# Cutting Bred Horses Barrel Racing?



## AQHA (Mar 15, 2010)

Whats your opinion on this?


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I think if they have the willingness, speed, and training necessary, there's nothing wrong with it at all. Just because they are from cutting lines, doesn't mean that they have to be cutting horses.


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

good!..my gelding has Doc Bar, Doc's Hickory, and Son of a Doc on his papers and He did really well for me for years before I retired him.. I think they make excellent barrel horses. Alot of them can be catty, quick on their feet, and are bred to have alot of the movements that barrel horses have..sittin hard for example..
This is his pedigree..I wish he was a mare lol..he would have some really nice babies with his bloodlines...

Papa Hickory Doc Quarter Horse

My mare is reining and TB bloodlines..Reminic is her grandsire and she loves her some barrels..she also has Spellcaster and goes back to Bold Ruler on her 5th generation..
and Nikki's pedigree..

Nu Kinda Nic Quarter Horse


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## Paint Mom (Jun 28, 2010)

The can certainly get down on their hindquarters for the turns, but has anyone noticed if they have any speed?

Another question (sorry AQHA I took over). If you took a proven cutting producer and crossed it with a proven race producer. Would you get that mix of speed and cutting horse athletic ability? Just a question - I'm not too into breeding like that!


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## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

I have seen quite a few cutting running crosses what do very very well in speed events. I had quite a few barrel mares who came in to be bred to my Doc O'Lena stallion. Turned out to be some very nice barrel horses.


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

I think it's a great idea..I've seen cutting and running bred horses mix very well. I also think it depends on Who who you breed to. If you take a barrel horse and breed to a cutting horse you would want to look for good traits from both horses. If you pick two good horses you can count on having speed.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Why not? Just because a horse is bred from lines that are primarily one discipline or another does not mean the horse has the heart to do the job it was bred for. Or in the case of cutting, the owner may well not have the funds to have the horse trained and campaigned for cutting so has elected to try other events that are not so spendy!


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## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

It is not even so much that the horse may not have the hart for cutting or the owner does not have the funds.

Cutting and even reining bred horses bring something that is needed to the equation. They bring the rate hunt and turn which is very very important to being a good speed event horse. You cross that with some speed and you can very well get the best of both worlds.


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

I do it!  Or at least I did until High Five had an accident and now we can't show anymore. He's fast and can turn his hind like none other. haha.

I think it's a great idea.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

nrhareiner said:


> It is not even so much that the horse may not have the hart for cutting or the owner does not have the funds.


Sorry.

I was merely offering my personal experience of why our cutting bred and futurity eligible offspring are not in the cutting pen.


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## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

No I get that. It is just I have had quite a bit if experience with barrel people bring their good barrel mares to my reining and cutting bred stallions.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Of course, you occasionally end up with a speed crop out LOL. My brother has a gelding out of a Mr. San Peppy mare and by a Doc O'Lena stud. That little mare was dripping speed and while Snuffy (the offspring) is a really nice ranch cutting horse, he's so slow that I can almost outrun him on my own 2 feet:lol:.


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## Paint Mom (Jun 28, 2010)

So heres another question (if you guys don't mind)

Who'd you say is the best race horse sire thats alive and breeding that would cross well with a cutting mare for a barrel baby?


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

We actually had a barrel demonstration by the woman who's dominating locally right now on her Paint stud. He's cow bred, his sire is a world champion working cow horse and his dam had points in heading and heeling, with her sire and dam being extremely versatile in gaming, pleasure and halter.

She said that most people are going after the race lines for a barrel racer, and she greatly prefers a nice mix of working lines. The horses are saner, and think a lot harder. I know it's her amazing training at work, but her stud is the epitome of calm. She can work him in the ring, she can trot him around a pattern, all without him getting stupid. She can sit on him with a totally loose rein right after running a pattern. And she WINS on him to.

Speed is a VERY small part of barrel racing - you need an agile animal that can get under himself and rocket back up to speed off a barrel lickity split and that's a huge difference from what makes a horse simply "fast". Except for the home stretch, everything else is a game of agility and I'll take an agile horse over a fast horse anyday - of course, the perfect barrel horse is a 50/50 combo of the two! :lol:


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