Your idea of a perfect horse.

[ropesanddogs]

As far as conformation,and color,what would you like to have?I have a few geldings from way down south Texas,and they average out at about 16 hands,and 1200 pounds,theyre light to dark dun,and have line backs,I really like a stout horse,despite their tendency to have a rougher trot and lope,the pulling power compensates in my book.Though they are from deep south texas,theyre dally horses,despite the strong hard and fast tradition.But you can still tie off if you need to.But then again,the best brush horse i rode was a small mare,about 950 pounds in top shape,and about 15 hands high,she didnt have much pulling power,but you could fly through the thickest whitebrush texas can throw at ya,as long as you can hang on,and when you tied onto one,shed do her best to flip it,or at least give it a screeching halt.So what about you,what would your perfect horse be like?

[Brad S]

Great subject, 'cause we've all kicked this arround in our mind anyway. Everything about my perfect horse is in opposition. I want an extremely athletic 15 2 that can cover alot of country and has outstanding top speed, but when things get tight, I want to cow block like a 14 2 San Badger. relentless heart - won't be outrun, won't be run by. I like a high croup, but want the speed of a low croup. I want good bone, but not too thick and wear small #1 iron - when things balance just right, you got a special pony.

[Soapweed]

My "perfect" horse is now 23 years old, as of this spring. I am continually looking for a good young gelding to take his place, and have bought and traded quite a few in recent years in my search, but none have all the qualifications that he does.

I purchased Tom Cat when he was a two-year-old and broke him myself. He is a grade horse, and shows a bit of Percheron. When he was young, he was almost a grulla color, but turned grey and is now almost white. He has feathers on his legs, but is a pretty good looking horse if these feathers are trimmed off each spring. All four hooves are well-shaped and his legs are sound with adequate bone. He stays in good flesh, and has a tough enough hide that he has never been cinch sore. His withers are just right to hold a saddle in place, and he travels true and is steady on his feet.

Tom Cat stands 15 hands plus two inches, and weighs 1200 pounds. On his nose is a "mustache", and this is a characteristic shared by the best three horses I have owned through the years. Even though the intelligence of a horse is said to be related to how high the cowlick is on their head, Tom Cat's cowlick is below the level of his eyes. It doesn't seem to matter in his case.

This good grey horse has speed, endurance, cow sense, and a good traveling running walk. He is a bit rough, and when he is after a cow you'd better hang on tight or he'll get out from under you. He is fun to rope calves on in a branding corral, as he does his best to help you get into position. If you miss, he gets mad.

When doctoring cattle out in the pasture, Tom Cat works real well. He can sneak around in the herd, while they are gathered at a windmill or in a fence corner. He tries hard to put you in the right position to slip on a loop without disturbing the herd. If you miss a couple times, and your quarry gets wary, he will ease them to the edge of the herd and give you all the speed needed to catch the critter. After that bovine has been doctored, he calms right down so you can try to sneak a loop on the next victim.

Tom Cat is gentle for anyone to ride, but he still has spirit to carry a person all day without tiring. You can open barbed wire gates from his back, carry a calf over the saddle horn, or drag a calf sled. Nothing bothers him except getting wormed twice a year. He absolutely hates the mere thought of the slippery paste sliding down his throat.

He is a friendly cuss, and can be caught out in the pasture if you have a piece of "cake" in your pocket. Ride him bareback until you get to the barn, and then slide off and brush the white hairs off your britches.

All in all, ol' Tom Cat is just a member of the family. He has turned into such a perfect horse, that he is the yardstick by which I measure all others. I haven't yet found one that can walk in his shadow. Though he is 23 years old, by looking at him and watching him in action you would think he was an eight-year-old. He truly enjoys being a full-fledged partner in the operation of this ranch.

[Northern Rancher]

Best horse I've ever rode or owned is a little Bay Tonto Bars Hank granddaughter I raised. My friends Dad owned the stud and the fee was $500 more than I had-so I went for coffee and took my mare for a visit. THe next spring I asked the stud fee and told him I better get a better colt than the first one. She's been an awesome horse-tons of heart and like a cat-absolutely the surest footed horse I've been on you can go balls to the walls across our meadows jumping washouts and brush and she never gets out of position. I really should breed her but the kids won't let me-there won't be a dry eye on this place when she's gone.As for little footed horses they don't last long in our country for the most part-lots of part draft saddle horses rode up here-it takes a special kind of pony to put a full day on in our wet pastures especially in late fall when it's cold.

[Faster horses]

That was a super tribute to a great horse, Soapweed. I enjoyed reading every word.

When I first read this topic, I too, thought of some of our horses that would be termed 'perfect.' We have been lucky enough to have had three or four. The one that comes to mind first was a grade horse like yours. This was a bay, also had the moustache~and I agree with you about that seeming to be a common denominator of good horses~he was 15.3, 1250 lbs. Though he was grade, he was out of a stallion called Sabre Twist by Hard Twist. He was cowy, quick and smart, smart, smart and I have never before or since ridden a horse so good on his feet. He was phonomenal. He was my husbands horse, but I rode him once in awhile. He was too good of a horse for me~I need the best horse, but I can't ride the best horse, if you know what I mean. He was a great ranch horse, great arena heading horse and our daughter ran barrels on him some in high school. He was interested in everything you did and had a lot of heart. I know he saved my husband's life more than once when we lived in the Powder River Country of Wyoming. I always wanted my husband to enter this horse in the Bad River Suicide Ride, cuz I thought he could win~no, I take that back, I was SURE he could win. No horse is perfect, though and this horse would sure act snuffy on the ground. He was a p***y cat, but he sure had rollers in his nose. Bluffed alot of people. It was funny.

Speaking of horses, I was at a horse sale recently and a young horse trader brought a horse in that I really liked. The horse could really turn around and kept his nose where I like it. He was bid $1800 and no saled the horse. I thought the horse looked a little parrot mouthed, but couldn't tell for sure where I was sitting. Anyway, the auctioneer said if anyone was interested they could talk to him outside. I liked the horse well enough that I went to the back. There was a young man there and I asked if this was his horse, which he affirmed. I asked if he was parrot mouthed and he said yes, just a little though. I asked what he wanted for him, and he puffed up and said, "NOW, before I load him in my trailer? $2500, but if I load him up, it will take $3000 for me to unload him." Well, I looked in his mouth and he wasn't just a little parrot mouthed, it was pretty bad. Now I really liked this horse, and I am a lot soft-hearted. This horse was tired, you could tell, and his hair was bad, not real bad, but sure not shiney; he was barked up on his legs some; and he was probably 100 lbs. underweight. The kids said he had been used in a feedlot in Texas. He sidepassed him in the ring, so that sure could have been true, as they open lots of gates horseback in those pens. Anyway, I really wanted to buy this horse, against my better judgment. So I left, went clear home so that I did not weaken and buy a problem. But the horse haunts me now. I wish I had offered the kid $2000 for him. We have never owned a parrot mouthed horse. I suppose if the grass got short, he would need supplemented. Also, and what was the real deterrment for me, was the growth of the front teeth. Because they don't meet the bottom teeth correctly, they would continue to grow down. Would you just file them off periodically? I guess I am going to look into this further.

Another thought I had, as good-looking as this horse was and with the parrot mouth being a genetic defect, and him being a grade horse, I wondered if he was some real good bred horse and they threw away the papers so no one attributed a parrot-mouthed horse to that bloodline.

I know that happens. A big ranch in W. Mt. that had horses in Texas, brought the ones to Mt. that didn't turn out as cutters, etc. They threw the papers away and sold them as grade horses, so no one knew they didn't make the grade in cutting or whatever they were bred for. Some of those horses minds were fried. Sometimes they were salvagable, sometimes not.

[Jinglebob]

What's best?

I have had great ones and have on now that would cost over a million to buy. But most wouldn't like him. Not a cow in the country can get away from him. Never have found the end of his endurance. Can pull like a frieght train.

He's spooky and not a horse for an old woman or a child. Or lots of men! No buck, just serious. Doesn't like to be petted and hates cows. Cross fires when chasing a critter, but they can't escape him. When he takes after a critter, hang on! Probably better out there but he sure suits me! Bought him as a colt and have never regretted it. His name is Woody as his father was a Bartender!

I have a stud now that is built just like Woody and I hope he turns out as well. When he came here last spring as a three year old, for my son to train, you would have thought he was a man killer. Stood in the corner and wistled at you. Chan put about 30 days on him and I traded for him when the guy came to get him. Now he's a p***y cat and a young feller who is handy with horses is going to work with him a spell this spring. Can't hardly wait to get on his round ol' back and make him work a cow. He's a grandson of Zan Par Bar on the sires side and a greatgrandson of Two Eyed Jack on the bottom. I knew nothing of his breeding when I traded, just liked they way he was built and acted. I'll turn him with some mares this summer and hope to raise more like him. I like snorty horses, but hate if they buck.

As far as color. There are bay's and duns and who cares about the rest!

Have any of you ever listed all of the horses that have packed you around in your lifetime? Man, it can be a bunch. And I remember everyone of them and most fondly!

[Northern Rancher]

THe Team
Way down in ranch country
It's every young boys dream
To grow upand be man enough
To finally drive a team
Maybe Clydes with a nice action or
Belgians slow and steady
Or Percherons always on the bit
Making sure the skinners ready
There isn't a vest-that can hold the chest
When Dad hands you the lines
You take a breath-reel them in
And think of all the times
You were told of horses that rolled
And teams that ran away
Ones that pulled like anything
Others weren't worth their hay
You could always tell a horseman
The first minutes at his spread
No combines around-to be found
The truck battery always dead
If he had any equipment around at all
It was rusty and all soiled
But his teams were always matched
His harness always oiled
His sleigh was always up on blocks
The buggy in the shed
Men like that are far and few
Most of them are dead
The old horseman are a disappearing
They will be sorely missed
They can remember every horse they owned
But not the girls they'd kissed

Northern Rancher

[ropesanddogs]

Those are some great replies,Mr. Pope,the older fella that i do all my day work with has given me a young filly(as soon as its weaned) thats the half sister to one of his greatest cow horses,and he's owned plenty,He has 9 horses,which is plenty for him,because theyres only 7 days in a week.Im the fourth boy he's let in as an apprentice,and its considered quite an honor to work with him,so needless to say i was estatic when he told me he's going to be giving me one of his colts.The mare is off of the Waggoner Ranch in Guthrie,and the Father is off of the O'Connor Ranch in Victoria.There are a few reasons he's letting me have her,he said no one ever gave him anything when he started out,and he figures that if he gives just a little,he's making a difference,and he said he's been thinking about it for awhile,and he believes that she'll be one of those horses i wont soon forget,well,i have to agree...

[Faster horses]

You are in the right place, at the right time, my boy!! That's a pretty good ole' fella, sounds like, that you are working for. Treat him well, and you'll probably never regret it.

Those old fellas like that have such wonderful stories to tell, for the young people that take the time to listen. Sounds like you take the time. Much can be learned from the old timers that have been there-done that.

[koj]

The best horse I ever owned bucked like a sow the first time I rode him. So I called him Rambo. After that we both had a great understanding for each other. I guided pack trips on him, doctored yearlings, drug calves, hooked sheep, checked fence, snubbed colts, roped calves, and other things too numerous to mention. I sold him after about five years, and to this day I would give twice that price to have him back. He was a solid blood bay, about 14 3 and 1100 lbs with all the heart in the world. Sure do miss that one.

[ropesanddogs]

Youre right faster horses,he's a helluve guy,and he's constantly saring stories,which i perticularly enjoy,i could listen to him alll day.He's seen quite alot.And im still estatic about the filly.

[Brad S]

great markup on a great horse Soapweed. The emotion in your account is compelling.