Recently on a thread someone made a comment about quiet youngsters and something being wrong with them. I am just curious what others have experienced.
As the owner of a very quiet three year old, the comment caught me off guard. Our girl has been an old soul since birth and takes almost everything in stride. Even if she does spook it is very small and she gathers herself back up quickly. And having known her since birth I know it is just her personality. And her half sister as a yearling is exactly the same way.
Both of these babies are very well fed and taken care of properly. They have always had regular vet care and our vet has never given any indication that they are abnormal in any way.
So please share your stories.
Too many people want to think something is wrong if the horse is too quiet or too “hot” or not fat :lol:
I broke my then-3yo in a pasture with his turnout buddies in it. They would run around, he hardly paid attention. Doesn’t get a lot quieter than that :lol: I’ve had him since 6 months old, and his quiet nature as a almost-weanling was a large part of what sold me on him.
We had a tall, pretty 3 yo WB gelding investment horse we bought as a just broke 2 yo that was just quiet, quiet, quiet. Even after 3 months turned out, you could get right on him and ride around. He was just like that! Wonderful!
We had someone try and then vet him, he passed cleanly, and they even pulled blood to hold for a drug screen if needed (fine w/ us!)… well, the money was supposed to be wired on Friday. No money. Dad calls and said he is out of town and can’t do it, so it will be Wednesday next week. Wednesday, no money. Now we know something is up. We now can’t get ahold of the folks and so we call the trainer; she said that people at the barn had been telling them there is no way a 3 yo could be that quiet and surely the horse is drugged, so they decided against him, and that he’s just too young. Hmmmm… he’s always been 3??? and you pulled blood, RUN IT! Trust me, nothing there! It was the weirdest thing ever. Interestingly enough, the day they tried him it was like 20 degrees and windy and he actually was understandably a bit fresh and did buck with me - caught on their videotape - yet he was probably drugged? LOL Wish they were all that quiet!!!
sigh and if they had bought him they would have been on here wondering what to feed him to give him energy 
I’m GLAD they didn’t buy him!
Give me a quiet one any day. I breed horses for the young amateur market and want foals that are easy. Last years filly was sold to a young (19 year old )girl who had never raised a foal before. She liked the filly from pics and videos that were on line, but fell in love once she met her in person. She was quiet and well mannered. She decided she wanted to take her to a show to do the Yearling Hunter breeding. She even had to “baby sit” the 3 year old gelding they also brought to the show. First time she wore a bridle she acted like she had been doing it forever. I always get updates from her new mom saying what a pleasure she is and how she is a barn favorite. This filly’s dam is the same way. She can be out to pasture pregnant for 6 months and if I get a bug up my butt to go ride, I can pull her right out of the field and go.
My daughter has decided to keep this years filly to raise as her next prospect. I told her she had to do most of the handling from day one with her. At two months old she can trot her in hand and bath her. She picks up all her hooves for her. Very rarely does anything bother her enough to get her to even raise her head. I saw her full of her self for the first time the other day and told my friend,“Hey I didn’t think she had it in her” LOL. I am a little worried for her inspection that she won’t “show” well. Here is my daughter working with her filly on her in hand stuff. Walking, trotting and standing up/still. She did really good. She is 2 months old.
To be fair, it CAN mean something. Often times mildly neurological horses are very quiet, I know mine was. She passed over a dozen vet exams over the years. A quiet, calm, docile personality with a “kind” looking eye can be a symptom. So not all people who are concerned are without any reason.
I would not pass on a horse that was extremely quiet as having something wrong, but I would probably have neurological tests done of them.
A quiet, calm, docile personality with a “kind” looking eye can be a symptom.
And the science to back up that statement can be found…where???
It’s a good thing I’m winding down my business. The first person that says to me “I read on the internet that really quiet horses are at risk of being neuro” will cause me to fly apart at the seams.
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[QUOTE=Perfect Pony;5040786]
To be fair, it CAN mean something. Often times mildly neurological horses are very quiet, I know mine was. She passed over a dozen vet exams over the years. A quiet, calm, docile personality with a “kind” looking eye can be a symptom.[/QUOTE]
Has there been a scientific study linking these 2 things with a definitive cause and effect? Or is it possible that your mare had a quiet personality and then ended up with a mild neurological problem and those are 2 unrelated things? And to say “OFTEN TIMES” is a STRONG statement.
I am sorry about your horse BUT the fact that your horse had a quiet personality and also had a neurological problem does not prove a link between those 2 things.
I have a 5-yr-old that has ALWAYS been quiet, from the day she was born. And I DID inquire about her with my vet because I had never had a youngster be SO quiet. As a weanling, she could be the last one turned out and still be in the barn while the other horses were bucking and playing and she would just very quietly walk to her pasture. She would be out with all the grownups and they would be running and playing and being idiots and she would just eat her hay and look at them like “what is your problem.” She rarely spooks and if she does it is small and over in an instant. That is just her personality and I wish ALL my horses were like her!
I am with you on that one, Kate. Merciful heavens. Super movers with wonderful characters are suspect. Who would have thunk it?:winkgrin:
Wow. Just wow.
I am third in approval with Kate’s comment.
First it was super movers and now it is quiet horses can be neurologic. PP, I am truly sorry about your mare, but the broadness you paint neurologic symptoms means that practically all horses have them!
It’s entirely one thing for a horse to have always, with exceptions, have had a “quiet, calm, docile personality with a “kind” looking eye”, and it’s another altogether for one who has not been like to become like that.
I too am :no: 
about that situation being an “often times” symptom of a neuro horse. One example doesn’t make “often” Neuro horses can be quiet and docile and then develop neuro issues and still be quiet and docile. They can be hot and energetic and develop neuro issues and still be hot and energetic. They can have one personality and develop problems and become Jekyll and Hyde - that’s a great sign something is wrong.
I have an Escapade filly. When she was broke, never did a thing wrong. Never scooted about the saddle with the girth she never felt, never rounded her back, never minded when I sat on her, never minded when she felt my leg pressure, never spooked, nothing. She has been under saddle now for about 3 months and she’s still wonderful. I ride her about once a week or so and for only 10-15 minutes and I never need to worry that she’ll be fresh.
She is also as some others have stated here. She watches while everyone else plays…occasionally she will trot a little.
I think some are just born quiet!
Thanks OP, that was my comment.
There certainly are “born broke” quiet young horses. My trainer has a lovely one at the moment, and I’m quite confident there’s not a thing wrong with him physically, mentally, neurologically, etc. However, he still acts his age, even though he is not a hot or reactive type.
However, I’ve had personal experience with a “quiet” young horse who did end up having several physical issues and nutritional deficiencies. Once those were addressed, that “quiet,” tractable youngster wasn’t very quiet or tractable anymore.
I’m not really talking about an energy level kind of quiet here but more a description for the horse’s overall attitude and how it processes stimuli. There’s a difference, IMO, between the “quiet, born broke” type of youngster who accepts new things in stride and the “too quiet, doesn’t always seem like horse is 100 percent there” type of youngster. I also think the difference between the types isn’t always obvious, especially for ammies or people who don’t have experience with lots of babies, watching them grow up and start training.
I’ve not run into a situation where I felt that changing feeds specifically to address a lack of energy while in work was a viable option, so I cannot comment on the thought behind that other than acknowledging that some horses do better with more calories in the form of fat, etc. I would evaluate whether this lack of energy stemmed from a lack of fitness, a lack of some nutritient(s) or a training issue (horse needs to understand that leg means move NOW, not move if you feel like it) before I looked at whether X brand might be better for horse than Y brand, only because I feel it’s important to at least make sure those other factors aren’t relevant.
I am certainly not saying that all quiet youngsters have something wrong with them, but if I were to look at purchasing a young horse with unknown history (i.e., no information about diet, deworming, vaccinations, etc.) who appeared to be rather quiet for its age, my prior experience would not allow me to take that quiet attitude at face value. I would be asking for a second opinion from my pros, who are far more experienced than I am regarding normal youngster behavior and “too quiet” youngster versus “quiet, born broke” youngster.
I hope that makes my viewpoint a little more clear. 
Super movers with wonderful characters are suspect.
Good Grief Charley Brown. First everyone wants amateur friendly horses who are super movers with wonderful characters, and now they are all suspect??? WTF??? I GIVE UP!!! I don’t have any idea what buyers want now. :no:
I’d be right there with you. Buying something whose history you don’t know, who seems too good to be true in terms of a quiet temperament, does warrant a very critical evaluation by those who have seen way more than I ever will.
Chances are that’s just the horse, but there’s a far better chance that horse is “wrong” compared to the chances of a horse you know having always been like that is “wrong”
The fact comes from the UC Davis medicine department, and yes, sorry, an unusually quiet horse can be a neurological symptom.
And I never said “good” movers can be neurological, I said the current fashion of extravagant dressage movers. There is a very big difference between a correct moving horse and one with an extreme amount of what people often see of “elasticity” and “suspension” that can be a neurological symptom.
Perfect Pony -
So - no hard science behind it - besides the opinion of some vet at Davis.
I think the statement is irresponsible. I have no clue what “unusually quiet” means to you or the vet that said that. There is no CONTEXT.
And OF COURSE if a horse used to be more “reactive” and now it’s dead quiet and it wasn’t always like that something is wrong. NO KIDDING!
It’s funny what will finally push someone over the edge - and this thread has done that for me. I’m over this. Stick a fork in me - I’m done. Cooked. I can’t take this equine climate any more.
The internet is the worst thing that ever happened to horses. No one has to have hands-on experience anymore, they are all armchair quarterbacks with an audience of freaking thousands.
I think a lot of it is just good breeding with the intent of producing quiet sane horses. That has been my goal from the start as a breeder and most of our youngsters are stoic and easygoing and accepting of new things. Every time I’ve ever taken them anywhere new, they take a look around and do a horse shrug and look for something to eat.
Someone who bought a filly from us posted these pics recently of her and her three year old filly swimming in a NC river. This filly has been ridden maybe 15 times. Now that is quiet! The crazy thing is though that I’d expect 90% of my youngsters would be about the same in this situation.
http://i719.photobucket.com/albums/ww195/SummerNickers/224.jpg
http://i719.photobucket.com/albums/ww195/SummerNickers/168.jpg
I also think the definition of what “really quiet” means to some may be different which could be leading to confusion in this discussion.
[QUOTE=ahf;5041077]
It’s funny what will finally push someone over the edge - and this thread has done that for me. I’m over this. Stick a fork in me - I’m done. Cooked. I can’t take this equine climate any more.
The internet is the worst thing that ever happened to horses. No one has to have hands-on experience anymore, they are all armchair quarterbacks with an audience of freaking thousands.[/QUOTE]
I agree with you on this; sorry to go off topic, but, my friends and I just talked about this recently, so it strikes a chord. And, over time the environment has turned from warm and helpful to critical and judgmental, with arguments breaking out all the time, snarky/rude comments, etc. Whatever happened to “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all?”
I think part of it is the anonymity the internet offers. In person, most people wouldn’t get into the sorts of conversations and arguments and say those things if they were face to face with folks - I’m just saying in general, not particularly related to this thread, btw. What is said is taken as gospel by unknowing or innocent folks, looking for real advice, but unaware that they are now misinformed by one of the armchair quarterbacks (is that Quaterbacks? LOL) you mention. Then the knowledge base seems to get watered down, like you said, with no one having hands-on experience, etc.
