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Hard twist horses?

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Slim

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Yrs ago my dad knew a rancher from south dakota who had a hard twist stud and several hardtwist horses. He has always talked abt how good those hard twist horses were. I have looked in horse magazines and on the internet I cant find much info abt hardtwist and not any breeders. Does anyone know anything about this bloodline? Are there still hardtwist horses? Any info would be appreciated.
 
Go to www.foundationhorses.com for a picture and pedigree. For more info get ahold of Western Horseman Legends book Volume 1. I enjoy looking at my set of Legends books seeing old pictures of the horses I've read about and about the breeders and how they got those horses. ...Paul
 
Heres a link to Hard Twist's pedigree...He was an old foundation QH stallion that was on the track....

http://www.foundationhorses.com/hardtwistped.htm

I can't tell you too much about them from personal experience as I shied away from those bloodlines because of the reputation for them being broncy and a little humpy and limited personal experience... I owned one Hard Twist mare that I bought in about 66 - that had came off the track, that I got cheap- and I found out why after she dumped me several times...Never could really trust her..

I did breed her to a King Ranch bred stud I had- Blanco Ho ( by Mano Blanco) and those colts were plumb fine- quiet- no buck....Then I bred her to a Stud off the track I co-owned (Nifty Win-by Diamond Kee Note) and got a colt that was a plumb miserable S.O.B. and about the snortiest thing I ever raised...

I'm sure you can find some old Hard Twist bloodlines still around- but they would be 4-5 generations back since he died in 62....

You might try some of the foundation quarter horse websites to find some sires tracing back to him....
 
Thanks for the information. I had heard that the hard twist horses were a little broncy. I am always interested in reading and hearing about the foundation sires. As far as where I live this is pretty much hancock country. I bought a 4 yr gelding that was by a limited hancock stud and out of a 7s gunsmoke mare. Hes good minded and quiet you couldn't scare him with a bear. Had him about 6 weeks and he was going great willing to try anything you asked him to. Went after a calf on him and bowed a tendon. It was mild so I am already back on him doing some prowling. Time will tell if he lives up to his foundation.
 
A man in Sundance, Wyoming had some Hard Twist bred horses. I believe his stud was Kitty Twist by Hard Twist. We had a son of Kitty Twist that was one of the best horses we ever owned--and I don't think we ever owned another horse that was as good on his feet as he was. He really had it all...and was really good looking too. His only 'broncy' deal was rollers in his nose. He had them, for sure...but he never bucked a day in his life. He was Mr. FH's ranch and team roping horse, but our daughter rodeo'd on him all through high school.

I rode him too, cuz I really liked the way he was on his feet. I never rode him to his full potential though. :p One day I was getting a cow in and we had to cross a creek to get her to the corral. I was home alone and that cow gave us a lot of trouble. After about the 5th swoop by the horse to stop the cow from leaving, since I was still aboard... :p I just left the cow where she was and went to the barn and waited for Mr. FH to get home. He did come home and asked why the cow was in the lot by the creek and not in the corral. I told him, "That horse could darn sure get that cow in the corral, but not with me on him."

Yep, he was one of the real GREAT horses we were lucky to have had.
There are horses, and then there are GREAT horses...even ranch horses...they are just set apart somehow...they have something so many horses lack...heart? try? desire? I have appreciated those that have given tribute to their good horses here, like Soapweed with his Tomcat horse...
 
I had one in the middle 1960's, a sorrell stud, Frank's Bar Bee Twist. Sure was a good roping horse, he did it all, we never had any problems with him, I sold him to a PRCA roper in Oklahoma when I decided that I needed a cuttin horse.
 
We leased a Hard Twist mare a couple years back, I don't recall how far back Hard Twist was, she had no modern breeding in her pedigree if I recall, no Doc Bar, no Poco Bueno, she was line bred King. We picked her because she was a total outcross to our line bred Zippo Pine Bar stud. She was a stought athletic rip, really hard to ride. We have nice yearling gray filly here out of her by our stud. She is real good minded, and seems to be mellow like her daddy.

Deb
 
Part of the problem with Music Mount Horses was the mares they bred. At least in our country..Everyone with a $10.00 m,are was breeding to Music Mount. the mare makes 65% of the final product, so....If she was bad, you'd get bad anbd they'd say, "Look at that music mount, it is not worth a nickel"


I see the same thing with the Quincy Dan Horses in our country.... Take a look at the mares side and you'll get a good idea

PPRM
 
I think you are right, PPRM. Folks don't give enough consideration to the mare--as in, "well, she bucks, so I guess I will just breed her"...or something to that effect.

An old (now deceased) horseman friend always said, "everyone worries so much about that studs disposition. The offstpring might never see their daddy, but they live 6 months with their dam. That's where disposition and attitude mostly comes from."
 
There were several Hard Twist horses in the area for a while. Neighbour had a stud out of Hard Twist named Twisted Sack. I dont remember any of them being broncy, if they were they wouldn't have been around.
 
i have ridden some hard twist horses
and i didn't find them to be very broncy
but i believe they are no differnt from say the hankocks they got a bad rap for being broncy back before most guys in the southern part of cow country could even spell horsemanship
the old guy's that i grew up around were from the screw worm and fever tick era and they wouldn't spend any time getting one broke and didn't care if he was gentle
as thay didn't plan on riding him but a couple of years and he would be crippled or somthing
so when these tougher came along they just didn't get the same chances as they would today
until later
jerry
 
I've got a mare goes back to him she's pretty nice I think. She had an illicit encounter with a bronc stud so maybe great things will come of it.
 
Slim said:
Yrs ago my dad knew a rancher from south dakota who had a hard twist stud and several hardtwist horses. He has always talked abt how good those hard twist horses were. I have looked in horse magazines and on the internet I cant find much info abt hardtwist and not any breeders. Does anyone know anything about this bloodline? Are there still hardtwist horses? Any info would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
One of my favorite lines, almost all my broodmares carry Sabre Twist or Kitty Twist (IMO 2 of his best offspring) somewhere in their pedigree. Tough gritty horses that can stand up to hard work and no quit in them. Yes, they need a bit much "finesse" in starting but, if you take a bit more time in the beginning, you'll be mounted!! I call them the "blue heelers of quarter horses". JMO
 
My Aunt and Uncle had a little quarter horse, I think was rated triple A or something along that line. He ran in California and some
of the Southwest, thought I would check and see if him and Hard Twist ever crossed paths.
Near as I can tell they either didn't or he didn't do to well. :)
 
DosArroyos said:
Man ya'll are really digging deep into this forum
Click to expand...
I'm loving it!!
Thanks Puzzled for the article. I had never read that one as I recall.

I have Western Horseman magazines dating back to the '50's. I'm wondering what to do with them all. That's a collection of 70 years. Mr FH is wondering what I am going to do with them all, too. 🤣
 
Mark Nelson said:
One of my favorite lines, almost all my broodmares carry Sabre Twist or Kitty Twist (IMO 2 of his best offspring) somewhere in their pedigree. Tough gritty horses that can stand up to hard work and no quit in them. Yes, they need a bit much "finesse" in starting but, if you take a bit more time in the beginning, you'll be mounted!! I call them the "blue heelers of quarter horses". JMO
Click to expand...
With that kind of breeding in your horses, Mark, are you from around Sundance, WY?
That's where Kitty Twist was, I think. I think Kitty Twist was by Sabre Twist. In the earlier post I said "Kitty Twist by Hard Twist". Now I'm rethinking that. Do you know?
 

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