For Sale? What are people looking for?

[cowboy ed]

i have an ad in the classifieds for two yearlings. well, actually, they are both a year and a half old now. according to the list, 230 people have looked at the ad, but no calls or contacts about them. these two colts are really nice. well mannered, and have a great start on their groundwork.

i suppose most people who are shopping are looking for a horse that is ready to ride?

[ErinC]

I look at lines, but I want attitude, and willingness. and size!
I think some lines are better then other with that!

so I look at both,
lines and
what I voted for!

I should add I bought a 10 mth old colt, because I knew the lines and that they would make a good size, with good attitude , and a great range of motion ( Largo ) ..

He is now 2 and he is everything so far I wanted ;-)

[Blameitonbrio]

Disposition
Conformation
Looks
Bloodlines

Disposition would be most important to me in any case. Conformation is important to a great extent. Looks: I am a visual person, so I like to see pretty horses in my pasture (I hope my horses aren't "Visual"!). As time goes on, I realize that I will probably never breed mine, so bloodlines don't matter as much to me as the horse in front of me.

You are probably right about people looking for one ready to ride.

[Carol Nelson]

You got it, Ed, ready to ride. Specifically why I decided to sell one of my broodmares...I need to unload some horses, and since she is broke to ride and the type of horse that anyone can ride, I figured she would sell fastest. I'll probably kick myself in the butt for selling her as she's just the kind of horse I like to ride, but got to reduce the numbers.
In buying young horses, it's tough, as anything can change...that is why I rely pretty much on bloodlines...although all of the above are important, but the bloodlines pretty much insure what the horse is gonna be like as an adult...MOST of the time, anyway. ;-)

(there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule though :smile: )

[Terry Wallace]

You missed one Ed.... for me it is disposition (good disposition is the hardest thing to "breed")...then SIZE, then Gait.

Gait is a given for me...if they don't gait, I would not consider them anyway....

Its like bloodlines...if all other "ingredients" are there and good bloodlines too..then thats great...but if its all "bloodlines" and the horse standing in front of you is really faulty in confo...I could care less about bloodlines. You don't ride "bloodlines".... and I want a horse to have good confo so it will have a lifetime of usefulness...

SIZE and color sells best for me...

[LynnG]

First of all, young colts unless they are excellent breeding prospects and under 1 age liked just weaned, go on and geld them and then market them as geldings for riding prospects and family horses. Too many colts left ungelded, and sold to newbies who don't need a stallion.

[JennLM]

I am looking for size (whichis why I am trading or selling Trinket) disposition and then gait and then color.

My perfect Paso would be a 15 hand pocket type Buckskin(that does not grey ahem). I would trade my husbands left.....(well not like he needs it, he's neutered) for one. LOL

[cowboy ed]

disposition is most important to me. i will forgive some other things if the horse has a great disposition.

since we are talking about paso finos here, like you said terry, gait is a given. size isnt so important to me. average size paso finos are just fine in my book.

since you mentioned size, i am not sure how big these boys will be when they grow up. one is out of a small mare, one out of a big mare. both sired by the same stallion, who is 14.3 and big boned. the two are almost identical in size now.

[dana]

can you show us some pictures of these two boys, Ed?

wait a darn minute . . . . haven't we been waiting for other pictures from Ed? i seem to remember some serious begging going on!
Grin!

[Terry Wallace]

Ed..I do the same....overlook a fault or two....if the disposition is golden.
What two colts Ed? Half Andys or pure PF?

I answered this poll as if I were the buyer.

To answer as a seller:
What buyers are looking for from me...is READY to ride, big enough horse for the buyer, disposition...and since many buyers I talk to are new to the breed...few know confo or ask about it. Its me who explains the confo to them about 90% of the time. Along with saddle fit, shoeing /trimming and bloodlines.... ;-)

[Linda Y]

There is another thing, too, that can't be done in the poll. It depends on how the horses are advertised. Of course if you are shopping on the 'net, you will be first attracted to the 'looks' of the pictures, then maybe the price. If it is attractive enough for me to look at the ad, I then look for the rating of the disposition.
If it is an ad like in the newspaper, I look at the price.
It has been a long time since I shopped for a youngster. But when I did that was basically the way I did it. My vote was for disposition, since that is the primary thing...and gait...that ends up as a deciding factor.

[cowboy ed]

terry, the yearlings i was referring to are both registered paso finos. one has been gelded. would have had them both done, but the other wasnt ready yet.

i dont have any good pictures of them, but will try to get some soon.

i sent some pictures of the andalusian/paso foals to mel, so she could post them for me.

[CarolU]

Are either of them grey Ed? I have a friend who is SET on getting a grey gelding. She wants a young one to trian herself. Her priorities are gelding, grey, gait, conformation, disposition. I don't think she cares about bloodlines except she wants disposition and conformation. Found her a very NICE John Henry son, but he sold before she found out about him.

Different people have different priorities...I prefer conformation, disposition, gait, bloodlines for horses to buy for resale. For myself, I prefer conformation, bloodlines, gait, and disposition. I enjoy a challenging horse, but realize they do not sell well.

[darcy]

I look first and foremost at conformation. Like many others have said I will overlook a few minor faults if there is a other factors like wonderful disposition or superbly keen intelligence. But in the end when I am looking to buy a horse I want them to be as sound as possible, and stay that way and good, clean conformation is going to give you the best foundation you can have. Like Carol U I am most attracted to somewhat difficult horses, don't know why always been that way. Most disposition problems are more human related than inborn I believe. There are very few horses in this world that I don't think I can get along with, in fact I can only think of one who I actively dislike being around. But intelligence is a whole nother factor to consider and I consider it to be seperate from disposition. I like a bright, thinking animal over a dull-witted one anyday, even if it means dealing with high-jinx. One of the things I love about my Mia is her intelligence combined with her tractability, she can be moody sometimes but hey so am I. And bloodlines are probably my last concern, while I have begun to become accustomed to some PF lines and tend to favor them, in the end I don't really care how the horse is bred as long as it fits my other criteria.

In fact I have been actively searching for an unregistered gelding who fits my needs. At any horse venue regardless of the breed I am constantly assessing conformation and matching that to their performance and I can honestly say there is a body type I prefer to ride, at least in trotting breeds that is and suits my needs. I haven't enough time on different pasos to really be able to assess conformation to my particular riding goals yet. All I know is that I like sitting on Mia, it feels good and not just because of her gait, with her I feel like I belong there.

So in terms of PF shopping I would say: conformation, intelligence, gait, disposition, bloodlines in order of importance.

[cowboy ed]

carol, i sent you a pm. yes, one of these yearlings is gray. he is very nice. he has a good gait, and a really good start on his groundwork. he should top out at 14.3.

[PasoPerson38]

Refering to gait....When I am looking at a paso fino I don't really care if the horse gaits on the ground. I look more for how the horse moves. I always aim for a horse with good hocks. If the horse is in the pasture or being lunged and it is straight legged then I won't even consider buying it. Even if it has great bloodlines, color, size, disposition...whatever. If you have a horse with hocks then you will have a horse with good gait, magority of the time.

[LynnG]

You have to watch some of those horses with "hock action" though. Some are out behind or "trailing" themselves in the backend with their hindlegs and gives the appearance of "hocks" because that long back leg has to go somewhere and up usually is it..some go under more. What I like to see in the way of action is balanced action between front and rear. For the rear...I like to see a bicycle wheel type rolling action with the hind leg rolling under the horse's hindquarters...so one NOT too straight in the leg or one sickle hocked...they don't produce the rolling execution...well that would be my ideal. ;-)

[Barbwire]

The most important thing I look for when buying a horse is if the owner spells "conformation" correctly in their ad. (or in their poll, for that matter) :lol:

[PasoPerson38]

"What I like to see in the way of action is balanced action between front and rear."

I totally agree...I like to see a horse that is even. The front feet are not faster or higher then the rear...or vise versa.

[Serendipity]

I want to see gait period.I want to see the horse gaiting with out a rider.To many Trocha horses being passed as Paso Finos.for me its gait,disposition,confo,size, and color.

now on a really young horse I do not expect them to gait non stop with growth and such but they should gait at some point.

[cowboy ed]

barb, that is the first word i have misspelled since 1964. :cry:

[Blameitonbrio]

The most important thing I look for when buying a horse is if the owner spells "conformation" correctly in their ad. (or in their poll, for that matter) :lol:

ACK! I did it too! And I know how to spell that word. :duh Thanks Barb. I will edit it after I clean my bridal (just kidding). :shock:

[Barbwire]

I would have let it slide for you Jeany, but Ed scored higher on that grammar and spelling test than I did, so I felt an obligation to point out his mistake. ;-)

[Blameitonbrio]

Well, I can understand your need to take him down a peg or two after that. :D

[Barbwire]

I have a sneaking suspicion that I just slit my own throat, so to speak. Now everyone will be going over my posts with an eagle eye looking for misspelled words. Oops! :shock:

[Blameitonbrio]

You could be in for it for sure! Shhh...maybe no one else will read this thread.

[qltrlori]

Too late!

[Terry Wallace]

Scalpel...somebody get the scalpel!!

NO..better yet..lets get on that "Barbwire Adoration thread".... :shock:

[motorgypsy]

We're too old to buy kids but what we want in our own youngsters is good disposition, not too tall, parents with great gait that have that special "something" that just grabs you, good conformation, respectful, agility and athleticism, good range of tait, good sense, a good brain and a good attitude. Our rule for buying has always been age five or older and trained. We automatically reject serious conformation flaws, bad gait, a bad attitude, a horse that won't stand still when you mount. But we still won't buy unless the horse really grabs us.

[pasopleasure]

This is really interesting. I admit I am first taken by a horse by it's looks and attitude. But that first blush quickly falls sway to personality, temperment or trainability whatever you want to call it. Then, all things considered I also prefer an American style Paso with some size. As we are selling the farm I have a number of nice horses for sale. From a 15H 4 year old Classic Fino Filly CH who is so gentle anyone can trail ride or mess with. For her age, the most bombproof horse I have ever seen. And she was winning FINO CH from the 3 year old classes. Just a good hearted big elegant bay. Sucha sweety. Or a 3 year old grey stallion? Follows you like a puppy. Presently pointed in Pleasure but he is starting to come quick. Anyway, anyone interested e-mail me direct at flatlick@peoplepc.com. TA!