Mini Poll

[High Meadow Miniatures]

Thank you all for the great response, I need to clear someting up, I don't breed for COLOR alone, While I love those colors, Most important to me is conformation & temperments, Good horses come in EVERY color

: I value most in my minis is their heart

: I have a mare, She is a chestnut pinto, Average conformation, not show quality but not bad, She is not by any means BEAUTIFUL, But she has more heart than 10 of my minis put together

:

: I LOVE all my minis, All colors, all sizes, all ages....

 

[Dona]

I don't know why....but everytime this subject comes up, it seems to be necessary to say....

"Of course, color is secondary to good conformation!" I don't know anyone who breeds for specific colors, who are doing it willy-nilly. We START with horses that have great conformation...THEN breed for color on top of that!

:

I, personally, love flashy colors & breed for Frame Overos & Toveros. I prefer the darker colors (blacks & bays) as it provides a much more striking contrast in the patterns.

Here are a few of the Overos we've bred here.

 

[High Meadow Miniatures]

Gorgeous minis- Dona!! I have seen your dozens of times! It is one of my favorites! I love your overos! So flashy!

:

 

[Chazzy]

We mostly have grey's, but my stallion and favorite gelding are both in the bay family.

Cross Country Mr. Natural (Stallion) is a blood bay and Adventure II's Dixie Rebel Jr. (Gelding) is a silver bay.

Chasta

 

[sdmini]

I don't know why....but everytime this subject comes up, it seems to be necessary to say....

"Of course, color is secondary to good conformation!"

I was thinking the same thing

:

 

[Sheryl]

I do not and will not be breeding minis - but I find myself really drawn to horses with contrasting mane and tails. I love bays, but also silvers or paliminos with white mane and tail. I have always loved paints/pintos, but I have been riding one lately.... I really find all that white annoying to keep clean so I love it a little less!

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

We're all about solids here! :aktion033: No pintos or appys here!

: The reds are my favorite although we have palominos, a black, a buckskin and others. Mostly sorrel, chestnut, bay. I know that's not what's very popular, but they're my fav!

:

 

[LowriseMinis]

Dona, I don't usually like the overos quite as much, but I LOVE the patterns on the last two pics you posted!

 

[Buckskin gal]

I have to admit that I have a color preference but I also have other colors because I love the horses. The dilutes in solids of golden palominos or golden buckskins really catch my eye!

: Mary

 

[mininik]

Not a breeder, but I absolutely adore my bay gelding.

:

 

[wiccanz]

I don't know why....but everytime this subject comes up, it seems to be necessary to say....
"Of course, color is secondary to good conformation!"

I agree - I think that is a given!

We have solids, preferably with as little white as possible!! :bgrin :bgrin

However, we are expecting our first possible pinto foal this spring, and if I was going for pintos, they would be the type of overos that Dona has!

:

 

[sedeh]

I agree that conformation, and for me, temperment come first! But I love showing on the Pinto circuit and that's what I breed for! My favorite are bay pintos!...but I have chestnut, silver dapple, bay and silver bay in my mix. My stallion is black and white. Foaling season is just like Christmas! You never know what you'll get. This year I got my first solid! A cute little silver bay colt.

:

 

[REO]

Hey Dona! You forgot Topper! He's one of your breeding

Conformation comes first with me too.

:

 

[nootka]

No color...I am trying for the nicest conformed, soundest and most able little horses that I can.

Here's my latest, who happens to be a fairly unpopular color (I"ve heard it referred to as "lethal red"):

Now, if one more person says "if only he had a little white" I'll scream! *LOL*

Yeah, I'd love a sock or a star/blaze, but you know what? He's pretty darn fine to me in his fiery little coat.

I feel like Carol, it just really doesn't matter when you see one with a great shape. I think I'm halfway biased against certain colors just because they seem to end up with such a great predisposition to being badly made by virtue of the fact that it's "ok" to look the other way on a big head if it's loud.

Liz M.

 

[Jill]

I think the reason a lot of people want to stress that conformation comes first is that with a lot of people, it doesn't.

Apart from breeding, how many times has someone said their horse looks just like your horse... when the only thing in common, for real, is the same color :bgrin

 

[Dona]

Hey Dona! You forgot Topper! He's one of your breeding

Conformation comes first with me too.

:

Nope....didn't forget him Robin.

: I just didn't want to load the post with TOO many photos...so decided to just post the ones who carried the "visual" Frame pattern.

I just love Topper....I think he's one of the best colts we've produced here!

:

No color...I am trying for the nicest conformed, soundest and most able little horses that I can.

Here's my latest, who happens to be a fairly unpopular color (I"ve heard it referred to as "lethal red"):

Now, if one more person says "if only he had a little white" I'll scream! *LOL*

Yeah, I'd love a sock or a star/blaze, but you know what? He's pretty darn fine to me in his fiery little coat.

I feel like Carol, it just really doesn't matter when you see one with a great shape. I think I'm halfway biased against certain colors just because they seem to end up with such a great predisposition to being badly made by virtue of the fact that it's "ok" to look the other way on a big head if it's loud.

Liz M.

That's a good point Liz.

: But, I think pintos in general, have one mark against them to begin with, as the white patterns can cause "illusions" making a head look bigger, legs appear crooked, neck look shorter, etc....making it harder to be judged fairly. On the other hand, the white markings can have the opposite effect too....making a head look dishy, neck look thinner & longer, etc. So...as a serious breeder, I want to be absolutely CERTAIN the pintos I am breeding are quality & correct to start with. After that, all one can hope for is that judges can see "thru" the white patterns to the horse underneith.

:

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

We love pintos, in any color! Add the cream or dun gene and we're in heaven!

Lucy

 

[midnight star stables]

Blacks, blue roans and overos "float" my boat! I Simply love black horses. I also adore unusal pinto markings... Like 1/2 white 1/2 coloured faces, odd markings, extream socks, and all overo style markings

:

:

All my miniatures are black or white

: I have two solid blacks, and 'grey' pinto and a 'white' who is really a perlino and one black and white tovero... with a funny face so I'm getting closer to my dream!

To each their own!

Oh, also, Conformation comes first with me toooo... IMHO From the first miniature we bought, my horse's conformation has grown hugely :bgrin Compair Billy to Donovan!

:

 

[Warpony]

I don't breed but if I did I would not be breeding for colour. I WOULD do anything in my power to avoid silver bay though. After 20 years of being stuck with lovely silver bay horses I'm so sick of the colour I could just scream. I like plain old boring bay, or bay pinto... and would give extra points for a horse in that colour, but mostly I would just be avoiding the silver gene.

 

[user 488]

I don't know why....but everytime this subject comes up, it seems to be necessary to say....
"Of course, color is secondary to good conformation!" I don't know anyone who breeds for specific colors, who are doing it willy-nilly. We START with horses that have great conformation...THEN breed for color on top of that!

Well, very simply I said it because it is how I feel. My opinion. I know people who do breed for color that do breed beautiful horses. But too many times right here in this Forum I read where somebody bought so and so to breed because they loved the color. If you don't know anyone that breed specifically for color then you must not be looking at some of the websites and pictures of people who do breed for color because I see them everyday.

I think I'm halfway biased against certain colors just because they seem to end up with such a great predisposition to being badly made by virtue of the fact that it's "ok" to look the other way on a big head if it's loud.

Yep, again......see this everyday. People talking beautiful, loud color and the horse head is bigger than its body or it has absolutely no back end or a thick short neck. A total conformational disaster.

I think the reason a lot of people want to stress that conformation comes first is that with a lot of people, it doesn't.
Apart from breeding, how many times has someone said their horse looks just like your horse... when the only thing in common, for real, is the same color

Again, correct. People are breeding that have no unearthly idea what good conformation is. And yes, how many times I have heard someone say that their horse looks like "so and so" because it is "buckskin" or whatever. Happens all the time.

My post was not meaning to be disrespectful to anyone who breeds for color and QUALITY. You are out there and if you are confident with your breeding program you should NOT be offended. I have nothing against color patterns. I see pictures of really nice animals that have color everyday on this Forum(I will not name names because I might forget someone

)........but I also see more pictures of extremely poor individuals who should be neutered and kept as pets. We get a LOT of newbies on this Forum and this is food for thought..........and it's important, basic food for thought.