Looking at a 14 yo trail horse that appears to be sound in his videos, but has a history of roping. Don’t know how long he has been roping, but the people who are selling him have only had him 6 or 7 months. They say no time for horse. Is that a red flag or not. Does roping steers do damage to the hocks?
Deal with the horse in front of you. Get a vet of your choosing, not the seller’s vet, not a vet the seller picks out, and do a good PPE. Ride the horse, ask to see him ridden first, ask to be the person who gets him from the field or stall, and grooms and tacks up. If they won’t ride him, if they won’t let you do the work, walk away.
“A history of roping” - 10 years and started when he was 3, roped hard and all year 'round? Or dabbled in roping when he was 9, with a kid for a few years?
WORK does damage to hocks. Being a horse does damage to the hocks.
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What JB said.
If this is a QH, I’d be more concerned about the age of starting. Many QH people start horses in the long yearling year or as 2 year olds. Some are good about it, others are not.
Typically, ropers run fast and then sit their butts down when the cowboy dallies the rope. They then move backwards to hold tension on the rope. Well-bred ropers can handle this. Also, ropers don’t rope regularly. Yearling cows and steers can’t handle that. Even working ranch horses aren’t always on cows.
I’d do a PPE and look at the hocks and hind hooves/joints. BUT, keep in mind, that average wear and tear won’t affect a trail horse unless you plan to scale mountains! The bonus of a roper is that he was probably taken off the property a lot and potentially is a “been there done that” kind of horse. Travelling? Ho-hum. More importantly to you is if this horse has been out in the kind of terrain/environment you intend to trail ride in. Is he ho-hum about it? Is he nervous about it? THAT would be my main concern past the PPE with a vet who understands your intended use.
My good friend just purchased a 15 year old western (did lots of things, including trails, taken off the property a zillion times with a bona-fide trainer the owner purchased and trained her mustang through - daughter spent a summer at his house) horse. She “test drove” with the owner on fairly remote trails. She had the best time!!! When the horse came to her place, it did not want to go through her driveway gate and was nervous about a ride around the neighborhood. I’m certain the horse will settle some but she’s going to have to work a bit to make this horse comfy with her in the absence of the owner and her equine pals. Who knew, based on my friend’s fabulous ride? That said, my friend isn’t nearly as confident a rider as the trainer. That said (again), many formerly working horses made great trail horses and relish the change in their career. The work isn’t hard, they see new stuff, etc. But just be sure you’re purchasing a horse who CAN safely and calmly trail ride, and navigate all obstacles on trails (water crossing, doesn’t put your knee into a tree when they are dense, is OK with deer/dogs/rabbits and is OK with weird looking things like hunter stands, and is basically unflappable when odd stuff comes up, etc.) if that’s what you’re looking to purchase.
My opinion is just my opinion, but a good trail horse is not particularly common. My friend above owns two other horses prior to this horse - her previous 2 (including the mustang) are not good trail horses. She had an experienced h/j ride her other horse on the trail - not a fun ride. Try to have the opportunity to ride this horse out ALONE if you hope to ride alone.
Good luck!!
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thank you for your response. what you have said has been my thoughts
I would have them look for any soreness in the spine, especially the withers, that can be common in rope horses as well.
I would ask them where the horse has been rode. For example, if he’s been ranched on along with roping, then he’d probably be good trail horse. But if he was just rode in arena roping, can he handle hills? water? etc. I’ve had horses from flat country that come to our neck of the woods and they have no idea how to go up and down hills.
The above are great suggestions, communicate with your vet why you are concerned, maybe he/she can concentrate on area’s that show up with rope horses. Be open to accepting some issues. Maybe it’s the perfect horse and just needs a bit of extra care for a little soreness. Maybe your vet can do some adjustments and with no longer roping the horse never has an issue again. And maybe the horse has no issues at all.
Why are they selling after having the horse for just 6-7 months? Be open with the seller, tell them what you can’t have in a horse. I think if people are up front and communicate (either I can’t handle a hot rope horse, or I can’t afford a lot of maintenance, etc), then the seller is more likely to give you something. Maybe not the whole truth but they might say something that catches your attention.
Good look with your decision, and trust your gut.
The seller said they didn’t have the time for him. In the videos, he looked very sound. Didn’t complain about being saddled, changed gaits easily. Might be going to see him on Weds. Not sure yet. Thanks again for the replies
Well I can understand that as I def have a horse I don’t have time for. Hopefully you match up well, good luck!
What type of roping did the horse do? There’s steer roping, heading, heeling, breakaway, team, calf, dally team…each event stresses a horse in a different way. Generally speaking, roping horses are very sturdy, cow bred and tend to be sound - have great longevity. It’s not unusual for a good rope horse to be passed down in the family until its a senior citizen. They have also been exposed to large crowds, lots of noise, nasty cows, etc. so trail riding would be a piece of cake. Hope he works out for you!
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Good roping horses are VERY VALUABLE! Rogers do spend a lot of time with their horses. Lots os short quick work yes. Limited grinding. You might get a well broke horse that is just not lightening quick…or bored with cows
