How much are you willing to pay for your saddle stock?

[IL Rancher]

One of these years we are going to have to add horses to this place. Every week and every year I am seeing more and more use for them. With our smaller fields a lot can be done with ATV's or trucks but some of our fields ar ejust to uneven to even idel through and the noise those machines make does nothing but spook the calves... Of course, if we get horses I am going to have to relearn riding and it has been a few years.. The one old horse we have on this farm might as well be a wild mustang by now...

[RoperAB]

The thing is that it doesnt cost anymore to feed, deworm, vaccinate and train a good horse than it does a poor one.

[Northern Rancher]

The definition of good changes every 50 miles lol. An old hand up here always liked his horses to be quiet cause he couldn't steal cattle on a noisy horse.

[Heel Fly]

NR
We raise western working Morgans and they sure do it for us. Tough as nails and cowy. They aren't anything like what you might have seen unless you are familar with the old Lippett Pecos and Fleetfeild bloodlines. I agree that show stock has never done any breed- dog horse or cow - any good. It is never a good thing to focus on one trait. I think most QH breeders are waking up and seeing just what they did to the breed for a few dollars. I like QH I just don' t agree with the trends. And the Morgan's have them too. Lord knows I think that the Morgan show people have done some of the worst things to horses of all the breeds. But that is just my penny!!

[Northern Rancher]

I used to ride a big stout mare of unknown origin years back and she was accused of being a Morgan a time or two-she was only as good as the cowboy riding her so when I was on her she wasn't much good. I raised three darn good mares off her-and have several descendants of those three around now. That little bay maere I lost through the ice was off her and that bay three year old is her granddaughter. I get a kick out of 'bloodline' people-when they get asking-amazing how many people will fall for that horse is out of Meadow Lake by Trailer or out of Waterhen Lake by Dark of Night. I'm not a good enough hand to get the most out of a well trained horse so I just muddle along and do the best I can with what I got.

[Jinglebob]

The only time regestration papers make a difference is when you go to buy or sell one.

[theHiredMansWife]

[Heel Fly]

I would have to say that the best ranch/using horse I've ever ridden is out of a mare whos " Out of Killerpen X Skin of Her Teeth" !! I literally bought her from the killer pen. She was colored identical to Soapweeds horse. Only she had the sobino markings all the way up all four legs. My geldings sire is a nice palimino Morgan stud. Like I said before papers are useful if you are looking for a specific trait like if you're looking for a cutting bred horse. The rest of the time take it or leave it.

[RoperAB]

About bloodlines
Doesnt garantee a great horse but it is a heck of a good indication.
You know I dont like aged events. But in a way we all should be thankful for them.
Thanks to them we have the bloodlines out there that we have today.
The horses that cant physically or mentally hold up, DONT BREED!
Its the same deal with bad conformation on a well breed horse. No good to put time into a horse like that because it wont hold up.
Guess it all depends on what you are planning on doing with the colt. But there is no way I can make a go of it selling/training $2500 Ranch Horses. I pay that much for prospects that are not even started yet.
If your breeding average horses and selling your just helping the canners in a way.
But then again when I think QH, I think 14.2HH, not much for whithers, small boned and small feet so I guess the showing influence can be bad to.

[EJ]

JB, your deal with selling that horse,"that needed"trainin reminded me of a deal I made a few years ago. The horse was a good looking 5 yr old that was plumb broke. The guy couldn`t get along with him so I went and helped them move cows and I rode him. The new owner said I`ve been rideing horses for 40 yrs and never been on one like him before. I replied, "you`ve been rideing horses for 40yrs and have been on 3 of them." Kinda got the message into him that the horse knew more then he did. They get along fine now.

[IL Rancher]

I am not overly concerned about spending too much money on a horse or anyhting really if it is what I need for the job and if it isn't way to much animal/machine or whatever for me. I always think back to my youth. My grand dad used to raise horses but these were race horses not cattle horses and he ended up giving one to my dad that was just not goin to do anything on the course... The horse worked out for what my dad did with horses (We didn't have cows or any livestock when I grew up, this was a pleasure/english horse). Well my Dad, god bless him, is the kind of guy that if he has something he has to have the "best" and went out and bought a warm blood and started doing the whole jumping thing. In 1980 or so he spent 10 grand on this horse. The horse was a great horse, everyone who rode it who could handle him said so... My dad would even place in things and he was not a good rider... I don't know why the horse ended up where he did but my Dad ended up selling him to the Chicago Police department and he turned into a riot horse... Last I heard he was still going strong, my dad even ran into him at a Cubs game in the early 90's.

So when I think of that I always know that someone like me, who doesn't have a lot of horse skills would best be served in not buying the most preformance orienated horse because I would never be good enough to get out of him what he is capable of. At the same time, buying someones green broke horse would also be a mistake..

[RoperAB]

Im a pretty big guy. I feel silly on any horse thats smaller than 15.2HH. Because of this I have been buying for myself QHs <with track blood>that are crossed with Thoroughbreeds with race track blood to get the size/conformation that I want.
These horses are just wired different than regular QHs.
What they would do best is barrel raceing or make great heading horses in team roping.
Now you can do other things with them and I am doing other things with them but they are wired so hot that it would have been just so much easier to have started with regular QHs.
The problem with showing <reined cow horse>is that its not the same as what you would do on a ranch. For ranch work you want something that has a big stride. Something you can cover lots of ground with whether you are just walking someplace or if your roping a calf that has turned back. Calves with age on them can run about as fast as some QH ponies!
Same deal with pasture roping bigger animals. Lot of difference between that and team roping a skinny Texas Longhorn Steer!
RCH is so popular around here that its hard to get a QH thats bigger than 14.2HH. To much cutting influence.