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Veteran
Posts: 160
 
| Just wondering what most of you look for in a barrel horse prospect?? BESIDES BLOODLINES! What is it that makes you think theres potential in a certain horse?
Thanks!! |
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 Keep those crap slapping tails away!
Posts: 8871
   
Location: Around here somewhere... | The only prospects I ever buy are weanlings, so I go off of bloodlines, conformation, and the feeling I get from looking at the horse- also, I will not buy wild weanlings, they must be gentle and halter broke. If I were looking at an older one, it would have to be broke and have an excellent mind. Even with all of that, you really don't know how a horse will pan out until it's said and done. |
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 Saint Stacey
| Movement is huge for me. How they travel. I want very little knee and one that doesn't leave their hocks out behind them. They have to stay up underneath themselves. Conformation wise I look for overall balance and structural correctness. I want a long forearm and gaskin with short cannon bones. I like a big, sloping shoulder. Mist people overlook the shoulder and only look for a big butt. You need the same up front IMHO. |
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 Peecans
| SKM - 2014-07-26 11:16 AM
Movement is huge for me. How they travel. I want very little knee and one that doesn't leave their hocks out behind them. They have to stay up underneath themselves. Conformation wise I look for overall balance and structural correctness. I want a long forearm and gaskin with short cannon bones. I like a big, sloping shoulder. Mist people overlook the shoulder and only look for a big butt. You need the same up front IMHO.
All this for me plus a big heart girth |
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 Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | Hahaha I'll be the odd one out. I love a colt that is friendly and willing, even when your just on the ground. A bight eyed and ears up colt with a little conformation fault will win me over almost anything with a perfect conformation and a less than stellar attitude.
Besides that I love a big ol hip, or at least the bone structure to have a big hip when they get older. I like a medium sized back, nothing too short or too long. I noticed short backed horses seem to be a little choppier in their striding.
I don't like looking at horses if their butt is higher than their hip, unless it's a yearling or two year old since they'll grow out of it. I just think it makes it harder for them to get their butt underneath them going around a barrel. |
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 Proud to be Deplorable
Posts: 1929
| della - 2014-07-26 12:39 PM
SKM - 2014-07-26 11:16 AM
Movement is huge for me. How they travel. I want very little knee and one that doesn't leave their hocks out behind them. They have to stay up underneath themselves. Conformation wise I look for overall balance and structural correctness. I want a long forearm and gaskin with short cannon bones. I like a big, sloping shoulder. Mist people overlook the shoulder and only look for a big butt. You need the same up front IMHO.
All this for me plus a big heart girth
I agree with all of the above. I would add I want a long bottom line. I want a TB front end with a big QH rear end. And I don't want one that is overly wide in the front end. |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| I film and take lots of pics then I send them to someone WAYYY more experienced than myself.
That being said I like to film them in the round pen getting down and turning and striding out. |
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Expert
Posts: 3300
| SKM - 2014-07-27 10:16 AM Movement is huge for me. How they travel. I want very little knee and one that doesn't leave their hocks out behind them. They have to stay up underneath themselves. Conformation wise I look for overall balance and structural correctness. I want a long forearm and gaskin with short cannon bones. I like a big, sloping shoulder. Mist people overlook the shoulder and only look for a big butt. You need the same up front IMHO.
a good mover is a must!!!! you have no idea how much this bugs me bahaha..... they must have little knee action good cadence.. and drive with their hock... i have a dtf filly and shes a pretty dang good mover almost good enough to go in pleasure pen bahahaha and thats not common lol... |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| I love horses that have a huge work ethic and want to go forward. It's a different feeling than horses that are just dinking around following their nose. I want the super concentrated mind that just wants to work. Those are the horses that you can train over time for a finished rodeo horse, the ones that you can send from anywhere, help them with their approaches, then just get out of the way!
As far as conformation, I've got everything from giant legs at 16.3, to my 'littles' at 15.1. I don't prefer any one body type, or run style, as long as they mentally have that edge. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | A sensible, trainable mind. Athleticism and balance--good movers go hand in hand with that. A horse that glides across the ground, smoothly and lightly, is going to have an easier time running barrels. My better horses have had the long sloping shoulder with a deep heartgirth, a long hip that's not necessarily a big hip, and low-set knees and hocks. You don't realize how massive their rear end actually is unless you're standing right beside them because of the length of it. Not sure if I'm explaining that right. |
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 ...Dot Dot Dot...
Posts: 2064
Location: SW New Mexico | della - 2014-07-27 11:39 AM
SKM - 2014-07-26 11:16 AM
Movement is huge for me. How they travel. I want very little knee and one that doesn't leave their hocks out behind them. They have to stay up underneath themselves. Conformation wise I look for overall balance and structural correctness. I want a long forearm and gaskin with short cannon bones. I like a big, sloping shoulder. Mist people overlook the shoulder and only look for a big butt. You need the same up front IMHO.
All this for me plus a big heart girth
All of the above... plus I like a brain.. with a sensible willing attitude.
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