The New Halter Horse

Did anyone read an article in the Western Horseman or any other magazine, the article about "The New Hater Horse"? I saw it in an email that I got from a halter list. They didnt go into specifics, and I dont get that magazine, so I was wondering if anyone could elaborate for me?

Are you talking March's or ? I'll have to ask Rick, he gets the Western Horseman.

I know Frank Merrill (pres of AQHA) is on a tear... now, what they need to do is find tests that'll catch some of this mess and you'll start seeing a real difference, and oh, actually test 'em!

What is he on a tear about? I think it was either the March issue or maybe the April one, depends though if they sent out the April one yet, not sure though. I need to go check the ist and see what issue they saw tghat article in. My curiostiy is extremely elevated, and naturally I cant find that issue anywhere!

I really want to see a PH class. They didnt have it in Ft Worth, so I was a little irritated that I didnt get to see it.

Ok it was the March 2007 Western Horseman Magazine. The halter list people keep posting remarks about it and torturing me...

Tractor Supply has magazine racks, maybe I will go hunting tomorrow if you dont find Ricks magazine.

Let me see if I can find it. Found it... yep, I can see why they're in an uproar about it. Last paragraph on it says,

"It is both our hope and our intent that the two divisions will act as a compliment and counterbalance to each other, and that they will combine to propel the breed forward."

Now, one thing I don't agree with is the statement, "The dawn of the 1980s brought with it a shift away from those two-way champions and toward the specialized halter type that holds sway to this day, with the current 'modern' type being advertised as measuring up to 16'3 hands in heigth and weighing up to 1,800 pounds."

I personally haven't seen one of those "things" EVER!

But it's in the March '07 issue. If I had a scanner, I'd scan it for ya and e-mail ya, but well, ya know....

I know one of the studs that Ted Turner is standing does not look like the average halter horse - by no means... check out his website. It's a coming, and to all those halter people that drug their horses, they've got it coming! They are the ones who started this mess... okay, I'll not get started on that - irks me to death!

Would that certsin stud be S.E.?

Im getting to tractor supp;y at 6 am to get that issue, I will wait in the truck til they open if I have to! Did the article by any chance have pictures to go with the article?

(that they will combine to propel the breed forward) Combine, they just seperated them, they made it specialized. Send me a copy too Please.
16' 3 1800 lbs. OH MY GOSH. Where is that sucker. I saw 17'1 on Million dollar Ave. at Congress. He was a hunt seater. BUT he was lucky to be 1150. Wheres that draft horse.

B&B, I can't remember what the stud's name is, but he isn't the usual Ted Turner halter horse. Oh, yeah, it's got pictures, but not of the type of "now" halter horses they're talking about... but pictures like they're wanting to see. There's going to be tons and tons of reiners and ropers in that class... if they get there early enough. There's very few quarter shows that I go to that have the cutting class...

Carol Rose is questioned about it and she also makes comments.

I read the article and I take it somewhat as a slap in the face. One of those nah, nah, nah, boo, boo sort of things.

One thing that's sort of bothering me about this whole thing...you know, maybe I don't want to do anything with my horse as far as performance, because I'm not proficient enough in the discipline, nor am I going to pay a danged trainer $700 plus a freaking month to do something with my horse. Maybe I like my happy hiney on the ground in halter.

I realize there had to be a change, but I think some of this is going to get ridiculous, not to even mention that some of our judges are halter guys who show in open....and what have they done to that horse to get his grand?

Sort of feel like I'm going to be penalized (maybe not) for something somebody else did that was wrong in the first place, and AQHA didn't have enough yeyangs to stand up and come up with the right kinds of tests to test for that mess, much less even test them in the process!

But I don't know yet... I'll let you know at the end of the year what I really think about this. Something had to change, I totally agree on that, but if you go too far to the left, then it hasn't changed, it's just made it worse.

$700 plus a freaking month. Plus is right. This is why Open shows are growing and Reg. Shows aren't. It has became a money pit in order to win. I was talking last night, and someone told me just to have the right person on the end of the lead, was $1500.00 PLUS! Thats just showing the horse, It's not much better getting them on the back of the horse either. A Friend here in KY, Paid to have his colt $750.00 a month plus expences, Big Bucks to show him, Plus he had to be approved, Trainer S.H. In Western Pleasure to have his 2 year olds mind fried and was so sore in his hocks and stiffle they didn't know if he'd ever come back. Shown at Congress and nothing. Ta Da. Classes $1500.00 in Entry fees.

Sorry for my ignorance - how much money do you take home if you win a halter show? I'm just trying to figure out how spending $700+ a month balances out in the bank....I know how it works in race horses - show stuff just befuddles me!

You don't take home any money, unless it's a futurity or say at the world show, etc. Sometimes you're lucky if you even get a danged ribbon... but it's actually all about the points.

On the $700, I was referring to putting a horse in training to do a specific performance discipline, course even with halter, some of those danged trainers come up with $1,000 plus a month. Which totally blows my mind.

Every discipline has its bad side and total idiots that think more about the glory than they do the horse - which irritates the living snot out of me.

Dang, I don't know how yall do it! I have some horses that are allowed to be negatives on the bank account...but MOST of them have to be earning money one way or another!

I do guess I'd better review my old (17yo) gelding's show record...hehe, I always just looked at the money (or lack of) that he had won! Now I'm a little curious!

My race horses get a shot at the track if they are fast enough to even get a shot. If they aren't fast enough for that shot they get re-programed to be a riding or show horse (we put one heck of a handle on them regardless so its pretty easy). If they make it to the track but aren't making the cut they come home, get time turned out and then get some new training so they can go be productive in a different area (usually barrels or roping, sometimes jumping).

Oh, and there are bad seeds in every area - make it harder on the rest of us that do things clean!

Boy, isn't that the truth, Kidd. The way I figure it is, is I figure how much a mare or whatever costs me, add the yearly figure of feed, hay, farrier, worming, etc. and somebody best make their money in the next two years. With a stud, you can make his money back pretty quick, but with a mare, it takes a little over a year before you can recoup your money, so you're always back peddling, at least sometimes.

The way I figure it, if you can't get at least $2,500 for every baby that hits the ground (and you own the stud and mare), which should give you around $1,000 profit, that you can put back on that mare's purchase price. If not, something needs to go down the road. If you go outside and breed the mare, then all the expense of keeping her plus the stud fees and everything else they charged you has to be added on. I can't even imagine thinking that I've got $5,000 tied up in a baby before it even hits the ground... that kind of makes me sick to my stomach!

It takes just as much money to care for a good one as it does a bad one.

I try to keep it to as close as a business as I can... but just every once in a while one of pops out that sets you in a tailspin that you just really don't want to sell... dadgummit! I should've never named that blasted colt! Ha!

Oh, I hear you! The yearling we just sold was our little BUDDY! We named him Crash within 6 hours of him being born. He'd run circles and then just stop and drop! He was always in our pocket! Just a little dude! Cute-cute and muscles everywhere! We sold him because we just don't have the time and we've got a filly that is his age and I told my fiancee to pick one to sell which tore him up! It was either Ruby or Crash and Ruby is the last baby out of her mama and her sire died last year and she is bred "better" so Ruby won out...dang it for us naming Crash (reg: Call Me Easy Money)...but every time Garrett gets sad about it I just remind him that Crash is building stalls, bought blinkers, saddle pads, new halters, etc... He says thats not much consolation...which I agree...its just tough!
The baby that we had this year is going to go through a sale as a yearling - Garrett is already trying to figure out how to justify buying it back in 15 months!!! If only they didn't have such adorable personalities!!!!

HA! It's so funny how these men get so attached to them. Rick just loves Scamp to death, and I've got to get him focused on another horse... then another, then another.... Course I'd kind of like to see him bred to Jazz, too.

Garrett thinks he is sooo tough and business minded! Our blue heeler had a litter of puppies a couple of weeks ago and he couldn't even watch when we got their tails docked. The last litter he took the needles away from me and said I was being too rough while I gave them their shots...I was being BEYOND GENTLE with the little buggers. He just can't handle it!!! While Lacey was in labor he kept saying we shouldn't have bred her, this was just too hard on her. Now he wants puppies again in another year. He cracks me up!!! With horses he doesn't really worry about injuries or foaling...he just handles them...but smaller animals he is such a wimp! And selling anything tears him up!

Oh, when Shasta (the cat) showed up, Trent snuck her in the house and Rick liked to have had a fit... three days from there, guess where she's always at if she's in the house - in his danged lap!

He's not real keen on the dogs either, but he likes Wolf, my male Akita, especially when he used to stay in the house, till Rick would come in late, and Wolf would be on his side of the bed, and Rick would have to move him...HA! He's not in the house anymore, and I sure miss him being in, but he's shedding like all get out right now... I'm plucking him like a chicken.

Dillon is the one that's so animal-loving. He'll stay out and play with the dogs every day... I sure hope he ends up with somebody that loves animals as much as he does.

Well your probally not going to like this but I own one of those 16.1 1500lb halter horses and he is a vision to look at.I have never drugged him under any conditions and never will,I have had so many compliments at show when I stall next to people that he is so well behaved some times halter horses are just high on good feed not drugs,feelin there oats lets say ...and I have paid and do pay a training fee just a few months a year ,
my incentive fund cheque in 2005 was almost $3000.00 so I did get a little bit of that back a lot of people do great at home I have several halter horses at home I starting now ,but to show on a world show level like I want to I feel you need to invest a little in to your animal I wish I could put them all in training ,but bank account wont let me .Will I ever get ahead no way but Im having fun and my chest swells and my heart still skips a beat when Im pulled out first in a class of 30 or 40 so its what you want it to be some of us skimp and save to pay that 700.00 a month. to some of us its still a good rush .As far as the performance halter I think it was a good idea ,doesn't bother me that they have 2 types of halter classes,I do feel though they are spliting the points on the grand and reserve ,and I wish they would just pick the best horse not let the performance horse win to promote the class....or the other way around I don't feel its hurting the numbers and a lot of clubs are still promoting that you have to show a halter class (not performance halter ) to get a all around club circut award...would you show a regular halter class over a
performance halter class to get a saddle or scooter or belt buckle ???? its a personal choice...what ever you show in IVE GOT THE SHOW BUG !!!!!!
So what ever you show in may your ride be a good one and may you halter class be a big one ,good luck to all .....................

16.1 hands and 1500 lbs isnt bad, I have one of those too, but he is more of the hunt seat horses. He is actually 16.3, and a tad under 1500 lbs. You would think with his breeding he would kill in halter, but the cross didnt work that well. He is a WP/HUS horse if Ive ever seen one.

I dont think that they meant all horses that are that big are all drugged. My buckskin the one mentiomed above is a grandson of Touchdown Kid, and his dam was a daughter of Coolest. So his size is a product of genetics.

The comment wasnt meant to be a blanket statement. I agree with the statement though, the people who DO drug their horses do have it coming.

How would a regular amateur know whether or not a trainer was shooting their horse up? In fact, how would any person who has a horse at a trainer's know they're doing something that the owners wouldn't approve of?

What boggles my mind more than anything, is that some amateurs LET and KNOW these trainers are doing it, no matter what discipline, just to be able to get the danged ribbon or some points.

There is one halter trainer that I would trust, but even then, he and I would have to have one heck of a talk, and if I so much as even thought something funny was going on, there'd be a war in a heartbeat.

My gelding has been owned by my trainer since he was a weanling ,he is now 7 and soon to be 8 I feel you have to have a good relationship with the people who take care of you r loved ones,first off my gelding in no way need pumped with anything I do think if you ever seen him you would agree only thing he gets every day out of the training is a peppermint ,horses are drug tested on a random basis at at AQHA show and under no circumstances would he hurt his business or reputation by doing something stupid but I do have to agree some do I to have been to horse shows where I have seen trailer puul in and out very fast when the drug testers are there ..so I understand where your coming from ...

I know the trainer that i was talking to wanted 1,000 a month to train and board my stallion plus 75 a day to show then milage that doesnt inclued stalls or class fees either.. yeah i dont have that kind of money just a well bred stallion that i need to show i have his half sister that was just born in jan.. The stallion is a paly grand son of Obvious Conclusion, and Impressive Review.. I havent shown since i was 18 so this is going to be fun.. and i do know if you dont kiss tail and dont have a name showing your horse your not going to get any where.. ive never shown a halter horse just a trail horse and he was a aqha champion i was 3rd alternate to go to the world show when i was 18 and i was champion trail horse thru out the state of ILLinois i was so happy coming from a girl that always shown 4/H horses all her life.. any ways i know where your coming from and the prices are way to high for a single mother to pay to have some big wig show her horse.. so i guess im going to try my luck and pray to the good lord to give me a big hand..lol Amy

Amy, you'll be fine. Don't worry about the other guys, just do your thing. Pick your shows very carefully. And I'm telling you from experience, those gosh-darned stud classes are few and far between... criminey! You need to shoot for grand or reserve - sometimes you make it, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you give all your money to the club for absolutely nothing... Just the way it is.

Most of us started back up at some point, me it was after having the boys and learning through the school of hard knocks. Lots of info, videos, books out there on halter that are really insightful to help you.

I was the world's worst, I'd attend a lot of shows, nosey around where the trainers were to see what they were doing, get up early, see what they were feeding, etc. Didn't get in their way, didn't say a word, but just sort of milling around. HA!

thanks if i dont get the 2 year old filly sold this year i will keep her she is to good bred to do nothing with her i think i will take her to a few shows along with my weanling that is also very good bred but niether of them are in any furturitys which sucks but hey i guess you get what you get.. and the stallion is filling his oats so to speak..lol he is n/n and as soon as i get a good pic of him i will post it here are there names if you want to look them up on all breed pedigree.com clues doubley gold the first one.. the second one is me amore this years filly then tc luckys review is the thrid one i still have the little fillys momma and she is bred back to a overo stallion that is surperiour halter stallion and he is n/h my mares are n/n so it should be a great cross just hope for some color next year..lol