What are you YEARNING for and not seeing

[columbus]

For the wish list of young horses…

If you are a JUMPER person…what are you hoping to see on someones sale page and are not seeing?

If you are shopping for a DRESSAGE youngster what do you wish was out there that you aren’t finding?

Same for HUNTER people…what might get you excited to see on a sale page?

I have a Trigger fantasy and want to see a big solid golden palomino with 4 white stockings and a blaze maybe a Popeye K, Apiro, Rio Grande type…any sex. PatO

[Forte]

It always makes me really happy if I see a young horse being ridden correctly, on the bit. I see so many videos of dressage youngsters flopping around with way too long reins and no contact.

[ponygirl]

I’ll bite

I was in a discussion with a close friend today about something much along these lines. We were discussing the lack of American bred hunter jumper foals by American owned jumper stallions. Where are all of the: Orlando, Amaretto D’Arco, Coconut Grove, Mezcalero, Vancouver d’ Auvray, Metropolitan, Quidam Junior, Far West, Cisco, Salvatore, Laroche, VDL Bubalu, Ublesco, Vegas, Rebozo, Landkoenig, Special Memories, Laurinn, Canezaro, Caballo,Cunningham, Oh Star, Conejo, Jetstar Du Lozon, Triomphe de Muze, Cubito, Judgement, Domino, etc etc, etc. <sigh> We really have some very good jumper blood here on our soil yet to find foals by such horses is like finding a needle in a haystack and very few folks if any seem to talk about them

Heck we had Chin Chin and never used him. Carolus II has been exported to Europe as well b/c the Europeans get what these horses are and bring to the table. Not to mention Quick Star, Hand in Glove, Contefino, I Love You… I’m sure the French would love to get their hands on Quidam Junior b/c of his dam line.Has any even looked at his dam line? I mean really looked?

[columbus]

Thanks very much

I was hoping to get so specific a response on jumpers…you’re a doll. I know there are a few issues. One is age. I was searching the Coconut Groves…they are lovely…but they are still young. The Mezcaleros were really nice as well and are a bit older…you should search on these two as their foals look exceptional and the few will be gone as they age to competition. Also fewer breeders seem to breed for jumping. The jump riders may make this harder for the breeders by not buying till the youngsters are 4+. To keep youngsters that long takes some doing. How should they be started for the jumper market? How far along? So what do you think jumper riders are waiting for? 16.2+, 6yo to what level? Thanks PatO

[sixpoundfarm]

I might be biased, but I am happy with my Special Memories colt. Photos and video link to him here: http://www.sixpoundfarm.com/offerings.html

He is out of a KWPN mare who’s granddam has now produced her 7th international jumper. One of which is a full sibling to my mare’s dam. Grandmare is expecting her 20th foal in 2011 by Gaillard de la Pomme.

[Oakstable]

20 foals? what age did she start?

Really nice walk on that Special Memories colt.

[Krallen]

Ponygirl mentioned a lot of awesome competition horses, but that doesn’t necessarily make them sires. Some are very unproven as breeding stallions with only frozen semen available, and their breeding fees are as high, or even higher, than stallions that have already produced internationally competing offspring. I really like Oh Star and have a mare that I think the cross would be really interesting with, but for $3500 (at least that’s what I think it was when I enquired in 2007 or 08), frozen semen, and a couple of offspring out there who I can’t find anything on, I’ll buy Indoctro, Cassini II, Diamant, or Landkonig for much less. I’ve also contacted a few of the owners of the stallions on ponygirl’s list, to never have emails or phone calls returned.

On a different note, I watch ads for jumper bred youngsters and see babies by top sires that are priced pretty darned high for their quality. A big name sire doesn’t necessarily make a high dollar youngster, especially when the dam line is subpar or average at best. There are also a lot of horses with a hodge podge pedigree of ho-hum jumpers with some dressagey jump killers thrown in. Seeing prospects that were bred with no apparent breeding goal is common and frustrating.

Also, as someone who will be in the market for a prospect in the next couple of months, I’ve started looking at 3,4, and 5 years olds. I can’t believe the number of youngsters who have NO forward button installed. A horse that is coming 5 will get me to come look if it can WTC on the bit, is forward, has some looseness in its back and some push from behind, even if it is completely unstarted on jumps. A 4 year old that is cantering around like an Arab, yanked through changes in the corners, or jumping hollowed out at 3’ with big spurs on will not. A happy, forward horse is hard to find, or maybe its just that I’m looking on a budget.

[lotc2005]

Cubito

Cubito is a nice stallion. If I am correct, his first foal crop was in 2009? --Which may be why you don’t see many Cubito babies yet.

I have a coming 2 year old by him and I am very excited to see what she will be in another three years. I started out looking at 2-5 year olds…and ended up purchasing a yearling…go figure. But, I wouldn’t trade her for anything!

However, I guess I should edit this to answer the original question. I spent last year horse shopping for an amateur jumper prospect. I looked at horses from several different states and while I was pleased with some, many were a complete crap shoot and several were grossly misrepresented (this is really frustrating when you drive several hours to look at a horse and it is nothing like the seller claims it to be).

I would have to say that the most important thing to me is a knowledgeable seller who has put a great deal of time and effort into breeding/raising/training high quality horses. A seller who is honest, polite, accommodating, and easy to work with makes purchasing much more desirable.

So, to answer your question: When I look at a sales page, I want to see quality breeding, class, a link to the farm website where I can see other horses that are offered for sale by the farm or horses that have been previously sold, success in the program, and PROFESSIONALISM. Quality NOT quantity is important. I would rather see a breeder with 5 or so high quality babies on the ground as opposed to a “puppy mill” of 20 or so very average foals.

[eaconlee]

I have a 2015 Mezcalero mare that’s awesome but quite petite. I think the dam was bred the last week he stood publicly.