While I’m writing open letters to celebrities…
Oct 20 2007
Dear Mr. Terry Bradshaw,
Why exactly are you breeding this HYPP N/H creature with totally upright pasterns, post legs and a nasty set of forelegs? Look at them. He is back at the knee and rotated out at both knees. Ew. Yes, I know his foals are winning, but that to me is proof positive the system is fucked. You guys are deliberately breeding horses with a known, often fatal disease. Do you think that is something your fans would respect?
I do understand that making the famous quote “I may be dumb but I’m not stupid” was a shout-out to greedy unscrupulous horse industry types on the same level as calling pigs to feed, and I understand that you’ve probably been told that HYPP isn’t a big deal or even is necessary. I understand that, as far as you know, winning means they are good. I would encourage you to read Bringing Light to HYPP and talk to some veterinarians (not the one that works for the people who sold you the big money, defective horses, by the way) and educate yourself. Prove to us, Mr. Bradshaw, that you are not, indeed, stupid.
95 comments to “While I’m writing open letters to celebrities…”
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Those are the ugliest set of front legs I’ve ever seen. Christ.
His back legs are horrid, also!
And the feet!!!! Where are his feet? I can hardly see them. I guess I’d better get out my magnifying glass.
Wow, those upright pasterns.
How in the world can anyone feel this is an ideal horse conformation.Good old Terry needs a big time wake up call and needs to watch a hypp attack and still think it is OK to breed these horses.breeders abd the AQHA should be ashamed of the lack of action when it comes to these horses. One generation and they are gone but yet they still sit in thier asses and do nothing.Terry you may rock the football world but suck in the horse world!!!
Dear FHOTD fans: OT, but wanted to say “hi” after returning from Morgan Nationals in Oklahoma City. Met up with Beautiful-Morgan and she is indeed a beautiful girl. We met as planned on Friday morning and had a good chat, and had our picture taken in our Hallowe’en masks. We missed ChromeCowgirl and JstPam. Where were you guys?
Nationals was great from start to finish: Some of those walk-trot kid’s horses could be competitive at the upper levels. Lots of reiners, a class of 27 amateur hunters where each was better than the last and couple have been a 27-way tie, well-mannered pleasure horses, and the park saddle championship was truly a showdown amongst 4 former WCs. We Morganites and polite and never Boo, but in a couple of classes we’d give the winner a token clap and then a standing ovation for a second or third place horse. There’s more than one way to send a message…..
Friendly people enjoying good horses—couldn’t have asked for a better week. Plus, when I drove Double Jeopardy with my SD friend we had the actual fastest time through cones, but my inaccuracy with a strange mare and her signals had me dropping enough tennis balls that we placed 4th.
Now about Mr Bradshaw and his footless wonder, I am at a loss for words. Shovels, please tell me this is not the epitome of a stock horse!!
The picture you posted looks like a painting done by a person that thought they knew how to paint a horse. You’ve seen those pictures. It’s hard to believe that is a photograph of a real horse.
If you drew a line from the middle of his but to the point of the shoulder and didn’t look below that line, he’d be a good looking horse, eh?
However, what is relatively most important is below that line. Too bad. Sigh.
The sad thing is that those legs breed on…google on CK Kid and look at the foals. Sad!
Farmer’s Wife – That is strictly a halter horse, not a stock horse. Please don’t judge all stock horses by what you see winning at halter today.
LOL the only thing they probably “see” in him is his muscles..that’s all what it is about! who cares about the legs and..other important stuff??? buncha dumbfucks..he would make a better gelding..if he can do anything…
Anniebanannie – I agree with you. If I don’t look at the legs, I love the horse. The problem is the legs are the foundation for everything. And of course the N/H is something I have a problem with as well. We simply do not need to breed more horses who may suffocate to death from a genetic defect, as I’ve said many times. It’s totally avoidable and it’s time to avoid it.
Dear Forthefuture…thanks for the alert. I am still trying to learn and one of these days will get my test ride on a peanute pusher. That is one of the nicest things about my breed of choice in Morgans, is that our halter WCs are almost always performance horses, too. The last ten years’ WC halter stallion, mare, and geldings were also winners in park, pleasure, and classic. They are doers! Perhaps because one of the criteria for our in-hand (ie halter) classes is “ability to move correctly on the lead” at a walk and trot. Our halter horses HAVE to move. Hooray!
Most of the good, well-conformed QH stock horses aren’t a whole lot different than your solid, old-style Morgan horses. The only real difference is a higher, more upright set to the neck, a thicker base of the neck in a Morgan, and more muscle and definition in most of the QHs. You’re not going to get a decent work on a cow with a horse’s head up in the air, and likewise, you’re not going to find a fancy high-headed, high-stepping carriage horse in a low-to-the-ground traveling QH. The two breeds have very similar, common ancestors at their origin. And you probably couldn’t find two more similar breeds than the QH and the Morgan. They were both running and working horses in the very beginning. There is probably more diversity today in the types within QHs than there are in Morgans.
What you may not care for in an extreme stock horse type is not a whole lot different than the extreme Saddlebred-type Morgans that more traditional Morgan enthusiasts dislike. There are bad examples within each breed, and neither should be judged as a whole by the worst examples.
There are basically two types of breeding farm owners , with some minor variations. Ones that have been horsemen all their lives and came by their farms with years of hard work and experience and people who made their fortunes in another endeavor and are now pissing it all away on a horse farm.
Horseman , for the most part, don’t have any money and people with money , for the most part, are not horseman.
I have worked for and with both.
My last job was foaling out mares at a TB breeding farm owned by a host of a nationally syndicated game show that you can see every night .
After interviewing three people , he hired a guy who had worked for a trainer instantly recognizable to anyone who has watched coverage of the Kentucky Derby or the Breeders Cup. He had an impressive resume but was the most ethically retarded person I’ve met in my life ( anyone who has worked in TB racing can assure you the two are not mutually exclusive – as a matter of fact…….).
The dapper game show host didn’t have a clue about horses so he relied on what his farm manager and his circle of friends told him.
It’s all over now . The good ( and great) horsemen that worked there left in search of decent pay . Lawsuits were filed , fraudulent mortality insurance claims were filed and horses and horsemen ( and others ) were scattered about like leaves on a windy fall day. I gave up on the business completely . In a just world , the farm manager would be in prison , or at least selling pencils on a street corner ; but we don’t live in a just world so he is managing another horse breeding farm somewhere.
All that remains is a huge , magnificent farm with hundreds of empty stalls full of cobwebs waiting for the next sucker with visions of the winners circle to come along.
Dear Forthefuturte… Agreed about not judging entire breeds on the worst examples. Pity is that the horse at the top of this page is being touted as a GOOD example.
Last week at nationals I spent a lot of time in the stands watching classes and trying to pick out the “we’ve all gone to hell in the saddlebred basket” examples of Morgans, and found nary a one. Oh, a few didn’t have the prettiest heads, a few were long legged and standing over a lot of air, but I’d put money on 99% of them as recognizibly Morgan out in a field of other breeds. This was encouraging to me. Now for the record, before anyone hears idifferently on the internet, there was a wreck in a harness class and I witnessed it start to finish right under our box seats, and it was a prime example that our beloved horses of any breed are instinctively PREY animals who will react: Lovely park harness entry probably winning his class, coming down the long rail something broke on the fine harness (looked to be the underside of the wrap straps). Shafts started bouncing, horse kept trotting, driver kept driving to clear the rail—halfway through the corner severything self-destructed and a shaft jabbed that pony and he split for the high country! Driver tried her darndest to keep him straight until a shaft hooked on the post of the outgate. By this time the ringmasters had Trigger under control and poor intrepid driver was in the dirt with the EMTs at her side. NOW, the rest of the class of fire-breathing park horses stood quietly in center ring or walked calmly at the far end while medical aide was given to the injured driver and the ambulance took her away, then the class continued and was pinned. Word is that the driver is alive and well and nursing bruises and a headache.
I tell this story for two reasons: 1) ANY horse can react out of instict, even a seasoned old show horse, and 2) the exotic park horses can immediately settle to calmness when required. I am full of admiration for the driver who did her determined best to steer clear of trouble and bring her frightened horse under control to the bitter end. For those who say, “But why didn’t Trigger just Whoa when his girth busted?” that is my point: We hope our horses are trained to respond to us and the aides no matter what, but the CAN and WILL spook, so WHY do FHOTD’s people-of-the-day show pix of their kiddiwinks sitting bareback on foals or crawling under Flicka or pulling Shep’s tail????
PS: Once when driving on the road a similar wrap strap (check yer cinches, ladies ‘n gents!) broke, and my show horse did stop dead in his tracks when told to. I don’t know what he would have done if a broken shaft had stabbed him in the flanks…..
Jeeeeeez…
FHOTD, could you enlighten us UK readers as to how long a horse like that stays sound on average?
Not really having quarter horses here , and our ‘In Hand’ showing just doesnt compare either, its even MORE horrifying to see horses looking that way , never mind animals that are producing winning offspring.
I would imagine such a beast wouldnt stay sound ridden (I’m assuming creatures like this don’t get ridden), but how long can he carry his massive body around for on pasterns like that?
Farmer’s Wife – I did some research a minute ago and came across these two photos:
Morgan and Quarter Horse
The horse on the left is one of your Morgan National Champion stallions. The one on the right is a photo of one of the leading stock horse Quarter Horse stallions of all time, as an aged horse. He was no peanut pusher. In fact, he sired more than his share of halter horses, stock horses, working horses, and cowhorses, and is found in most stock horse pedigrees today.
To me, they are of similar types, and both are top representatives of their breeds.
What do you think?
>>All that remains is a huge , magnificent farm with hundreds of empty stalls full of cobwebs waiting for the next sucker with visions of the winners circle to come along.< <
Does he still own it?
Is he looking for a girlfriend?
Sounds like a place I could make a FINE equine rescue and rehab facility out of…and then he can take a big tax write-off! Everybody wins!
OK, in all seriousness, that story doesn’t surprise me a bit. There are a lot of ethical retards (man, I LOVE that term) in the horse business and they can smell their victims a mile away.
FHOTD – Here is the website of that farm…and it would do nicely for your purposes.
http://www.westerlystudfarms.com/
index.php?p=phototour&
This horse, CK Kid is the sire of the horse, Caribbean Kid, that was discussed a few comment pages back:
The stud has a cute head (way too small in relations to his body, but on its own, every cute) but that’s about it.
Whoops. Here’s the correct link:
Caribbean Kid
Well at least Carribean Kid is NN that is something.
I can never spell Caribbean, I always want to put in two r’s and one b.
forthefutureofthebreed said…
“Here is the website of that farm…”
That horse property…. one word. Drool.
Isn’t that a nice place? Just right.
Kay said…
Well at least Carribean Kid is NN that is something.
Did you see the pictures of his dam? That is one HUGE BODIED mare.
It certainly makes our local poor little 2.5 million equestrian center look like a slum. LOL
DKKTATK –
LOL, that looks like every horse painting I did when I was 8-12 and thought I was going to be the next Rembrandt! I look at them now and shudder.
I lost any respect I might have had for Terry Bradshaw when he was interviewed one morning on Don Imus’ show and tried to dump his unbroke geldings on Imus for his ranch for kids.
Better than sending them to the KBs, Terry?
In regards to Morgans and QH looking similar, back in the old days, the horses that could run a quarter of a mile were a mix of breeds. When the registry was developed, they did allow in horses that met the qualifications. It is known that some were Morgans, part drafts, and whatever else passed inspection. Hence the similarites.
Holy crap, those legs are HORRID. O_O
ok, so if you cover every thing above the knee, do you notice that it seems like the legs should be opposite sides from what they are? I am a Quarter horse lover and sadly, they are still not conforming even to their published standards. Most standards say that the poll should not be lower than the withers, not be flexed beyond the vertical, and carry in a natural gait. That is not a 4-beat canter. In all the published magazines, the champions will be bend beyond vertical, below the withers, and not flexed at the poll but back in the vertebrae. As long as they keep winning, the trainers will keep training. Kind of the same with the HYPP: as long as the trainers, breeders, and judges are all circulating the same money, where is the incentive to change?
OK, off my soap box.
“Dear FHOTD fans: OT, but wanted to say “hi” after returning from Morgan Nationals in Oklahoma City. Met up with Beautiful-Morgan and she is indeed a beautiful girl. We met as planned on Friday morning and had a good chat, and had our picture taken in our Hallowe’en masks. We missed ChromeCowgirl and JstPam. Where were you guys? “
Where were you!!!! I was a few minutes late, but I was there before the first class was placed. The only people behind the presentation area were the presenters.
I then continued to walk around the arena walkway at least every two classes, and even went to the internet cafe to see if there was a change of plans.
I then saw some people behind the presentation area, and when I walked over, it was some teenagers hanging out.
I was soooo disapointed, I had waited all week, and made my friend skip breakfast so we could get to the show on time.
You were right, overall it was a great show, and I made sure to tell my friends ion the show committee…repeatedly!
As for the wreck, I too was sitting front row seats right above the accident. I do have to say that my friend and I were not surprised. When the driver entered thje ring, our first words to each other were “she is not hitched up correctly” The traces were too long, and the buggy was moving up and back on the horse, when the tie down DID break, everything was so loose that the shafts bounced and the cart started bouncing. Hold backs on the shafts would have helped stabilize the buggy some. All did end well, she had a short hospital stay, (for observation)and nothing broken.
Great news….the Colorado youth won the Youth Of The Year contest!! Yea Lisa!
Ooooh, it’s even in California, and I looove California!
…sigh…
Who is Terry Bradshaw???
I do not understand the point of breeding horses for halter classes. I understand halter classes for young stock, because you obviously can’t do anything else with them and you want to show them off. And I understand what to me is the normal run of a showing day, that is you show them in hand in the morning, then you get on and ride them (or drive them) in the classes later in they day.
I also understand that there are a lot of people who might love horses but are a bit nervous of riding them at a show, either because of the horse or not wanting to be looked at.
But if people can afford to pay for fence trainers to show their horses in hand, can;t they also afford to pay people to ride them? (I mean the same horses).
I just don;t understand halter as an end in itself (gee even the classes for Minis have them jumping in hand and they can be show in harness).
Ignoring the issue of legs (who needs legs after all, they only carry the horse around) that Caribbean Kid looks seriously deformed in the hind end to me. Like somehow the muscles have been melted and slipped backwards and he is going to end up permanently sat on his haunches like a dog.
On the other hand those photos of the Morgan and old QH. I’d take either of them home (the QH to me looks like a chubby TB
)
Dear Forthefuture….. good eye! Look similar, though both are a mite long in the back for me. I’ll go out on a limb and guess the Morgan is Van Lu Starbuck(?) My recollection is that in the early 1950′s(?) the Morgan contingent met with the Q folk to research/solidify/compare bloodlines and were ill treated by the Qs. At any rate, somebody left in a huff and there has been animosity ever since. Someone please correct me if my hisotry is wrong, but I can’t imagine making this up.
Nevertheless, I agree with whomever said “a good horse is a good horse” and pelase take my ‘peanut pusher’ remarks in the spirit in which they are made, which is the facetious sterotyping of stock breeds that we breeders of high-headed hotties counter with. After all, we grit our teeth at remarks such as FHOTD’s one about the black & white pony stallion on the next blog as having “too much knee action” where we want as much knee and hock as we can get. As I’ve said before, I look forward to a test ride someday on a nice stock horse (and until then will continue to enjoy giggling at the sequined Q Queens perched like the cherry on top of a sundae on a low-headed-low-tailed mount.
But on the other hand…….lest I criticize bling too much, back in OKC I witnessed an entirely rhinestone encrusted saddle in a regular pleasure class, not parade, along with many rhinestone conchos on saddle pads. Saints preserve us!
Don’t know if this will work.
Anyway, this is a Stockhorse
http://www.horsedeals.com.au/content/enlarged/110322.jpg
Farmers wife…yep the crystalized saddle, brast collar & bridle is a bit tacky. Worse that it is being used by a male trainer.
Most of us do the fashion critique during the western classes, and most outfits were rather nice. BUT……please ladies if you are of a cretain “age” and over a certain “weight” PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not wear spandex, and DO get a proper fitting bra.
Wish I could have met you, and watched a few classes with you!
Farmer’s Wife – The Morgan stallion is Santa Fe Renegade, a present-day stallion. The Quarter Horse is Doc Bar, well into his later years. I had a difficult time finding a photo of a Morgan stallion that didn’t either have a knee up to his chin, or was stretched out where you couldn’t judge his conformation properly. So I picked him because of his normal stance to compare to a QH. I agree, he’s a bit long and light-bodied for my eye which prefers a good old-fashioned type Morgan, but he’s pretty enough. And Doc Bar is gone…and he probably wouldn’t be as popular if he lived today.
But my point was they are very similar in type. Not like the difference between an Arabian and a Shire. QHs and Morgans are similar types, both versatile, with common origins, and now, different purposes for specialization.
It did.
Different horse, but shows the type we call a Stockhorse anyway.
http://www.horsedeals.com.au/content/enlarged/110330.jpg
But we do have your sort as well
http://www.horsedeals.com.au/content/enlarged/106598.jpg
http://www.horsedeals.com.au/content/enlarged/111161.jpg
Can they please please PLEASE get rid of that stupid fad with the hideous gaskin-butt tie-in? Whoever decided that they’d start awarding for that needs SHOT.
Dear JstPam, I am SOOOOOO disappointed!!!!!! Beautiful-Morgan and I were sitting, if you are looking AT the presentation area, in the seats immediately to the right, and we held our masks in our laps visible to anyone (we thought) walking by who would see us, through the first two classes, plus I walked over to the other side (left facing the presentation), so we must have passed like ships in the night. This is so sad I am almost crying (really!) How ’bout we make another date for next year and exchange cell #s so we don’t miss each other again. I am so disappointed, and DID want to meet you.
I looked at one of those rhinestone saddles at Chavez’ in the alley between the barns and you could buy a nice new trailer for the price. Yikes! Whatever will happen when a good plain working outfit comes back in fashion? (I should live so long). I have a nice big western mare I’ve shown locally a little bit in my prehistoric buckstitched saddle but know I’d get laughed out of the arena at an A show. Hubby won’t let me make holes in it to attach a few silver conchos as it’s the saddle he uses when he rides once a decade.
Did you see the parade class? While Steve was the class act on HVK Vibrance he WAS NOT wearing a number unless it was embroidered in sequins on his fanny. Not even a case of “# fell off so we reattach it during a momentary timeout” but ingate to victory pass with no #. I thought there was a rule…..
After the buggy wreck my trainer gave me the evil eye on remembering to hitch up VERY carefully always and keeping that leather clean, supple, and strong. I admit to sometimes putting the harness on the horse and just cleaning what shows.
Again, JstPam, I am sick that we missed each other. I now gather you are from Colorado? My daughter and her lifelong horseshow friend were on the panels that judged their speeches and did the interviews. Fun to watch “old” Youth help the new youth along the same path.
Now get a pix in your mask and send it to FHOTD and maybe she can photoshop your and ours together if/when she ever posts the “first annual FHOTD Morganite meeting” on this site.
Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry to have missed you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Farmer’s Wife – Also, as a breeder of Paint horses (which basically are QHs with a whole lot of white), I do not breed horses who represent the extreme types of the QH or Paint breeds. My horses are all HYPP N/N, HERDA negative, and are not specialized type horses that can only do one thing. I agree with you on the extreme types in the show ring. They are ruining the breed, in my opinion. I’m not familiar enough with Morgans to know when they became known as high steppers. What little history I’ve read about them, they were very similar to QHs (in Colonial Virginia times). They ran, and they worked. So, given what little I know about your breed, I will guess that the “high headed hotties” as you call them, were not what the original Morgans were either. In looking for a photo of a Morgan, I found many action shots that looked like heavier Saddlebreds. Every breed goes through changes, evolves, and fads will dictate what is hot in the showring. The type you now prefer with Morgans is no different that those who love and show WP with their QHs. Keep it correct, and don’t go too far off the deep end with the type, and they have their place. But the extremes are what gives some breeds a bad name with those who are loyal to other breeds.
Dear Forthefuture…Renegade was my second guess (should have noticed the banged tail). Thanks for picking a nice representative of my breed (and trained in (ahem) western dressage by Eitan…). So that’s Doc Bar? I’ve heard that name in Qs, also Poco Bueno(?) and Chex(?) Good ones?
As to the high steppin’ hotties, I use that term just like peanut-pusher because so many people think that’s what show Morgans are all about. Indeed it usually is a park horse who wins WC stallion, but our pleasure and classic (amateur-presented) win WCs, too. OKC was a good example of everything we can do except cutting, as we had classes including carriage, reining, hunter, western, pleasure, park, driving, equitation, and truth to tell, the same horse often does several if not almost all of those disciplines during his lifetime (nopt at the same show for heaven’s sake). This year the horse who won the world in obstacle driving also won in dressage, and I saw a kid’s walk-trot mount come back to win an open Eng pleasure championship.
I am glad for our dialogue comparing and contrasting various breeds and disciplines. I am learning a lot. Now if I can just get my mind around a lower head & neck set and a low & flat tail as being desireable when I’ve been weaned on the exact opposite….bear with me.
Farmer’s Wife – I agree, it’s all in what you grew up with, or have been around most of your life. Same thing here. I grew up with using horses, and the all around type. I can imagine getting into what you’re doing, and I’m sure you would come to appreciate a different type of horse once you’re around them also. You will never hear me talk bad about a breed, whether I like them or not. There are good and bad representatives of all of them. I don’t care for poor quality, regardless of the breed, period. But I can sure appreciate the high class and quality of a good one. It’s all in what we prefer. Once you’re well versed in your breed, you can actually have some influence, and put to good use what you have learned. I think we have an obligation to do just that.
http://www.triplecranchllc.com/
Is that a boar? Or maybe a Belgian Blue steer? Why am I not surprised they dont show the legs in the picture?
Viatecio said…
Can they please please PLEASE get rid of that stupid fad with the hideous gaskin-butt tie-in? Whoever decided that they’d start awarding for that needs SHOT.:::
Yes! Those poor horses look like they’ve got a load of manure in their britches! Talk about fugly!
Are the QH judges completely blind or what? Better not bring your mares to that type of show for an “honest evaluation” of what good conformation is.
forthefutureofthebreed said…
So I picked him because of his normal stance to compare to a QH. I agree, he’s a bit long and light-bodied for my eye which prefers a good old-fashioned type Morgan, but he’s pretty enough.:::
Pretty but this stallion should be gelded. That is a very distinct swayback and inheritable. Again, is this what is being promoted as GOOD conformation? >shudders<
:::And Doc Bar is gone…and he probably wouldn’t be as popular if he lived today. :::
Now THAT is a nice horse (and I’m not a QH fan). Far too fat in that photo but a really, really nice horse. A cryin shame he wouldn’t be popular today and horses like CK Kid are “World Champions”. People are nuts.
Fantasia, I will admit I don’t know enough about Morgans to judge that horse other than what I’ve seen and read in the past. Of course, I’m used to looking at the paintings of Justin Morgan, so it’s hard to know what they really look like. I don’t see many around here to judge them, either.
Doc Bar was 21 years old in that photo. He lived to age 36. He was race-bred, but set the standard in the cutting horse world in his time. He was a grandson of Three Bars (TB).
I’m with you on what should not be World Champions…
eeze you’d think AQHA halter breeders were breeding beef cattle! the weights and muscle masses that those horses reach at a year can compete with the best bred cattle. i really begin to wonder how much FURTHER they are going to push it, just how much bigger can they actually get their horses? im appauled when i see a 1400 lb horse standing on size 0 or 00 feet. i dont want my horses over 900 lbs on any less than size 2 feet! i my opinion the best example of the “ideal” quarter horse is one that can burst out the box, jerk a calf and pull back hard, just my opinion! all i can think when i look at those moster AQHA halter champions is “yuuummmm thats a eat’n quality horse!”…and then i have the urge to go buy a big fat steak!
Dear Forthefuture,
Just scanning over Dreamhorse I found two decent examples of our upheaded hotties. #1091262 is a stallion at liberty, and #11112620 is a hunter at nationals (note the knee & hock even in a hunter). Now I’m gonna google up The Boogie Man who went WC stallion for some eye candy.
Oh to heck with it, I’m just going to Waterford Farm and look at Born To Boogie (going back to the well, so to speak). Give me a top notch park harness horse who can model up like that any day!
This from the list’s carriage driving afficianado.
he has a nice neck…..
…. for a moo cow.
hahahaha i see someone mentioned caribbean kid… aka the horse so ugly i reported his websites copyright breaches to disney and got it pulled
No, not Westerly Stud. Creston Farms. Used to be Cardiff Stud.
http://www.ctba.net/aaa/alex/trebek.htm
And you better have a net worth equivalent to the GNP of a developing country. 700 acres of irrigated pasture = PG+E bill of $30,000 a month ……
I have been reading your blog for sometime now, and this is my first post… Farmers Wife… In a turn of 6 degrees-of-separation… I can grant you your wish of being able to ride an honest-to-goodness real western pleasure horse.. full drape,slow ( but correct) 3 beat lope,2 beat jog and a 4 beat walk and yes, has a spur check too… I don’t know how to work out the details …. My husband is the EMT at the Morgan shows held at Tacoma Unit in May and then in August…. Let me know how I can get ahold of you
That stallion is the ugliest horse I have ever seen. It is not possible to have feet like that on a body like that–and still be able to walk.
But then, what do I know? I love the draft breeds with the feathers and big feet and big everything else, all balanced and ready to go.
This horse, carrying the genetics to pass on a horrible disease, is registered by its breed association (is this a quarter horse?)…What does that say about the integrity of the registry?
ho-hum…once again, it’s the money.
The photos of Caribbean(sp?) Kid–that rear end looks abnormal.
What’s up with the Quarter Horse people? Is that how the QH is supposed to look?
Cat said…
http://www.triplecranchllc.com/
Is that a boar? Or maybe a Belgian Blue steer? Why am I not surprised they dont show the legs in the picture?
that is honestly the most nauseatingly obese and sickening thing i have seen since Sir Moo Hypp. how the fuck do they get away with keeping an animal in that condition? a child would be taken into care, abused like that.
This is how Australia treats its HYPP positive horses. Is this something the US could do? Is doing?
“From 1 August 2006 any horse that tests positive for HYPP (N/H) will not be considered eligible for registration into the Stud Book or Appendix Register until they are spayed or gelded.
So the AQHA have put in place some measures, at least as a deterrant to breeding HYPP positive horses. Doesn’t exclude them from the ring entirely.
Progeny of HYPP positive parents (N/H) must be tested using the official procedure before they will be considered for registration in either the Stud Book or Appendix Registers, this is just in case that by chance they are N/N and eligible.
Problem is, it doen’t stop people from breeding HYPP positive horses and selling affected progeny onto the unsuspecting public, outside the QH registry.”
Cat said…
http://www.triplecranchllc.com/
Is that a boar? Or maybe a Belgian Blue steer? Why am I not surprised they dont show the legs in the picture?
OMG! that is the ugliest horse I’ve ever seen. Having spent most of this weekend at the Great Lakes International Draft horse show, he look like one of the heavyweight belgians from the horse pull last night. THAT is a QH? What the hell?! Click into th site and look at their other stallions… YUCK they are all that fat and hideous.
Cat said…
http://www.triplecranchllc.com/
My god, that horse actually has boobs.
And I liked Terry B…not anymore though. Disappointing to find that he is part of that. Poor horsey.
That is sickening. How can anyone who knows anything about horses think that’s a good example of the breed? Greedy assholes.
It’s all about the money…bottom line. People get caught up in that crap in their quest for fame and fortune. It’s not just QHs, either.
1) Montana STILL has the best butt in football, Bradshaw was just another bubble butt.
2) QH horses are COW horses, someone mistook that as they should look like cows, not work cows – and the sheep followed.
From the “stallion line up page on:
http://www.triplecranchllc.com/
SpecialSalehorses.html
=======================
WOW….. Now wasn’t that the most beautiful page of stallions you have ever seen!
=======================
Barfing all over my computer monitor!!!! These horses all look like they’re being bred for meat production and certainly not for riding (or anything else besides posing). This is beautiful!!!???
I want to know what type of drug causes such serious breaks in reality and is it FDA approved? LOL! Oops, I forgot – these boys are all “World Championsâ€. We can’t blame these horrors on BYB’s.
Farm Wife,
The videos (with music, too)?
Dear Chipgirl,
Yes! We go to those shows every year and I’ve had some brief chats with your husband in and out of the office while I’ve been doing youth high point charts and he’s been waiting for someone to fall off. Several years ago he talked at length with my daughter who wanted to be an EMT and gave her encouragement (she since did work as an EMT and cis now a recently licensed PA-C). Small world. A nice small world.
So okay, you’re on. Seems to me the two Morgan shows there are the Springtime PNW and the Harvestime PNW and the show secretary used to be my trainer in my misspent youth. We can make this happen. Can I wear my kentucky jods and paddock boots or do I need those shaggy alpaca chaps and a cowboy hat?
THANKS!!!!!
Dear CHIPGIRL,
I’ll email the show secretary from those shows and see if I can get your email address through her, thus preserving our clandestine FHOTD identities.
Farm Wife,
Here’s help to be properly dressed, all on EBAY!
Item numbers:
130165636169
110182461342
260173204276
250176553168
Make sure to visit the blueroom prior to riding a peanut roller, I average about 4 trips before making it one time around the arena (have lots of time, it’s a sloooww process).
When you’re done there, stop by to ride a cow pony. If you liked Doc Bar, I have a g-son who looks like a clone, down to the color, markings, swirls and thumbprints. He’s got a trot that’ll get ya to the work site before the suns up, and not spill your coffee on the way – just like they’re suppose to.
No, working/performance horses are not built like halter horses. Can you imagine trying to run down a cow when you’re on stilts with a full diaper? Course, since they look so much like an old steer, it may keep the herd quieter.
You Morganites better get some vids on youtube. I’ve seen all I could find, now into the fine harness Saddlebreds – now that is BEAUTIFUL!!
Westerly Stud, in the Santa Ynez Valley is up for sale, for 13.3 million dollars (there abouts) Back in the day D. WAYNE LUKAS used to be based out of there. It is a beautiful piece of property, just down the road from HAPPY CANYON, where the big Zaca Fire had burned to this year, was quite scary, they had most of the roads shut down
I’m not sure how much of his conformation he owes to bad genetics or to the absolutely MORONIC things halter folks do to their horses feet to make them appear like this…
either way, it’s disgusting.
oh_for_crying_out_loud said…I’m not sure how much of his conformation he owes to bad genetics or to the absolutely MORONIC things halter folks do to their horses feet to make them appear like this…either way, it’s disgusting.
Would you believe computer “enhancement”?
forthefutureofthebreed said…
oh_for_crying_out_loud said…I’m not sure how much of his conformation he owes to bad genetics or to the absolutely MORONIC things halter folks do to their horses feet to make them appear like this…either way, it’s disgusting.
Would you believe computer “enhancement”?
Maybe some of that too.
I hate it when they whittle their feet into nothing AND THEN crop the pictures so much and change them into mutants. It’s terrible.
OFCOL – I agree. If you look closely at many of these photos (here and on many of those websites given), the horses have been PhotoShop’d on another background. Muscles are made larger (more bulge), necks thinner, throatlatches trimmed down, faces dished, toplines tweaked, and more upright pasterns on smaller, sometimes phony hooves buried halfway in the imaginary grass.
I miss the days (60s & 70s) when a real photographer had skills and there was no computer “retouching” of QH and Paint photos. WYSIWYG.
OMG you mean that they actually go out of their way to make their horses look like that. Too bad the horses can’t sue.
Kay, that’s pretty funny. You know, I took the photos of my horse in my avatar (good think my horse can’t sue ME!). I wouldn’t know how to retouch a photo even if I wanted to. At least everyone that has visited to see my horse thinks he’s much nicer in person than any of the photos of him. I’d much rather have it that way than the other way around where they’d be disappointed when they saw the real thing!
Kays’ reaction was my reaction – you mean they actually want them to have upright pasterns and no feet?
Gee I can understand them photo enhancing those muscles if that is what they like (erk) but to build a fault in where the isn’t one?
Dear Shovels,
Surely if I arrived in that getup any selfrespecting pony would run for the high country! That hat looks like Hoss’ from “Bonanza” and I’m sure our border collie would shred those chaps, but I kinda like the sparkly shirt…..
Love your description of your own cow pony who’ll git ya there and not spill yer java. Suffice it to say that a turn of the track on a park horse would shake up yer champagne pretty bubbly….
Are you in the same neck of the woods as Chipgirl?
TFW (who just got home from riding her smooth ol’ classic English pleasure horse at the trainer’s and had a swell time)
And there’s Alex on the off side of a stud (geussing from the lip chain) looking every bit of the part of knowledgable horse man! Holy crap. That Caribbean Kid has more junk in the trunk than I do – and that’s a lot! You guys are great!
The Farmer’s Wife; what do you think of this morgan?
http://www.workwizemorgans.com/foxtaildakota.html
I liked some of their horses and wondered how they would rate in the general morgan scheme of things.
Oh and I’m so not defending the Seriously Ugly or whatever his name is; but he does have feet; what I like (not) is the fact that the majority of his pics have him wearing a lip chain.
Dear FirstDog,
Re the stallion Foxtail Dakota, he looks to be a solid “old fashioned” Morgan with a decent shoulder and length of neck and okay head. Looks to have some bone. Where I would fault would be a dropped-off croup with low tailset and he could be cleaner through the throatlatch. Sounds as if he has a stellar disposition and the training and exposure to make him a solid equine citizen. Of the offspring shown I like the one called “Bride” the best.
On Dreamhorse #1113032 there’s a Morgan in reining training. Would be interested in peole’s opinion who do reining for a living (on peanut pushers, heheh).
Hi Farmers Wife..
You can wear your kentucky jodphurs…. I don’t recommend alpaca chaps as that might scare her LOL… She is more inclned for her riders to wear alot of “bling” or at the very least a pair of Cruel Girls Jeans…. as she is a western pleasure show horse… However she is not adverse to her riders wearing hunt seat attire either…LOL… Saddle seat attire is fine too as Appaloosas are shown Saddle Seat and she has been around that too…
Yes… call your contacts to get my number… I will be looking foreward to meeting you
Farmer’s wife said
Surely if I arrived in that getup any selfrespecting pony would run for the high country! That hat looks like Hoss’ from “Bonanza” and I’m sure our border collie would shred those chaps, but I kinda like the sparkly shirt…..
Let’s see you have Hoss’ hat, chaps that would make Too Slim (Rider’s in Sky) proud, Roy Roger’s shirt, and boots that might have belonged to George (Iceman) Wolfe (Jockey). That is quite a ensemble.
Aww, Kay, you’re just jealous, and here I am trying to do my level best for the good of horse lovers everywhere.
Okay, Chipgirl, I’ll see if we can get in touch. If not, you can tell your hubby to look for the gal in those alpaca batwings…
HOLY POST LEGS!!!!!!
Dear Chipgirl,
My people are working on getting in contact with your people. Playing email roulette with show manager and show secretary. I’ll have all winter to get in shape for my Great Stock Horse Adventure.
By the way, I’m currently rereading Tshiffley’s Ride about the schoolteacher who rode two criollo ponies from Buenas Aires to Washington DC in 2 1/2 years. From the pix Mancha and Gato look fugly as they come, but thus far they’ve gotten him over the Andes and you can’t argue with that.
Hey Farmer’s Wife; I rein and have been keeping an eye on the reining trends for a while. The gelding you linked to would seem to be fine to me; I never had any problem with an upheaded horse (however some reining trends are wandering towards the level or low neck)
Not sure why more Morgans aren’t shown open NRHA shows (SOME are and fairly successfully too), I do think that they would be more successful than what I have seen. Perhaps it is snobbery; leading AQHA bloodlines being preferred by leading trainers; I imagine a Morgan would be welcomed by an upandcoming trainer.
What I would like to do is take an older western style Morgan to a WC trainer and lie (shock/gasp) about the horse’s breeding; call it a grade QH (paper problem)out of decently good mare by excellent stallion. Would love to see what could be done with a horse w/o prejudice getting in the way.
All it would take is some serious money (still waiting for that lottery win), and that would be one of my dreams.
I want to take a coloured (Pal/Grey/Black/Buckskin) Morgan reiner to the NRHA Top Ten.
I want to take a black roan QH reiner to the NRHA Top Ten (so far there are lots of sorrel and bay roans – no black roans that I like. Since the injection of the cutting roans into reining circles; I may yet find a black roan reiner at the top one day.
Custom Red Berry is my favourite roan reiner.
The very saddest thing is… Mr. Bradshaw started with an all N/N program (Anyone Else remember Major JD Parker?) and I guess he felt he wasn’t as compeditive, or he couldn’t sell them to the halter people, so he must have switched to this horse.
I heard at the congress sale, they were getting rid of the halter horses, taking whatever they could get, and I’m not talking about the culls/rejects either. I’m not sure if HYPP was the player, just that the halter market was down in general, too.
ugh.. and even WORSE… check out the bay horse at the bottom
http://www.chipknost.com/stallions.html
Afraid I don’t have time to read through all the comments but it should be said. People who own/stand HYPP N/H or H/H horses are not stupid. They have learned every way to evade an attack, their horses live carefully regulated schedules and diets so that they don’t have an attack and these people hop to when their horses DO have an attack. Doesn’t mean that it’s right, but you’re kidding yourself if you think that most of these big names who stand HYPP N/H or H/H horses don’t know what they are knee deep in! They just don’t think there’s anything wrong with it!