| Term |
What we mean |
What you may find other mean when
they use the term! |
| Quiet, gentle and sound |
Quiet, gentle and sound |
I have to say something that sounds good! |
| Will carry any rider |
Lets take a look at the EXACT needs of the
rider |
You can ride ANY horse, the question is for
how long. |
| kid safe |
Lets find something that wouldn't scare them. |
Does this seller even LIKE kids? |
| potential |
People should pay for what they get, not what
they might get if they work hard. |
I can't ride the thing, maybe you will have
better luck!! |
| have done lots of ground work. |
Great basic, but the horse needs to RIDE |
We are afraid to get on it! |
| lazy |
quiet personality, will default to stop if
anything happens. Great beginner horses. |
Old, sick or thin! Wait until he gets
fattened up and feels good. |
| work ethic |
likes to work, happy to be doing something,
enjoys riding |
How does a horse have a work ethic? |
| lack of work ethnic |
bad attitude, doesn't like working or
co-operating with people, often comes when a horse is broke late or doesn't
have good early training. These horses are buckers, baulkers, sour tempered
and difficult. They will often go well for short periods of time, then
revert to bad habits to get out of continued work. |
These horses are cheap to buy, there are a
lot of them, and we can sell it to YOU cheap!! |
| motor |
Good for the rider who likes a good gallop,
who wants a horse to move out, likes to do long well paced trail rids, wants
some level of performance such as jumping, hunting or cattle work. |
When you get on, make if fast before he takes
off, and you can't stop this horse without a rope and a post!! |
| sophistication |
Horse will flex well, work school patterns,
canter nice small circles, gives to the bridle, responds well, has good
training. Great for ring work or lessons for advanced beginners or above,
not necessary for riders who will trail ride only. |
We have no idea what that means |
| We just lost interest in horses |
We have a lot of interest in our horses, we
are professionals. |
They lost interest because every time they
tried to ride it they got thrown! |
| Beginner |
the hang on and cry group. These horses will
default to STOP when the rider is off balance. As the rider gets
better, they horse will go more. Sometimes people think these horses
are too frustrating to beginners...I'd rather have frustrated, you can
always get a crop, then SCARED when the horse makes the decision to move
out. Even well trained horses will go if they get the cue to go, how
do they understand that the rider was just off balance. Beginner
riders often bounce, their hands jump, they grip with their heels in the
Happy Frog position. A beginner horse must be quiet enough to tolerate that.
These riders have not ridden or have ridden very little. |
The easiest way to sell a horse, label it
beginner safe. |
| Advanced Beginner |
These riders can keep their hands somewhat steady, they can
keep their heels out of the horse's side and they have good balance.
They don't understand leg or seat cues, and they often get timid if the
horse doesn't do what they want on the first try. They are learning to
canter, but not completely confident in it. |
Even WE can't pass this off as a beginner horse. |
| Confidence builder |
These riders may KNOW more than beginners, but they need the
same kind of horse. They want a horse that will slow down or stop if
the cues aren't correct, they don't like horses who take the initiative, and
they tense up if there is anything unexpected. They really need a
horse at a level or two below their ability until they can develop
confidence. Lack of confidence is the number one problem with riders. |
Horse is too old or crippled to do anything. |
| Low intermediate |
Rider has good balance, and good confidence. They
canter, can get a lead. They want to move on with horses and do more things
like showing, team penning, competition trail riding. They have
started understanding leg. They may hop over a single fence at a time
at lower than 2 1/2 ft. Many recreational trail riders may have the
SKILL to be on this level horse, but they don't WANT to be, they WANT
something that just goes along quietly. |
This horse is too much for us, so it must need a better
rider. |
| Intermediate |
Intermediate riders have good confidence and enjoy a horse
with a little motor. They have good balance and may have good leg,
although many intermediate trail riders don't use leg. Intermediate
riders may jump a course of 2 1/2 ft or more, and of six to eight fences
without stopping. They have experience with riding that requires some
skill and control, and they may understand collection principals.
Intermediate trail riders often go on long trail rides that require a horse
with more motor, they want a horse with a good work ethic. |
Get this horse going and you can't get him stopped and he
doesn't have any steering. In the canter, he will either buck going
into it, or run off. He has some bad habits, don't put him in the rear of a
group and don't try to go out alone unless you have some strong legs and a
good seat! Or maybe he will just try to buck you off! |
| Advanced intermediate |
Advanced intermediate riders have some experience training
horses and they like a horse that has a good work ethic. They ride
with great confidence and enjoy working with horses on a variety of levels.
They have ridden a large number of horses and can adapt to the horse. We
sometimes have horses that we will wholesale to these riders, but you
wouldn't find them on our regular sale list. |
When you come to look at this horse, we might get it saddled
for you, but we sure aren't riding it first!! Better have some glue in
your seat and a lot of guts. |
EVERYONE WANTS QUIET, HONEST, RELIABLE HORSE and
they are harder to find then a water hole in the desert ~ they're out there, but
you better know where to look!!! So, our less expensive horses are going
to have a little more motor and our "bombproof" horses are going to be more
expensive. If they are just trail horses, they are less expensive, but
they aren't going to show as well in the ring because they aren't
"sophisticated" (Which means they are used to working in the ring and doing
schooling patterns, cantering circles slowly, staying on the rail ~ which isn't
natural to a horse.)
It is easier to take a ring horse out on the trail
if he is well broke than to put a trail horse in the ring. You don't lope
circles out on the trail, you don't need a lot of steering, because you make
turns not circles. The horse seems to drift or wander because it no longer has a
marked trail, other horses or simply the perspective of open ground. The
rail of the ring cuts that perspective. He has no trail, no other horses,
no line of sight and he has no idea that the rail is the guideline. So he
drifts into the center and appears untrained. Theses are often GREAT trail
horses and they do well outside the ring. AND they are cheaper because
they don't have the duel purpose of being able to do lessons and ring riding.
Take them out in the field and ride them, you will find some great bargains if
all you want to do is ride on the trail. And we have some VERY nice bargains if
you want a well trained trail horse will be perfect for the rider who enjoys a
good gallop out on the trail.
Be assured that even if the horse will enjoy
a good gallop, ALL OF OUR HORSES WILL STOP AND STEER.
