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Possible New Horse! Opinions?

4K views 25 replies 12 participants last post by  Allison Finch 
#1 ·
Okay, so I've been looking for a horse that is broke but may need a tune up or more work for a few months. I came across this big guy a little while ago on Craigslist. He's a 16.1 Belgian/Morgan cross. He's sorrel, with 2 white socks on his hind legs, and plenty of mane and tail.:D

He was previously neglected and his current owner said he was abandoned in a pasture underweight and sporting 13 inch hooves! He has never been lame, or had diseases. Great with Farrier, shots, and baths. He was being ridden by a 13 year old 4Her before she lost interest in him and has been a pasture puff for a while. He apparently wears regular size tack too.
I have only one concern and that is that my 2 and a half year old colt may not like him. I had 2 mares here when my colt came home and they bossed him around. He was always chewing and being submissive and they were Welsh and Icelandic. Now that he's bigger and still not gelded, will he have problems with this older gelding? Will he be territorial? I know there's no way to tell for sure, but I don't know if there's any difference between a gelding and a colt or 2 geldings, but opinions would be appreciated.
As for the new guy, here's the only 2 pictures his owner had of him. Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks!:)
 

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#3 ·
new guy ok with colt?

I think he looks cute. Might be a challenge to fit his back thoug. Big barrel but also some real whithers, too.
My limited experience with drafts, draft crosses is that they are often the dominant horse in the field. (our herd is so). And , due to their size, they don't have to reinforce their dominance much so make good , peaceful leaders. Might be the total oposite tho. No real way to know, is there.

Has he been alone for a long time? If not, where does he stand in his current herd and how does maintain that?
 
#4 ·
He's not a bad looking boy. Could certainly use some work to build up some muscle but the only thing that is really glaringly obvious about him from what I can see in those pictures is that he has a roach back. That will make comfortable saddle fitting a bit more difficult.

As for how he will get along with your colt...... I'm sure they will be fine. IME, drafts fit in the pecking order just like any other horse. My boy John (percheron) is among the top of the pecking order, the only one above him is my 14.3 Mustang. Bessie (belgian), however, is at the very bottom of the totem pole and is always being bossed around. If this guy is a dominant personality, then he will likely put your colt in his place and move on. If he is a submissive personality, then he will likely accept the colt as herd leader and move on.
 
#7 ·
He's not a bad looking boy. Could certainly use some work to build up some muscle but the only thing that is really glaringly obvious about him from what I can see in those pictures is that he has a roach back. That will make comfortable saddle fitting a bit more difficult.

As for how he will get along with your colt...... I'm sure they will be fine. IME, drafts fit in the pecking order just like any other horse. My boy John (percheron) is among the top of the pecking order, the only one above him is my 14.3 Mustang. Bessie (belgian), however, is at the very bottom of the totem pole and is always being bossed around. If this guy is a dominant personality, then he will likely put your colt in his place and move on. If he is a submissive personality, then he will likely accept the colt as herd leader and move on.
Yeah, I noticed that too.:-| He definitely has some whithers on him. Yeah, he could definitely use some work, build up that hind end a little. I've never had a horse with a roached back though, is it THAT hard to fit a saddle? I mean if he has an awesome personality and a clear bill of health, I wouldn't want to pass him up because it took extra work finding the right saddle, but not if it causes him back problems or something down the road and/or a ton of money.
 
#5 ·
Beautiful guy.

The question is (a) why do you need another horse? and (b) what will you use him for? Haha I'm not trying to come across as argumentative, these are just questions I find useful to ask myself when horse shopping. List your needs, then list his abilities and needs. Good luck! :D
 
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#10 ·
I like him. He is sturdy looking. As far as the roach back its usually able to fit them...it just may take some time. As far as the 'he wears normal size horse tack' I betcha he doesnt. Rosie (avatar) was being ridden in hormal horse tack. Sure, you can toss up a FQHB saddle on her, cinch it down and ride off. She would tell you other wise. Does it fit? Oh Hells No. Some people are just more aware of saddle fit than others. By looking at him I would think saddle fitting would be your most difficult part.

Good luck with him. I think hes cute.
 
#11 ·
I like him. He is sturdy looking. As far as the roach back its usually able to fit them...it just may take some time. As far as the 'he wears normal size horse tack' I betcha he doesnt. Rosie (avatar) was being ridden in hormal horse tack. Sure, you can toss up a FQHB saddle on her, cinch it down and ride off. She would tell you other wise. Does it fit? Oh Hells No. Some people are just more aware of saddle fit than others. By looking at him I would think saddle fitting would be your most difficult part.

Good luck with him. I think hes cute.
Thanks. That's what I thought too, I was like damn, he looks like a brick house. :) And I didn't believe the tack ting either.Lol
 
#12 ·
Wow, well okay, I just got an e-mail from a lady I e-mailed about her horse before this Belgian. Never thought she would reply! This may complicate a tad. I really like her horse too and he's way closer. Hmmmmm...
 
#13 ·
The other horse is 16+hh white mustang. She says he's over 1600 pounds. Does that seem weird considering the draft is only 1400 and probably taller? He seems a little chubby.lol Um, he's 10 and just started moving under saddle again after 4 years. I love his look and he looks pretty built, but now I'm conflicted because I have to choose.:-( Here are the only pics I have of the mustang. I know the one under saddle is blurry, but that's all she gave me. He's so cute.:)
 

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#17 ·
I love that chestnut gelding from the neck up, and his height. Would it be possible to get any better pictures of him, like with his head up? I know you can't take them, but could you ask his owner? His croup is weird, and I'm not sure what roach back means, but his withers are high and he is thick so that will be hard to fit saddle-wise. Otherwise, I think he is pretty :]

That mustang has a roman nose ... not really a big deal, but I sure think they're fuglayyy. He looks like a percheron almost. Based on that picture of his leg, he looks a little over at the knee, which (especially with such a large frame) could give him some soundness issues. He has a kind eye, though. How does he ride now, since it's been 4 years?
 
#18 ·
I love that chestnut gelding from the neck up, and his height. Would it be possible to get any better pictures of him, like with his head up? I know you can't take them, but could you ask his owner? His croup is weird, and I'm not sure what roach back means, but his withers are high and he is thick so that will be hard to fit saddle-wise. Otherwise, I think he is pretty :]

That mustang has a roman nose ... not really a big deal, but I sure think they're fuglayyy. He looks like a percheron almost. Based on that picture of his leg, he looks a little over at the knee, which (especially with such a large frame) could give him some soundness issues. He has a kind eye, though. How does he ride now, since it's been 4 years?
I like the Belgian/Morgan too. He's got a nice head it looks like and neck. The roach back is the flatness. His owner is getting ready to go to veterinary school so she is gone this week and won't be abe to get any more pics till/if I go see him myself.

As for the Mustang, I love roman noses. Lol I think they're cute and look lovable, but that's just me. The bit about the him being over the knee? What do you mean? His owner just started riding him again, and says he's doing great, but of course before I hand over the money, I'll make sure and have her ride him in front of me and ask to try him out, etc.
 
#19 ·
While being over at the knee (knees always look just a bit flexed forward) isn't ideal, it is a lot better than being back at the knee. Though I really don't see the over at the knee on the gray. He has big joints, jut like a mustang or draft cross should have but I don't think he is over at the knee.
 
#20 ·
While being over at the knee (knees always look just a bit flexed forward) isn't ideal, it is a lot better than being back at the knee. Though I really don't see the over at the knee on the gray. He has big joints, jut like a mustang or draft cross should have but I don't think he is over at the knee.
Ahh, I see. Thank you so much, Smrobs. :) I've noticed in the small amount of time I've been here that you are always very helpful. :)

As far as him being a little over the knee, will it affect riding at all? I wouldn't want to ride him and make him have joint or leg problems later on.
 
#21 ·
If he is, it isn't enough to actually cause much problem. He might have problems sleeping standing up but it shouldn't affect how he rides at all. I have seen a lot of horses that are a lot worse off than him as far as leg conformation that stayed sound for their whole lives under heavy use.
 
#25 ·
Well, his current owner said both his parents were mild mustangs, so I really have nothing else to go on. Mustangs can be a number of different breeds, considering so many breeds bred with wild horses and made new ones.
 
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