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Posts: 4121
 
Location: SE Louisiana | Too large... (and too small)
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Expert
Posts: 1611
 
| Murphy - 2014-07-31 11:47 AM
TNcowgirl88 - 2014-07-31 11:38 AM Itsme - 2014-07-31 10:07 AM cooper08 - 2014-07-31 9:52 AM Bigger is better (they have longer strides so don't have to "run" as hard). And as for turning- all of my big horses (16+) turned faster than my little horses. I think the big horses don't turn as fast thing got started years ago when pockets were a big thing. A big horse can't make a turn as well with a big pocket becuase they have to collect, reach out, recollect, etc. No pocket and they have one collection point and are just as fast or faster (their collected strides still cover more ground than a small horse around a turn). And====I love having the speed so that if I bobble a turn, I am not out of the money. My smaller horses 14.2-15.2 all have to have good turns to win, but my bigger horses could have some minor mistakes and still beat the smaller ones----just covered more ground. False.... I have to agree with her. longer strides vs a horse with shorter stride.... they will naturally cover more ground.
Its been proven that stride actually has little to do with size and more to do with hip flexion. This goes for ppl and animals. Its grit and heart that make a little horse fast and that same grit and heart that let a 16'3 hand monster collect up and turn on a dime. Its all about want to. |
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  Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | To address the big vs smaller topic. There are SO MANY horses that are on the shorter side (less than 15 hands) that are at the top of the leader boards and the year standings (WPRA) it's ridiculous to even think the smaller horses aren't competitive. Chrisy Loflin's mare is small (14.2-3). She won both goes and the average at Pendleton last year and the year before which is the LARGEST pattern run the whole year. Across grass no less. Stingray is about the same size and won the NFR average and was World Champion. Shada Brazils horse in contrast looks to be in the 16+ hand range and I think they do an awesome job on the smaller patterns. He should have had an advantage at Pendleton, but he didn't win. He did great but he didn't win. Size doesn't matter. It's more than a horse race. But even then horse racing has some smaller horses that are excellent. Corona Cartel isn't a big horse and look at the impact he's had on racing. 
To the OP's question it's more about the individual horse's ability than size. I think a mid-sized horse (15-15.3) is more likely to be able to tackle the ground and size of patterns that they will encounter on a nation-wide run for the NFR. You can make general assumptions about a horses size vs what they can accomplish but you will always need to give them a try. A horse that matures to 15.0-15.3 is what I breed for.  |
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 Living on the edge of common sense
Posts: 24138
Location: Carpenter, WY | I think Oregon is spot on!
We've got one that should be interesting arriving next spring. Dan loves the big horses and roped for years on a linebred Eddie gelding that was 15.3 and weighed at least 1400 lbs. He found a linebred Eddie mare about the same size and we bred her to Slim this spring, who is no dink, and he is hoping to get something BIG that will be a heading machine |
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 I keep my butt inside
Posts: 3281
Location: Weatherford, Texas | I want to add that my smaller horses- were longer back and underside. They were not compact little things and some of them could royally fly....but my bigger horses (which are my style anyway) had much less effort in it and could absorb a lot more things (bobbles, ground, my butt). |
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 Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | della - 2014-07-31 11:27 AM TNcowgirl88 - 2014-07-31 9:38 AM Itsme - 2014-07-31 10:07 AM cooper08 - 2014-07-31 9:52 AM Bigger is better (they have longer strides so don't have to "run" as hard). And as for turning- all of my big horses (16+) turned faster than my little horses. I think the big horses don't turn as fast thing got started years ago when pockets were a big thing. A big horse can't make a turn as well with a big pocket becuase they have to collect, reach out, recollect, etc. No pocket and they have one collection point and are just as fast or faster (their collected strides still cover more ground than a small horse around a turn). And====I love having the speed so that if I bobble a turn, I am not out of the money. My smaller horses 14.2-15.2 all have to have good turns to win, but my bigger horses could have some minor mistakes and still beat the smaller ones----just covered more ground. False.... I have to agree with her. longer strides vs a horse with shorter stride.... they will naturally cover more ground. I just have to say, a long stride dosent have as much to do with legs as an underline that allows the legs to really streach out and reach. Yes a long leg can reach more than a short one, but it has to be set up in a way it can. What I LOVE most about barrel racing is theres not a cookie cutter mould of what type of horse is sucesfull and needed. They come in all sizes!
Ditto Della. I never rode one that was too big to make a barrel horse. |
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 pressure dripper
Posts: 8699
Location: the end of the rainbow | komet. - 2014-07-31 10:29 AM Too large... (and too small )
If I get any fatter I'm gonna need the big one just to carry my fat @$$. When I come a running they're going to announce "here comes two ton Tundra on her horse Tiny" |
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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | I don't understand how this is even a question? We all understand that quarter horses are the "best" breed for barrel racing, yes? (appendix is half qh half tb) How tall do quarter horses even get? The tall ones are still inches away from the small clydesdales and shetlands don't even get half as big as the small quarter horses. Just because you like riding smaller horses or like riding taller horses doesn't mean thats the best, maybe the best for you but how many times do we have to watch all 15 DIFFERENT sized/shaped horses at the NFR to realize that's not what gets them there. |
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 Peecans
| outrundaizy - 2014-07-31 7:48 PM
I don't understand how this is even a question? We all understand that quarter horses are the "best" breed for barrel racing, yes? (appendix is half qh half tb) How tall do quarter horses even get? The tall ones are still inches away from the small clydesdales and shetlands don't even get half as big as the small quarter horses. Just because you like riding smaller horses or like riding taller horses doesn't mean thats the best, maybe the best for you but how many times do we have to watch all 15 DIFFERENT sized/shaped horses at the NFR to realize that's not what gets them there.
An appendix is quarter horse / TB cross that hasent earned its Rom. Could be 50/50 could only have 1/16th tb.
If you go look at say Dash for Cash one of the most infulincal race / barrel sites he is 3/4 TB earned his rom and recived regular papers.
So can a half TB compete and be competitive id say that's a not just a yes but a he!! Yes!! Lol
If the horse is built fast (and built fast comes in short and tall) good training and a big heart full of try there is a whole world of opuritinety :-D |
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 Expert
Posts: 1767
Location: California | An athlete is an athlete, no matter the size. My best horse throughout high school was 17hh. He was a 19 sec pole horse and 3 time AQHA World Champion in poles. He was also an AQHA World Champion in barrels and qualified me for poles and barrels to the Nationals High School Finals.
http://youtu.be/KYj3vZZOwv4?list=UU8ZNPJfe2aI3NBD411MmqDw
http://youtu.be/1TioUfwRx5U?list=UU8ZNPJfe2aI3NBD411MmqDw
I've also had some little horses (14.3hh) that were also good. So I don't think it really matters. A good horse will come in all sizes. |
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I Am a Snake Killer
Posts: 1927
Location: Golden Gulf Coast of Texas |
Wow! Nice runs. How is he bred??? I believe as long as a horse is put together right it doesn't matter how big or small they are. I like big because I feel like they are smoother turning with the longer stride. That and I'm 5'9 and feel too big for anything under 15.3 hands. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 667
| mreklaw - 2014-08-01 6:42 AM
Wow! Nice runs. How is he bred??? I believe as long as a horse is put together right it doesn't matter how big or small they are. I like big because I feel like they are smoother turning with the longer stride. That and I'm 5'9 and feel too big for anything under 15.3 hands.
This is how I feel. I am 5'9 as well and I Have always ridden shorter horses and now I finally have a big guy and I am very excited about him. Its different for sure going from something that was 14.3-15.0 to something that is 16.2 and still probably growing. |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| Here is a reiner next to a hunter both Quarter horses.
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 1ffa4bfa0eeb2a44264e140c2d9bbc99.jpg (14KB - 260 downloads)
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | willrodeo4food - 2014-07-31 7:56 PM komet. - 2014-07-31 10:29 AM Too large... (and too small )
Bahaha!! You guys crack me up!!  |
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Expert
Posts: 1767
Location: California | mreklaw - 2014-08-01 4:42 AM Wow! Nice runs. How is he bred??? I believe as long as a horse is put together right it doesn't matter how big or small they are. I like big because I feel like they are smoother turning with the longer stride. That and I'm 5'9 and feel too big for anything under 15.3 hands.
His name is The Flying Bug. He is by Fe Fe's Bug and out of an own daughter of Jet Moon. He is 27 now. |
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