The Ones That Would Have Come Home With Me

Out of all the horses that I saw sell the other day...there were a mere 6 that I would have brought home. I really am that picky. But that's the fun of going to a sale and seeing what is out there.

Believe me, I don't think we raise the best or greatest horses in the world. We raise what suits us and what we get along with. Too keep from becoming barn blind or failing to improve each generation though...you have to look around.

So here is my list of favorites from #6 to #1.

#6-A 6y/o yellow gelding. They said he had been rode, but mostly packed on. He was "too much horse" for the hunters...AKA...he most likely bucked. He looked like he would be inclined to do so. He was tall and racy looking. Pretty elegant for a grade horse, so probably had some decent breeding behind him. I'm betting what he really needed was some "let down" time and simply restarted. In a couple of years, I think he could have been a barrel horse prospect for sure. He brought $185.



#5-An 8y/o registered buttermilk buckskin mare. I missed the breeding on this mare. The caller was not very coherent about how he listed bloodlines. I found it very irritating. She was exceptionally keen-headed and pencil necked with a nice hip. She had a good front-end and decent muscle tie-in. She was pretty fat, so sometimes horses look a little choppier in their gaskin tie-in than they would if they were in better shape. She had just had a foal pulled off of her and was bred back. I have no idea to what-but the 4 horses this guy sold were pretty consistent, so I would bet the stud was at least as decent at the mares. She brought $400-with her papers and a certificate that her foal could be registered. Oh, she had been ridden for 30 days as a 2y/o, but not since. I always question the 30 days as a 2y/o thing. Six years later a horse isn't going to remember much about those 30 days. So basically I consider them unbroke!

#4-An 8y/o liver chestnut mare. Sold by the same breeder as the buckskin mare. She was the better of the two, but not by much. Again, keen headed and pencil necked with a good hip. This mare was San Peppy and Doc Bar bred. She had just recently had a foal pulled off as well and was bred back to the same stud as the buckskin. Most likely, more cutting blood. She sold for $250-with papers and certificate to register her next year's foal.

I was really happy to see this guy do this. There were a couple other breeders there, selling bred mares and they made a big production about "if the mare didn't bring such and such amount, they weren't giving up the papers to either the mare or certificates to register the foals". Jackasses!! So why did you breed the mare? The horse market sucked last fall. It sucked this spring. If you thought you might have to dump some of your mares at the local auction-why bother breeding them? Ugghhh!!!!

#3-A yearling breeding stock paint filly. My oh my-this little girl may have missed out on her body spot, but she did not miss out on the chrome. She was a deep cherry sorrel with a very flaxen mane and tail. She had a neat, broken blaze and FOUR high stockings. I liked how she was made and turned around in the pen. She just kind of rocked back and rolled over her hind leg. She had been well cared for-was halter broke, broke to lead and tie and had her feet trimmed. She was not registered, but all of the paperwork was in order to register her and came with her. She had Impressive blood on the top and was double bred Leo on the bottom. Interesting combination?? Anyway, the stallion was N/N and negative for lethal white. Obviously, this breeder gave a crap! But like so many found himself with too many. She brought $50!!!

Letting that one go was a crying shame!

#2-An 18y/o sorrel mare. The moment this mare was led in, I knew without a doubt she was Leo bred. She had that keen Leo head and neck, was a little long in the back(but not sagging) and that massive hind-leg. She was a grand-daughter of Tiger Leo. My all-time favorite Leo horse. I have ridden several Tiger Leo bred horses and they are so cowy and will last all day. I could just imagine a foal out of this old girl and our stallion. It probably would have made Shooter and Beretta look like junk.;-) This old girl had been a cutting horse in her day and her knees showed it. They were still straight, but covered in knots. I didn't care-I would have taken care of her for the rest of her days in exchange for one foal. She had the kindest look in her eye. She had not had a foal for a couple of years, but they said she was breeding sound. She was in good shape, flesh and her feet were done. Thankfully, the killer buyer was not the one bidding on her-or I swear I would have bought her. She went to a home for $300-with her papers.

Those old broodies are MY weakness. Most of them have such a kind and weary look in their eye. I just want to scoop them up and take care of them for the last few years of their lives. The ones that rode and performed and then produced babies good enough to ride and perform have EARNED a retirement.

Finally, my number one pick!!

A 4y/o sorrel filly. This filly was rode in. She had been started by a reining horse trainer(the son of these people, who were selling off the last of their horses) in TX and had not been ridden in the last 8 months. She had quite a handle on her. I think she could have spun a hole in the ground. She had drop-dead gorgeous conformation and not a scar or a mark on her. I was thinking she looked like she would make an awesome barrel horse prospect, when the seller announced that this filly's 1/2 sister, out of the same mare-which I think is more important-had been the National High School Champion barrel horse a few years ago. The auctioneer got the bid up to $600. The seller wanted $1,000 but said they would sell her for $800. I think they ended up taking her home.

I can't even imagine not wanting to give $800 for a filly like that. Her training alone had to cost 2 or 3Xs that. Not to mention the investment of raising her. I definitely hated not having a place to put her. I think she was very capable of going about any performance direction you wanted-reining, working cowhorse, barrels, poles, breakaway or heel horse.

I might have to go to the sale barn office and see if I can't get the names of the people who own her. Maybe if they haven't gotten her sold yet, I'll see if I can't work something out. Buying her isn't really the problem-it's just where to keep her at the moment...