# Does this guy need groceries...?



## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

8 yr old aqha gelding for sale

I got so hungry on his behalf!


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

He's looks a little lean but not bad. Certainly not starving.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Ewe necked, roman nosed and ugly as sin but looks fit as a fiddle to me.

If as the owner claims he sounds like a heck of a good horse.


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

I think there's some conformation issues going on there making him look thinner than he is. He's certainly not one of the prettier horses I've seen but he looks like he does a good days work.


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## Yldrosie (Jan 28, 2006)

He's not that bad, just bad pictures.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

It is a really bad picture...he may need groceries. Might be a little thin from the no rain situation and pastures looking so bad. He looks thin compared to my horses for sure.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

Yea, he struck me as lacking conformation more than anything


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Look at his coat. A hungry horse doesn't shine like that!


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

tinknal said:


> Ewe necked, roman nosed and ugly as sin but looks fit as a fiddle to me.
> 
> If as the owner claims he sounds like a heck of a good horse.


Yep. Not a beautiful horse, and maybe could put on a couple of pounds, but also could be in perfect weight but just a bad picture. My TB mare is on the portly side at the moment, but at the right angle you might actually think she needs a little weight. Tough to tell from one picture.

The key is matching the horse to their job - I know a hunter (prospect) that looks just like this -- actually, it's scary how similar they look -- but he is just not built for the hunter ring. He is a tremendous trail horse, but unfortunately the owner is trying to match that square peg to a round hole.

This horse might improve the thin/ewe neck with some conditioning, but still might look a little awkward.


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## 1sttimemom (Mar 1, 2005)

Doesn't look thin to me. Actually looks fit. Right now mine are all tubby so next to them he might look thin but mine are all on green pasture right now and are all easy keepers. Most people actually keep their horses really overweight and think that is "normal".


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

I wouldn't say he's fit either, he has a lot of upside-down muscling. He is maybe a tad thin, but I'd rather see a horse a bit on the thin side than obese. A good 80% of the horses I come across could stand to stop being a pasture puff and lose a little weight.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

1sttimemom said:


> Most people actually keep their horses really overweight and think that is "normal".


Most of the hobby/weekend trail riders I know and almost all the show horse people I know keep their horses significantly overweight. That is something that actually makes me cringe because I grew up on a working cattle ranch where the horses were expected to be able to go out and do a hard day's work, day after day. 

Fat horses can't do a day's work and it has always been my feeling that horses that are significantly overweight are prone to more health problems, soundness issues in the feet and legs (especially in youngsters) as well as higher percentages of gut problems, including colic.


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

Thanks for the input. I know lean is better than heavy (Me being a case in point...umm not lean). I thought he was way too lean. But I can see now that the other conditions in the picture, shine, muscling, contradict my first impression.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

I don't think he looks too lean at all. I think he looks just about right in that area.... it's the other things that would turn me off to that horse. I don't really think his conformation is too bad, but I sure don't like a roman nose. I also don't like the thin neck.


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

I think he is...a bit...unfortunate in his overall appearance, lol. Still, I bet he is a sweetheart. Maybe a little work could help him out, but he will still be...unfortunate.


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

and a lot of horses that look like this seem to be able to work hard all day and not break a sweat. not sure the guy will get that price from him, being so 'unfortunate' looking (haha!) but if he was that solid of a ride, I'd go look at him, if I were in the market.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

He has a horrible conformation... like a half dozen horse's thrown together.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

I've always liked a roman nose. To me it denotes common sense cow-savvy.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I'd put a few more pounds on him, but he's a mountain horse and about right in weight for it. He looks fit to me, although the seller says he hasn't been riding him? So I don't know how he is fit unless he is in a large pasture and he self-exercises.

If you took a halter horse fat horse into the mountains, you'd break him down. If he's going to work that hard, you want a lot of muscle on him and not too much body fat.

He's taken after the thoroughbred side of his pedigree. He wasn't born with big Quarter Horse muscles.

If he really is safe in the mountains and you can shoot off of him and he'll pack game, he's worth some money. You wouldn't be paying for his looks.


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## mountainwmn (Sep 11, 2009)

I can't really see a rib and if you look close he's even got a crease down his butt. It would take that boy a lot of extra padding to fill in that neck and those withers. If I was looking though, and he were close I would probably take a look.


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## JPiantedosi (Apr 23, 2012)

Ive been at a couple of the local 4h grounds looking at horse while my wife does some showmanship judging recently, and I can tell you with the current hay market that horse looks alot better than most of the horses Ive seen recently.


Jim


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

He's so ugly! That weird bulging muscles on the front legs and then on the knee on the back...ugh..What the heck is going on?
He isn't thin, just fugly. 

What is ewe necked?


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

Ewe necked is when there is too little muscle along the top of the neck, too much below. Think of a sheeps neck, it's "upside down" on a horse.


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

bergere said:


> He has a horrible conformation... like a half dozen horse's thrown together.


I refer to horses like that as looking like they were put together out of spare parts. Poor .....unfortunate thing.


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## mplatt4 (Mar 24, 2007)

his conformation has a little to be desired but it depends what you like. I have owned bred and trained hundreds of horses in the last 45 years andd horses are like people some can look at food and get butterball fat and some can eat 24 hours a day and look like there starving I have seen it in cows and dogs also so I wouldnt make a snap judgement on the care the owner is giving the horse unless I knew for sure it wasnt up to par


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Can't beat a good mind on a horse, ugly or not.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

1sttimemom said:


> Most people actually keep their horses really overweight and think that is "normal".


I agree. 
You're _supposed_ to see a touch of rib. It means they're working. :shrug:

And yeah, that's one ugly horse. lol Then again, we've owned one or two of those, and they'd work all day and never complain. 
Conformation isn't the yardstick some folks think it is...


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

You guys! He's not ugly...he's unfortunate!! 

like Becca said...


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

There's a drop dead gorgeous, eye candy, mountain riding horse, also AQHA, for sale in my area. $6500. So this guy has his price discounted for being ugly.

If they can slide down a rock cliff, don't trip and fall over roots, and can jump a deadfall log cleanly when you are 15 miles from the nearest dirt road and the only way in is on foot or horse back, then they are worth a bit more. Getting home safe is worth something.


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Minelson said:


> You guys! He's not ugly...he's unfortunate!!
> 
> like Becca said...


In that case....

He looks like he fell out of the unfortunate tree and hit every branch on his way down. Unfortunately.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

RamblinRoseRanc said:


> In that case....
> 
> He looks like he fell out of the unfortunate tree and hit every branch on his way down. Unfortunately.


:hysterical::hysterical: Now that is FUNNY!!


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

I didn't think he was too bad - just that neck...ewww. 

Now, this wonderful app gelding from a few months ago is STILL available:

Appy gelding

And look, he has a new saddle!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Chixarecute said:


> I didn't think he was too bad - just that neck...ewww.
> 
> Now, this wonderful app gelding from a few months ago is STILL available:
> 
> ...


Poor Reno.
Still no takers. :sob:


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Chixarecute said:


> I didn't think he was too bad - just that neck...ewww.
> 
> Now, this wonderful app gelding from a few months ago is STILL available:
> 
> ...


Omg! Another unfortunate horse...and this one comes with an unfortunate saddle! I remember this horse...without the saddle. Sorry, saddle is not helping!


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Poor Reno gets no respect! At least he doesn't need groceries.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Now the Appy, there is hope for his neck.... he can be trained to carry it correctly... so he isn't too bad.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

But he's an Appy ... I'm not sure there is hope for that!


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

I do chuckle a bit looking at these photos and the comments and as a horse breeder, have to say either of these geldings would be 'out behind the barn' sorts if I owned them.

However, in their defense, have to say that I grew up on a working ranch and rode a lot of ranch horses. While a pretty head and neck and nice round rump look good, I've never noticed that conformation faults, other than those that would impact soundness, made much difference in whether a particular horse was a good, reliable working ranch horse or not. I've ridden some that looked a lot like either of these geldings and they did their job admirably, all day, every day. I've also ridden some absolutely gorgeous horses that apparently spent their time gazing at their reflection in the water tank and thought that standing in the pasture looking pretty was their role in life!

I've also ridden ugly horses that had dispositions to match their looks and handsome horses that had a great work ethic ... I think if you're looking for a gelding to ride, whether for pleasure or to get a job done with ... you really have to get in the saddle and ride them to know what you're getting.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

There was a ranch horse in Montana. His name was "Farmer". He was the absolute ugliest horse in all creation. He was about 14 hands and built like an English Bulldog. His head was 3 feet long and his neck was 6 inches long. No withers. 

The first time I saw him I checked to see if he had 3 toes. 

He was an amazing cow horse. He could change directions so fast that it took 3 strides before he stopped going backwards. Oh, and he hated everyone. He had such contempt for humans that he wouldn't eat his oats if you were looking. I would screw with him just because his reactions were so amusing.

He was a character. My 2nd favorite horse ever.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I suspect that Reno is actually a mule. He's not so horrible looking for a mule.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

You might be right, oregon. And _$150_?! 
OK, so what's actually wrong with him? 

Aside from the fact that he's an App who might or might not be a mule...
Which, upon further reflection, means that whomever takes this thing off their hands should be the one getting paid, right?


And tink, we _owned_ one of those. 
He was kind of grumpy (would nip at you when cinching up), would never quite give his head, and still wasn't kid-broke by the time he died at 29, but man he could chase cows. And you didn't want to open him up, because it was highly possible you'd never get him to stop!
I always said I could just sit there and do the crossword and drink my coffee while Orion did all the work. Roman nosed, way too heavy on the front end, half a tail from being pulled too many times, feet like supper plates... He was an ugly horse, no two ways around it. lol But was he ever a character. I always half-expected him to start telling dirty jokes
A member of the family, he was born to my father in law's best mare in 1981, my husband (as well as the kids and I) was absolutely devastated when that horse finally got around to dying. He was weaning calves the week before. Not too shabby for 29.


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