Hey Everyone-
Anyone care to look at this guys pedigree and tell me what you think? He was not raced, and I came across him as a sale horse! His name is Flying Sooser. Thanks!
http://www.pedigreequery.com/flying+sooser
You should acquire him and have him bred to 120 mares every year for the next 10 years. I would also look into shuttling him to the southern hemisphere every spring/summer.
He really is very well bred-- although I am sure Introspect is kidding… hopefully he is already a gelding, if not, geld him.
" Show me a nice stallion, I will show you an even nicer gelding"
Geld them all, I say!!!
I am assuming that you are talking for riding horse talents. If so, Alydar is there twice and some people really like him for sport horses. He was a beautiful individual who sired some good looking horses. Secretariat and Bold Ruler are also horses sport people like. Terilingua is also good. Some people like Northern Dancer, others not so much. Most sport people do not like Storm Cat at all. Storm Cat was one of the most prominent sires of the last several decades as well as the most expensive for a period of time. He is now pensioned due to declining fertility due to age. Many people consider his get, especially his fillies, as unstable with less than stellar attitudes. I myself have a Storm Cat grandson and he has a fine dispostion. There is a pedigree guru on this board, Vineyridge, who would be much more helpful than me. She knows the ins and outs of pedigrees like the back of her hand. If she does not reply to this thread you should try PMing her. My personal feeling is that unless you are really planning on doing upper level stuff and then breeding, you should ride the horse, not the pedigree. If he did not race and it was not due to injury or some really faulty temperment, then he probably had a good case of the slows and for an ammie rider that can actually be a bonus.
I have not gotten to see him in person yet. But yes, he is gelded! He is a 4 yr old 17.2h, never saw race training, his back story is that he was purchased 1.5 years ago by current owner from a gal who could no longer care for him because she was having a baby. Fast forward and he has been sitting for the last 6 months because he is a bucker and I was told they are not crow hop bucks either. Current owner did his training, but sounds like she is pretty scared of him. He does not stand for the farrier or vet, its questionable if he lunges, he use to clip but not anymore. My take on the situation is that he is just an unruly mess who found out he is boss and is walking all over current owner. I know I had read about the Storm Cat lines being a bit temperamental, and he would fit that bill to a “T” it sounds like! His breeding is not important to me, but I wanted to see if it could be linked to his problem behaviors!
Well, he has every trendy name in the book. And Storm Cats, as said, have a reputation, but it sounds more like he’s a ‘teenager’ (4), and hasn’t been well-handled at all. I’m not sure I’d want a 17.2hh unruly mess who bucks no matter how expensive his relatives are.
Not to butt into your busines, but you probably should invest in a protective vest like the ones exercise riders or eventers wear…Getting launched from a tall, athletic horse can be very problematic. Good luck and stay safe.
I have my protective vest all set to go! He is not going to be my first rodeo and I am going to keep my fingers crossed that he will no be my last. The unfortunate part of this is that he sounds like a very intelligent horse, but is lacking in the confidence/experience department. From the sounds of it he has current owner afraid to even get on him because of the bucking he does on the ground. They had a trainer ride him a few times and I was told that he W/T without a problem and bucks at the canter - current owner can’t handle him and does not discipline him.
I can go and look and always say no. If he seems to have a good and willing mind on the ground and a brain that has not been totally removed I may take a chance and bring him home! If he is crazy, he will be staying right where he is at!
Kankakee Miss was a lovely broodmare knew some of her get well…and Something Royal also premier broodmare, Damascas and Prinquillo my Fav sires…but the rest got screwed w/ the Storm Cat and this geldinds sires name One Tough Cat says it all…maybe a trip to the Cowboy for 60 days is in order 1st…
It sounds as though you have the experience and willingness to work with him that he may require. If you do go to see him, please post an update (and photos!).
Second Chances
I am the ACTUAL individual who ended up “buying” (he was given away for free, I just paid the cost to ship him from WI) this horse whom I later renamed “Chance” for the Second Chance he got (which I believe everyone and everything deserves). I am NOT the same individual who started this post (whom ironically joined the forum group on this horse’s birthday). I only stumbled upon this string when I Googled his registered name to pull up his pedigree (for some reason you cannot access it directly through a search on the site) this morning.
Unruly mess was an absolute false. The gelding has always had superior ground manners since the day I got him (he is trustworthy for a child to do ANYTHING with him from the ground) and clips very well (for me anyhow). With regard to his “temperament” he is a doll. While Storm Cat is known for intermittently producing somewhat “temperamental” progeny, those which are that way are generally such due to an extreme of intelligence. You earn their respect. The flipside to that would be that Storm Cat’s sire, Storm Bird, is known widely for his gentle temperament and infatuation with children (both of which Chance inherited).
The only issues this gelding had were man-made and involved saddles and saddling. He did have a bucking issue and I have been the only one that has ever been able to get on him since I got him late October (Halloween) 2011. His registered name, Flying Sooser, actually means “Flying Horse” in Hebrew and boy was he aptly named! It was slow going at first but it was purely a trust/respect issue and yes, his former owner, a 13 or 14 year old girl, WAS scared of him and openly admits so.
His conformation is wonderful, his movement is unbelievable and whomever said they guessed he was very intelligent was dead on the money. The horse had a hard life prior to my acquisition of him however that’s long in his past now. He will never be for sale again and has turned into the absolute best horse I’ve ever owned.
I am posting some links to photos of “Chance” to include one of three “baby” photos I obtained from his original owner/breeder. 
Chance and his infamous bucking (before I owned him, note NONE of his hooves are touching the ground in any of these photos by the last)…
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/522057_301093029960579_78448675_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/539572_301093166627232_665014824_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/532663_301093096627239_1433725219_n.jpg
Chance in cross ties
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/599285_467704379966109_2113714949_n.jpg
Chance turned out
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/579140_461234033946477_1301535563_n.jpg
Chance’s first time with water…
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/486427_465604546842759_1000773700_n.jpg
Chance’s AMAZING trot…
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/526594_373867936016421_1178425974_n.jpg
Chance roundpen…
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/487945_449495721786975_1883318437_n.jpg
Chance with child (he ADORES children)…
http://www.horsechannel.com/images/blog/6cea964a-c4ed-40ff-a381-bca80e9c6396.jpg
Chance being ridden in a halter (this continued for the first 6 months I rode him)…
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/430290_279821455421070_1115139096_n.jpg
Another trot photo…
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/255341_373867856016429_722852086_n.jpg
And baby picture
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/305634_325371904199358_769488011_n.jpg
Regards,
Victoria & Chance 
So wait, he is not for “sale”? I’m confused!
[QUOTE=Acertainsmile;6910734]
So wait, he is not for “sale”? I’m confused![/QUOTE]
This is an old thread.
Yup. An old thread with a lovely update. Thanks, Second Chance! And continued happiness with Chance.
He’s pretty but this part must be a mistake, Storm Bird " is known widely for his gentle temperament". I don’t know about his infatuation with children but Storm Bird was legendary for being a vicious SOB. He mellowed a bit with age I think and they were able to lead him without the club… I’ve seen one photo with him being handled by one guy but mostly it is two guys with a shank on each side. Storm Cats have a rep for being very hot, nutty, crazy, etc. but I don’t think they were vicious (most anyway). He was just a hot, dominant horse but no worse than any stallion who knows he’s the KING of all. I think his tendency to pass on his knees were more worrisome!
Second Chances Second Update
[QUOTE=summerhorse;6914794]
He’s pretty but this part must be a mistake, Storm Bird " is known widely for his gentle temperament". I don’t know about his infatuation with children but Storm Bird was legendary for being a vicious SOB. He mellowed a bit with age I think and they were able to lead him without the club… I’ve seen one photo with him being handled by one guy but mostly it is two guys with a shank on each side. Storm Cats have a rep for being very hot, nutty, crazy, etc. but I don’t think they were vicious (most anyway). He was just a hot, dominant horse but no worse than any stallion who knows he’s the KING of all. I think his tendency to pass on his knees were more worrisome![/QUOTE]
Summerhorse, I think you must be thinking of Storm Cat. I was actually able to find a direct mention of Storm Bird’s affinity for children and gentle temperament…you do have to scroll about 3/4 of the way down the page. http://thevaulthorseracing.wordpress.com/tag/thoroughbred-bloodstock/
And no, acertainsmile, he is no longer “For Sale”. I had responded two years after the fact (as mentioned by nasalberry) to the original string which I stumbled upon by accident the other day as mentioned by frugalannie.
FWIW, I visited Ashford Stud a few years ago. The groom/stallion handler that showed us around had been there for a long time. When we went by the graveyard, we saw Storm Bird’s grave and the guy talked about what a mean SOB Storm Bird was. This guy was there when Storm Bird was there and had taken care of him.
No. Storm Cat is/was opinionated but he is not mean. On the other hand, I know someone missing part of a pectoral muscle thanks to Storm Bird. He was not a kind horse.
I have heard different things about Storm Cat myself from someone who had once intended to breed to him and ultimately backed out due to his temperament after meeting him in person.
OH WELL, everyone surely has their own opinion! All that matters to me is the grandson/great grandson has a heart of gold.
Thanks for all of the input everyone!
[QUOTE=SecondChances;6921682]
I have heard different things about Storm Cat myself from someone who had once intended to breed to him and ultimately backed out due to his temperament after meeting him in person.
OH WELL, everyone surely has their own opinion! All that matters to me is the grandson/great grandson has a heart of gold.
Thanks for all of the input everyone![/QUOTE]
I know the horse myself, and I know someone who worked with him directly (and many other stallions, including genuinely difficult ones) for years. Storm Cat is not a mean horse, and never was. He is intelligent, he likes his routine, and he will not stand for being ‘told’ rather than asked. But he is not, nor has he ever been, mean. There are opinions, and then there are those who know the horses intimately. I trust those who have known and worked with both those stallions on a daily basis for years.
Your wonderful experience just goes to show that too much stock can be put on reputation/rumor/bloodline. They’re all individuals, and dismissing one because it is by a certain stallion is a mistake. I am delighted that the horse in question has such a good heart, and such a good home.
