No Excuses For Neglect

I wanted to post some updates on Gypsy, the six year old Appendix Quarter Horse mare I picked up a month ago. She is a perfect example of how ignorance is never a good excuse. I never actually met or talked to the people who starved and neglected her. I purchased her for $400 from the girl who rescued my mare and an even more emaciated gelding. She only had Gypsy for two weeks before I bought her. She had a farrier give her a first trim, and had been feeding her grass hay. She did not worm her or have her teeth checked. Needless to say, Gypsy was still in poor shape. I'm not suggesting the girl who rescued her didn't do a good job. Her intention was simply to get her out of a bad situation and find her a home that would rebilitate her and her buddy, and she did just that.

To recap, this was Gypsy the day after I brought her home:


These were her hooves:


You can also see another view of her hooves in my last post. Remember that his was AFTER a first trim. You can not simply trim back severely over grown hooves or the horse will be very lame. It takes allot of time and effort to get them back where they need to be.

Because of her dark color and her semi-long hair, her weight is somewhat masked. Even with an inch of winter hair growing in, you could still count her ribs in the photo. (I know she looks slicked out. it was very bright that day, the sun was setting, and she still managed to get a shine. No, she doesn't have a full winter coat, but she wasn't slicked out either. Look at the fur on her belly, how its ruffled up a bit.) In person, her sorry state was even more evident. Her withers jutted, her spine stuck up above her back about an inch, and her hips were all but wasted away. Not only were they severely sunken, but the muscle had been eaten up. Her neck was stick-like and she had something of a pot belly going on.

I started her on a Safeguard Power-Dose pack of de-wormer. I've also used a Panacur Powerpac before, but have found they both work effectively. Before I start the Power-Dose, I always worm a half dose of a normal syringe, and then worm a whole dose a few days later to make sure there is no sudden mass of dying worms that would cause a horse to colic. She didn't seem super wormy anyways, but I wanted to make sure we killed any and all worms. I still need to go get some Tapercare to treat tapeworms. I plan on picking that up later this evening. I scheduled an appointment with our vet to come and look at our teeth. When he came out, he said she had never had her teeth floated in her life. She had hooks on both the front and back about 1 1/2 inches long. They had left furrows and scars in her gums. He was surprised she could eat at all.

After her teeth were done, I started her slowly on grain. I had been feeding her alfalfa up to that point, gradually increasing the amount until she was basically getting as much as she could eat. (By this time I had owned her for a week.) Now I started her on a mix of rice bran and a commercial pelleted feed. At this point, she gets two scoops of rice bran and two of the pelelted feed every day. I measured the poundage, but I can't remember off the top of my head what it is. She got another trim the day after she came to me, another two weeks later, and then a third yesterday. I don't have pictures of the recent trim, but her feet are finally the proper length. Now we have to worry about getting her heels back up as they are severely underslung. 15 minutes a day of hand walking on pavement is helping that.

This is Gypsy today, after a full month of good feed, proper dental care, worming and hoof maintanence:


She still has progress to make, but she has come along way. In the first photo, if you enlarged it, you could count six or seven ribs. Now you can only count three or four. Not only that, but this photo is after a month of wearing a heavy blanket. All of her hair under the blanket was slicked down, instead of fluffy and long as in the first photo. (It looks like she has more hair, but its simply very cloud and gloomy, so there is no shine.) She has filled out over the top of her croup. Her withers are far less prominent and her spine is not sticking up in the least. Her neck has thickened considerably.

And guess what? It didn't cost me an arm and a leg! Fixing her teeth cost me slightly more than a routine float because of the amount of work that had to be done. I have studied with farriers and do my own horses hooves unless special shoes, etc. are needed. It costs slightly more to feed her as she requires double that to gian rather than maintain, but it still isn't something as insane as the cost of a surgery, etc. A powerdose of wormer was about $80 rather than the $13 I usually pay to deworm a horse (who has been on a proper rotation). The point is that it wouldn't have cost that much to upkeep her in the first place. She gains easily. Lets break down the costs if she needed maintanence only. My vet charges $100-$120 for a normal float. This only has to be done once a year. If they did her feet every 6 weeks thats probably about $40 every two months. Add $13 every two months to de-worm her, and now all you have on top of that is feed.

I mean come on! Maybe the people were ignorant and were feeding her but she just kept losing. Perhaps the fact she couldn't CHEW was a factor? Or that fact that worms may have been stealing all of the nutrition? If you don't know how to properly care for a horse, don't own one!!!

Here is photo of her feet after the last trim. She has had one more since then:


As you can see, her right front had a few more problems, but its much better now. Surprisingly, even with hooves that were curling up, she maintained the symmetry. They are nice and even feet with healthy tissues.

I've ridden her a few times and have been doing allot of slow groundwork with her. Lots of teaching her to move the shoulder and hip, to yield to pressure, to respect my space, to disengage her hindquarters, to flex on the ground, to change direction on a line, etc. I've only ridden her at a walk and all we have done is practiced bending and yielding to leg pressure, stopping and backing, changing directions, etc.. The same things we are doing on the ground. She needs the exercise to rehab her poor muscles, particularly her atrophied hips. Nothing too strenuos though, I don't want to slow down the weight gain. This week we'll start introducing potentially "scary" things. Pop cans, plastic bags, tarp monsters, loud noises, flags, swinging ropes, etc. and see how she responds. I want to take her to some tryouts in a couple of months when she is full weight for a film horse. :)

Who Said Old Farts Can't Rodeo?!

If you are of that opinion, then don't tell these guys:


I'm rather certain most of these cowboys would be rather offended by my terminology, buts its really a compliment! These are the competitors of the NSPRA, or the Natonal Senior Pro Rodeo Association. In actuality, it's for any competitor aged 40 or older. Most of us probably wouldn't consider 40 "senior" aged, but there are the more "wisened" 60's division as well as 60+. I witnessed a 75 year old bull rider go an entire 8 seconds, get hung up in the rigging, get trampled on and mauled, and then get up and walk off as if nothing happened. Those 60's + men are the type of old hands that put vodka in their prune juice. I'm not even trying to make a funny on that one, I've experienced it firsthand.

My step-father is a "senior" competitor in the 50's division of steer wrestling. Whats more impressive than a 75 year old going toe to toe with a 1500 pound bull? A 24 year old bulldogging horse still competing on a regular basis. Well, it may not be more impressive, but I'm pretty awed regardless. Dan's (my step-father) bulldogging mount is a 24 year old palomino quarter horse. The old guy is long bodied with short legs and one of the most hard to sit strides I have ever experienced (second only to the infamous Anglo-Arab rocking horse, Beau)...but he can do his job. And do it well. Dan's hazing gelding is only a year younger, and his appearance could fool you into thinking he was a mere youngster. Big and powerful, his favorite speed is GO. These guys are the poster-horses for aged equines. They show how long a horse can last, and how healthy and sound they can be in their older age through proper breeding and care.


(Me riding Monster, Dan's 24 year old Bulldogger)

I can't believe how fake the background on this photo looks. It's so perfect, and its entirely real. That folks, is Winnemuca, Nevada for you. Please ignore the chubby girl with her toes pointed out. :)


(My mum with Cinco. Can you believe she is in her 50's? Can you believe he is 23?)

(And Finally, Dan and his hazer Ricky with Monster and Cinco doing what they do.)

So for the people who whine and make excuses for their old, skinny horses. STOP! These horses compete, and they compete hard. They are certainly not underweight, so being OLD isn't an excuse to let your horse stand there and be a skinny mess. These guys get joint supplments, senior feed, and alfalfa. The end. Yes, breeding, structure and proper care over their lifetimes has allot to do with their continued soundness, but good feed and dental work is what keeps them fat and sassy.

I hate people who show me their 17 year old and tell me how they are skinny because they are just "old", or that they are too arthritic, etc. to ride. These are just excuses. You need to get his teeth checked more frequently as he ages. You might *gasp* have to soak his feed so he doesn't have to chew. You might even *double gasp* have to invest in some more expensive senior feeds, or up his grain intake. Also, a 17 year old can be arthritic, but you are just being lazy by saying he is too arthritic to be ridden. Get somes joint injections. Supplement him with MSM. Don't be so freaking irresponsible. When you get old and have arthritis, how about we just lock you in a room without medication and say that you're too arthritic to take you anywhere. Allot of people do just that with older horses.

Speaking of irresponsibility, just look at the colts they were selling raffle tickets for at the Finals last weekend. I was appalled that they were allowed to offer these horses for a prize. Fortunately, it seems that 99% of the cowboys/cowgirls who were competing in Nevada were also disgusted. I think some of the stupid board members who OK'd this entire thing need to be kicked in the head by one of these babies, instead of the six year old whose idiot parents are going to bring home a TWO YEAR OLD and get their child murdered. There were flyers on the walls advertising them as 2, as I previously stated. These were some of the most stunted two year olds I have ever seen. They were all ribby and underweight and conformational mistakes. Not only that, but the smallest of the four was severly wormy with a bloated belly. "Buy a raffle ticket and win a colt for your child for Christmas!" yelled the dumbass breeder over the microphone as he paraded them around the arena.

This colt was probably only 13.3 hh tops. He was ewe necked with a crappy hip and a big old pot belly. The others weren't much better. The horse he was riding around had the most odd shaped hip I had ever seen. Looked like a football. Probably bred that one too.

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On the continuing note of irresponsibility, I just picked up someone's dropped ball yesterday. As you know, I sold Dez last fall because he was just too small and narrow for me or my fiance. I sold Stella recently because we just couldn't get her in foal, and she didn't have the go I enjoy and was better suited for a beginner or child. That left me with two yearlings and nothing to ride. After spending the entire weekend in Nevada riding broke rodeo horses, I started longing for something (anything really) that was old enough to ride. So, I started looking for something on Craigslit that needed a new home. I was looking for a long two year old or a three year old who was ready to be started, thinking I could get something rather inexpensive with enough quality at that age/training level.

I came across Clyde. Clyde's photo showed an emacciated bay horse with soulful eyes. I emailed the owner. She recognized my name from 4H, years ago. She told me that she had just picked up Clyde and a bay mare (whom she called Molly), from an old man two weeks prior. She said she had taken them in because he could no longer afford to care for them. I gave her a short test ride. She was calm and smooth and I felt comfortable and safe. A great seat nad posture seemed to come naturally on her back. Leslie said she had thrown a saddle on and hopped up without knowing a thing about the mare's training level. She had put on a back cinch and one of those huge fly tassels that slaps them in the belly with every stride. Molly (who I am naming Gypsy), never flinched. She rode her up the mountain through the orchards to see how she would do. I decided I wanted her. She is a 6 yeard old Appendix Quarter Horse, and I MAY be able to get her papers. For $400 I couldn't see her going to anyone else. No, I don't agree with her riding an emaciated mare like she had been. And no, I wouldn't normally get on something that thin, but I wasn't going to get her without a very short, very easy test ride.

We got her home where my fiance was revving his Raptor 660 (a VERY loud quad.) She didn't flinch. Our 5 dogs barked like crazy and jumped around her feet. She didn't seem concerned. She didn't snort and blow and prance around. My yearlings came running to the fence. She sniffed politely but didn't get excited. Mind you, she doesn't act like she is sick or lifeless. She is perky and trots around regardless of her skinny state. Hopefully she doesn't have a hidden demon just waiting for some extra calories to come out, but it doesn't seem like it. She leads respectfully. I clipped her face and bridlepath tonight as she dozed. Someone did allot with this mare. Its sad to see the situation she ended up in.

Her feet are a mess. Her heels are very underslung. These are photos of her feet AFTER the first trim:


PEOPLE! How do you let this happen? Look at that right front. Its like a duck bill. Gah! She had the trim when Leslie first got her, so two weeks ago. Gave her another trim today. She'll get another in two weeks until they can have simply maintanence trims.


And here is her poor, ribby body. I just don't understand people. Leslie says it was an old guy who couldn't afford feed any longer. Why didn't he give up the horses before they starved? Her hind end looks like it used to be much thicker and more muscular...as if she was kept penned up 24/7 and her muscles wasted away. Leslie also said there are rumors that a certain semi-famous country singer actually owned the two horses, but abandoned them when they didn't work for what she wanted to do. Just pure rumour, but who knows.



This photo is actually decieving. The sun was setting so there isn't much light on her, and it makes her look less skinny than she actually is. She also has half of a winter coat already, that obscures her ribs. If you get up next to her, her spine is jutting pretty badly. I see a diamond in the rough here. What I don't like? She has longer cannon bones than I like, but she IS half thoroughbred (An Appendix Quarter Horse is a Thoroughbred/Quarter Cross that can be registered with the AQHA). She is 15.1-15.2 hh (haven't sticked her yet.) She is somewhat sickle-hocked, but not to a degree that I would consider it a big concern. She also is longer in the pasterns than I like, but I always boot up and protect the legs as best I can.

Beyond that, she is longer in the back than I like and there is something about her hip that bothers me...but I will wait until she gains weight and muscle back to make a clear assesment. I have a feeling her lack of substance is what is making me raise an eyebrow. Beyond that, she has a perfect shoulder angle (if she puts her front legs direclty under her its exactly 45 degrees). Her neck is a bit thin to my liking, but hopefully that is simply because she is thin all over right now. It comes out of her chest well and is long and balanced. She is level over the top and perhaps even slightly uphill with prominent withers that aren't TOO prominent. She has clean legs, a long hip with a great slope to it, and an adorable face. She also has a lush mane and tail that just needs a little TLC. No, you can't ride the mane and tail, or the head...but its always a plus. She has flaws, but she is balanced with the right angles and everything is attached smoothly and in the correct manner. She travels very level and feels like a dream.

I can't wait to get her back in shape and start unlocking her secrets. I want to do gaming again (barrels, poles, keyhole, etc.) I'd also like to do some breakaway and team penning. Beyond that, I've always loved HUS and low level jumping, so I might do some of that with her as well. We'll see if she can be an all-rounder. She certainly has the mind and heart. I clipped her and she was a doll. I'll post photos of her clipped up face in a couple of days along with her second trim photos. I plan to start hand walking her a little each day to helpe build up some muscle wihout slowing down her weight gain. I might started riding her at a walk in a few weeks if she makes good progress. Wish us luck!

Really? Are people THIS BLIND?!

I couldn't resist posting this website. It just makes me shake my head. It makes me wonder if people can really be this blind about quality! Also, can people really think a website covered with sparkles, stars, and a ridiculous amount of music is really good for business? My computer lags very badly trying to look at any of the horses, especially since every page is covered in slideshows with flashy borders and MORE SPARKLES!

[Elbow Creek Paints And Quarter Horses]

The first stallion bothers me more than the rest purely because of his condition. This poor boy is UNDERWEIGHT. The girl's excuse is that she had tried everything. I'm sorry, but that is ridiculous. If you can't afford to put the extra feed supplements, wormer etc. into your horse to bring his conidition up to an acceptable score, you need to sell the horse. Period. If you have done everything you can think of, Powerpac the horse. Treat him for sand. TAKE HIM TO A VET AND HAVE SOME BLOOD TESTS DONE if you REALLY have tried everything, including free acces to quality hay or alfalfa. Try beet pulp. Try rice bran. Try equine senior or weight builder powders if you have to. When people say they have "tried everything" and still have a skinny horse, they are just trying to save face on their mistake.


This horse is SKINNY. Maybe he would look better if he put on some fat and muscle, but he would still be ugly and put together poorly. He is longer backed, camped out (badly) behind, short hipped and very poorly muscled. He does have a good shoulder angle, and I think if he was in better shape rather than half starved, he would have a decent neck. However, gaining weight isn't going to solve his conformation defects. Wake up! He might be your baby, but he is not a quality stallion!


Oh my lord! That is all I have to say for this one. This is one of the worst quality AQHA stallions I have seen in my life, and I've seen some doozies. Most people have the sense to geld a creature such as this. He is tied in low in the neck, is very "nesty", his shoulder is straight, his back is like a bus and is weak as hell, and is very downhill. The only thing good about him is his bone, and his hip looks decent. By the way, TRIM your horse's feet damn it! Look at his front left. You really have zero business breeding horses.

There is one more stallion on their website. And I have to say, he may deserve to keep his nuts and continue on in the breeding world.


I like the looks of this boy. He is chunky and could stand to lose a bit of weight, but I like the bulldog look. He is compact, has an awesome hip, a strong & level topline, and a good shoulder angle. He could be longer in the neck and tie in higher, but I think if he lost a little of that cresty-ness he would look somewhat better in that area. Above all else, he is balanced and proportionate. Now if only these people could get some consistency in their program and get rid of their two AWFUL studs, they'd be doing OK. That, and making sure all of their horses are in good condition, with enough meat on their bones and are current on hoof care. I have to say that all of their horses except Amigo are in good shape weight-wise, but thats no reason to drop the ball on him no matter how young he is, etc.

And Then There Were Two

For I have said goodbye to Stella. We tried 3 seperate times to breed her to Cash, with no luck. We had palpations and ultrasounds before and after each attempt, several successful covers each cycle, etc. and still no embryo. Stella was tested, etc. for breeding soundness and everything looked & came back normal. We decided that if it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. I decided the best choice was to sell her to someone who would DO something with her. With the babies, I've had my hands full with trianing, and have only found the time to hop on Stella once or twice a week for a leisurely stroll around the field. As much as I'm sure she enjoyed her "retirement", I felt she had so many more years of usefullness to give to someone, and she is so laid back and forgiving that it is such a waste for her to stand around and get fat. She is the epitome of beginner horses, and I thought she would be a wonderful horse for someone learning the ropes, or someone who needed to build confidence. She'll forgive tight hands or the occasional bump to her mouth. She'll put up with poor position or a bouncing rider, and nothing phases her.

I ended up selling her to a couple who do medieval games on horseback. They had one horse, who happens to be a massive draft who belongs to the wife. She is an experienced horsewoman, and her husband is not. After several huge falls off of her draft mare, she decided she needed to find a suitable beginner's horse for her husband who was also large enough. Stella fit the bill, and they even decided to keep her name.

{Stella's New Rider}

I am very happy with the new owners. They even threw a bunch of kids up on her and she went like a pro. She seemed more excited and perky than she ever has here. You could see it in her eyes when she stepped into the big boarding barn, and when they were riding her in the indoor arena. The showpen/barn was her life and I think she is very comfortable and happy there. They even showed me a video of them "jousting" on her at a trot at a medieval games practice meet.

The babies are growing and growing. Its hard to say they are babies anymore, especially Romeo. He is 14.2 and is now 17 months old. I'm guessing his final height will be 15-15.1 hh, but I could be off. I'm never good at guessing. Calypso is considerably smaller. I have a feeling she'll take after her father and finish out at about 14.2, which is a perfect height for my new reining mount (hopefully.) She still shows so much promise in the maneuvers she makes in the field and in the round pen/arena. Unfortunately, she is starting to lose allot of color on her face, leading me to believe she is varnishing, and not at a slow rate. Which means she'll lose her blaze. (Sigh).

I want to do some dressage with Romeo and later on, when he is more mature, start him over low fences. If he turns out 15.1 he'll be the perfect height for that as well, and he can sure jump fences. He shocked me by jumping our solid, pretty tall fence with ease a while back (and then a dubious amount of electric wire was promptly installed.) I am not fond of the giants towering at 16 hands or higher, and I'm not looking to do something on a high level in regards to jumping.


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Beyond that, I thought I'd start adding things that I think are just dumb, like stupid CL ads. (CL stands for Craigslist.) I am in NO WAY attempting to copy Fugly Horse. I know it is her domain to pick apart poorly conformed horses and stupid horse owners, but I honestly differ quite abit on some of the things she has to say. For one thing, I am pro slaughter and feel we need it back in the USA. HOWEVER, we need to revise the rules and procedures and install a serious system to moniter these. We can not have slaughter in the USA if the ways the horses are transported, treated prior to slaughter, and the way in which they are slaughtered are inhumane! We need to make sure plants in the USA don't dare to break the rules.

In any case, she also always goes on about how she hates natural horsemanship. I must disagree. All of my basic groundwork is Pat Parelli. I play all the games. I mix it up and figure out different things to do with them. No, letting a foal hop over a log once or twice isn't going to hurt it! No, getting a horse to do odd tricks like place all four feet on a pedestal isn't useless! It might seem silly to you, but that is just being close minded. If the only answer to some of the pointless looking things natural horseman do is to keep the horse guessing, thats a good answer. A horse's mind needs things shaken up a bit to keep them thinking, to keep them from being bored. I DO agree that RADICALS are ridiculous. You can be a natural horseman and not go over the top. There are allot of people who take natural horsemanship to a ridiculous level in which they put themself and their horses in danger. A horse is still a huge animal with a wired in fear response. Riding your stallion bareback and bridless through a field of mares is not a good idea, no matter what level you at in the Parelli system. That is just a good example of stupidity. And yes, Parelli should be ashamed for some of the idiocy her promotes. He should discourage things that are just plain-ass dangerous.

That, and natural horseman who are "pure", bug me. They refuse to use any "modern" techniques, or most modern tack and training devices because its "unatural". Come on! When I get in the saddle, the natural horsemanship just about ends there. I switch to traditional mode. When you are in the saddle its about mechanics, its about your hand and body position and your communication with the horse. Its not about putting a string on your horse's nose and magically getting it to not run off with you on its back. You get the respect on the ground with "natural" techniques, and you already have it once you are in the saddle. And yes, all the "natural" equipment people try to sell for an arm and a leg...that is stupid. It is just a bunch of greedy people seeing how they can take advantage of a craze and make money. Its the same with allot of crazy "certified" trainers. They are like insane hippies! They usually don't know their left lead from their right, have awful seats and have completely ignored any traditional training in favor of "being one with the horse." INCORPORATE natural horsemanship methods, but don't make them the extent of your horse training. Allot of these crazies are just trying to rip you off and take your money as well.

In any case, here is a CL ad in my area I have seen several times:


Here is the text. I AM taking one from Fugly and adding my own comments, in PINK to the ad. Actually, I am taking this technique from millions of blogs, but its easiest.

Ad Text:

Arabian stallion 3 year old lotsa flash
-Really, he looks rather plain to me. No chrome, no special color, and his conformation doesn't even say pretty...-
Long Legs, nice gate, could go dressage.,endurance or whatever you desire. We got his first colt this year and he is magnificent. Also available.
-We "got" his first colt? You mean you bred a mare to this thing, and she gave birth to a foal right? And DAMN IT, its GAIT, GAIT, GAIT. Not "gate". A gate is something you shut. Its a piece of a fence. It keeps your should-be-a-gelding stud in your field! Learn to SPELL, or else NO ONE will take you seriously as a horse person (Actually, people probably won't take you seriously as an intelligent person in general.)-
Would be awesome Stallion
-NO, he wouldn't! Do you want to know WHY? Look at that NECK! His body seems decent in this photo, but he has an upside down neck (ewe-necked). It is severely unattractive, and he is probably heavy on the forehand. In a breed where typey-ness is important, this is a big no-no. His neck should arch (the other direction, BTW) to truly be a stallion quality arabian. Nothing about his head says refined, typey, or pretty in any way. Furethermore, the arabian is a breed known for it's elasticity of movement. With a neck tying in like that, I doubt his movement is spectacular. Another strike against him as a stallion prospect. He needs his balls cut off. Pronto.-

Just needs to go to a new home, we have to many horses
loads, leads, ties, clips, trims,
(Sire) is Black Endurance Stallion with bloodlines to Champions,*Gdansk,*Adem,*Montecito and Aladdin.
cant go wrong with this guy
loads, leads, bathes, trims,
easily 16 hands when mature
will be registered at time of sale
-So he isn't registered now? So that means the colt you just "got" from him isn't registered either, and probably never will be. Way to be freaking lazy...-
500.00
-If you are selling him for $500, he is NOT stallion quality. Really, quit breeding everything with nuts just because you like his color and he has a couple of greats in his pedigree. Its stupid. And I'll bet those greats were 5 generations back, which means nothing considering how many horses have Gdansk & Aladdin in their bloodlines! Its like saying my 5th cousin is Trace Adtkins. So? That doesn't make me some wonderful, famous country singer!-

Marketing a Horse for Dummies

I know selling horses is difficult in this economy, however I have not had a problem selling any horses this past year, nor did I have to drop prices. They sold for what they were worth and for what I was asking, even the one plain, grade gelding I listed. I am sick and tired of reading craigslist ads that are RIDICULOUS! People asking $2000 for a horse with Doc Bar in its pedigree (whoopdy doo. And I'll bet its six generations back too), who are standing in the mud, not set up at all, head down in a hay pile and feet that have't been trimmed in a month, and some that are even underweight. (Sigh)....Anyways, these are some strategies that work for me.

BE HONEST! I cannot stress this enough. Do not decide to not mention your horse has bad skin allergies and hope he does not have an episode while a potential buyer is looking. Do not withhold the fact that your mare is fearless except when she sees squirrels and then hope she does not see one when the customer is on a test ride. It makes you look bad when the customer finds out you are a liar and they will. And they will walk. I can not tell you how many people will outright lie to you when trying to sell horses. I have gone to see many who have not lived up to their owners claims. "Bombproof " horses who spook at plastic bags and mail boxes, etc. "I do not know what got into him!" Yeah right. You now look like a worthless scam artist.... Just tell the truth.

CLEAN UP OUR HORSE! If you are selling your horse for $1000, brush and bathe the damn thing. Get a helper to square up and hold the horse for photos. This is the very least and is not that freaking hard unless your horse is terrified of you, aggressive or so unmanageable you can not handle it at all. In which case it is certainly not worth that price and you are a moron for thinking it is. Even better are GOOD pictures of it moving at liberty and under saddle. No one is impressed with your photos of furry, mud-caked horses nibbling dirt OR a photo of a moron riding a 2 year old in a huge shanked bit in sandals and shorts. Be professional and make a real effort.

WRONG:

This could potentially be a gorgeous mare/gelding. It looks like she has a very nice hip on her and a great slope to her croup, is big barreled with a deep chest floor, and I THINK she has a nice shoulder angle. But guess what? I THINK is what pops into my head about most of this horse because I really can only make a guess at what things appear to be like! Is she level over the topline, is she proportionately balanced? I haven't the slightest clue as she is almost turned away from the photographer with her head buried in a stack of hay. Also, I know it is winter, but you could at least clip her up a little and brush the damn horse.

RIGHT:

This horse might not be a perfect conformational example of a horse, but he/she is CLEAN, clipped, and very professionally presented with a nice background that isn't distracting. The horse is posed perfectly to judge its conformation, it isn't on a hill, and you can clearly see its entire leg from top to bottom, including the feet. I can evaluate this WHOLE horse without any illusions made by weird angles or uneven ground. The only thing I would change would be to square the horse up, but I also like the fact the horse is standing the way it naturally wants to, which gives me an indication of the way its legs naturally want to go.

LEARN TO SPELL! It is not a "mear"or a round "pin", it is a saddle not a 'sattle", it is trade not "tread" idiot, and "veary" pretty makes you sound like a backwards redneck. People are going to judge your intelligence and horse skill equivalently: VERY LOW. So if you can not spell past a 4th grade level LEARN, and in the mean time, get someone literate to write or spell/grammar check your ad.

DONT OVERPRICE. Just because your backyard Quarter Horse has Poco Bueno in its bloodlines does not make it worth $2000. Thousands of horses have Poco Bueno in their bloodlines. Pedigree means nothing if your horse is ugly and untrained. Your horses legs can't be crooked as all hell, or its back as long as a bus and still bring high dollar. Do not delude yourself. And just because you can walk, trot , and lope a horse (very basic) does not give it a $2000 price tag either. Is it trained to yield laterally? Vertically? Spin? Work cattle? Haunch turn, tackle obstacles? Other special skills? Be realistic. If it has a high price tag and is not broke or green, it better be very well built and have a great pedigree of winners/money-earners very close up. Not five generations back. And fantastic color doesn't mean a thing if the horse is still mediocre or an outright POS. Pretty markings on a fugly horse does not make it less badly put together. Its like brushing a dead cat. It may be shiny but it is still dead.

Lastly, if you know nothing about caring for or riding horses don't own them in the first place. If I see ad photos or go to look at a horse and see thin horses, uncared for feet, unsafe pens/fencing, signs of physical abuse, or filthy conditions (knee deep in poop, etc) the cops will be called and photos will be sent to the ASPCA. Both have the authority to cuff you for neglect or abuse and you will be surprised how "touchable" you really are.

Stop Breeding DWARFED Minis People!

Let me start off by saying that I am in a particularly foul mood today as I just had $73 stolen out of my wallet. I had just gotten paid for something, and I had the cash momentarily in my wallet (as I usually DO NOT carry cash for this very reason!) I forgot my wallet in a bathroom as I lay it on the toilet paper dispenser so it does not fall out of my pocket and into the toilet. I rushed back soon after I found out it was missing (only about twenty minutes later), and found it in a trash can with all the cash missing. BITCH! Lol. I have never felt a more violent urge to go hunt down another woman and beat her face in. So I decided to rant today about something that has been driving me insane for some time.


DWARFISM. Now I am not talking about human dwarfism, although I DO think that dwarfed humans should choose NOT to reproduce for the good of those potential children. Why? Because dwarfs are not just small people, they can have significant and life threatening health problems and complications due to their condition. Why bring a child into the world you KNOW might very well have a painful life of multiple surgeries and emergency hospital stays? WHY? Stop producing more of the same problem! Just because YOU are a dwarf does not mean you shouldn't be loved, respected, and honored just as much as any other human, but don't be selfish and produce a child who will potentially have the same painful disease. Its mean.

Anyways, it is also mean in horses. Most (if not all, I'm not sure) minis have dwarf ancestors somewhere in their pedigree who carry the gene responsible for the disease. Breeding ANY miniature with dwarfs in its lineage could result in a dwarf foal, many of whom do not live and if they do, can suffer from a poor quality of life due to limb deformities, skeleton issues, and issues involving their internal organs. The problem is, that it is hard to know what horses in your mini's pedigree WERE dwarfs as they are not registered as such. You can have a very tiny mini who is NOT a dwarf, as well as individuals on the taller end of the spectrum that ARE.


Unfortunately, unless you can actually see all of the minis in your horse's pedigree in photos or in person, it will be very hard for you to determine if your mini carries the dwarfism gene. The only real way to test your mare/stud is to breed it and see if it produces a dwarf. If it does, you no longer breed it, however that first "test" foal suffers the consequences of dying or living with painful health problems. I believe this is the common practice amongst mini breeders.

Extreme leg deformities, enlarged joints and other very painful leg problems are common in dwarfs. Early onset arthritis is common as well as vertebrae deviations (bad and most likely painful backs). Sometimes associated with the various dwarfism syndromes are less obvious characteristics such as mental retardation, heart and other internal organ defects, sterility, shortened life span, arthritis and inactivity or depression (both of which are probably due to pain). "Gee, sounds like a risk we should take, don't you think Bonnie? The little guy might have heart defects and be in continuous pain, but the chance is small enough we are willing to potentially create a miserable little creature."Assholes.


I at least hope that responsible (if you can REALLY be responsible breeding horses with so many potential health problems) mini breeders at least know that the dam/sire, grand dam/sire, and great grand dam/sire are NOT dwarfs before breeding ANY mini. However, the dwarf gene can hide phenotypically, but can still be carried by a normal appearing individual. Therefore, you could still (theoretically) get a dwarf out of parents whose last two generations were not dwarfs themselves. Seeing the ridiculously high mortality rate in mini foals, and the painful deaths/lives of dwarves, I really do not think this is a risk anyone should be taking in breeding animals. I do not care if the risk factor in breeding two non-dwarfs with non-dwarf parents is a low percentage, there is still A CHANCE of having a suffering little dwarf foal. It is cruel. You can defend yourself until the day is done mini people, but I think you are asshats for breeding these poor little ponies!

The day they have a concrete test for any and all dwarfism genes, and the day mini breeders start testing EVERY breeding animal and sterilizing or not breeding ANY mini testing positive for the gene...well, that is the day I will stop calling you scumbags for breeding miniature horses.

My Current Horsey Situation

How long has it been? Four months? I am very good at starting something like this, and then letting it sit and decay. It was always the same every time I attempted to keep a journal. It is a very good thing I am not that way with my animals, or there would be some very long-toed, potentially wormy wildebeests out in my pasture, and some very scruffy looking dogs jumping on my couch and digging in my flower bed.

Let me begin by saying that my herd is down to three. I made the decision to sell Dez early this spring. We originally agreed to bring him home as my fiance was in love with him, and he intended for him to be his trail horse. Unfortunately, Dez is just too small and he will not be getting any bigger. At 14.2hh and VERY narrow and light boned, he is a bit too little of a horse for my full grown man of a fiance. I had him for over a year, and in that time he went from friendly with good ground manners, to broke under saddle and kid safe. He was a very fast learner, with the personality of a laid-back dog. I wondered if he came out of the womb broke to ride. Even though I miss the furry little guy, he went to a WONDERFUL home. I saw the barn he was being kept at, and the new saddle, halter, and turn out blanket the excited new owner went and bought her new Dez (Now named Beau.) We keep in contact and I recieve frequent updates and photos. I can't be happier with the woman who decided to make him her new companion.

My weanlings are now happy yearlings, one of which is threatening to be a giant when full grown, as his current height is that of a small adult horse. I'll be breaking out the ladder when if finally comes time to mount up (still SO far off.) Stella is still her slightly grumpy old self. She sure has character, and is never grumpy to humans, but she gets that look in her eye when she just knows she is going to have to work. I can imagine her muttering under her breath like Yosemite Sam (If anyone actually remembers the GOOD cartoons back in 'the day'.) She is still slow and dependable, very comfortable to ride, sane and sound. But she certainly isn't much of a challenge!

Let me tell you about my recent experiences with this mare. I had been wanting to breed her, because one of the reasons I purchased her was her amazing build, wonderful lines, and her easy going attitude. I do not want anyone to make the mistake that I am some horsey mill. I have NEVER had a foal born out of any of MY mares, nor have I ever had a stallion to speak of, so I have not caused the birth of any equine into this world in the past. I had tried for a foal once out of an arabian mare I had. She was a stunning example of the breed in all ways, and I was very lucky to have gotten her for what I paid. Unfortunately, after a year of planning, hunting down a stallion, having the vet out several times to do all the prep work, and actually GETTING her preggo, she aborted the foal.

I was very disappointed and didn't even feel the enthusiasm to think about trying again. That was several years ago, and Corvette has since gone to a new home. I knew I wanted to breed, but not until I had something that was truly a high quality animal in conformation, pedigree, ability and temperament. That is where Stella comes in. She was bred to be a rail horse, and she has the relaxed, sweeping stride and the naturally level head set. I wanted something to cross for a more all around horse that could be geared more towards working western events. I searched high and low for something acceptable, and just couldn't find something I wanted to cross on her. Its much harder to find a good cross that will make an athletic foal when you are trying to cross two different types (In this case a rail horse with a working horse.) I was also missing having something with some more get up and go, so I decided to offer her as a trade for a bred mare suitable for reining (my favorite equine sport.) Training didn't matter, but I had to like the mare and stallion well. I would have a nice foal bred to do what I wanted, and I would have a mare that would be a nice challenge as well.

To make a long story short, I found a nice buckskin tobiano mare in foal to a red dun overo. I have to admit that I let color and her gorgeous hip to blind myself to her attrocious bloodlines, and the stallions flaws. I should never have settled for a foal out of a stallion who was camped out, had a VERY nesty neck and some overall issues with his front end. I let HIS color blind me as well, as he was very "blingy". And I was again drawn to his large, well conformed hip. I SETTLED, when I shouldn't have, because I really like the mare's color and conformation. I should have simply asked to trade her open, but I agreed to the breeding. I didn't feel like trading my bomb proof, well bred mare for a greenie who apparently bucked off its last owner with no bloodlines to speak of was an equivalent trade even IF my mare is 17 and hers was only 5. The foal evened things out, but I COULD have gotten her and then bred to a stallion of higher quality of my own choosing instead.

I guess it was a good thing that the trade fell through, because now I have Stella out at pasture with a stunning red dun tobiano stud, and I am expecting a stellar foal. I had found him BEFORE I even thought of trading her, but he wasn't really available for breeding at the time. After I agreed to trade with this nutcase of a woman, the stud became available, but I didn't want to back out on a deal I had made in good faith. The woman went apeshit after she read some comments I posted about her horses on a forum and called the whole thing off, electing to call me a "fucking crazy cunt" to finish the entire ordeal off with a nice expletive cherry on top. Well hurrah for her ability to cuss at her age. I thought old bats like her were stuck in the good ol' days where ladies never dared to speak in such a manner.

I guess she missed out on those lessons while she was out "rescuing" PMU babies that no one f'ing wanted in the first place so that she could bring them home and breed MORE of them. You just missed the entire point of rescuing horses woman. But thank you for flipping out and snapping me out of the la-la land I was in, drooling over your pretty PMU mare. I should NEVER had stooped to actually WANTING two RESCUED PMU horses bred together. Horses with shit for pedigrees, with zero accomplishments to speak of, and whose sires/dams were ridiculously fugly to begin with. That is just as bad as the PMU ranches themselves, and it is perpetuating more useless crap to go a kill buyer at an auction.

The mare was nice, but you are right, she MIGHT have thrown back to her immensely fugly sire. Couple THAT hideous conformation with your stallions camped out hind end and his ridiculously nesty neck, and I would have something I couldn't give away for free unless it was to the illegal immigrant down the street who ships horses over the border for meat. So thank you, you crazy hypocrite, because you saved me from my momentary lapse in judgment. Now I KNOW I posted a huge deal about leaving BYB ALONE. However, I was referring to those people who are breeding a one time foal for themselves, not breeding foal after foal after foal for re-sale. If you are going to be throwing horses out into the industry, you need to be throwing good horses out there. That means they have a good pedigree, not fifty generations of shitty PMU horses. It means your horses should have SOME sort of NOTICEABLE accomplishment, not just getting a purty blue ribbon at the weekend horse show down the street. If your horse does NOT, it's IMMEDIATE family needs to. This means one to two generations back, MAXIMUM. Oooh, that horse was related to King? Who the f*** wasn't? Oooh, that Arabian has Bask in her bloodlines? So do literally 5,000 other arabians including old fugly in Jimmy's backyard.

Stella has points on the amateur APHA circuit. Only 3, but it is something and in a recognizable, major organization, not just some local horse show. Beyond that, her lines are very good for many generations that are close up, not her great great great great great grandsire. Far Ute Keno, Mr. Robin Boy, Sir Quincy Keno, Quincy Dan, etc. The stallion is very young and this will be his first crop (and a test crop.) He hasn't accomplished anything YET on a major scale, but has just begun his career and is VERY well trained and amazing at what he does (reining, cow work.) His sire is Wanted Reward who is a money earner and was ranked in 2005 as a 5 year leading reined cow horse sire . PaintnCash Reward, "Cash" (the stud I am using), has several siblings winning right now, and one of his brothers took Reserve World Champ in the NRCHA World Futurity, has an APHA Superior in Working Cow Horse and a ROM in Reining with earnings of more than $25,000. Another brother was an APHA Zone 1 champ in Jr. Working Cow Horse and went to APHA world where he placed in the top 15. The stud I am using may not have accomplished anything like this yet, but this is close up excellence in his bloodlines, not some famous horse from 10 generations ago.

*"Cash". NOT a confo pic, I was just snapping photos of him. The owner wants a test crop before marketing him, so he hasn't taken any marketing photos, I.E. confo shots, etc.*

THIS is what I SHOULD have been breeding in the first place. Horses with excellent bloodlines, PROVEN ability on some scale larger than your word of mouth or a horse show at the expo park in town. Horses with great conformations and only minor flaws, not something as glaring as the crappy front end on a "blingy" overo stud, or his equally ridiculous camped out hind end. So thank you, thank you for being a bag. I posted that mare and that stallion and asked for critique from members of the forum. I asked for what THEY though of the horse I was potentially getting. Why shouldn't I get input when buying a horse? It makes sense. Some people are obviously just not adult enough to see what is said about their poorly conformed horses, even when the reason for the critique is completely justifiable.

Stella may not be a challenge, but I am having fun teaching her some new things. I have to learn to get more creative, rather than get bored. I would have missed the old gal anyways, and I would have smacked myself in the face for not breeding HER instead of a mediocre second, because she is the one I fell in love with FOR her awesome build. I am glad I didn't make a ridiculous mistake, because that certainly would have been one. :)


*Just a recent picture of Stella grazing away in her ridiculous fly mask. She is leaning pretty heavy towards the left with her foot way underneath her. She was staring to make the weight shift to take a step when I snapped this. *

Thumbelina : World's Smallest Horse

Many of you may have already seen her, but this itty bitty pony scares the pants off of me! I remember stumbling across her page a couple of years ago, but I recently saw some new pictures of the world's smallest horse. She is only 17 inches tall. [Thumbelina's Website]

Meet the Herd

It is now time to meet the herd. I currently own four horses, but my equine situation changes somewhat frequently. Even in this market I am having some luck picking up some nice prospects and turning them for a profit (This DOES NOT mean I am a fucking horse trader! Excuse my French, but I do not like being accused of such things. I love my horses, and take very good care of them. I keep many horses for years at a time. I DO like to have a project now and then that I later re-sell, but I am not trying to make a QUICK BUCK on ANY of my animals!) As of now, I have no plans to pick up more horses, or sell any that I currently own. So, here is a run down of my current beasties. :)






















Dezperado (Soon to be registered half-arab) By Zhane Gray (x Eminant)

This is Desperado. His picture does him more justice than viewing him in real life. There is an interesting story behind this sweet boy. My trainer called me up one day and told me she had two horses who needed new homes. She had just scored two huge clients, and they were filling her barn to the brim with their horses. She had to make the difficult decision to let some of her own stock go. It was the middle of the winter and the economy was already diving into the downturn. She needed room fast, and did not have the time to market two unbroke horses. The first was a towering National Show Horse gelding bred to the hilt. He was already registered and had the flashiest markings possible. I didn't plan on taking two horses home, but when I saw this guy something drew me to him. He was tiny (still is), and nowhere near a stunning show horse. His mother was a grade mare, but his father was my trainer's recently gelded arabian stud, whom I had attempted to breed my mare to a couple of years back, and lost the foal. My boyfriend loved him and his face, and that sealed the deal. Into the trailer went two sets of hooves and tails.

Des is 4 this spring, and still a midget. He still isn't registered, but the fee remains the same after two years old, so he will be when I have the extra cash floating about. He may not be perfect in the looks department, but he is one of those horses who behaved like he was broke the very first time I got on. He can go forever on a trail ride and he climbs mountains like a billy goat. Nothing seems to phase him, and he is about as bomb proof as they come. His heart and soul make him a keeper.

The next horse in line is my APHA mare, No Clear Concept. My mother was a waitress at a local restaurant, and one of the regulars kept telling her she had a mare she was willing to sell to the right home. My mom talked me into going and seeing the horse, and it was love at first sight. We haltered the bald faced mare and led her into a nearby round pen. The woman went on the tell us that she hadn't been ridden in a year, and that she had purchased her some time ago for almost three grand. I lunged her and saddled her up. Though a bit stiff (in terms of vertical/horizontal flexion, not in her legs), she was a smooth ride. When asked for a lope she grumpily crow-hopped. I adored her. The woman stated that she was terrified of horses in general and had never loped on her, but that she had been leased by a teenage girl about a year ago and had done very well with her. The woman was very strange. I took her home, got her transferred into my name, and discovered she had been shown HUS on the APHA circuit. I also discovered she had two wonderful foals that sold for high dollar. I am breeding her this spring to a homozygous red dun tobiano. She is a splash overo with one blue eye.

(Aww, look at the itty bitty belly spot! Lol)
No Clear Concept (Mr. Three Devils AQHA x HC Wild Irish Rose)
Her dam is Sir Quincy Keno, Far Ute Keno, etc. on top side, and Mr. Robin Boy on bottom! I love her lines.

The next two are an even more interesting story. I purchased this pair from a woman with about ten horses in an oversized paddock. In the corner, was a small pen with low, splintered fencing. Inside was an AQHA red roan stallion. She explained to me that the pair of weanlings I was looking at were both "accidents". "My stallion gets out every year! All my mares get bred, I just don't understand it." At this I buttoned my mouth, rolled my eyes, and decided that keeping my opinion to myself about her idiocy was a good idea.

And so, I ended up trailering home two weanlings in desperate need of a new home, one bay roan filly out of an appy mare, and one red roan out of a thoroughbred. Meet Calypso and Thor:

There are two Half Quarter registries, as well as an appendix registry which is unaffiliated with the AQHA. I plan to register him in all three. I also may have a shot with a hardship registration in the AQHA, but I am not all too sure on how that would work. I am not sure on a registered name, and I do not like the name Thor for this elegant guy. Alas, my fiance picked it and it stuck. Expect that to change! (I KNOW these registries are ridiculous and in no way "REAL" registries. However, should I ever have to sell him, I would like him to be the most marketable he can be, and allot of people like the thought of a registered horse, regardless of the registry. Besides that, the NHQHA has a point system where you earn points at ANY show, and it'll be nice to have an on-file record for show wins for him in SOME association. You can also earn ROMS, etc.)

This girl is Calypso's Odyssey, and she shall be registered as such in both half-quarter registries. It bothers me that they aren't purebred because I would LOVE to have them registered with the AQHA, but alas.

I plan on using Calypso for reining. I adore roans, especially blue and bay roans. She is a bay roan because she is ... well, a bay horse who is roaned out. Notice the brown coloring on her face. To be correct, a blue roan shows no red. A blue roan is a black horse who has the roan gene expressed on their bodies. Thor looks VERY comfortable and fluid. I believe he would make a great HUS horse, and I'd love to try him over fences.

To Breed or Not to Breed : That is the Question

I am about to broach a sensitive topic with many horsemen. The debate over whether or not to breed your horse, or your horses. Opinions range far and wide on this subject, and you are about to read just one of them.

I do not believe it is anyone's place to tell another person whether or not they should breed. I am not talking about breeding a particular horse, I am talking about breeding in general. If someone mentions that they are going to breed their horse, and did NOT ask for an opinion, I do not believe in other people jumping down their throats with their "OMG, don't breed! If you breed any horse anywhere you are a HORRIBLE person! There are too many horses in the US! You will BURN IN HELL!!!!" Obviously I am exaggerating the normal responsive of the bleeding hearts of the world. BUT, they are implying that by breeding you have moral problems. They may not say it out loud, but they tend to give people that "shame on you" attitude, shake their head, and attempt to make said person feel as guilty as if they had just stolen food from a starving child in New Guinea.

It is ridiculous. Now some might say that by telling a bunch of people that they are going to breed opens them up to public opinion. You are correct. However, if you tell just one person who happens to have a 'leaning towards joining PETA' mindset, you can bet they will say something to someone else. Soon, these other people who feel it is their duty to stop your destruction of the natural world are somehow getting a hold of your contact information and sending you emails urging you to rethink your horrible mistakes. All this time, they either A. Are being rude and telling you what a smudge of evil on the planet you are, or B. Trying to act like they are just a caring soul attempting to save you from yourself and your wayward actions.

Stop. Just stop. I get even more pissed off at the people who try and treat you like a child who made a boo-boo. You are belittling those people and treating them like morons, all the while telling yourself it is your moral obligation to stand up to these horse torturers. What really pisses me off is when people who have never owned a horse, who know nothing about the horse industry, or who own one or two horses they do nothing with decide they are experts in the equine world. These morons who do not know anything about the market or how anything in horsedom works decide to join the throng of people who seem to look like they care for mother earth and all her creatures, and follow their lead. If you do not know what you are talking about, you have no right to tell someone else what they should or should not do concerning said topic.

If Betty down the road has a mediocre mare and wants to breed her to the pretty stallion down the street, then it is her right. Back off. If Jack in the next town is breeding quarter horses with no show records *gasp* for ranch work, back off! I believe that to a point, horse owners should be able to breed whatever they want.

On the other hand, if these people are breeding horses and do not have the facility to properly care for horses in the first place, they should be slapped in the face. If they do not have the funds or knowledge to take care of a pregnant mare or a foal, they should be slapped in the face. If they do not have back-up plans for the foal/s should they suddenly be unable to care for them, the should be slapped in the face. If they are breeding horses to SELL that are so fugly their parents rejected them on sight, they should be slapped in the face. I am talking about horses so badly put together they are not serviceably sound or are useful for nothing more than ingesting hay and creating poop.




I'm sorry, but do not tell me you can actually RIDE this horse! There is a point where short is too short, and can you say roached? You can claim this is photoshopped all you want. I have no idea, but my point is that this is the result of poor breeding decisions. If you are creating horses with conformational flaws as severe as this, you are cruel. Your home bred babies legs snapped off when you finally were able to ride it? Oh gosh, could it be those calf-knees that are so horrible they look like hocks? Your horse has serious back pain? Could it be you bred a specimen of equine with a back so long you could fit five people on that limo? Don't breed horses with conformations that limit their ability to function as horses, limit their ability to be ridden let alone be athletic, or are certain to eventually lead to painful and possibly debilitating issues.

All of that being said, if people want to breed so-so horses that aren't going to shine in the show ring or be a five-star champion over fences, then it is their choice. If they are responsible about caring for their horses and ensure they have good homes then leave them be!

I am sick and tired of hearing people preach that in this market, horses MUST have a proven show record to be bred, that their immediate family must have a show record, and on and on, etc. What about working ranches that rely on good horses to do their jobs? Some of their broodmares have never been used, but they still produce good foals that work well for that ranch. So what if their stallions have no titles or championships? If they prove themselves as a good ranch horse, that is all that matters to those people. And they shouldn't be criticized for it.

Here is another common situation : You see a horse, believe that horse is ugly and decide it is more or less a sin to breed it. Another person looks at the same horse and thinks it is the most gorgeous beast on the planet. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if they like that particular type, the more power to them. For instance, this does not appeal to me in the least:



This horse scares the shit out of me. It is an Akhal Teke. In my opinion, a freakish specimen of an equine. The neck ties in much too high, and is upside down (ewe necked). His hocks are MUCH higher than his knees, and his rear cannons are a mile long. I hate his hip, and he looks so freakishly thin I am reminded of a skeleton I once saw on display at the Denver Stock Show at a veterinary booth. Believe it or not, some people LOVE this breed to death. And this is a typical look. I have seen some that look so long I get confused as to whether they are a horse or a sausage with legs. That is MY opinion, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with this breed and they have their place in horsedom. Could they perform well in a reining class? Probably not. But they have their uses, just as any horse does, even if it is simply being a trail mount, or a buddy for a show horse.

This post has drug on for quite a long time, but I think you get my point. I am not going to change the minds of many people, and I'm sure responses are going to be things like, "I believe it is wrong to continue the over population. So many horses are suffering. You can never have a foolproof plan B should you die, etc. You can not let people breed so-so horses or the problem will never end. If I don't say something and stand up for these horses, who will?" And on, and on and so forth.

The problem is that you only see a small portion of the picture when you see someone planning to breed. You do not know their depth of knowledge, their skills, what sort of facility they have, what the market is doing in their area, and half the time you do not know what their plans are, etc. So rather than dive in with hackles raised ready to condemn backyard breeders, etc. to the fiery pits of hell for their sins, remember that you do not know any of these people and you can not presume to know the first thing about them, their actions, or their circumstances.

Intro

As my first entry, I feel the need to introduce myself and explain why I have created this outlet for my opinions. I have owned and worked with horses for over ten years. I by no means claim to be any sort of expert, and I certainly do not "know it all." By the same token, I seriously doubt half of the self proclaimed "horsemen" out there today know what the hell they are doing. :)

I did not create this blog for people to judge my knowledge or ability with horses. I am positive I am opening doors to negative comments (as anyone sharing their opinions publicly is doing), but I am sick and tired of my thoughts being censored by numerous forums filled with moderators and members too afraid to step on toes to say what they really think. I am tired of people pretending that they are caring, kind individuals who wouldn't hurt the feelings of a mouse eating all the food in their cupboards and leaving tiny mouse terds all over the kitchen.

"You are SO rude for saying negative things about the appearance of this horse! I do not care if the owner does not use this forum, they COULD accidentally stumble upon it and they could possibly get angry, or they could possibly cry themselves to sleep because you said their horse has a jug for a head, or legs so straight you could use them as t-posts!"

More likely that they will find the thread because you run to find them, send them an email with the link, and then run back to the board to watch the drama that you hoped would ensue, whilst hiding behind the facade that "I think you are so mean and rude for posting this!" All the while, you do not mention you are an immature tattle-tale, and if caught you spout BS that sounds something like, "If it was my horse, I would want to know it was being bad mouthed so I could scream at you." If you put a picture of your horse on the internet, you opened it up to critique. Grow up and deal with it like an adult. Don't let it bother you. It is one person's opinion! If you like your horse and think it is beautiful, then that is all that matters. Let it roll off your back instead of getting upset. This is the real world, not make believe land.

I am also tired of people jumping down my throat every time I express my views on breeding, slaughter, and half a dozen other "big" horse industry issues. I do not mean arguing with me and expressing opposite views. I mean jumping on the "report thread" button and whining to the moderators about how this nasty person is being rude, etc. Blah blah blah. Excuse me for expressing an opinion in a debate. I can say what I want here, and that makes me happy. I love debate, and I welcome comments but I do not like being censored.

For this reason, I have created this blog. If you think I am rude, stupid, ignorant, cruel, etc. etc. then it is your opinion. If you do not like what you read, just leave the webpage and continue on with your life. Simple as that.

With that being said, I hope at least some of you enjoy my posts.