• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Long pasterns in yearling

J

Judith

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2005
Messages
2,428
Location
BC
Hmmm. I am faced with one of those "what do I do" situations. I pulled my yearling stud colt (soon to be gelding) up from the pasture to have a look see. Now I know yearlings go through the uglies etc but I am concerned about his pasterns. They are quite long, not hideous but long enough. I am used to Thoroughbred colts not AQHA sooo I have no clue as to growth stages etc. He is the smoothest moving kid on the planet as he has lots of cushion. To cull or not to cull that is the question. The words of a judge I know keep ringing in my head " Put a bag over em until they are 2 year old then cull" Opinions? Keep him or cut him loose? Quarter horse folk HELP!!!!! The sorrel colt (he is actually grey) on my webpage is him as a weanling. Pasterns look fine in that shot. HMMMMM
 
You are totally right about that. He is an amazingly level headed youngster. Out of Barrel Horse Otoes Zantastic. Amazing temperment but I just keep seeing those pasterns. Not sure if he could stand up to a days work. Don't want to get to attached if he is a breakdown waiting to happen. On the other hand if long pasterns are not a huge problem he sure will be a smooth ride. He is a glider, that is for sure. Let's put it this way if he was a race horse there is no way he would be staying in my barn. But as a cow pony he might just do the trick. He has the brains for the work that's for sure. I can't spook him for the life of me and for a colt that has had very little handling he let's you do anything to him. I even put a blue tarp on his head. Nothing....
 
OK bring him over I'll see what I can do with him lol. I'm getting to the age where smooth is where it's at baby lol. Megan hauled her Poco Bueno mare over to get bred tonight-her foal is out of ' A Classic Kit' look him up tell me what you think. It's a good looking foal -the Mom was cowy as heck but too slow-I think he goes back to Easy Jet which should speed her up some. That darned kid has 4 zebra dun mares and fillies-little brat.
 
Lots of race blood in there! Triple Chick, Jet Deck and last but not least good ole Moon Lark! Nice stuff but I can't find a pic of the boy anywhere. Maybe lookin in the wrong places...
 
Don't ya hate it when your spawn out does ya in something. Darn kids anyhow . LOL
 
I would keep him around until 2. You never know what they are gonna be until they are done growing, but you get a quick glimps at 2 when they level out, then all heck breaks loose and they get ugly again. Like you said long pasturns make for a smooth ride and usualy unless you are jumping or running barrels everyday they will hold up. Is his shoulder long and sloping, is it's length in proportion to the pasturn??
 
Everything appears to be in proportion at this point but I am not kidding when I say long they are at least 3 inches in length at the moment. I know he is going to be tall as his bum is over his mommas back at the moment so when the front catches up with the back end I put him in the 16.2 range. He has a great shoulder on him nice long neck and he carries himself well. Hence the quandry. If he was out of balance and cranky I wouldnt be having this problem :) And of course he's a grey soooo....( I know ya don't ride color but....)
 
I look mentally challenged or like I'm riding a pony on anything less than a 16 hander. I try really hard to stay off the ground. I seem to alway do a lip stand if I'm coming off. Good thing I have a hard head. Can't seem to land on my feet.
Zippy helped me put up electric fencing this morning. He kind of sucks as a helper when handing you tools though.Picks them up and drops them about 50 feet away from me. Maybe he won't be much help on the range..... What good is a horse that won't hand you the proper tools!
 
My horse is a big time thief also!!!

He's a BIG Appy...about 16h also....he's like a big racoon...takes anything shiny and carries it off!!

Wonder why? He's always done that.
 
Now that you mention it every item dropped was metal. I wonder if it's some mineral thing. Funny how now that I have been making a fuss over him, he is now more loyal than a dog. Weird for a kid left to fend for himself with his momma for a year. You would think he would be herdbound . More interesting in what I am up to. Doesnt miss much this kid. I think I will run him on, put a bag over his head and look at him in the spring. I've had quite a few PM's saying he will probably just grow into those pasterns and to ignore it for now.
 
Judith said:
Hmmm. I am faced with one of those "what do I do" situations. I pulled my yearling stud colt (soon to be gelding) up from the pasture to have a look see. Now I know yearlings go through the uglies etc but I am concerned about his pasterns. They are quite long, not hideous but long enough. I am used to Thoroughbred colts not AQHA sooo I have no clue as to growth stages etc. He is the smoothest moving kid on the planet as he has lots of cushion. To cull or not to cull that is the question. The words of a judge I know keep ringing in my head " Put a bag over em until they are 2 year old then cull" Opinions? Keep him or cut him loose? Quarter horse folk HELP!!!!! The sorrel colt (he is actually grey) on my webpage is him as a weanling. Pasterns look fine in that shot. HMMMMM
Click to expand...
What is one more yr of grass?Can't put em back in once cut
 
Some critters just seem to have an ' old soul' and fit in better with humans than their own kind!!!

I'd keep him and see what turned out. If ya sell him now you'll always wonder " what if"...so save yourself the worry. He won't eat that much more feed anyway!
 
Heel Fly said:
I would keep him around until 2. You never know what they are gonna be until they are done growing, but you get a quick glimps at 2 when they level out, then all heck breaks loose and they get ugly again. Like you said long pasturns make for a smooth ride and usualy unless you are jumping or running barrels everyday they will hold up. Is his shoulder long and sloping, is it's length in proportion to the pasturn??
Click to expand...

Sounds good to me - If you are still conserned when He's two I might wait until later to Break/ride him hard. In my youth we rode colts for a month at 2 and turned them out until 5 - I still had some good using horses at 25 year old
 
Thanks to all for there advice :) really do appreciate it. Ole dog new tricks, we must come from the same school of horsemanship. I get up for a few short rides at about 27 months then turn em out until the mud drys up in the spring of the 3 year old year. Keeps em sounder. I was "tuning up" a pleasure horse (6 year old mare) she is already sore. She wins too much money for them to put her out to pasture for a bit. I honestly feel that had she been turn out for some R&R she would not have needed the tune up. She was bitchy cuz she is sore. I told them how she was sore she feels and they switched to another trainer. She is another victim of the 2 year old futurities...GRRRRR...
 
Oh boy don't get started on those damn furturities. That ranks up there with running 2yr and starting yrlings. People are stupid. One guy told me that a horse to him is a wrench to me, just a tool, and when that tool breaks they make more. I'm not a tree hugger by no means, I love to hunt and the best cow I ever ate happened to be one that I broke to ride but I don't look at animals as tools. I lose all respect for people who abuse animals. I do like to watch horses run and most of the trainers now a days do take good care of them. I just hate seeing the reiners,cutters,pleasure and halter horses get chewed up and spit out. Wasting a 2yr old is not horsemanship to me. WHEW ok now I'll step away from the soap box!!
 
I agree $150% . My horses are not pets they are horses first. But doesnt mean I am nasty or just using them. I would rather have one around for years than to replace them on a continual basis.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top