How do you select your minis....

[targetsmom]

Based on some other recent threads, I thought this might be interesting to see the different things people look for when they select minis for their herds. Some will be "must haves": for example, size, registry, price range, and location, and then what you look for. Or you may have dealbreakers - something you wouldn't even consider.

Our criteria:

Must haves: 30-34 inches, AMHA & AMHR registered and PtHA eligible (i.e. pinto), within a one day's drive, a breeder we can check out, and priced according to quality.

Then we select based on:

1. Conformation - BALANCED, refined conformation, looking like a big horse in miniature. Straight legs, correct hock angle (no sickle hocks or camped out behind), good width of chest and length of hip. Nice slope to shoulder, good neck set, upright neck with good arch. Flattest croup not required. Edited to add: Must have a pretty head!

2. Movement is critical, but high action not required. Think CP driving or warmblood, with long strides, good hock action, good potential for CDEs. Suspension a plus, as is agility (able to turn on a dime) and the potential for versatility. (Must see a video or in person).

3. Temperament- sweet, in-your-pocket, and the more personality, the better (but not hot). Able to do halter obstacle and be handled by kids. Want intelligence too.

4. Bloodlines- very important for breeding stock. Must have Rowdy, Blue Boy, Buckeroo, and/or GMB blood, and National/World Champion/Reserve relatives. The dam's side is also very important, the more siblings (paternal AND maternal) and/or foals that can be seen and approved, the better. No big "holes" in the pedigree. For broodmares, their offspring and foaling history is key selection factor.

So what criteria do YOU use? Or how did you select your most recent purchase if that is easier?

 

[midnight star stables]

Okay, here is mine

MUST:

-Good conformation

-Good movement (the more action the better)

-AMHR registered

PREFERENCES:

-Black in colour

-Overo in colour

-Location

-Price

-Champion siblings, parents

-AMHA or ASPC etc

I decide what I am looking for, then I try to find a horse that best fits what I am looking for

 

[shorthorsemom]

I'll take sweet gentle and smart first. Pretty is icing on the cake but nice bonus.

 

[sedeh]

Things that are important to me are:

Conformation: nice balanced look. They have to have a nice neck. I love pretty heads too.

(basically everything targetsmom listed!!)

Pedigree: I like to have pedigrees with World/National Champions dams/sires. Both my mares and stallion come from champion stock. I believe the mares are just as important as the stallion and if you want to breed champions you'll be more successful if you start with champion stock.

AMHA registered minimum. I show Pinto so would need to be Pinto eligible. All of my horses are triple registered AMHA/AMHR/PtHA. I breed for the 32-34 inch range.

Good temperment.

Basically I want a performance horse that can also kick butt in halter!

 

[Reble]

What is important to me.

Conformation

good bite

double registered,

pintos (black and whites favorite),

tempermant,

small,

known bloodlines,

Trying to breed for all the above & more

 

[MiLo Minis]

I also breed for a performance horse with halter quality conformation. Although there are certain flaws that can help enhance performance I never breed 2 horses with the same flaw together. I don't look at pedigree and have frequently been pleasantly surprised to find that one of my purchases has turned out to have some amazing horse in his/her background. Colour is not something that I worry about at all, I think all the colours that a horse comes in are beautiful but I personally prefer a solid colour horse.

I like to see a handsome head on a stallion and a pretty head on a mare. Wide between the eyes tapering to a nice slim muzzle. Teeth that meet correctly with a very slight overbite. I like the ears neither too big nor too small, tippy and tight. I like a nice big soft eye and a good jowl. I like the head set onto the neck at a nice open angle with a slim throatlatch and a neck with enough length to help them balance without being front end heavy. I like to see the neck join the chest nice and high with a good long sloping shoulder and actual withers. I like the legs to be straight from the front and side with good angles in the pasterns that are of a nice length to give good shock absorption but short enough to be sturdy. I like a well muscled forearm and nice short cannon of good substance. I like the hooves to be round, smooth and at an angle comparable to that of the pastern and pointing straight ahead to track straight. I like a good short, flat back and a well sprung barrel with lots of room for lungs. I like a nice rounded croup that is not overly flat like some of the halter horses you see in the ring. I like the tail to come smoothly off the croup. I like to see a good long hip with an angle matching the shoulder angle. Strong stifle and good angle to the hock, neither too open nor too tight. I like to be able to drop a line down from the farthest point of the buttocks and down the back of the cannon. Again a nice short sturdy cannon, good angle and lenth of pastern meeting a hoof that is on the same angle and slightly toed out so they won't interfere. I like a horse that has "IT" - that spark that draws your eye and takes your breath, the one that stands out. I like a horse with a good personality, intelligence and spunk.

That describes my "perfect horse". I have to say that I don't believe I have ever come across a horse that meets ALL of those criteria but have quite a few that are darned close. Basically I want to look at the horse and be pleased with the overall balanced, correct appearance.

 

[nootka]

First of all is conformation/proportion...I want the best proportions possible in my preferred height range (usually 31-34"), and NO dwarfy characteristics at all.

I don't want to see a bad bite or anything that is insurmountable breeding-wise. My best bet if I were shopping would be to see the immediate parents of the horse I was purchasing (provided I was shopping for breeding stock) and see what is lurking there in the close up genetic profile to better determine fit for my breeding program.

I would not look at any horse under 30" for breeding, just MY preference, though there are a select few that are amazing and I WOULD breed them, it's just not my preference since I like to drive and I am not a small person.

I like a good temperament, too, and I like a horse with personality and an overall aesthetic appeal.

I have not been shopping in years though I always look, though I did select two stallions for my mares last year, and I use the same criteria for stallions.

If I were shopping for other purposes, the main criteria are always soundness and suitability for the task. Color is last, though I do have an aversion to some roany-looking horses, the rest of them are just fine as long as all else fits the bill.

Liz

 

[Katiean]

Good legs, good bite, up headed, small dished head (in proportion to the horse), intellangence, attitude, gentleness....I think I want it all. But, color is last of all.

 

[Taylor Jo]

Pretty much what targetsmom said, plus I try to fit in location, budget in there, along with pretty head and color. However, my last two I just got the color wasn't even a consideration. It was first the conformation then the size. I knew I couldn't afford to have these two shipped so I had to search LONG and hard for ones that I could get pretty near me and be able to go get, so it was a year process of looking. Plus, finding the right horse. Now the proof will be in the pudding when it comes show time...... TJ

 

[JWC sr.]

Over the years my wife has taught me ot look past color, but in the beginning I was a real sucker for color. The wilder the better.

When we go shopping we look for the following.:

1. Neck - long, coming out of the chest and going straight up.

2. Legs - straight and sound

3. Top line - slight saddle indention if you will, we do not like the totally flat mule back horses. thier function does not work for us.

4. Overall balance - eye appeal and good profile.

5. low tail set

6. Actuated movement

7. Bloodlines that are modern in looks for what we want now days and have worked with our proven farm bloodlines in the past.

Turn offs:

1. Ewe Necks

2. bad bite

3. cow hocked or slab chested

4. high rear end

5. Lack of eye appeal

6. bad dispostion.

Price and location are something we of course look at, but comes in after evaluation of the horse itself and what we expect to do with it.

By the way thanks for starting this thread, I really enjoy all the responses.

 

[icspots]

Wow, quite a list we have going, this is fun!

MUST HAVE:

tiny, sculpted head

SLENDER upright neck, that ties in nice and high

Fine bones

I prefer them to be short coupled and leggy

Maturation under 34", preferably double registered, but not necessary if the horse is good enough

Nice square butt, (no pointy butts here)

Overall a "pretty" profile

Attitude is good, I like the playful little stinkers!

PERKS:

Color

Pedigree

"titles" in the family tree

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

We like:

MOVEMENT- because we "do" driving horses we like a big, bold mover.

CONFORMATION: It's normally got to look good to move good. But.... we'll take a horse that can move with a plain head over an average mover with "looks". Harness covers the head but doesn't cover the movement. We do halter for fun but we do driving for keeps!! We also like them to be over 32" for driving, as both of us are NOT petite and we look silly behind our 29" stallion.

COLOR: We do admit, we like color. Pinto, cream, dun, roan.... love'em! That said, Jane's super driving horse is solid chestnut. *shrugs* But he has the movement and conformation, so....

My super driving horse is solid bay. And my new driving mare is a very minimal sorrel pinto. (Not new in the sense of a new purchase, but new in that we bred her and she is FINALLY old enough to drive!)

Bloodlines: Love Rowdy, Buckeroo, but not having "that" blood isn't a dealbreaker.

ABSOLUTE: MUST be at least AMHR registered. Double is cool, and triple (PtHA) is awesome.

ABSOLUTE: MUST be handleable. I can take untouched, that's easy to fix. But bad temperment, bad attitude, vices are deal breakers. There are way too many "good" horses out there with a good attitude to mess with the ugly tempered ones.

Won't touch with a ten-foot pole:

Bad attitude

Bad conformation

No brains/common sense

Not registered with AMHR and/or AMHA

Lucy

 

[End Level Farms]

Well I have to admit that I am a head hunter.

The head is the first thing I look at. If I cant make it past the horse I dont care whether IT is a World Champion or not. I wont look at it.

Pedigree doesnt mean much to me. Its nice if they are well bred but doesnt make a difference if the horse has what it takes. Every GREAT came from nothing at one point. I have seen some stunning animals come from someones back yard been nicely bred and turn around and make a name for themselves. So I never put too much emphasis on pedigree.

Conformation is a major one for me as is movement. They have to be correct and move cute as well. Can be country or single or all it doesnt matter so long as they can move for their type.

But all in all I pick a horse that HOOKS me the first moment I see it. Whether in a crappy hairy picture or all dressed to show. Its that first picture that hooks me. Otherwise I just keep moving on for the next horse.

I like the 32-37" horses. I dont like ones I have to struggle to make them legal. I want them to measure easily. Registered at least AMHR though AMHA and PtHA are bonus's as well.

 

[Basketmiss]

Since I dont breed or show-just love them to death!

I really notice the eyes first-they talk to me and I am hooked!

Nice shaped head.

I want them to have a good disposition.

Good Bite and good legs..

Color is important but I think if they are sweet and have a nice eye, they become Beautiful to you just like people-nice people are very attractive. Rude people are not attractive... Same with horses, in my opinion...

 

[Sandee]

Before I knew what I was looking at, I have bought because someone else said "this one is good" and on personality. I was sold on our stallion party because he was the first one on an enitre farm that would come to me and accept attention.

Now I'm fussier. I want a good head, good bite, straight legs and movement (the more the better).

A black pinto would rate higher if two horses appeared the same.

My dream mare right now would be 33.5", homozygous for black, pinto, with long legs and high movement.

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

I am hooked on black pintos. I am going to be looking for a mare or filly this coming year hopefully looking for homozygous tobiano..

criteria that I watch for

1. bite and legs excellant

2. Pretty head, a nice long neck in a plus.

3. 30-32" in real measurements.

4. More dark than white and prefer a dark tail,(I hate yellow pee tails)

5. Prefer Blue eyes, but brown is nice, most importantly no piggies eyes, small eyes make them look a little mean, even if they aren't.

6. MUST like people and let me walk right up to them. My knees are getting old and I can't be bothered chasing or trapping a horse. Even if she were the most perfect horse, I have no time for hard to catch horses.

7. Most importantly... must make my heart go pitter patter!!

Robin

 

[Fred]

A BALANCED horse with great movement and most importantly BRAINS! Linda

 

[ClickMini]

Something I haven't yet seen mentioned, I look very much for an uphill build. I drive my horses, and a horse that is low in the front end is not going to cut it. I want a horse that can sit and can collect. I don't mind a straight profile at all, as long as the head is not blocky. I want a shoulder that is laid well back, I want a neck that comes straight up out of the back. I want the neck to tie in above the shoulder, and have a clear transition between chest and neck. Not too thick anywhere on the neck and especially want a clean throatlatch so the horse can come easily on to the bit and not get tight and wheeze. I want an athlete, and that means they are going to have good angulation behind, a straight hind leg is a deal killer to me. A nice deep hip and strong through the loin coupling.

Must be AMHR registered, the rest of the registries are icing on the cake.

Prefer a solid color. Love my little roans. A big, kind eye. Smart and willing.

 

[sedeh]

6. MUST like people and let me walk right up to them. My knees are getting old and I can't be bothered chasing or trapping a horse. Even if she were the most perfect horse, I have no time for hard to catch horses.

I have to put a bit of a plug in here for the "hard to catch" horse! I have bought a few mares that were in herds and not handled that much. Once I got them in a smaller environment and handled more they quickly became "pocket pets". In fact it amazes me how my once "standoffish" mares have become so friendly! Now I walk out in the herd and they're all around me wanting attention.

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

Sandy, I know what you mean. Over the years I have made many horses friendly that I bought that were scared of people and hard to catch., its just that now days, if I can't catch them, its too hard on my knees to be running after them and try to trap them. Now days it has to be part of my criteria, like a good bite.

Robin