Up and Comer!!!

[RRoss]

Chuckie~If the pedigree means anything to you, it will tell you alot in what they will turn out like. If the pedigree is not real strong top and bottom leave it alone and save your money.

[Chuckie]

i'm evidently not being real clear here.

i ask the question as a general question, ie, there's a theory on how horses should be proportioned using a triangle to determine how close they are to "perfection".

but if a person went to a sale, there are (i think they call them) "free-running" (unbroke) horses, you know nothing about them, they're yearlings, they're all over the place proportionally, what do you look for? or is there any way to really look at a yearling and know what they'll be like as grown-ups?

remember--the crucial point here is, you know nothing about them other than maybe the dam was registered, or the sire was registered, or maybe nothing at all (BLM colts, for example).

come on OT, FH, Soap, etc, etc--educate me here--it's gonna be a LONG old winter...

[Oldtimer]

[coulee_reese]

That's quite a winter coat he's got on there N R! Gol durn pretty horse I'd be proud of him too!
reese

[Soapweed]

Doc Harris would probably say you need to buy a nice looking young horse with good EPDs.

It depends on what you want the finished product of the grown horse to be. A small yearling will undoubtedly be a small horse when full grown. A rat-tailed Appaloosa youngster will be a rat-tailed full grown horse also, but you could always buy a fake long tail. If you want a cowhorse, buy a young colt with cutting horse bloodlines.

Many times a yearling is a better buy than a weanling. The weanlings still carry bloom and baby fat thanks to their momma's milk. Yearlings sometimes look rougher, but they are one year closer to becoming a mature saddle horse. I agree with PPRM that "the cheapest horse in the world is a 3 year old that needs rode." That is an apt obseration, and many times there are bargains to be had by getting a young started horse that is tractable and just needs some miles. You can "finish" the horse to your own specifications.

[Northern Rancher]

I've never bought many horses always prefered to raise my own-always had pretty good horses to ride too.Some of those cutting bred horses are a bit small for our country in fact alot of guys ride horses with a shot of draft back in them somewhere.

[Northern Rancher]

I've never bought many horses always prefered to raise my own-always had pretty good horses to ride too.Some of those cutting bred horses are a bit small for our country in fact alot of guys ride horses with a shot of draft back in them somewhere. You get gathering those big bush meadows with lots of soft ground you need some pony under you-or you end up with some on top of you-never any fun lol.