Thanks everyone for the advice!
Everyone has brought up so many good points. The horse in question is a
mustang. He looks a lot like an Arab to me. I can't quit
thinking about him! I think I'm going to have to go for it.
I believe he would be a great start in endurance for me. And I
think he's gorgeous.
I have a mustang now that is 14.1, and he
is the lean muscular type. He is built sort of 'arab-ish' too, but he
is already eight. Is that too old to take up endurance? I think his
talent will be as a hunter/jumper. This other gelding is four, which is
the right age to start working with an endurance horse, right?
Thanks for all the info. Reading
these posts gets me so excited about endurance, and helps keep me on track with
my goals.
A few years ago, I was in the market for a
replacement horse. My old horse had gotten old and passed away. As a 6 foot
tall, 170-180 pounds plus clothes and tack rider, (last couple of rides
we tacked out at 220-225. I am still trying to figure how my saddle got
heavier). I had always owned horses that were 15.2 -16 hands
tall. I was also partial to the well built horses too, 1000-1100 pound
range.
I had been away from endurance for several years,
and was really just looking for a trail horse. I tried out many gaited
horses, but didn't find the horse that clicked for me. My last two horses had
been an Arabian and an Arabian/Saddlebred. They had given me 20 plus
years of great riding. So I found myself going to the Addis Arabian horse
Auction in Oklahoma City. After studying the catalog, I went from
stall to stall looking for my next great riding horse. I told my wife he would
be 15.3 hands tall, about 1050 pounds, size 1 or 2 feet, 5 years old and
preferably grey. One of the horses on my check list was a 7 year old grey
gelding who was standing in a stall with a big hole in it. He looked
like a 12 hand pony. The owner led him out and he wasn't all that much better.
He barely hit 14.3 hands tall He weighed about 800 pounds and was narrow
made in the front and back. Besides having skinny legs ( 7 inches
around?) his feet were size 000. My wife started to walk away, but there
was something in his eyes that I liked. Later that day I saw him
being ridden in the arena, and then saw how he acted to be tacked up. Again
there was something about him that caught my eye. To my wifes surprise, I
moved him up to #2 on my wish list.
Well you can guess the rest, He came home with
us. Along with another of my choices who was 15.1 and growing, bigger
feet etc etc. The second horse was a much better physical speciman in most
peoples eyes. But after one day of being around them both, I decided to stick
with my little gelding. He had never been on trail and had
spent his life not being a successful hunter jumper. After a few months of
trail riding, I realized he might enjoy doing enfurance . He does. We
bond well and communicate well as a team. When I see the pictures of us
at a ride, the macho/John Wayne part of me cringes. He look so
small and skinny and I look like a grown up riding the kids Shetland
pony. (see the July Endurance News Lighter side article, The bottom
photo is us.) . But look at his record. (KMA Chazz Piper). He is doing great
and we are enjoying the heck out of it.
If you were wanting to be a top National rider
and be on the international team, maybe you would need to be more choosy about
size and build. But my best advice for you is to find
someone whose personality you really like and select that horse
(assuming it is sound). The two of you will spend a lot of hours in each
others company, and you might as well enjoy being together.
