# Critique Saddlebred



## AztecBaby (Mar 19, 2009)

Hey everyone 

I was browsing some horse ads and i found one for a lil Saddlebred gelding and i thought that was pretty cool lol considering ive never even seen a saddlebred in the flesh lol there arnt many over here but anyway ill post his ad. and ill attatch a picture and video : ]

Saddlebred gelding, unreg, he came over to QLD from WA. His name is fergus, he is 4 years old and 13.2hh. Fergus has been abused, hence timid on the ground until he knows and trusts you. Very quick learner, very willing, easy to pick up feet, worm , rug etc. Not a problem under saddle, no buck or bolt or rear. Currently being used on trails and on the roads. Ridden by confident 12 year old boy. Works nicely on the bit and has an amazing trot. To caring, knowledgable home only


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## Flyinghigh12 (Feb 17, 2009)

I'm not sure if this is you working with him.. but I would recommend that you never walk underneath the horses head when tied up. If the horse freaked out because of something you could get caught between the fence and a lashing horse. Some horses might even throw themselves on the ground when scared and you could end up underneath of him/her.

This horse needs way more work on the ground way before he is being ridden. He is still terrified of people, abused or not he should stand nicely for everything. If its something ur looking to buy, I wouldn't. Unless you're looking for a long project horse, that may never get completely over his fears.


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## morganshow11 (Dec 19, 2008)

13.2hh seems tiny for a saddlebred

When she got on: YIKES!! That horse is a spaz lol. i would look at diffeent ones.


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## saint3meg3rlfc (May 16, 2009)

I'd pass unless you're looking for a project. How tall are you? will you fit a 13.2hh pony?
Look when she got on. This horse isn't safe. Unless you really know what you're doing I'd give it a miss. I don't think they're being very truthful

"_Not a problem under saddle, no buck or bolt or rear_." Not from what I can see when they get on him.


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## 1dog3cats17rodents (Dec 7, 2007)

Eeek, I'd RUN, not walk a way from this one. He looks like he has a lot of issues, and the owners are taking it way too fast. He needs ground work to gain trust, confidence and muscle. In the riding part, he pratically takes off when she jumps on, you can tell he's terrifyed. He's trying to run out of the ring. He doesn't seem to know how to steer, and is very off balanced and rushing. He seems to be going sideways more often then forward.

Run away, far away!


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## AztecBaby (Mar 19, 2009)

I am looking for a project : ] and yes i will fit a 13.2hh pony lol im only 48kgs umm what else.. no it's not me riding/handling him, personaly i dont think she's a very good rider but anyway. Umm a bit of detail about the abuse he went through is he was tied to a pole with an antirearing bit on and beaten and wasnt fed.. wich is why he is tense when tied up umm.. no he's not really ready to be ridden i agree that he needs alot more ground work, plus he's only four so there is no need to rush his riding : ] anyway does anyone have any confo critique?


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## PoohLP (Jan 15, 2009)

I don't know a lot about saddlebreds, although that is what my mom used to ride, but in my very inexpert opinion, he is a very cute little fellow. Do saddlebreds come in pony size, maybe he is a cross? When he's moving under saddle, he seems to pick his feet up well. If you have the knowledge and the patience to work with a horse that obviously has issues, and you have the time to take it slow, then, depeding on what you want to do with him, he might be a nice project.


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## tempest (Jan 26, 2009)

1dog3cats17rodents said:


> Eeek, I'd RUN, not walk a way from this one. He looks like he has a lot of issues, and the owners are taking it way too fast. He needs ground work to gain trust, confidence and muscle. In the riding part, he pratically takes off when she jumps on, you can tell he's terrifyed. He's trying to run out of the ring. He doesn't seem to know how to steer, and is very off balanced and rushing. He seems to be going sideways more often then forward.
> 
> Run away, far away!


You all have to give this horse some credit. He was abused and from what has been said by the person looking at him, there is a perfectly logical reason as to why he acted that way, especially when they got on him. Yes, he does need a lot of work and would make a very good project horse. But if you don't have the time for him, don't buy him.


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Definite pass.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Quite frankly, that's the worst sale video I've ever seen. If you're going to be stupid enough to blatantly lie about him in the writing and then post a video of him being dangerous, you shouldn't even own horses. I have no issues with him being abused, I feel sorry for the little fellow, but they make him sound like this quiet horse, when he isn't calm even once in the entire video. Don't sell him as quiet mount that a child can ride when he's so terrified of people and being ridden that he's bound to do something to injure BOTH of you.

I've worked with abused horses, and you have GOT to know what you're doing. A scared horse has no regard for either your safety or it's own. They will do whatever it takes to get to a "safe" place when scared, even though getting there could mean hurting themselves.

As for being 4 years old and only 13.2hh, I'd personally say it's almost definately from severe neglect. I had a little Arab mare who only hit 14hh because she was so malnourished her entire life it severely stunted her growth. And his conformation doesn't look very great either

He looks like a cute project, but he needs a TON of work. And even then, he may never be completely safe depending on the degree of damage that was done to him. And quite frankly, it doesn't look like the people he's with are helping his situation whatsoever. Putting a novice rider up on a terrified and abused horse in the pouring rain is easily one of the worst judgemental calls I've seen.


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## 1dog3cats17rodents (Dec 7, 2007)

tempest said:


> You all have to give this horse some credit. He was abused and from what has been said by the person looking at him, there is a perfectly logical reason as to why he acted that way, especially when they got on him. Yes, he does need a lot of work and would make a very good project horse. But if you don't have the time for him, don't buy him.


 
I don't blame the horse, but it doesn't change anything I said


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## Solo (Jul 16, 2008)

Not that it changes anything but I would be willing to bet that the reason he was acting up was because of that saddle cover she threw on the ground before riding.

I can not tell you all how many times I have had the quietest horses flip out because of a saddle cover. 

We have an older horse who we only use for 5 - 7 year olds to ride on the trails. We also use him with special needs kids. We would trust him with ANYONE. But he is absolutely terrified of the saddle covers we use when it rains. If it is so much as anywhere near him (on the fence, on his saddle, on the horse next to him) he FLIPS out. 

I think Fergus is cute, however he would be quite the project. If you are serious about him my advice would be to go see him yourself. Video him being worked by the owner. If he acts just like that, walk away. It is not worth it if he is always like that (unless you want a serious project horse and can get help from other people). If he doesn't act like that, visit a second time and try him out.

Let us know how things work out!


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## LadyDreamer (Jan 25, 2008)

Not a real Saddlebred by any means. Whoever bought him thinking he was was duped. Maybe a cross, but definitely not a full blooded. Hence lack of registration and very undersized. Definitely pass. There are better projects out there.

If you are in Australia, I can point you in the direction of some real full blooded, registered, American Saddlebreds, so that you may meet them in the flesh. There is a gorgeous new stallion down there who is quite lovely.


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

There are so many things wrong with the video, it goes way past critiquing the actual horse. First of all, the horse looked like he was about to jump out of his skin the entire time. The rope was way too long when he was tied and the girl was *cringe* letting the reins hang down while she was bridling him. She can't ride to save her life, so she's not doing a thing to help that horse. He's not ready to be ridden at all. He needs tons of ground work. If you're considering buying this horse, don't. Not unless you're looking for a training project.


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## Chuckface (Apr 25, 2009)

geez, that poor horse. His current owners dont seem to have a CLUE! riding this terrifed hose in the rain like liek that. they didn't even listen to what he was tryign to tell them!


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## Cowgurl060405 (Jun 7, 2009)

This video was really hard for me to watch honestly. If that poor horse has been abused and has trust issues, why in the world were they riding him when he was obviously panicked and terrified? I own two rescues that were also once abused, and you have to take your time with them! You never want to push them like that when they are clearly telling you they aren't ready. That horse doesn't really look like a saddlebred to me either. My father's horse is a saddlebred and I've been around plenty of them. Maybe his head looks kind of like a saddlebred, but overall I'm not seeing it. Poor thing...I hope someone nice adopts him.


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