"Now I say that with cruelty and oppression it is everybody's business to interfere when they see it."

~Anna Sewell

Friday, January 30, 2009

Oh, Lordy.


I don't care how well trained a horse is if he's got shitty conformation. This guy isn't horrendous, but good grief. They want - are you ready? - $4000!

I would not pay 4 grand for a llama-creature. I don't care how "bombproof" he is. I'm a conformation nazi.

His front legs and neck bother me. And it's just his build in general. He ain't perty. It would help if he filled out, but he's already mature, so that probably won't happen.

Just throwing that out there. I don't how one person's definition of a well-conformed horse can differ from another's. Good conformation is good conformation. It's pretty straight forward.

Maybe it's because of the intelligence quotient of some of these breeders/owners. Yeah, it must be that. They seem to think a horse that's ewe- necked is a good thing.

Eesh.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Jeez, why does everybody love those airhead horses?

Everybody seems to love Arabians. I don't see what people find so incredible about them. I understand they're one of the oldest and purest breeds in the world, and they helped shape most modern horse breeds.

Fine. That's all just peachy.

But the breed is not that great. They're all nuts, for the most part. Yes, yes, that's rich coming from someone who has a Thoroughbred. But you know what? Most TB's I know are pretty gentle and mindful, at least on the ground. Actually, Victor's the only one I know who's a butthead under saddle.

Arabians, on the other hand, think everything is out to get them. I go to pet that mare at my barn, and she jumps and jerks away, even though she knew I was there. She's always got this wide-eyed expression and she spooks at everything under the sun. When I lead her down the isle at feeding time, she's always like, "OMG! That bucket has teeth and claws! OMG! That kitten's gonna eat meee!!!"

O.=

This article makes them sound like the perfect horse. It fails to mention the fact that most Arabs have their heads screwed on wrong. That's kind of a big issue. The Arabic people were so morbidly obsessed with keeping the lines pure that they probably inbred a lot of them and that probably has a lot to do with their flakiness. Ick.

I'm a Warmblood person. I'm an Andalusian person. I also happen to like Fjords and Paints. They're generally pretty level-headed and sane. Unlike Arabs.

I haven't met an Arabian yet that I absolutely love. A couple that I'm fond of, but none that I really connect with. They're like the preps of the horse world. All looks and no charm. Or brains. Or common sense.

To me, this is a pretty horse:

Danish Warmbloods FTW! I luff them. I want one someday. I think after Victor, I'm not going to have any more Thoroughbreds. They're gorgeous, but too high-strung for me. Not as bad as Arabs, but Victor's a little quirky and unpredictable. Especially in the winter when he's cooped up and can't get much exercise. We had a horrible lesson yesterday. I can't wait for spring!!!

Back to the main topic. Warmbloods > Arabians.

I speak the truth.

Listen to me.

Your Lord and Master.

Psycho Raccoon.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Damn them Arkansas hillbillies...


This pathetic joke of a breeder seems to know she's breeding crap. Quoted from the ad, "quality of foal dictates the price."

Look at these creatures. They could pass for llamas. She knows her foals are mediocre at best, and she's still breeding them. She sees nothing wrong with it. HELL-O. Somebody whack her over the noggin with a 2 x 4! Shame on her!

People like her should not be allowed to reproduce. These horses are worth nothing. I don't care that they're foundation bred.

She seems to think being foundation bred is somehow special and amazing. Eesh.

I don't care if a horse goes back to Alydar if he or she looks like these foals. Bloodlines are only impressive if the foal has the looks and temperament to show it.

Apparently this 'breeder' is unaware of the auctions and packing plants that would be happy to take these horses off her hands.

Shall we run a comparison?

This is a good-looking little girl. She's sold, no surprise there. Are we seeing the conformation discrepancy? They're similar in age, yet the palomino here has good muscle tone, nice big hip, sloping shoulders, solid legs. A little short in the neck, but she's overall really nice. The ones above have none of those crucial attributes.

Emphasis on the hips and shoulders. One of my personal pet peeves. The horse must have muscular, round, filled out shoulders and hips. There's no excuse for breeding horses that look otherwise. None.

Did I mention the palomino's picture was taken much better? Yep. It really does make a difference. I know I preach this to no end, but I can't stress it enough. The palomino is squared up decent (one hind foot behind the other is acceptable) and the photographer has his/her back to the sun, making the horse look healthy, shiny, and overall well taken care of. The shadow should always be on the far side of the horse. Note that the top picture is exactly the opposite.

Am I emphasizing my point enough? Can I make it any clearer?

*sigh*

WHY???!!! WWHHYYY???!!!!!11

*WARNING*
Spoilers for Lost Souls!



I can't believe she killed off Christian! WHY?????? Second to last chapter, you're thinking he's going to be ok, and he
DIES!!!! Life was so cruel to him. I naively thought he was going to be ok after three centuries of torment, but he dies! I liked Steve up until that part. That son of a bitch killed him, and for what? His dumbass girlfriend? It wasn't even Christian's fault! He didn't do anything to deserve it! I can handle Zillah dying, but why Christian???? One of my favorite vampires of all time! And he died for nothing! He could have been happy if he hadn't been murdered. He wouldn't have been alone anymore...

Damn you, Steve.

You know what? I'm glad Zillah died. He got what he deserved. Christian never would have died if he hadn't made him drink half a fucking bottle of whiskey. But then Christian
did have a choice... Well, not really. He was just afraid of being alone again. I love him so much... His poor, tormented soul...

But why couldn't it have been Molochai or Twig? Why, Christian, WHY?!

*Cries pathetically*

Monday, January 26, 2009

There's something seriously wrong.


This article just says it all. I love the word tarnished. That describes the racing industry perfectly. Anyone into horses probably knows who this guy is. Ferdinand, the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner died in a Japanese slaughterhouse in 2001. He had over $3 1/2 million in winnings, and look where he ended up. If a horse like this was sent to slaughter, what does that tell you about all the average horses in America? It can happen to any of them.

How do these butchers live with themselves? How do they sleep at night? Ferdinand should have lived out his life in luxury (as every horse should), but instead he was mercilessly butchered in some blood-bathed hell hole. It makes me sick. Sick doesn't even begin to describe it.
Exceller is another one who was killed in a slaughterhouse. More than $1,000,000 in earnings, and his owner allowed him to be shipped off to a Swedish packing plant. This horse defeated both Seattle Slew and Affirmed in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, and this is what happened.

Looking at these pictures of when they were alive and in their prime, it's enough to make anyone ill. How can anyone not only harm, but completely butcher such incredibly beautiful and gentle animals? How can their 'owners' live with themselves? Do they have no conscience? No shame? Even the people who saw what was happening and did nothing to stop it. They're just as bad. Damn them all to hell.

Don't even get me started on Alydar. Lundy has a special place in hell waiting for him. I have no doubt that he murdered that horse. He's not a human being. Because of him, Calumet Farm's name lives in infamy and a beautiful, inocent horse is dead. His attorney can burn right along with him. Shitheads.

People like that have no business being alive.

And the sad reality is, most big time racing is like that. It's about glamor and money. The horses are disposable, as they breed more every year. Breakdowns are nothing but speed bumps to these owners because they're already up to their necks in money and they have other horses to fall back on. A $1,000,000 breakdown won't set them back too far. Therefor they don't care. They might fabricate some sap story for the media, but that's as far as it goes. These people have no morals. They're motivated by money and blinded by greed. Eight Belles is a perfect example.

Every time a horse breaks down, screens are put up to shield the audience from the gore. You know what? Forget the screens. They need to see it. They need to see how much the horse is suffering for their entertainment. The news media needs to broadcast every horrific detail. Then maybe some people would open their eyes and see the atrocities going on right under their noses. Instead, the cameras shy away from it and try to push it under the rug.

Do I hate racing in and of itself? Of course not. I am also well aware that Thoroughbreds love to run. They do not, however, enjoy being whipped 30 times every race or being run to the point of exhaustion and/or pulmonary hemorrhaging. Why not race them all at six years instead of 2 and 3? Whips are absolutely unnecessary, too. Horses are naturally competitive and will run as fast as they can without being forced, assuming they're fit to race, sound, and healthy.

I know not all racing is like this. But a majority of it is, and that's where I'm coming from. I don't think racing should be stopped, but it needs to be changed. A lot. We need to take a whole new look at what's going on and stop the cruelty. Prohibit the use of any kind of pain killers and steroids. Require that all horses are at least six years old and are 100% fit. Put a limit on how many horses can be bred each year and make sure all retired horses are cared for.

Take the time to consider that these are intelligent, sensitive creatures. Put yourself in their place. Think about what was going through Ferdinand's and Exceller's minds when they where shipped off to slaughter. I'm sure they were terrified and confused, but do you think their owners cared? Not a chance. It's the sad reality that a lot of people either aren't aware of or just blatantly disreguard.

Are there ANY good-looking Spotted Saddle Horses out there?



I can't find very many that are at least a little impressive. Most of them are icky-looking. However, I did find some pretty nice stallions.

This guy's pretty good-looking. Kind of TWH-ish, which is what they're supposed to look like, right? I'm no expert, but it's what they look like to me. These are some nice stallions.

So what's the excuse for breeding icky ones? I found some decent studs in all of 30 seconds while browsing google, so I know they're out there. However, if you look on Equine Hits, you'll find these ugly little llama-creatures that look nothing like the featured studs.

Maybe it's because gaited horses seem to be dolt magnets. Anyone with half a brain can ride a gaited horse. Therefor, these are the people that breed them. Looking at classifieds, most SSH's are elaborately colored but have shitty comformation. This goes back to color breeders. Color means nothing if the horse looks like it was put together with a bunch of leftover parts. But apparently that doesn't matter to them.




Like this critter. Ew. Bet you anything his sire and dam didn't resemble either of the two guys up top. He's got nothing to him. And his neck ties in weird. I don't get the attraction.

Granted, they might have smooth gaits, but the conformation... A lot of them are just ugly. There's no other way to put it. The palomino colt has no muscle tone. I hate boney shoulders. If he filled out it would help, but he's still not great. Even yearlings should have good muscle tone.

A lot of them have practically nonexistent hips (displayed in the bottom picture perfectly). And again, no muscle tone. You can't tell much about his head or neck from that picture.




There's no excuse for breeding ugly SSH's. So they come in pretty colors. Woop-dee-freakin-doo. Shame on you if you breed for color. Color means nothing in the big scheme of things. Conformation is everything. You can still have colored horses with good conformation.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Ugh. People.

I was watching the inauguration the other day and they interviewed all these people who acted like it was the greatest day of their lives. This one lady goes, "I'm so glad we can participate in this happy, blessed event." And then everybody else was like, "We're proud to witness the inauguration of the first black president."

That's what it's all about for these people. The first black president. Race has got nothing to do with being a decent president. During the campaign, I actually saw a sign in my city saying "If Obama doesn't get elected, racism is behind it."

I can't believe people. Every day I think I can't hate people any more, and every day I'm proven wrong. If they're that simplistic in their opinions, I'm deeply concerned about the welfare of our country. These are the people voting on our leader. I heard several women saying they voted for Hilary because they thought it was time for a female president. That's real intelligent.

Do people think Obama is just going to wave his magic wand and poof the stock market back up? They think he's just going to fix everything. Sorry to be Johnny Raincloud, but that's just not possible. It has to work through by itself and eventually it'll go back up. How do they think he's going to make all these new jobs? He's not God.

I didn't like either candidates, but McCain could have won if he hadn't done such a crap ass job of campaigning. I would have rather seen him in office than Obama. We do not need a socialist president. This country has been capitalist for three centuries, and that's how it needs to stay. Socialism is not the way to go. It's eerily similar to communism, and that really concerns me.

If he calls for oil drilling in the arctic I'm going to shoot someone. Polar bears come before oil.

Politics piss me off.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

January award for the worst sale picture!


This horse is a train wreck no matter what angle you see him from, but good grief. He's in a weird position that seems to only make his flaws even worse, he's standing on weeds and rocks, his ears are back, and, one of my pet peeves, has glare on his eyes. The nicest thing I can say is that he's not covered in filth.

This goes back to what I mentioned a while ago about taking decent sale pictures. You don't have to have to be a pro photographer to take a decent picture of your horse for a sales ad.

Make sure you have decent lighting and a halfway decent background. Make sure the horse is all cleaned up and looking fiiine. Then you square him up nice (or at least have him standing in a position so all four feet are firmly planted and he's looking alert). You take the picture from the side, with the sun behind you so the horse's coat is all shiny.

It's not difficult. It's not brain surgery. I don't know what people don't understand about that. If your horse has shitty conformation, at least present him in a manner that suggests that he's healthy and well taken care of, and shows that you know what you're doing. A good ad picture makes a world of difference. It's a first impression on more than one level.

I found another one!


Is this not a knock-out gorgeous face? He's a Friesian/Morgan, and he is stunning. God, he's got a gorgeous face. He's going for $9500. I hope his future owner pampers him like a king!

What I wouldn't give for a horse like this. Not that I don't adore my own two beautiful boys. I wouldn't trade them for anything. But someday, I'm going to have a horse like this. Schooled under dressage and jumping, with the level of skill to match my aspirations. ;D My Victor has a long way to go before he's ready for serious jumping competitions. But I love him to pieces no matter what, and I wouldn't criticize a thing about him.

Anyway, this guy up top is a beautiful example of a good Friesian x. I think Morgans are one of the best breeds to cross them with. (Again, you always have to be extremely careful and being picky pays off!) Please, if you want a Friesian x, study up and know what you're doing. It will pay off. Make sure the foal is likely to inherit the good traits of both breeds, and not the bad. I'm not a huge advocate of cross breeding, but if you really really want a mix, do your homework and be selective! Please and thank you.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Designer breeds...? Or stock trailer candidates?

Backyard breeding seems to be at an all time high, at least from my observations. There are no official studies done on the breeding rates of grade/backyard/cross bred horses, so I'm going by what I'm seeing. I find it sickening to hear that the breeding of these kinds of unfortunate horses is supposedly going to increase.

This doesn't sit right with me. Even more so because the breeding of AQHA, APHA, and other such horses has decreased by almost half since 2000. That means the equine gene pool has been narrowed down as well. Not good. So how is it that icky horses are being bred like bunny rabbits?

Because it's easier than ever for anyone to acquire a horse these days. With a steady stream of horses in auctions going for $25 a piece, more and more people are getting half-starved, poorly conformed horses that shouldn't have even been bred in the first place. Now the shithead that bought one of these horses thinks it would be a good idea to breed it to the neighbor's horse.

11 months go by, and bingo! Another poorly conformed, icky looking horse that would most likely end up at auction. The cycle continues. As I've said before, breeding should require a license.

Another thing. These so-called "designer breeds". I'm scratching my head on this one. Okay, so you breed your Appy stallion to your friend's Arabian mare and you call the baby an Apparabian?

That's like crossing a Pekingnese and a Poodle and calling it a Pekanoodle. It's not a new breed, it's a mutt. I wouldn't even consider it a breed at all. Pintabians, Walkaloosas, Pintaloosas, you name it. If the two names can be mushed together, people will cross them. It's annoying as hell.

Here's a Walkaloosa. Wow. That is one kickass designer horse. Not.

Why cross the two breeds? They're beautiful when they're purebred. It's bad enough creating mutts from mutts. Now people have to create mutts with purebreds.

Do they want straight-shouldered, hipless, short-necked horses? What possessed people to do this kind of thing?

In one of my earlier posts, I discussed Friesian crosses. You can't just breed a random mare to a Friesian stallion and call it a Friesian sporthorse. That's not how it works. Friesian crosses usually only turn out nice if they're crossed with a warmblood type (or better yet, just other Friesians). Having a Friesian x Thoroughbred does not make him a sporthorse. It's not impressive. The two breeds do not go well together. It's like crossing a Belgian with an Arabian. That doesn't paint a pretty picture.

Pure breeds FTW. Stop breeding mutts. Especially in this economy. Shame on you.

Friday, January 16, 2009

You know that FS in my last post?

Remember that last colt from my previous post?


Well, this colt was bred by the same people. Are we seeing a pattern? They said they bred him in hopes of getting a chocolate. Well, surprise! They did. A chocolate that looks just like the colts you see in auctions going for 18 cents a pound. Do they think his color will save him from the feedlot?

Breeding should require a license. If it really did, these folks would have theirs taken away. All I can say is I hope this little guy never has to be sold. Finding a home for an icky-looking horse is quite a trip.

Friesian "sporthorses"...

I don't know about you, but I keep seeing a lot of Friesian crosses and they're not all that pretty. I'm thinking there are people with these pintabiawalkaloosa mares who breed them to Friesian stallions simply to be able to brag about having a Friesian sporthorse.

Breeding a Friesian stallion to your old broodmare does not automatically earn you bragging rights. Just because the colt's sire is a Friesian does not mean he'll be pretty. The mare is just as important. And to all the Friesian owners, Why are you breeding your stallions out to these kinds of mares? As rare as Friesians are, wouldn't you want to keep the lines pure? I don't know about you, but most FS's are just not pretty.

They boast that this Friesian X is champagne colored. Is that a fancy word for mud colored? A champagne colored horse would be like a red dun. That horse ain't red dun. Not trying to be mean, just voicing my opinion. I don't think he's that great.







These are not good-looking horses to me. They just look out of proportion, like they were stuck together with a bunch of leftover parts.










This unfortunate-looking critter is going for 3 1/2 grand. Sellers boast "excellent confirmation and good substance." And this was the most flattering of the pictures.

They need to go back to conformation clinic 101.


Now, there are some really nice looking FS's out there. They're the minority, but they're out there. Take Fagan for example. He's to die for. ;D Like I said before, I'd totally buy him if I could.

And for those unbelievabley lucky people who own Friesian stallions, please be selective about who you breed him to. For those of you who whore your stud out to anyone who can pony up the doe, knock it off! Being picky is worth it. It's more profitable and economical to produce a few exceptional foals a year than make tons of yucky ones that look like they could end up in a feedlot. Not that breeding for profit is very respectable in my books. I really hope you seriously put thought into the horses you breed and care about the foals. If not, throw yourself in front of a bus. Thank you.

Once again, human beings defy all logic.

I was watching Principal's Office last night and this girl got called down to the office for having a cell phone in school. This is where I first question the strictness of this school's rules. They're not allowed to have phones in school at all. Not even at lunch. The girl sent a text message to her mom at lunch, and this random teacher runs over and demands to have the phone.

PR: WTF??? O.o

The girl refuses to give it up. She gets sent to the office. I'd be pretty pissed too, if some broad tried to take my phone because I sent one text message to my mother at lunch. It sounds like the faculty there just jump at the chance to get kids in trouble. Why are they not allowed to have phones at lunch? In the classroom is one thing, but at lunch? Even my old school allowed phones at lunch. What's the big deal? Alright, so anyway...

The girl talks to the principal, they're both pretty torqued, and she finally gives him her phone. She gets one day of suspension. This is where I really go WTF:

All that drama over a phone. What they didn't give her crap about was the one thing that I would have gotten on her for. She was wearing short shorts that barely covered her ass. WTF??? You can wear booty shorts but you can't have cell phones during lunch? I can't make any sense of that. I think a chick with her ass hanging out of her shorts is more distracting than an occasional phone beep. No sense. No sense at all.

Kudos to Mr. Foxworthy

I was in Barnes & Noble a while back and I couldn't help but notice this chick wearing a mini skirt. Nothing unusual about that, save for the fact that this broad was ginormous. I'm not trying to be mean, but good grief. She wasn't that tall and had to have been at least 200 lbs.

My first thought: Someone needs to pay a visit to Jenny Craig. My second thought was why in the world was she wearing a mini skirt??? Seriously. For modesty's sake, cover up.

And thirdly, why would they make clothes like that in that size? To quote Jeff Foxworthy, Certain things should not be made in certain sizes.

Who isn't sick of seeing skirts that are 3x's as wide as they are long?


What IS that? It's a very mild example, but you get my drift. If your stomach blocks your view of your feet, please don't wear a skirt like this. Long skirts are your friend. Just please make sure the article of clothing goes below your ass cheeks, especially when you sit down or bend over. (Gee, a lot of girls I know could follow this advice for their school uniforms. It's a Christian school for god's sake. Cover up!)

I have a couple mini skirts. Granted, I'm not as wide as I am tall and I wear jeans or leggings under them. A lot of you could do the same.


You can still look fine and not be flashing everybody under the sun. Excess skin does not equal sex appeal. Especially if you don't have the figure for it. Dressing up like a cheap downtown harlot is not becoming on anyone. Okay? Okay.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Does this seem like a stupid idea to anyone else?

Back when settlers first came to America, they designed their villages so that their houses were surrounded by huge log stockades, as to prevent and protect against Indian attacks. So far, so good.

The logs were surrounding the village in a huge circle and there was only one way in or out. This is where start to ask myself if the colonists were smoking something other than tobacco. But then, if their defenses fell, there was a large building in the center of the village where they'd go as a last resort. This just baffles me.

The Indians are taking over your village, so you huddle together and make it easier for them to shoot you? You're all squished together like sardines surrounded by a pod of dolphins. The only ones that are even remotely safe are the ones in the center. And even then, they better hope the Indians run out of arrows by the time everyone surrounding them is impaled and scalped.

To me, this design is completely devoid of ingenuity. They were inexperienced, but only making one exit? Come on. No wonder it took so long to establish a permanent settlement.

I think I might have the toughest phone on the planet.

My poor little Samsung has been dropped in the horse troughs more than once, dropped in a water bucket, soaked while I was giving Vic a bath, and even been through the wash. And it still works.

The best part is, you know that little white dot on the back where the battery goes and turns red if it gets wet? It's still white. No joke. I'm tempted to put a drop of water right on it and see what happens. But then if it turned red and then someday really did malfunction, they wouldn't let me trade it for a new one.

Bummer.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Why are the biggest morons in the horse world so addicted to western tack?

If you look around, you can see a trend. You don't often see an English rider who's a total incompetent idiot who has no clue what they're doing. I'm not bashing western riders. I used to ride western myself. But if you browse Craigslist or any site where horses are sold, almost all the stupid/uneducated riders are all in western saddles. Is it because they're so hard to fall out of? Or because they can have uber long stirrups and rest all their weight in their seat, not their heels? Or maybe because they only have to steer with one hand?

Dolts like that make western look hillbilly. (Which I know is completely false.) I say beat the morons over the head with a cowboy boot. Shame on them.

I think I can disprove Darwin.

People bitch and moan about the government being so corrupt (me being one of those people), and yet the general population of the human race is just as bad. Take anarchists for example. Do they think things over thoroughly? I think not. Did they bother to consider the chaos that would ensue if there was no authority? There would be no cops, no judges, no presidents, no senators, nothing. And I bet a bunch of people are going "What's this bitch talking about? That would be awesome! We could do whatever we want!"

Well, so would serial killers, arsonists, rapists, con artists, ghetto rats, and all the other scum of the earth. Awesome.

The world would be a terrible place without authority. Even our gov't is better than not having leaders at all. I'm not defending the government. Our founding fathers are turning in their graves right now.

Even in the natural world, there is authority, pecking orders, social boundaries and expectations, and responsibilities. I.E. Lions, elephants, horses, wolves, hyenas, ants, bees, any animal that lives in a group, with the exception of bats, sugar gliders, parakeets, etc. Wild horses, for instance, have complex systems of authority. The lead mare is the one who calls the shots, not the band stallion. The stallion is the protector. The other mares each have a place in the heard under the two leaders. Will a yearling colt cross the lead mare? Sure. Once.

So you see how that works out. Humans are the same way. We need leaders. But not according to anarchists. Intelligent design? You decide for yourself. If that's really true, evolution has a long way to go.

Monday, January 12, 2009

It's like talking to a brick wall.

The first thing I noticed was that they've got him sprawled out like a Saddlebred (yes, that's exaggerating, but you get my point) . Fantastic ad picture right there. *sarcasm*
Big, clunky head, no hip, downhill build. There's nothing compact about this horse.

They're asking $500 for his stud fee. I know an Arabian stallion (who happens to be one of the few arabs I actually like and is drop dead gorgeous) with a fee less than that. But that's beside the point.

Stallion owners need to ask themselves some questions before they go advertising their horse for stud.

1. Would the stallion make a nice gelding?
If the answer is yes, geld him! This means that the horse doesn't have incredible conformation or awesome disposition, or another flaw along those lines. That means we're not missing out on anything by gelding the horse. If the answer is no, and it would be a terrible shame to not pass on this horse's conformation, athleticism, disposition, etc., you may have a breeding quality stallion. But if your stallion lacks any of those traits, be responsible and don't allow him to reproduce.

2. What makes this stallion superior?
A breeding quality horse showcases the traits of his breed. They need charismatic, gentle, and friendly temperament, athleticism, knock-out gorgeous conformation, good health, and good pedigrees. A successful show history or significant accomplishments always help, too. Ask yourself how the horse would place in a halter class. If he's blue ribbon material, you may have a quality stallion. If your stallion lacks any of these traits, stop right there and geld him.


And of course you have to think about what his foals would be like. I see too many in auctions with kill buyers everywhere you turn.

If your stallion looks similar to the horses you could easily find in a feedlot, don't breed him. I've seen horses that look like the stud up top go for $40 at auction. Classic example of why breeding needs to be regulated.

Seriously, why can't money grow on trees?


I found another horse I love. The mare is nice, but I love the colt. He's got nice proportions, and I love his head and neck. From what I can see in the picture, he's got nice legs, shoulders, hindquarters, just about everything. I think he's Grand Prix material.

I wish I was rich. (Don't we all?)

Sunday, January 11, 2009

If money really did grow on trees...


I'd totally buy this colt. His name is Fagan, which I totally love, and he's a Friesian sporthorse. Most Friesian crosses I've seen are butt ugly, but this guy is gorgeous. I could see me and him in the Grand Prix 10 years from now. Oh yeah. They're only asking $4500 for him. I could manage that, but the problem is the cost of training. And the fact that he's 800 miles away from where I live... that's kind of a bummer.

I can't believe he hasn't sold yet. I've been watching his add for months. Whoever buys him is very lucky. :)

What is up with this horse???


Is he pregnant??? Caspians are supposed to be slender! I'm surprised his back can hold up that ginormous belly. Do his owners not realize that he'll probably develop severe joint problems and swayback early in life? Put that boy on a diet! He's only 8, and if he doesn't have arthritis by now, he will soon. They had another picture of a kid riding him. The extra weight he's carrying from that belly alone is equal to the weight of a rider. Good grief.
Those poor little legs.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Arabians: What's the big attraction?

Honestly. Everybody loves Arabs. Why??? They're pretty enough, but they're hot-blooded airheads. They're crazy.

There's this mare at my barn named Contessa. She's good looking, but she has a screw loose or something (isn't that a characteristic for the breed?) She spooks at everything. She makes Vic look bombproof (and that's saying something). I was leading her in from the pasture a few weeks ago and she totally flipped out over some imaginary boogie man, scraping her foot against my ankle in the process. The TB mare I was leading on my other side was perfectly chilled out. Go figure.

I can't believe it didn't leave a mark. It hurt like hell. She's doesn't get ridden a whole lot. No one wants to get on her. LOL. She can't even canter without bucking like a maniac. That mare needs to go. If nothing else, she looks like she'd make a decent broodmare. Dainty face, clean legs, short back, nice suspension in the trot. She has the disposition of a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but again: Arabian.

I will never own one. I likes me some big 'ol warmbloods. :)

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Some things make no sense to me.

Why do they put an open/close button on DVD player remotes? You have to get up to change the disc, so it defeats the purpose.

Why do some people use "pp." as an abbreviation for "page"? I always use "pg."
It makes a lot more sense.
Where the fuck do they get "pp."??? Where does the second p come from? I'll never understand people.

I mentioned this in my Live Journal, but I'm serious.

If we had a piece of shit that looked like Barack Obama, we could make millions. Every democrat in America would be bidding on this turd.

It's not so unrealistic. A corn flake that was shaped like Illinois was sold for a gazillion dollars. I could totally be rich. And then I'd build an animal sanctuary. *sigh*

...If only.