In the comment section of my last post, I was asked about what to do with free or abandoned horses that you see on CL and probably elsewhere. As always, I have my opinion and I had a nice big article to post. After letting it sit overnight, I think there are some changes that need to be made before I post it. My post just doesn't have the right 'feel', if you know what I mean. I usually type things the night before, let it sit, make any changes and then post. It helps me to clarify things or straighten them out or to make clearer to my readers...or myself for that matter. If I can't understand what I wrote 12 hours ago, how do I expect the reader to understand?
Usually, I have my ideas way beforehand, like in my first posting, and kind of know what I'm going to say before I type it. So, this was one that is important but was going to write about it later and just didn't have it jelled in my mind.
So hang in there with me. I'll have a good'un coming up on this subject!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Annoying Pictures and Wording
I wasn't going to post today as I have plenty to do but after taking a lookie-loo at CL, I just had to.
How you present your horse says a whole lot about you. If you are selling a multi-thousand dollar horse, then please take some time to spiff the varmint up and make someone want/need him. The buyer will see it as less work for them to do to get the horse going...and may even take credit for your work!
A halter should fit properly. http://www.wikihow.com/Adjust-a-Horse-Halter It should be a good halter, not something that is dirt caked and torn up. A nylon is fine as long as it fits.
To my mind, the horse should be groomed, clean and as shiny as can be expected in the winter. I realize there are horses on pasture and shiny is about the last thing you're going to get but you can knock the mud off, comb out the mane and tail and maybe buff off the hoofies so the buyer can see them. I've seen ads where I'm not sure there is a sock or stocking or it's a dark leg under there.
As I said, I have to get gone but must add this...what is with this comment I see A LOT that the buyer says "The pictures don't do this horse justice.".... Say what?? Then what in the hell are you doing posting them?? Especially if you have an obviously multi-thousand dollar horse horse on CL?? Oh, yes, there are some absolutely scrumtious horses on there that are worth the moolah but the pics kind of diminsh them. Check around online to find how to take pics of your baby to best optimize his looks. http://www.cowboyway.com/HowTo/TakeHorsePictures.htm There are multiple sites that will help you. Also, I have a book that I bought that is a course on taking proper horse pics. Can't think of the name but it's by a female horse photographer and it's great!
Okay, have to go for today but have plenty of ideas and some posts in the hopper. Take care, all.
How you present your horse says a whole lot about you. If you are selling a multi-thousand dollar horse, then please take some time to spiff the varmint up and make someone want/need him. The buyer will see it as less work for them to do to get the horse going...and may even take credit for your work!
A halter should fit properly. http://www.wikihow.com/Adjust-a-Horse-Halter It should be a good halter, not something that is dirt caked and torn up. A nylon is fine as long as it fits.
To my mind, the horse should be groomed, clean and as shiny as can be expected in the winter. I realize there are horses on pasture and shiny is about the last thing you're going to get but you can knock the mud off, comb out the mane and tail and maybe buff off the hoofies so the buyer can see them. I've seen ads where I'm not sure there is a sock or stocking or it's a dark leg under there.
As I said, I have to get gone but must add this...what is with this comment I see A LOT that the buyer says "The pictures don't do this horse justice.".... Say what?? Then what in the hell are you doing posting them?? Especially if you have an obviously multi-thousand dollar horse horse on CL?? Oh, yes, there are some absolutely scrumtious horses on there that are worth the moolah but the pics kind of diminsh them. Check around online to find how to take pics of your baby to best optimize his looks. http://www.cowboyway.com/HowTo/TakeHorsePictures.htm There are multiple sites that will help you. Also, I have a book that I bought that is a course on taking proper horse pics. Can't think of the name but it's by a female horse photographer and it's great!
Okay, have to go for today but have plenty of ideas and some posts in the hopper. Take care, all.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Will Be Back With New Posts...
I have some important things to do but will be back asap. I'm also trying to figger out how to do some things on this blog and we all know THAT will take some time!
Blog-literate, I'm not.
Anywho, I have plenty of ideas for new posts. I promise I'll do my best to keep you entertained! :-)
PS: My grandkids would have this figgered out in a NY minute...*sigh*....
Blog-literate, I'm not.
Anywho, I have plenty of ideas for new posts. I promise I'll do my best to keep you entertained! :-)
PS: My grandkids would have this figgered out in a NY minute...*sigh*....
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Stud Colts and Little Kids...
Oh, Hell no!!
That's an appropriate response for this debate. I don't care how 'safe' you think your colt/stud/stallion is, that horse is not appropriate for your kid or grandkid.
A colt (from here on that's what I'm calling a male intact horse) is full of hormones that are just hoping to home in on a receptive filly or mare. Most studs/colts have nothing that tops the mare scene in their mind and only because a human has them royally bluffed will they keep their dinky in check.
There are a few studs who I've seen (like maybe '5' in the last fifty some odd years) who are so quiet that they even fool people into thinking maybe they are geldings. I've even owned one! I mean so quiet as when they are in the pasture or a stall, they don't talk to other horses and act studdish in any way. Only by checking the exterior plumbing can you tell he's in the altogether.
But to think that a stud is a great prospect for a kid is almost child abuse in my book. I've seen ads like this. Matter of fact, the one snarky email I've had was from a clown who said that his Paint colt was safe for his grandkids...like hell! I wished I had saved it and I'd reprint it but that was before I thought of this blog and I deleted it. If you're reading this, please resend your email so I can post it and we can all have a good laugh!!
To my mind, only professional horsemen should handle a stud. I've stood studs and it was the biggest pain in the neck I think I've ever dealt with. Just have to be on your toes all the time and that's just too much work for me! You can never forget you're dealing with horse hormones. That's one of the reasons that owning a stud is extra liability and you have to have great fences all the time, to prevent problems.
There are PLENTY of mares and geldings out there for your kid. A good kids horse is going to cost you plenty (or should) but still cheaper than dealing with the extra expense of a stud. Don't be fooled by the 'gentle for even kids' ads. Jeez!!
Even if you buy a stud for your kids with the thought of having him gelded anyway, have you ever dealt with the after-effects of gelding?? I sure have and it's a pain also but I much prefer to do that than deal with a stud. Much cheaper to just buy a gelding who is healed up and you don't have to worry about it. There are too many other good horses out there to even deal with this.
Horses are an accident waiting a happen anyway and when you add in the studkins, welp, you're adding in potential trouble. I will say there are a very few people out there who have a way with studs and that's fine but I don't think, from what I've read on CL, that these low class colts need to stay a stud, no matter how 'gentle'...
That's an appropriate response for this debate. I don't care how 'safe' you think your colt/stud/stallion is, that horse is not appropriate for your kid or grandkid.
A colt (from here on that's what I'm calling a male intact horse) is full of hormones that are just hoping to home in on a receptive filly or mare. Most studs/colts have nothing that tops the mare scene in their mind and only because a human has them royally bluffed will they keep their dinky in check.
There are a few studs who I've seen (like maybe '5' in the last fifty some odd years) who are so quiet that they even fool people into thinking maybe they are geldings. I've even owned one! I mean so quiet as when they are in the pasture or a stall, they don't talk to other horses and act studdish in any way. Only by checking the exterior plumbing can you tell he's in the altogether.
But to think that a stud is a great prospect for a kid is almost child abuse in my book. I've seen ads like this. Matter of fact, the one snarky email I've had was from a clown who said that his Paint colt was safe for his grandkids...like hell! I wished I had saved it and I'd reprint it but that was before I thought of this blog and I deleted it. If you're reading this, please resend your email so I can post it and we can all have a good laugh!!
To my mind, only professional horsemen should handle a stud. I've stood studs and it was the biggest pain in the neck I think I've ever dealt with. Just have to be on your toes all the time and that's just too much work for me! You can never forget you're dealing with horse hormones. That's one of the reasons that owning a stud is extra liability and you have to have great fences all the time, to prevent problems.
There are PLENTY of mares and geldings out there for your kid. A good kids horse is going to cost you plenty (or should) but still cheaper than dealing with the extra expense of a stud. Don't be fooled by the 'gentle for even kids' ads. Jeez!!
Even if you buy a stud for your kids with the thought of having him gelded anyway, have you ever dealt with the after-effects of gelding?? I sure have and it's a pain also but I much prefer to do that than deal with a stud. Much cheaper to just buy a gelding who is healed up and you don't have to worry about it. There are too many other good horses out there to even deal with this.
Horses are an accident waiting a happen anyway and when you add in the studkins, welp, you're adding in potential trouble. I will say there are a very few people out there who have a way with studs and that's fine but I don't think, from what I've read on CL, that these low class colts need to stay a stud, no matter how 'gentle'...
Monday, February 23, 2009
Hit the wrong button on the Stud Colt post...
Sorry about the last posting...I accidentally hit the 'enter' button with my little finger and it published my post.
Anyway, the post was about Stud colts and how you can judge if your colt is good enough to stay a stud and reproduce.
Please keep reading my blog because you'll probably see plenty of boo-boos as time goes on and I promise, it might be pretty entertaining!
Anyway, the post was about Stud colts and how you can judge if your colt is good enough to stay a stud and reproduce.
Please keep reading my blog because you'll probably see plenty of boo-boos as time goes on and I promise, it might be pretty entertaining!
About
Really, what I have to say about that is pretty short and sweet… Your stud colt probably isn’t good enough to stay a stud and reproduce. ‘Ouch, that hurts!’ you say?? You’re right, truth really hurts.
I’ve bought prospects and when they turned a yearling, off to the vet they went and got their attitudes adjusted. That’s my favorite time to geld a colt but I’ve known of people who geld when the colt is really young (still a suckling or weanling) or wait till he’s filled out a bit, like maybe 2 or 3 or even 4 years old. Yearling is my preference, that’s all.
If your colt cost in the upper four figures, minimum, MAYBE he’s good enough to enjoy the fruits of life, so to speak. If his dam AND sire actually won something of great importance that when you mention the prize, other horsemen gasp in awe, then yep, you can probably leave him altogether. If his grandsire/dam did something of great importance also, the awe factor included, then yep, he MIGHT be good enough. I’d say that’s a case by case basis. If his great grandsire/dam did something uber fantastic, then I’m getting into iffy territory. There are 8 horses on the great-grandsire/dam line and that’s a lot of blood going on and it starts to get mixed pretty good. As I said somewhere else, I know a lot of knowledgeable horsemen/women who really pay attention to blood from decades ago and use that to help judge. Fine by me! It’s good to know but you have to deal with the here and now. Part of being a good horseman is knowing the bloodlines, no two ways about it.
Actually, there are studs out there whose claim to fame is producing really nice geldings/mares and the stud owner/manager isn’t aiming for a breeding animal to hit the ground. That’s where you have to research and know your blood and what it’s good for. Another reason is to keep the market sort of cornered on certain blood and not too many horses out there to cheapen the stud fee. The AI phenom going on about ruined some breeds…
Look at the National or World shows for your particular breed. Be honest, does your halter prospect really hold up against the top 5 colts in what-would-have-been his class if he’d been there?? Does your colt hold up against a reining champ in blood and confo?? Use any class you like and BE HONEST.
I’ve bought prospects and when they turned a yearling, off to the vet they went and got their attitudes adjusted. That’s my favorite time to geld a colt but I’ve known of people who geld when the colt is really young (still a suckling or weanling) or wait till he’s filled out a bit, like maybe 2 or 3 or even 4 years old. Yearling is my preference, that’s all.
If your colt cost in the upper four figures, minimum, MAYBE he’s good enough to enjoy the fruits of life, so to speak. If his dam AND sire actually won something of great importance that when you mention the prize, other horsemen gasp in awe, then yep, you can probably leave him altogether. If his grandsire/dam did something of great importance also, the awe factor included, then yep, he MIGHT be good enough. I’d say that’s a case by case basis. If his great grandsire/dam did something uber fantastic, then I’m getting into iffy territory. There are 8 horses on the great-grandsire/dam line and that’s a lot of blood going on and it starts to get mixed pretty good. As I said somewhere else, I know a lot of knowledgeable horsemen/women who really pay attention to blood from decades ago and use that to help judge. Fine by me! It’s good to know but you have to deal with the here and now. Part of being a good horseman is knowing the bloodlines, no two ways about it.
Actually, there are studs out there whose claim to fame is producing really nice geldings/mares and the stud owner/manager isn’t aiming for a breeding animal to hit the ground. That’s where you have to research and know your blood and what it’s good for. Another reason is to keep the market sort of cornered on certain blood and not too many horses out there to cheapen the stud fee. The AI phenom going on about ruined some breeds…
Look at the National or World shows for your particular breed. Be honest, does your halter prospect really hold up against the top 5 colts in what-would-have-been his class if he’d been there?? Does your colt hold up against a reining champ in blood and confo?? Use any class you like and BE HONEST.
The Difference Between a Stud and a Stallion
This is pretty cut and dried! A stallion is an intact male horse who can reproduce. That means any colt that is born is a stallion.
A stud is a male intact horse who is used in a “stud” for breeding mares.
A ‘stud farm’ uses a ‘stud horse’ for breeding the mares, hence the name, a ‘stud horse’. I’m pretty sure it was condensed down to plain ol’ ‘stud’ for conversation purposes.
So, the upshot is a stud is a stallion but a stallion isn’t necessarily a stud. Follow that??
A stud is a male intact horse who is used in a “stud” for breeding mares.
A ‘stud farm’ uses a ‘stud horse’ for breeding the mares, hence the name, a ‘stud horse’. I’m pretty sure it was condensed down to plain ol’ ‘stud’ for conversation purposes.
So, the upshot is a stud is a stallion but a stallion isn’t necessarily a stud. Follow that??
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