. First of all, why so cheap? (I know they are not broke to ride) Could one have any success in the barrel pen?
Here's the website I accidently found: http://internethorseauctions.com/auction.php?aucid=154
Edited by spitzh 2016-03-15 4:41 PM
|
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1631
 
Location: Somewhere around here | I had a halter/pleasure bred mare in high school and she was one of the best horses I've ever owned. I wish I never had to sell her otherwise I'm pretty sure I would've rodeoed on her in college and kept her afterward. Honestly I can't quite remember how fast she was but she did win me money and she was fun to ride. Lots of heart and try. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| A lot of Impressive bred horses are HOT HOT HOT. My friend had one she raced and that little nutcase could hardly turn, but ran fast enough she still made money - even if you do have to have 4 people waving at the gate to stop it. Even on the ground, they are just HOT and mean. Most aren't sound to ride due to their conformation. Halter bred horses are not bred to be ridden, and usually they don't hold up due to the stress on their bad legs and tiny feet. You also have to worry about the genetic diseases halter people love to breed - HYPP severely shortens their lifespan and is quite cruel really.
Halter horses are not built to do anything but stand in a stall and eat all the food they can pump into them (which is why most are really hot by nature).
ETA: A lot of the lower priced horses are N/H for HYPP. There is always a reason they are cheap.
Edited by FlyingHigh1454 2016-03-15 6:34 PM
|
|
| |
|
  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Their conformation is often contrary to what you would want in a rider. They are also not bred for any kind of trainable disposition because most are never ridden. That doesn't mean there are not good ones out there. I would pass as there are so many other cheaper horses that are often grandsons/daughters of the "greats". |
|
| |
|
The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Having a friend who feeds and trains for halter, I wouldn't look at one shown, too much stress on the tendons, ligaments and joints. Also too much weight on the joints at a young age. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 788
| I had a halter bred gelding that was fast as lightening but getting him to turn was a 50/50 shot! |
|
| |
|
 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | FlyingHigh1454 - 2016-03-15 7:29 PM A lot of Impressive bred horses are HOT HOT HOT. My friend had one she raced and that little nutcase could hardly turn, but ran fast enough she still made money - even if you do have to have 4 people waving at the gate to stop it. Even on the ground, they are just HOT and mean. Most aren't sound to ride due to their conformation. Halter bred horses are not bred to be ridden, and usually they don't hold up due to the stress on their bad legs and tiny feet. You also have to worry about the genetic diseases halter people love to breed - HYPP severely shortens their lifespan and is quite cruel really. Halter horses are not built to do anything but stand in a stall and eat all the food they can pump into them (which is why most are really hot by nature). ETA: A lot of the lower priced horses are N/H for HYPP. There is always a reason they are cheap.
I had an Impressive bred gelding and he wasn't hot or mean. Actually, he was incredibly sweet. I can't even say that "most" of them are hot or mean, and I've been around a few. I try not to lump bloodlines in a stereotype just from one experience. However, mine was HYPP N/H and did die from it. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| What does HYPP N/H mean?
Edited by spitzh 2016-03-16 9:35 AM
|
|
| |
|
Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | spitzh - 2016-03-16 10:34 AM What does HYPP N/H mean?
https://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/hypp.php |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1302
Location: California | I bought one just a little over a year ago. I liked her conformation and her price so I picked her up. She was only shown as a yearling so she wasn't over the top muscular or in show shape. She wasn't broke as a coming 4 year old but that is exactly what I wanted. Today she is cruising through a nice pattern and is a pretty nice head horse. She has a ton of speed, was the most trainable horse I have ever started and is smart! I had her feet fully x-rayed/lameness and she passed perfectly. I would not hesitate to do it again, but I have gone and looked at a couple that were very unsound and way to straight up in the hind end for me. I think there are some out there, but definitely be picky.
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/ruby+red+stilletos
First image is her about a week off the truck (shipped from New York to Cali)
Second image is her in September.
Edited by little_bug 2016-03-16 10:37 AM
 (jlo1.jpg)
 (jlo.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
 jlo1.jpg (71KB - 148 downloads)
jlo.jpg (31KB - 165 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
 Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | Do what you want, but BUYER BEWARE! That's why they are cheap. PSSM1, HYPP, bad dispositions, conformation not right for speed or athletic ability. Small feet, huge bodies, short pasterns, posty hocks, etc.......
One in 465465165165 will be great. But the odds are against you. |
|
| |
|
 Stinky Cat Owner
Posts: 4097
Location: Oregon | Here's my Impressive bred halter boy who is the biggest sugar lump, sweet, friendly, not hot or mean. He's now my steady-eddie trail horse because the LAST thing he wants to do is run, lol. I bought him from a friend who started him on barrels after a nice short show career and Mr. Bill is just happy going on adventures outside of the arena. 
Edited by Katie's 2016-03-16 12:04 PM
 (20-saddled, Billy.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
20-saddled, Billy.jpg (85KB - 236 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Here was mine. He was a cool cat.
 |
|
| |
|
Common Sense and then some
Location: So. California | If they are Impressive bred, you need to make sure they are HYPP n/n. Also, PSSM1 is a concern with halter bred horses (higher percentage with halter horses), so they should also test PSSM1 n/n. Confirmation is also an issue as they breed for non-performance look. Good luck!! |
|
| |
|
 Toastest with the Mostest
Posts: 5712
Location: That part of Texas | FlyingHigh1454 - 2016-03-15 6:29 PM A lot of Impressive bred horses are HOT HOT HOT. My friend had one she raced and that little nutcase could hardly turn, but ran fast enough she still made money - even if you do have to have 4 people waving at the gate to stop it. Even on the ground, they are just HOT and mean. Most aren't sound to ride due to their conformation. Halter bred horses are not bred to be ridden, and usually they don't hold up due to the stress on their bad legs and tiny feet. You also have to worry about the genetic diseases halter people love to breed - HYPP severely shortens their lifespan and is quite cruel really. Halter horses are not built to do anything but stand in a stall and eat all the food they can pump into them (which is why most are really hot by nature). ETA: A lot of the lower priced horses are N/H for HYPP. There is always a reason they are cheap.
Back in the 1970's when Impressive was toping the leading sire charts for halter horses, it was based in a different era where breeding for certain characteristics in halter horses is completely irrelevant from what has happened now in the past 10-15 years. When you realize Impressive's main competition in the halter horse siring business was Two Eyed Jack, you really start to understand and realize the span that it's all taken since that time. When you think of halter horse sires, Two Eyed Jack doesn't come to mind for many but that was the build they loved and promoted at the time and Impressive as more like that philosophy than what halter is today. I know many people continue to use Impressive in their halter horse names, breeding publicat
Edited by Red Raider 2016-03-16 1:58 PM
|
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| Red Raider - 2016-03-16 2:53 PM
FlyingHigh1454 - 2016-03-15 6:29 PM A lot of Impressive bred horses are HOT HOT HOT. My friend had one she raced and that little nutcase could hardly turn, but ran fast enough she still made money - even if you do have to have 4 people waving at the gate to stop it. Even on the ground, they are just HOT and mean. Most aren't sound to ride due to their conformation. Halter bred horses are not bred to be ridden, and usually they don't hold up due to the stress on their bad legs and tiny feet. You also have to worry about the genetic diseases halter people love to breed - HYPP severely shortens their lifespan and is quite cruel really. Halter horses are not built to do anything but stand in a stall and eat all the food they can pump into them (which is why most are really hot by nature). ETA: A lot of the lower priced horses are N/H for HYPP. There is always a reason they are cheap. Back in the 1970's when Impressive was toping the leading sire charts for halter horses, it was based in a different era where breeding for certain characteristics in halter horses is completely irrelevant from what has happened now in the past 10-15 years. When you realize Impressive's main competition in the halter horse siring business was Two Eyed Jack, you really start to understand and realize the span that it's all taken since that time. When you think of halter horse sires, Two Eyed Jack doesn't come to mind for many but that was the build they loved and promoted at the time and Impressive as more like that philosophy than what halter is today. I know many people continue to use Impressive in their halter horse names, breeding publicat
Impressive himself was not built badly, but the halter breeders have now bred for posty legs, over muscled, disease ridden horses just so they look 'good', even if use is entirely thrown out the window.
It's hard to find an ethical breeder now a days, but I personally like the Impressive line, when it's clean. They usually don't hold up MENTALLY to running all the time though. There are always exceptions, but that's the tendency I've seen. |
|
| |
|
Toastest with the Mostest
Posts: 5712
Location: That part of Texas | FlyingHigh1454 - 2016-03-16 2:28 PM Red Raider - 2016-03-16 2:53 PM FlyingHigh1454 - 2016-03-15 6:29 PM A lot of Impressive bred horses are HOT HOT HOT. My friend had one she raced and that little nutcase could hardly turn, but ran fast enough she still made money - even if you do have to have 4 people waving at the gate to stop it. Even on the ground, they are just HOT and mean. Most aren't sound to ride due to their conformation. Halter bred horses are not bred to be ridden, and usually they don't hold up due to the stress on their bad legs and tiny feet. You also have to worry about the genetic diseases halter people love to breed - HYPP severely shortens their lifespan and is quite cruel really. Halter horses are not built to do anything but stand in a stall and eat all the food they can pump into them (which is why most are really hot by nature). ETA: A lot of the lower priced horses are N/H for HYPP. There is always a reason they are cheap.
Back in the 1970's when Impressive was toping the leading sire charts for halter horses, it was based in a different era where breeding for certain characteristics in halter horses is completely irrelevant from what has happened now in the past 10-15 years. When you realize Impressive's main competition in the halter horse siring business was Two Eyed Jack, you really start to understand and realize the span that it's all taken since that time. When you think of halter horse sires, Two Eyed Jack doesn't come to mind for many but that was the build they loved and promoted at the time and Impressive as more like that philosophy than what halter is today. I know many people continue to use Impressive in their halter horse names, breeding publicat Impressive himself was not built badly, but the halter breeders have now bred for posty legs, over muscled, disease ridden horses just so they look 'good', even if use is entirely thrown out the window. It's hard to find an ethical breeder now a days, but I personally like the Impressive line, when it's clean. They usually don't hold up MENTALLY to running all the time though. There are always exceptions, but that's the tendency I've seen.
My post got cut off quite a bit but what I was stating was that the lines from what they started at in the 70's with Impressive are not where near what is being bred today. People use "Impressive" as part of a name but it doesn't reflect what the horse was, especially when people bred him for performance horses. I was around a few of them as team roping horses in the 80's and I own two "Impressive-bred" horses now that do not fit the description you have given them -- in fact they are probably the exact opposite. The one horse out of all of mine who is the first to use a cool head, calm herself down and perform under pressure in a situation is a 5th generation Impressive grand-get. She got that temperament from her dam and is probably like most horses with Impressive so far back that is really all about it's the breeding now and not his fault/influence that they behave that way. The only thing both of them probably have from Impressive is an influence on their color (both are sorrels) and possibly a little bit of the build still left since that are well-built mares. Thankfully he didn't pass HYPP along to them. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| Thanks everyone for the info. |
|
| |
|
 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 492
| I had an Impressive bred gelding and he wasn't hot or mean. Actually, he was incredibly sweet. I can't even say that "most" of them are hot or mean, and I've been around a few. I try not to lump bloodlines in a stereotype just from one experience. However, mine was HYPP N/H and did die from it.
Murphy...I miss Mo so much! I loved that horse  |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 959
Location: Texas | Not all Impressive bred horses are hot and not all have bad dispositions. I've shown halter and have several of them now to ride. If you were to actually look at the way Impressive is bred you'll see that he has some nice running blood in him, Sugar Bars, Leo, Lightening Bar etc. AND if you really look you'll see that his Momma is a 1/2 sister to Doc Bar. Both were sired by Lightening Bar. It's been my finding that a lot of people who talk badly about them have never even owned an Impressive horse. There are good and bad dispositions and conformation in every blood line. Do your research and judge each horse as an individual don't lump them all under one category. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| aqha4mejt - 2016-03-16 8:25 PM
Not all Impressive bred horses are hot and not all have bad dispositions. I've shown halter and have several of them now to ride. If you were to actually look at the way Impressive is bred you'll see that he has some nice running blood in him, Sugar Bars, Leo, Lightening Bar etc. AND if you really look you'll see that his Momma is a 1/2 sister to Doc Bar. Both were sired by Lightening Bar. It's been my finding that a lot of people who talk badly about them have never even owned an Impressive horse. There are good and bad dispositions and conformation in every blood line. Do your research and judge each horse as an individual don't lump them all under one category.
I have trained several impressive horses, So ya... It also depends on what they are crossed on. We had an impressive that was cowhorse on the bottom, and he was fine. We have a mare who is as wild as wild can be anytime you try to do anything with her. She's all pleasure/halter bred. I've had a lot of Impressive breds, and I'm just not a major fan of them as running horses. They don't hold up over time. |
|
| |
|
 Double Standards Don't Fly
Posts: 1283
Location: At the barn | Some of these responses are proof of the negative and unwarranted stereotypes against Impressive bred horses.
I have several and NONE are mean or out of control. Actually 2 of the absolute smartest and most talented horses I've ever trained are Impressive bred. My gelding is STUNNING to look at, is a bang up awesome rope horse, head, heel and pasture, and there's not a cow that can outrun him.
His mother was the same way. And they are both the friendliest and best dispositioned horses on my place.
I also have 2 stallions that are excellent rope horses and very quiet and have great minds.
And Impressive was very much running bred.
They all tend to have one thing in common. They are VERY smart. Perhaps to a fault. Maybe that's why so many ppl have issues with them. |
|
| |
|
 Blaines and Beauty
Posts: 1431
| The fastest horse I have ever sat on was Impressive and Skipper W lines. (And I have had own daughters of Dash For Perks, Martha Six Moons, Bully Bullion, etc) He had AQHA halter points as a weanling and I bought him as a 3 year old. He had an onery streak for sure but could flat out fly and was sound. He only liked women - would kick and bite men. He would even turn around and bite my husband's toes when he was riding him and try and kick him when he would take his blanket off but be loved me and would try his heart out every run. He was 1D, super tough and could stand up on any ground. He won a saddle and lots of buckles for me. I made sure he was N/N when I bought him. If you look at Impressive's pedigree, He was bred to run. My husband used to work at a huge halter horse facility and I can see how some of them can get mean. I don't think it's a bloodline thing, it's how they are raised. The babies are born and stay in stalls for the rest of thier showing years - getting high fat feed and are on a strict exercise schedule and then get tied up, necks sweated, etc. They get ill tempered and act out sometimes. Some horses love all the attention and the ones that hate it are the ones that act up. That's how my gelding was, when he was a yearling he became an outlaw and they just turned him out for a few years, lol.
|
|
| |
|
 Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
Location: Woodstown, NJ | The horse in my avatar is Impressive bred. He won the NBHA Youth State championship last year. But honestly, he wouldn't be my first choice for a barrel horse if we were interested in doing more than competing locally. For our purposes, he's perfect. Not only will he do barrels, he'll team pen, trail ride, jump, western pleasure, you name it. And he does pretty well at all of it. He's the one who I can put anyone on. He's definitely not hot or mean but he's no plug either. I guess it would depend on the individual horse. And how far you want to go. If you're really competitive, a prospect with running blood would probably give you the best chance. (Though Impressive was actually a racehorse.) Good luck! |
|
| |
|
 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 488
Location: NE Arkansas | I have a impressive bred gelding. He's an older fellow now an is wonderful. He was always there as a back up barrel horse or whatever I asked him to do. He has the best attitude. |
|
| |
|
 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| To the OP - I have noticed a lot of cheap halter prospects here in MN at sales. Many are sired by Kid Clu offsprings who is double bred impressive. These horses exactly the stereotype of "halter" horses. Posty hind legs, teeny feet, heavy muscled... even so much that their heads look TINY. I bet there are 20-40 at the biggest QH sales and they rarely go for $1,000. Many of the yearling and two year olds dont sell for much more than a couple hundred bucks.
I personally wouldnt buy one like that due to their confirmation, I feel like it is setting them up to fail. But as many others have said, it depends on the breeder. I am assuming a lot of these horses come from the same ranches. I should start paying attention to who consigns them.
A friend of mine messaged me for advice on a prospect... it was a kid clu x bully bullion. I advised her against it, ONLY because the horse was built like a halter horse. I think it would have struggled in a barrel pen with both atheltic ability and soundness. But if the horse had been built right, I wouldnt have steered her away. A friend of mine has a Sunfrost x Impressive mare and she is as kind as the day is long. I just put the first ride on her and was nothing more than trying to please.
Another friend of mine has an n/h western pleasure impressive mare and she is a typical sassy mare but a hell of a performer. Her n/h makes her tricky to own and she just didnt get the 5 panel done when she bought her some time ago. She regrets not but she wouldnt trade the mare for anything. |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 6
| Impressive was an Apendix QH, that later earned his full QH registry. He began a racing career, but was injured & couldn't continue racing- so they found other things for him to do.
I've owned & ran an Impressive gelding. He wasn't the fastest, but he wasn't the slowest. Not hot, but not a complete dead head. And HYPP N/N. Just because they don't have the current designer pedigree doesn't mean they aren't worth a look |
|
| |
|
Duct Tape Bikini Girl
Posts: 2554
| I'd just like to warn you, if things don't work out and you end up having to sell an Impressive bred horse, that big N/N on the papers won't matter to most. From personal experience I would like to warn you, buyers will run like you're shooting at them if they see Impressive on the papers. |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 920
| I grew up and it always seemed Impressive was everywhere. Now he's such a taboo but he is bred for run. We had an own daughter. You could rope off her and trail ride her and she had a motor to boot. She also bucked like nobody's business if something touched her butt. She was fickle. She was one of the prettiest horses we ever owned also. |
|
| |
|
 Can You Hear Me Now?
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | I have had one thats double bred impressive and n/n for hypp. Shes beautiful and tall. She does have metabolic issues and will likely be put down this year. Nothing we do help her and prevents The abscesses she gets. I will honestly say never again thry are mostly built horrible and eay to hard to sell.
|
|
| |
|
 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| I am not a big fan Impressive horses but check out PERKS ADVANTAGE. He did very well in futurities. He belongs to a friend who trained him. After his futurity year, she rodeoed on him. He got hurt and now is her favorite pet. His mother was double bred Impressive. He is on ALLBREED but I cannot link it on my tablet. You need to judge each horse as an individual. |
|
| |