Halter Stallion?

Question

Wow...do you think this horse is on a slope..Or is he just WAY downhill.

http://equine.com/stallions-at-stud/stallion-ad-576124.aspx?lid=576124&search_id=e92aafab-fdb9-49aa-9432-de8d0bb87a38&p=2

He is going to make some very...erm..unique babies for the $850 stud fee

Answer 1

i agree he'll make some ............nice babies they'll probly be a bit top heavy, maybe not so good for show

Answer 2

He is built a BIT downhill -- but he is only 4 and could still even up a tad in the next year of growth.  Also, if your looking for a horse that jumps or does dressage, being built downhill is very bad -- but for certain other sports like reining, team penning, barrell racing, etc. it's not so much of a detriment because of how the front end is used.

Right now he's being shown as a halter horse and his main asset is his color -- depending on the mare it could be a reasonable breeding.

Answer 3

He is on a bit on a slope in the sideview...

But even the 3/4 view clearly shows his hocks above his knees...

No good for cows...which is what I like to do.

And personally...I don't like the head.  Not for a quarter horse...which is his secondary breed.  Looks Arabianlike to me.  That 'look' is good for an Arabian...not a quarterhorse.

He's got color...and it's pretty...but you can't ride color...

OH WAIT...the ad already stated that!!

I just don't understand halter horses and ONLY halter horses.  It's a disservice to the horse I believe.  What we would have called confomation faults a few years ago...they are now breeding for.  Upright pasterns, tiny feet,  and apparently being built 'downhill.'  And not able to be ridden...what a waste...

Answer 4

Ugh.  That is not a nice looking horse.  It amazes me that he's a halter champion.  He looks chunky as it is (although I know that's how it is with QH halter horses), but it says he's put on more weight since those pictures.  Yikes.

And it still kills me that they can charge that kind of money for a "halter champion."  According to the info about him, he's NEVER been ridden.  I call that a useless horse.

Answer 5

There are parts of this horse that are very attractive.  I too would have concerns about his butt high he is - although the profile shot does have him not squared up so that doesn't help things.  Its hard to believe the owners wouldn't find a better profile shot for advertising!  Also, I wonder how old he was for those pictures.  I could be more forgiving if he was just a two year old as they can change alot, in my opinion if he was four in those photos there is no chance he'll even up.

Obviously he has many good parts that attracted judges because you don't earn all those halter points without being very attractive!  But don't forget this - a halter horse is not a performance horse in the big Breed shows.  They are often too husky to move well, they have too much knee, they just don't work as riders.  I mean, some do, but many don't.  I suspect this horse might in fact produce the winning halter babies.  I would not be in a rush to try and get a performance horse out of him.

Also, don't forget, many stallions earn their halter points as younger horses - say as yearling or two year olds, when their being uneven is less a problem.  So he may very well have won those points when he was young.  Not all young halter winners end up being handsome older halter horse!

Answer 6

Well if he was a car..... Pretty sure he would be one of those funny cars with the realy big tires in the back.

The dude, and I do mean "dude" kinda looks like he needs to take a dump. Haha

Answer 7

Wow... That's er... um interesting.

He wouldn't be on a slope! It would be more like a mountain!

his head does look a bit odd... I would almost say he has a Arab like head. He is also probably the darkest palomino I have seen in a long time. If it wasn't for the blond mane and tail I would think otherwise.

Answer 8

He may have an extremely typey head, but that rear end is way high, especially for a 3-4 yo quarter. there's no way he can collect. i would geld him. color is not everything. i would never breed a quality mare to him. there are too many good stallions at fair prices to waste here - especially with the horse market falling right now and horses not moving well. the fact that he hasn't been ridden is another huge neon sign to me - he may make 'halter' babies, but if they're not usable beyond, imho they're not worth the feed.

Answer 9

The only way I can see this guy being a halter champion is if he got all his points as a 2yr old when a lot of the other horses were still downhill also.

The fact that he's a good 2-3" higher at the croup than the withers isn't the only thing I don't like about this guy.  He's actually kind of short and thick in the neck (and its not just the stud crest), and long in the back...and do you see how his hind legs are set?  Not that pretty.

He's got color and a cute head going for him....oh, and a nice shoulder.  But I wouldn't pay $850 to breed to him.  I'm willing to pay a decent price for a nice stud, but why pay that much for something sub-par just because he's got the color?

Some people need to look a little closer before they breed!  Yikes!  (send it to Fugly Horse!)

Answer 10

Hmm... I think if he bends down to eat, his backend will tumble over his head...

We see this all too often in the dog world, breeders think one or two good qualities (like color, or a nice head) is enough to override a dozen bad ones.  

So I wonder... if you rode him uphill, would you feel like you were walking straight forward?  :-)

Answer 11

He is down hill but he is only 4 and a quarter horse can grow untill they are 7 years old so he will more than likely even up and he needed to gain some weight if he is a halter horse he was actually too thin in these pictures for a halter horse i am surprized that he would have won any of the classes he ent in and he is a palomino he is kept in a stall all of the time so he doesn't get light and probably fed suplements that darken his coat he is bred for halter and if he is a champion than his stud fee isn't that bad but for this stud i wouldn't pay morse than 500 to breed to him actually i wouldn't pay more than 400

Answer 12

He's both downhill and sickle hocked...how can this horse be a halter champion??

A horse doesn't usually even out after the age of 4.  This horse will be very heavy on the forehand and that reduces the front end agility...it is most undesireable in reining and cutting horses, as well as others like dressage and jumping...he would not be good for much of anything most people want a horse to do.

Answer 13

Extremely downhill, little cowhocked. But wow, look at those shoulder muscles.

Wow, 150 pounds? I'm thinking steroids now. o_o

Answer 14

yes lets call them unique foals haha! in their special way. But he must be quarter horse because of his butt. His a pretty colour but there is something about his head that annoying me anyways.

It would be interesting to see what foals he makes haha

holy moly i was jsut reading the add when someone left the comment. Gained 150pounds gosh he must look pregnant! He looks musclier enough as it is! holy moly