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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
   
Location: Arkansas | Bump | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | As a breeder as should say "go for it and support a reputible breeding program". However, buying weanlings, yearlings and even 2yos is such a GAMBLE. Even with proper/good handling, you never really know what you have and how they will react until they start their under saddle training, I don't care how much ground work you put into them. THEN, you can only hope/pray that they do not get hurt or sick while waiting on them to grow.
Be willing to accept them for what they are...........you can not change conformation or extreme temperaments and must be willing to work with what they have to offer. Be willing to accept that your baby just got hurt running in the field and is now going to be a pasture ornament or a trail horse only.
Buying a started prospect is much safer especially when looking for a horse to do a specific job or look a certain way, etc. Buyers who complain about the cost of started horses have NO IDEA how much time, money and luck it takes to get foals on the ground, weaned, grown and in training to be sold as started 3yos.
Guess, I'm just tired of trying to sell our youngsters and riding in this heat is no fun at my age.
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | star1218 - 2017-06-12 1:20 PMI won't kid myself, I'd handle mine daily. They'd be stalled at night and groomed, messed with etc.  Never letting them be pushy or disrespectful... I can see on a ranch setting, minimal handling but I'm a hobby farm with stalled horses. Can that work out ok too?
 Can definitely work out. We handle ours and have never bad a problem with one beinvg pushy or rude.
Edited by total performance 2017-06-14 7:59 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
| hotpaints - 2017-06-14 5:28 AM As a breeder as should say "go for it and support a reputible breeding program". However, buying weanlings, yearlings and even 2yos is such a GAMBLE. Even with proper/good handling, you never really know what you have and how they will react until they start their under saddle training, I don't care how much ground work you put into them. THEN, you can only hope/pray that they do not get hurt or sick while waiting on them to grow.
Be willing to accept them for what they are...........you can not change conformation or extreme temperaments and must be willing to work with what they have to offer. Be willing to accept that your baby just got hurt running in the field and is now going to be a pasture ornament or a trail horse only.
Buying a started prospect is much safer especially when looking for a horse to do a specific job or look a certain way, etc. Buyers who complain about the cost of started horses have NO IDEA how much time, money and luck it takes to get foals on the ground, weaned, grown and in training to be sold as started 3yos.
Guess, I'm just tired of trying to sell our youngsters and riding in this heat is no fun at my age.
and this is why I feel intimidated. haha
I mean, you have to at least have an IDEA what they will grow up to look like if you see the stud/dam, right? Or siblings on the same farm...?
As far as temperments, people who have bred many many babies must have some things they can see straight off the bat before they are sold I would think?
Thanks for the reply, I'd like to consider this as realistically as possible. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | star1218 - 2017-06-14 8:50 AM
hotpaints - 2017-06-14 5:28 AM As a breeder as should say "go for it and support a reputible breeding program". However, buying weanlings, yearlings and even 2yos is such a GAMBLE. Even with proper/good handling, you never really know what you have and how they will react until they start their under saddle training, I don't care how much ground work you put into them. THEN, you can only hope/pray that they do not get hurt or sick while waiting on them to grow.
Be willing to accept them for what they are...........you can not change conformation or extreme temperaments and must be willing to work with what they have to offer. Be willing to accept that your baby just got hurt running in the field and is now going to be a pasture ornament or a trail horse only.
Buying a started prospect is much safer especially when looking for a horse to do a specific job or look a certain way, etc. Buyers who complain about the cost of started horses have NO IDEA how much time, money and luck it takes to get foals on the ground, weaned, grown and in training to be sold as started 3yos.
Guess, I'm just tired of trying to sell our youngsters and riding in this heat is no fun at my age.
Â
and this is why I feel intimidated. haha
I mean, you have to at least have an IDEA what they will grow up to look like if you see the stud/dam, right?  Or siblings on the same farm...?
As far as temperments, people who have bred many many babies must have some things they can see straight off the bat before they are sold I would think? Â
Thanks for the reply, I'd like to consider this as realistically as possible.  Â
It is true that you can never predict exactly how something is going to go or turn out. Your young one might be a tremendous competitor. You might buy a barrel horse and it would prefer to do hunter under saddle. Those things happen.
That being said, you CAN stack the deck in your favor with the right bloodlines. Speed itself in multiple studies has shown at least 25% heritability, quickness or fast reflexes also shows good heritability with cutting bloodlines.
Just look at how many horses at the NFR and top of the futurities have Dash ta Fame in there somewhere. Are there horses who are successful who are grade or bred to do something else? Sure. But compare the percentages of horses bred to run barrels with those who are not bred to run barrels and I think you are going to find the numbers highly favor those bred to do the job. So start there with your search.
But also look at conformation and temperament. A baby that is easy to work with is more likely to remain easier to work with. Some gentle ones do have tempers and have to learn that they don't get to be on welfare their whole lives (this may **** them off), but most of the time when taught firmly but gently that yes they have a job they are expected to do they will come around. Some people like temperaments on horses that are a little more challenging but also more likely to have a competitive spirit. They are usually for more experienced people.
In terms of conformation, babies are going to change as they grow. But look at the basic lines. Are all the bones and angles in the right places? Look at sire, dam, siblings. This will give you a good guess to what you will be working with. ALL of the babies out of one of my mares, no matter how tall the stud, have ended up around 15 hands give or take an inch. She is very consistent with this. Look for things like that and it will help you know what you are dealing with long term. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 824
Location: Duvall, WA | I remember hearing years ago from a performance trainer--if you want to make money in horses, your best bet is buying a long yearling. Train it, ride it, sell it. FWIW. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
| You are probably right! The prices can't be beat as babies. Too bad I never sell. HahaThanks! | |
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 Expert
Posts: 2674
Location: Silver Lake, MN | I got my first baby last year...I was a little worried at first too but I enjoy working with them. I halter broke about 4 of them for the breeder last year and it was really fun to see their different personalities and how they handled things. My yearling gets handled often, but for limited times. I understand where his mind is at mentally and work around that. But he gets treated like a big horse, I expect him to respect my space, not be pushy and be good to handle. I am loving it!! It is so fun to watch them grow and yes he has lots of boo boo's!! I have a 9yo gelding to ride and he needs my time right now so it's working out perfectly.
I'm excited to see how he turns out so far I just love him but it's also a risk. But I don't buy high dollar horses either so that way if they don't work out for what I bought them for I can resell into a discipline more suited for them. Here is a picture of him a few days old and back a couple of months ago.  
Edited by CarrieH77 2017-06-19 3:45 PM
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