FFFS - Pretty Is As Pretty Does

How old would you say this horse is? 


My initial guess was 3 years old. A slightly hip high 3 year old. 


Would you believe me if I told you he was a yearling? Born Jan 27, 2009.


He's a halter horse - if you hadn't guessed that much already. He's for sale, too, of course. 




He's a beauty, isn't he? Without knowing parentage, going just off of his look alone, I'd say this one might possibly be 'stallion material'. This is also the way a stallion, or stallion prospect, should be presented.


He's beautifully groomed, new halter, angles are correct on the picture, gorgeous pasture background with very few distractions and the fence to gauge his height. (Nice little trick there. :D)


This horse, is also this weeks Friday Featured Fugly Stallion. 


I'll give you three guesses as to why. What could possibly put a stallion such as this up on MY blog as the Fugly Stud of the Week? 

AQHA Black Stallion-Halter/Breeding Prospect - $7500 (Leesburg, Texas)

This colt is by CK KID and out of a producing daughter of Sierra Te. He is 16 months old and already stands 15 hands and 1/2 inch. He will easily mature to 16 hands or even more. 
For more pictures visit website: www.dennishoodquarterhorses.com 
For more information email at drhood1220@aol.com


Hmmm, very little obvious help there. Ad is decently written, spelled correctly, relevant information related to the horse being sold. 


He's by CK Kid...the unanimous 2001 AQHA 2 year old World Champ Halter Stud & #4 on AQHA's Leading sire list as of 10/09... CK Kid is out of Touchdown Kid...who is out of Kid Clu ....... Seeing the picture here? 


Pretty black stallion up there is N/H, just like Daddy, just like Granddaddy, Just like his ENTIRE FREAKING SIRE LINE IS HYPP POSITIVE. I didn't even bother looking up the Mare Line, its totally not worth it cause it doesn't even matter if the mare is N/H or N/N. 


They completely omitted that fact on the Craigslist Ad. Oh, its on his sale webpage so they can't be accused of not disclosing the information. But he's being sold as a Breeding Prospect of Course - why WOULDN'T he be - and apparently, nobody gives a damn about HyPP. 


By the way, I never realized that CK Kid is owned by the NFL Legend Terry Bradshaw...I dislike football to begin with on its own principals, but I'll never EVER be able to watch another football game with Bradshaw as Commentator again the same way. 


I just looked through TB's website - half of them are listed with HyPP Status, half of them are not. He's got a partnership going with Ted Turner (the biggest name in stock halter trainers) and they are rockin' and rollin' their way to more WCh's. 


It doesn't get any bigger than this in the Stock Horse Halter World. Ted Turner is simply THE biggest trainer there is when it comes to AQHA Halter, APHA Halter, and ApHA Halter. If he still is breeding, showing, and training HyPP Pos Horses, then why should anyone else change too? 


Dennis Hood Quarter Horses, the barn that has CK Sierra up for sale, has their motto on their home page. 


"Breeding the Best to the Best then Hoping for the Best"


Well, you moron, if you weren't breeding HyPP Positive horses, you wouldn't HAVE TO HOPE FOR THE BEST now would you? 


BUT BUT BUT (Hush hush now), *whispers* Its OK to breed N/H, cause nothing ever happens to them, its just a little letter, won't hurt anything, besides, we can get $10,000 per 2 year old if I breed to _________ (insert N/H or H/H stallion of choice)!


If these horses were not commanding the world championships, and the multi thousand dollar price tags - if they were worth the $200 - $3000 that we see daily on Craigslist and other similar sites, whadda wanna bet that their worth would suddenly plummet, and *gasp* people might actually pass them over for a non diseased horse? 


Oh wouldn't that be the day? 


Yea. I'm harsh. I don't care what the horse looks like on the outside. If its H/H or N/H, geld it. Put it on Regumate for the rest of its life. Ride if you must at your own risk, but I firmly believe that you don't breed it, you get RID OF THE DISEASE. It could happen within our lifetime if this wonderful mindset were to happen. 


If the big stock registries would actually grow the balls they so love to advertise, they have the power to stop it. A simple ban on any horse tested N/H or H/H would do the trick. Of course you'd still have the ones that don't follow the rules and breed them anyways, but those foals would never be eligible for breed registration, thus dropping their value wayyy down. Fancy bloodlines that can't show breed don't get high stud, breeding, or selling fees, see? 


So $7500 for a horse that could, theoretically, have the biggest horse sized seizure at any time, have a heart attack, have his throat swell up and suffocate, or simply freak himself out in the middle of an attack and smash his head against a stall wall. $7500 for a disease that NOBODY that has the power to do anything about, is doing anything about. 


I love my stock horses, I really do. Hypp is becoming not just the Quarter Horse Disease. Outcrossings to arabians, morgans, thoroughbreds, and numerous other breeds are now at risk as well for spreading it within their own lines. All it would take is one qh outcross and there you go. HyPP is now in YOUR breed and you might not even know it. 


It has to change at the top. At this level. Or it never will.

Meanest Little Mule In Iowa

Gotta be a quick post today, its a day off from work, and 200 things to do of course. 


So today we have the Meanest Little Mule In Iowa. 


Literally!

 

Meanest little mule in Iowa (Chariton)

I ended up the meanest little mule and would really like to find a home for her. Ideally, she would be great guarding someones sheep or calves. The best possible situation for her and her new owner would be to turn her out and never want to catch her again-atleast not very often. I did finally get a halter on her and she is tied out eating grass. Believe me, that is something for her!! She will kick at you with both back feet--several times in a row. She'll even run backwards after you and try kicking you. My husband calls her DB-Double Barrel. She will warn you before she kicks, her tail swishes like crazy. She will turn and face you if she has to, but be careful when you reach out, she will try to bite you. I think it's just a warning though, because she hasn't gotten us with her teeth yet. She will lead, when she decides to. If you think you could possibly "bond" with her, PLEASE give me a call. I have a seven year old daughter who doesn't need to be around her. She is a cute little thing though, buckskin/dun with a dorsal stripe and a few white hairs on her head. Please do not call me if you are looking for a petting zoo pet. Thanks for reading!! (641)---1137 Kelly 

My friend sent me this gem. She herself lives in Iowa, and this is one that she's come across. I found it pretty funny, to tell the truth. This is a person that probably has never worked with mules/donkeys before, and this smart little mule/donkey has figured out how to get the best of her. 

Most of it is just behavioral re-training (really nothing that some time in a stall, she gets fed only from YOU on YOUR terms, and other such methods wouldn't fix ....and yes, you can 'round pen' in a stall if she won't let you get a halter on ... there are lots of gentle ways to handle this angry animal) but the one line that concerns me a bit is where she says the animal is tied on the grass. Thats a highly dangerous situation just waiting for a broken leg or two. 

The ad is recent, within a few days, so if there's anyone that is in the area that might be interested, I have the full ad saved with all the contact information. 

No pictures unfortunately, woulda been nice, but no such luck. 

I'm off to the library with kids in tow - tomorrow will be the stallion ad I can't wait to put up - have a great day everyone!

Breedin' Babies to Babies Again!

This was one of those ads that looked so, almost boring to write about. Once I started digging though... holy cow!




Holly is 2.5 years old, she has great ground manners, loves people, She does not spook, she is very curious about everything, she has a natural cattle drive instinct. Nothing seems to bother her. She is ready to start in any direction, Or just have her as a broodmare. She was breed to a Breeders Trust Incentive Fund Stallion last month. (Me in: That would have been in April she was bred.) I have ALL paperwork in order. Both pedigrees can be view at allbreedpedigree.com


Holly's registered name is "Kenos Strait Holly"
Cory's registered name is "Let It Rock"


Pictures are from January, she has since slicked out. 


I don't usually go into pedigrees, but I am feeling the bloodlines today, so lets check it out. 


The mare is a paternal granddaughter of Strait From Texas, and on her dam's side? Not a single horse I recognize...great-grandsire is Kenos Justin Time? Anyone know that horse? Google was no help with that name. At any rate, one of 4 grand-parents were decent. 


Oh, and ABP.com lists her year of birth as 2007 - that would make her 3, not 2.5 years old? Hmm. Either a mis-type, or .....???


Ok, on to the Stallion she's bred to. OOOOOMy. This boy was foaled in 2008! HE'S the 2 year old! He's also a son of Zipparock, not a name I know, but google is our friend, and Zipparock has a yearling lunge line paint world championship, a bunch of WP world show points, and was a top 10 finalist in the Western Pleasure Derby. So, the 2 year old colt is basically pleasure bred paint. 


On the Dam's side of Let It Rock, things are decent here too. Dad is AQHA sire "A Special Assignment", who seems to be doing pretty well for himself, both in the show and breeding rings. A Special Assignment is sired by Barpassers Image, who is a pretty decent name to have on one's pedigree.  


In other words, we have a possibly very nice colt that the owners are breeding to just about anything just to get his name out there. Thing is he'd make a much better sire if the owners of Let It Rock would just let the horse grow up a bit more! He's got the names to back him up, let him get out in the show ring for a year or two, let everyone see what he can do, and then start selectively breeding mares! Instead, we get a stallion owner who is breeding to anything that has owners' who will send in a check. 

You guessed it, she's nothing to look at. 


Comparing the two pictures, the top one looks like she's camped under quite a bit, but below, not so much, so maybe she's just standing funny. I hope. 














Neither picture shows me a mare that should be a lifetime broodmare at the tender age of 3. 












But how, oh how, did I guess we had a back yard breeder here? How did I know? 










I found a picture of Let It Rock. 

This is the picture she is currently using to advertise him.  


Standing at Stud is a beautiful sorrel overo stallion. His pedigree includes Zippo Pine Bar, Dirty Rocki, Barpassers Image and Sirtain Opinion. This Stallion, is kind, gentle and good to the ladies. Since this is his first year, he is being offered at this introductory price. He has pasture bred my 2 mares and he was a perfect gentleman.


She doesn't even mention the one stallion (besides Barpassers Image) that would make mare owners stand up and take notice.. and thats A Special Assignment, dear old daddy! 


No mention of course of future training plans. No 'He's going to be promoted on xyz circit'. Its just "He's got balls, so we're gonna let him use them!"


And I find this.
http://www.equinenow.com/horse-ad-272941

That would be dear little camped under Holly up there. Same owner, both mare and stallion. I should be surprised, but of course I'm not. 


This beautiful filly has it al. She is gentle, calm, no spook has brains and is ready to go any direction you want her to. She stands tied all day, great for the farrier, leads, loads, picks up all feet, no attitude. Loves people and attention, she is like a big puppy. She would be a great 4-H project. Asking $1,250 OBO. The only reason I am selling her is that I have too many horses right now and not enough time. 


I couldn't find a date where this ad was posted for the mare, but I'm guessing that it was posted BEFORE she pasture bred said mare to mr. studly? The equine now ad also has Holly's year of birth as 2008. I'm still rather confused about that...is it 08 or 07? Makes a big difference when you're talkin' young horses. (The bold is my addition, btw.)


EDIT: A commenter who has spent time with the stallion owner, was kind enough to post in the comments that Holly apparently was not bred intentionally, but rather some neighbors were messing around on her property, and left some gates open. This means, that Holly is mare #3 to have been bred to said 2 year old stallion this year.


She has that paint mare listed for $1500??? Yea Right!


She also bred this little filly...Though I kinda like her markings, I think $1800 is a bit steep, yes? 


Its not that I'm looking to stir up trouble here. The lady that is selling these two fillies and standing the 2 year old also runs what seems to be on the surface a reputable dog kennel, breeding AKC large Terrier Type dogs (Airedales, Bouviers Des Flandres, Welsh Terriers and Toy Schnauzers).  On that site though, nothing about the horses - the horses she has too many of - in very sharp contrast to the puppies she creates every 10 or so weeks! 


This drives me nuts whenever I see this. I can't help but be aggravated when I see the hypocrisy here! Its Ok to breed puppies like clockwork because you can get hundreds, if not a grand for them, but when you do the same with your horses, you have to get rid of them because you have too many and not enough time? WTF people? Even in todays world, its still a lot easier to place a dog than it is a horse. And yet she is still advertising that her 2 year old colt really needs to make more of himself because he can!? 


NO NO NO! Stop! AGAIN and AGAIN I keep pounding on this. WE DO NOT NEED MORE MEDIOCRE, BACK YARD HORSES BEING BRED AND RAISED WITHOUT PEOPLE TO BUY THEM! STOP BREEDING YOUR FUGLY 2 YEAR OLD COLT! STOP PASTURE BREEDING YOUR FUGLY CAMPED UNDER MARES THAT DON'T NEED TO BE BRED AS 2 / 3 / WHATEVER AGE THEY ARE!


I wish I could send this to every single person I feature here. You think they'll listen? NO. They'll come back spewing every reason why they have every right to breed whatever horse they happen to have their paws on. I have no issues with selling horses. Its crap like this that drives me bonkers. "We can't sell the mare by herself, so lets breed her and they can raise the baby so we don't have to!" Thats exactly what I hear in my head when I see stuff like this.


I still believe Ron White should be made president for his one simple statement "You Can't Fix Stupid."


ps...this was going to be my fugly stallion post, but I changed my mind when I came across a better ad... one that is fugly in all sorts of ways, and I can't WAIT to post it on friday!

Honesty Isn't Always the Best Policy

Being Honest is touted as one of the greatest virtues someone can have. However, honesty paired with tact, is valued even more in some cultures. 


There are some situations where honesty just isn't always the best policy. Yesterday's post about the person shot in the ad writers yard is a great example of that. Today, we have another example of when honesty should probably be paired with tact...

KIDS HORSE FOR SALE!!!! - $900  3 year old liver chestnut mare. Whelch size. Has been rode by a 6 year old girl and a 9 year old boy but they have lost intrest and i am tired of feeding her. She is gentle and has never offered to rare or buck. Asking $900 OBO Will consider trade. Call Tiffany at 281---4109.

And the parade of idiots continues... 

So this one doesn't want to feed the horse anymore. Lovely. This mare is 3, ridden by two kids - those of you that read regularly have an idea of where THAT is going, but we'll get to that in a minute. 

What the heck is a 'welch size', btw? Anyone like to take a guess? I think "Welsh" is what she meant... but with 'rare' in there for 'rear'...ugh. 

So what we have here is just another parent that had a kid that showed some interest in horses, so she went full steam ahead and bought that young horse so the horse and the kids can grow up together. I just imagine that she threw in as little money as possible to this, skimping on training, and a few other things - like HELMETS, and riding lessons, and now we have a 3 year old horse thats been being ridden for goodness knows how long, and the worst thing of all is MOM IS TIRED OF FEEDING THE HORSE.

Thats teaching responsibility isn't it!

*insert massive eye roll here*

Ok, are you ready for the pictures? 



I don't think these two kids are the ones mentioned in the ad. They are too young. However, this picture should be enough to send every responsible horse mom into paroxysms of nerves. 


And take a look at that mare's hind legs... I am not sure if its the way she's standing, but OMG. 

This picture isn't much better but she is somewhat cow hocked, looks like. 


I'm sure with time and experience, this mare would probably end up a great kids horse. Just not at 3 years of age. 

Another obligatory kid shot. In this one, I'm not going to even comment on the girls position. I'm guessing she was showing off for the camera here. But again, no HELMET, her feet are 4 inches above the stirrups, and the noseband on the mare is about 2 inches to low on her nose. 


Maybe with properly fitting saddle, feet in the stirrups, a helmet and boots, and a correct headstall - maybe, just maybe she wouldn't have to grab the horn to balance at a walk! 

Sad part is this really is a cute mare who just got stuck with the wrong family.


Lets just hope that she won't end up starved and auction fodder because mom doesn't want to feed the horse. 

Don't Think This One is GunBroke...

Take a look at this ad... because I can't quite figure out what to make of it. 

4 yr old Black Mare-green broke - $1000 (casa grande) I have a 4 year old mare. She is all black except a white star on her forehead and 2 white socks. She is green broke. I fell in love with her when i bought her and a whole lot of people said they would help me finish training her. They were all talk. I had her to where she was gentle and i could climba nd rub all over here. a week ago a frind was shot here at our house and my horse has regressed to bein scared and timid again. I love her to death but I cant have a horse that will hurt me our my kids because we don't know what were doing training wise. We just trimmed her feet she was good with that and she comes to you when you ask her too. She is haulter broke. She is bit and headstall broke (snaffle). She is also saddle broke. SHe needs someone who is strong enough to show her whos boss whithout beeting on her. she is great with my other mare. They don't fight. I just dont have the experience she needs. Its not fair to her she deserves someone who can work her and know what to do. I am asking $1000 obo lowest ill go is $500. SHe has a red rope haulter that can go with her. She loves to eat apples carrots and horse cookies.She eats hay only we tried her on pellets she went a week without eating because she wouldnt touch the pellets. She does load in a trailer as well. My daughter is going to miss her as much as i am but Two Socks deserves someone who can work with her. SERIOUS INQUIRES ONLY PLEASE I DON"T HAVE TIME FOR B.S. CASH ONLY 


As usual, if you can slug through the horrible spelling and bad 4th grade grammar (wait, actually my son will start 4th grade this fall, and he already writes better grammar than this...) did you catch the most important line in there? 


I had her to where she was gentle and i could climba nd rub all over here. a week ago a frind was shot here at our house and my horse has regressed to bein scared and timid again. I love her to death but I cant have a horse that will hurt me our my kids because we don't know what were doing training wise. 


 This is not a case of the person getting shot making the horse more scared. This is from the training that she's not getting - from the admission 'we don't know what were doing training wise.' 


Seriously though folks... advertising that someone got SHOT at your house does not make me real willing to STEP FOOT ON YOUR PROPERTY! Get a clue folks. Leave that crap out of it and just focus on the horse. Its not really that hard to do!


Of course we have the obligatory bad picture pasture shot that makes the head look 3 times bigger than the body of the horse...

I'm guessing she's either appendix qh or thoroughbred but either way with the right handling, she would most likely make somebody a really cute english horse! 


Though, lets hope that anyone gets her - changes her name from Two Socks!


(And completely off topic... but do you SEE the legs of that white horse in the background! Holy CowHocks!)