Horse Qualities. What are you looking for?

[MesaHorseCo.]

Alright horse & mule folks. A couple of friends and I were having a conversation the other day about what we view as the most important qualities for a legit using horse or mule. I thought that I would throw it out here. There are a lot of broke horses that can plod their way up the trail, I am just curious as to what you folks think, for conversations sake. Some of the topics we discussed were:

Size
Demeanor/attitude
Toughness/heart (this is hard to articulate, but if you've ridden a tough one in tough conditions often, you know what it is).
Color
Whirl Patterns (I didn't put much stock in this, but if one pays attention, it seems a pretty accurate indicator of overall attitude and demeanor)
Age
Bloodlines
Breed

Just for conversational purposes, what of these do you folks find important? I am sure that similar threads to this exist, but lets hear your thoughts and ideas, maybe one or two of us can learn something from one another or at least hear a different perspective to consider!

 

[Grumman]

Well you taught me something, I had never heard of whorl patterns before. I Googled it and there is some neat articles on them. I’ve always heard people talk about a horses hooves/feet as being a key quality with some being more soft and tender than others. I’m a horse novice though so hopefully someone can elaborate on that.


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[rayporter]

three things-

attitude
attitude
attitude

i also like good feet and a big 'heart' [no quit] which is your 'toughness'
feet can be important but a good farrier can usually keep anything going.

hard to train one without a good attitude. a good four year old with a great attitude can be as safe and tough as any oldtimer, it is just that the oldtimers have been sorted through and picked over. if you got one he has proven himself.
[him-is no accident] give me a gelding.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

I run an outfitting business so my stock works year round several days a week. My interpretation of a good piece of stock can be different than a hobby horseman but breeding I could care less about, if I plan to resell the animal I would like papers on it, but not a deal breaker. It’s not like there is a trail horse bloodline out there.

I like draft/QH crosses, these horses are usually stout, good minded and honest. Big feet, big bone, and may be a little slower but they usually have heart to.
May string is mostly geldings I have 3 mares, 12 geldings, 1 John mule 4 molly mules, sex doesn’t bother me much long as they are honest thats #1

When it comes down to heart, of the horse quits me on the mountain they’re sold, I can’t afford to be stuck on the mountain with a horse/mule that refuses to work. I keep my horses legged up so most the time if a horse quits it’s their choice.

I don’t mind feet very much, I try to run shoes on my horses any time they are being ridden, some want black hooves only but I find you can get white hooves just as hard if you pull shoes here and there and let them be barefoot.

Age I’ve got horses in my string from 5-25 long as their body composition is good and they are working I’ll keep them. Once they start showing poor signs of health with the proper maintenance I’ll make the choice of retirement or euthanization.


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[MesaHorseCo.]

Well you taught me something, I had never heard of whorl patterns before. I Googled it and there is some neat articles on them. I’ve always heard people talk about a horses hooves/feet as being a key quality with some being more soft and tender than others. I’m a horse novice though so hopefully someone can elaborate on that.


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An old time trainer enlightened me to them. He literally walked around my drylot and said "I bet this one runs a little lazy, this one runs a little hot" so on and so forth. It was a hot day and they were all simply standing around, not showing anything to elude to their actual personality. Ill be damned but he was spot on. I asked him how in the world he could peg all my horses just like that and he showed me and described the whorls to me. Maybe some old cowboy tales, but he was pretty much right, and since I have paid attention to it, its generally fairly accurate. Of course, exceptions always exist.

 

[missjordan]

Good mind and a willing attitude
Confirmation, feet, and bloodlines can be important but still come second to having a good mind. I like papers but would depend on what you planned on doing with the horse

Then personally i really like a horse that is respectful on the ground and under saddle. This goes along with the good mind piece however a horse that has good self carriage and has a willingness to be soft is something that matters a lot to me. I don’t like horses that want to brace and be stiff in the arena at the w/t/c

The rest of what i like in a horse i can teach. I will then continue to work on collection, lateral movements, turns, lead changes, etc. Riding in the arena is 90% of where my focus is at just for fun.

I’m amazed at how popular some of these draft crosses are becoming for hunting and trail riding. I would love to have a Friesian crosses someday. I bet they are a lot of fun


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[MesaHorseCo.]

three things-

attitude
attitude
attitude

i also like good feet and a big 'heart' [no quit] which is your 'toughness'
feet can be important but a good farrier can usually keep anything going.

hard to train one without a good attitude. a good four year old with a great attitude can be as safe and tough as any oldtimer, it is just that the oldtimers have been sorted through and picked over. if you got one he has proven himself.
[him-is no accident] give me a gelding.

Agreed on the attitude for training. I do feel that sometimes we (humans) can actually create a poor attitude in a horse without even realizing it. Some are just snotty from the start. I have a 3 year old that started out with a pretty tough attitude in the beginning. He has had about 150 rides now and although every now and then he can be a little snotty he is turning out better than most. I do believe that sometimes a good attitude can be trained into some horses (youngsters). Generally, the horses that I get around that have the poorest attitude are of mature age and have been allowed to do whatever they want most of their life. That can be tough to undo.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

I run an outfitting business so my stock works year round several days a week. My interpretation of a good piece of stock can be different than a hobby horseman but breeding I could care less about, if I plan to resell the animal I would like papers on it, but not a deal breaker. It’s not like there is a trail horse bloodline out there.

I like draft/QH crosses, these horses are usually stout, good minded and honest. Big feet, big bone, and may be a little slower but they usually have heart to.
May string is mostly geldings I have 3 mares, 12 geldings, 1 John mule 4 molly mules, sex doesn’t bother me much long as they are honest thats #1

When it comes down to heart, of the horse quits me on the mountain they’re sold, I can’t afford to be stuck on the mountain with a horse/mule that refuses to work. I keep my horses legged up so most the time if a horse quits it’s their choice.

I don’t mind feet very much, I try to run shoes on my horses any time they are being ridden, some want black hooves only but I find you can get white hooves just as hard if you pull shoes here and there and let them be barefoot.

Age I’ve got horses in my string from 5-25 long as their body composition is good and they are working I’ll keep them. Once they start showing poor signs of health with the proper maintenance I’ll make the choice of retirement or euthanization.


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I haven't seen a trail horse bloodline anywhere either. I think your right on the papers from a value standpoint if your going to sell one in certain circles.

I read an article awhile back, can't remember where, but it was an interview with an old timer than ran a dude ranch if I am not mistaken. I remember him stating that pretty much all of his stock at this point were QH/Draft crosses. He cited the reasoning also. According to him, he wanted bigger boned horses because the average size of the clients coming to ride has increased dramatically over the past 25 or 30 years. Thought that was pretty interesting.

 

[EastMont]

Its not horses but for Donkeys/Burros I look for pretty much the exact same thing- attitude/temperment.

If the animal is willing to follow and seems interested in you and whats happening- ears forward, standing straight. That is my main focus.

I also try and avoid ones that have been super obese, seems like they have to most health issues on down the line. Which becomes fairly important since donkeys are so long lived. I could very well be working them into their 30s and thats a long time for delayed issues to hit you.

For feet, I have one cream/white donkey with soft feet. Its a pain to put easy boots on her for certain situations but her hooves are super easy to trim, and in the summer the trail work nearly does it for me, so it could go ether way.

 

[theleo91386]

Demeanor/attitude
Conformation/size
Age
Color

I care about the animal having enough going on between it's ears to do the job I want it to and having the correct build to do it. Age is a bit of a floating target, but buying one I'd prefer around 8-10 years old +/-. Color for me is just a tie breaker if animals are identical in the other categories. Black and white paint or appy would be ideal since you can find them when tied up in a stand of trees in the dark or during a snow storm. The only blood line/breed I care about is if it's an Arab. Hand me the reins to an Arab and I'll hand them back, I'd rather walk.

 

[Bubblehide]

I have ridden a whole lot of horses, from straight off the track, many studs, and everything in between including many breeds. What I like in a horse can depend on the use intended. If others are going to ride the horse, I want something with a mellow attitude, like an Appy stud I used to have, except for the fact that if he was ever around another stud. I have rode some incredible thoroughbreds... Much of my riding was endurance races (50 to 100 miles) and all day mountain riding.

Good feet is a given
Leg sizing and structure that provide a smooth ride (it's about proportions)
Endurance (it's mostly about training)
Ability to tuck it's ass under itself (needed for steep downhills)
A self preservation attitude as the horses desire to save itself can possibly save me.

I purposely left out attitude because if I am the only person riding the horse (or only very skilled horsemen I want a horse that wants to move). THe best pack horse I ever had was a scrawny Arab mare. She was a real bitc$. I mean she bit everyone including me, once. But she would do anything I asked of her. I could saddle her up and pack her up, looking like the Beverly Hillbillies truck when they moved to Beverly Hills. She never complained. She would get in line in a pack string and maintain the pace. But once in a camp spot, I could then take her solo hunting and literally cover ground and get to where I wanted to be way faster than most can imagine. I once took her from about 4500 feet elevation up above 10,000 feet on a trail that was almost vertical. While I did my best to hold her back, she went up it nonstop at a fast trot to a lope the entire way. This horse had spirit. She was simply exceptionally versatile, but she required a very good rider, or she would simply dump the adult. With kids, she was a gentile as could be. However, scrawny Arabs do not do well in cold weather

Since I like a spirited animal, if I were looking for a horse, I would likely be looking at 1/4 Arab mixes. something stout like a 1/4 horse, but with the spirit of a Arab but calmed a bit by the 1/4 horse part. If I were looking for a horse or horses to put others on, I would go a very different direction.