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Potential Purchase - Halter Horse?

Western
#1

This is my first post ever, so please forgive me if I put it in the wrong place!
I’m considering purchasing this mare, and I would love some input.
She’s 4 years old, unstarted, and halter bred, so there’s the bad…😅
On the bright side, she doesn’t seem overly muscled to me, and she seems to have a great personality. She’ll pretty much be used as a trail horse, and I don’t plan to do any serious competition/performance with whatever horse I buy. I do have a couple of questions, though.

In on the video of her walking, does her gait look stiff to you? I’ve never had a halter-bred horse before, but I’ve heard that they’re often unsound for riding. From your experience, has that proven to be true? In the picture below, it looks to me like she isn’t too post-legged, although her pasterns are a little steep.

I haven’t seen her in person yet, which of course I would do before buying her, and I will also have a PPE done.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UwYaekU3kRrRnheS3R656Qb03Aa1KVUd/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WSLkzPOPq0RGncKFRXq-eXiai-DN6-mC/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SlUYE6XOHemYgv-0s3bupteAOUMZwi6d/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kw7L3o4nWqkEKlD5LsqidWGOT878nOK6/view?usp=drivesdk

#2

Is she AQHA registered and if so, has she been five panel tested, or at least HYPP N/N, if needed?

Here is more:

http://www.goodwinquarterhorses.com/…-Genetics.html

In the pictures she looks more like western pleasure, not halter bred.

#3

As far as I know, she hasn’t been 5 panel tested, but she is N/N. I thought she looked more western pleasure, too, but her pedigree goes back almost exclusively to halter horses, as far as I can tell.

https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/destined+for+a+crown

#4

As far as I know, she hasn’t been 5 panel tested, but she is HYPP N/N. I thought she looked more western pleasure, too (which is good), but from what I can tell her pedigree is almost exclusively halter.

https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/destined+for+a+crown

#5

As far as I know, she’s hasn’t been 5 panel tested, but she is HYPP N/N. I thought she looked more WP bred, too, but her pedigree is almost completely halter

#6

https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/destined+for+a+crown

#7

If you like a horse and it may do what you want to do with horses AND has a nice disposition, what is not to like?

Halter horses come in all kinds, some less athletic, some more.
Some here had really pretty halter horses that also rode very nicely.

1 Like
#8

What would you be doing with her? She may be Halter bred but she’s not Halter built so perhaps there are more using horses in her pedigree then you are aware of? Don’t get seduced by the big heavily advertised names, what else is in there?

#9

What are you planning on using her for?

On the one video, there’s a brief moment where she turns toward the camera before stopping. It looks like her knees “bend out” when she is trotting rather than moving square underneath her. Maybe it was the camera angle, but if she is actually doing that, that would be something like I would shy away from. It doesn’t mean she will have soundness issues, but if her legs don’t travel straight and square, it increases your liklihood of having soundness issues down the road.

#10

Before I could say anything about her movement, I’d need to see her really moving out on a longe line or in a round pen, not poking around the pasture with her head down. I agree that she doesn’t have a lot of hock articulation in these videos but she is also barely moving. Get her doing a big trot at a sustained speed, and then look at her canter.

Other than that, I don’t see any red flags in her conformation but again, it would be good to have a stood-up straight from the side conformation photo to see what she really looks like.

One further question: would you be considering buying her at this price and stage of training if she were plain chestnut or bay? Just checking to see if her beautiful blonde color is influencing things!

You are right that her pasterns look steep in the grazing photo. Again, would like to see a stood-up conformation photo to see what they look like when she isn’t leaning forward.

What does trail riding mean here? Two hours in the park a couple of times a week, or gnarly mountain trails and 8 hour back country expeditions in the mountains?

1 Like
#11

I would mostly be trail riding. In an ideal world, that might include some endurance, but seeing as how I’m planning to start medical school fairly soon I don’t think that’s very likely😂 So, basically, mostly casual trail riding. Her registered name is “Destined for a Crown,” and she’s on Allbreedpedigree. Her sire’s side seems to mostly trace back to Impressive (I counted him like five times in the extended pedigree🙄), but her dam comes from mostly Jackie Bee lines, which I guess are known for also being competitive?

#12

That’s definitely something I’ll look out for if I decide to make the trip to go look at her. I really plan on only casually trail riding, as I’m fairly certain that’s all I’ll have time for over the next few years.

#13

Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely look at all of that in person, which I think is really better than what any photo will be able to tell. I’ve just been trying to decide if it’s worth driving five hours to go look at her😅

I think that so long as she is sound and if she is what she’s portrayed to be, she would be a good buy in any color.

I’ll probably only be casually trail riding with her, nothing too extreme!

#14

Going to be a little blunt here…do you really want to drive 10 hours round trip to see a 4 year old, unstarted horse you will need to pay for, transport, break, train, get enough miles on to use once or twice a week for safe trail riding right before starting Med school??? Really?

Even “born broke” QHs are not guaranteed to love peaceful trail riding and, really, some horses in her pedigree weren’t warm fuzzy pets that loved peacefully poking around a trail nor did they break out easily as a hobby in somebody’s spare time. You have no idea with an unstarted 4 year old and sending it out for training adds quite a bit to the purchase price and it’s still Green when it comes back.

Speaking of breaking, why hasn’t she been started in a breed where the vast majority are at least backed at 2 and going well under saddle no later then the end of the 3 year old year. It’s expensive to keep unstarted horses around doing nothing for years versus putting as little as 60 days under saddle on them and selling as green. It’s much easier to get them started earlier, not pounded just started, then after they’ve stood around for years. It’s unusual, particularly in QHs, if you want an unstated QH, you go look at 2 year olds.

This particular horse is long backed, straightish shoulder and hip but for trail riding, should be OK. But it’s not broke yet so…???

For your needs at this point in your life, this unbroken 4 year old isn’t a smart purchase. A well broke, proven quiet on trails horse of any age would be a far better choice. Preferably one closer then a 10 hr round trip you can get on and ride around on before signing a check.

11 Likes
#15

Oh, I missed the bit about starting medical school.

I did a 5 year PhD in a humanities subject in a rigorous program. Not nearly as hard as med school, but still was pretty much work 12 hours a day 6 or 7 days a week; you took time off when your eyes started to fail and you couldn’t read any more. I can’t imagine having quality horse time in that situation.

#16

I would personally NOT drive 10 hours to buy an unbroke horse that is going to require a lot of TIME, when you aren’t going to have the time in medical school. JMO.

If you only plan on trail riding, honestly, pedigree doesn’t matter at all. Find something that is quiet and experienced, and can sit for a month and ride off fine.

#17

I don’t care for her. She’s a nice color but too downhill and stiff in her movement.

#18

Also, if the eventual goal is endurance riding, I’m not sure a QH of any variety would be my first choice. It’s true that a fit QH can walk and jog all day, and has bursts of speed when you need to go chase something down on the ranch. But they don’t have the speed over distance of a TB or an Arab. A TB is probably a bit fragile for endurance, but Arabs do very well. On the other hand, I wouldn’t recommend an Arab for riding twice a week while you are in medical school.

Honestly, if professional school is in your near future, I would not buy a horse, but would look for a good flexible half lease situation in your new town, after you have settled into the school work load, if you have free time. Otherwise, you are going to buy an unbroke horse, ride for maybe a year, then most likely she is going to go on the back burner through med school and then through your residency and specialization, and by the time you look up from your studies, you will have a green broke teenage horse that has been a millstone for years. Leave yourself free to go where you need to, for now, and find horses along the way. Once you have a job in a place that’s horse friendly, you can buy.

#19

First thing I saw was capped hocks. With her stiff movement, I would be worried about previous injuries and longevity.

She is 4 so it may be growth related, but her stance and chest look odd to me.

Personally I would pass on this one.

#20

I can’t tell anything about the horse personally but as someone who went through med school and residency recently here’s my experience. Money is a much bigger issue for me than time. I sold my show horse before med school and as I was bored and needed time away from my studies I started doing triathlons. And half marathons. Which took up just as much time as the horses. In my third year I started volunteering at a therapeutic riding school. 4th year I brought my moms horse down to ride

intern year as an ob I lessened about once a week and rode about one other time usually. Second year I bought an unbroke 2yo, started her myself and by her 5yo year (my chief year) she was show ready in hunter under saddle, eq, working hunter hack and eq over and showmanship. Only could do 2 shows a year due to funds though.

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