Big boned horses

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dlfl
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Big boned horses

Post by dlfl » Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:15 am

I like the look of the big leg boned horses in the old westerns. They look to be able to work all day with heavy weight and keep going. Todays horses appear to have been breed for the smaller boned legs. I figure it is what most people think of as good looking. Could this be the equail of the difference of AKC and hunting dogs?
Dіck

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dlfl
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Re: Big boned horses

Post by dlfl » Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:00 am

I did not get any bites on this. I bet in the old movies most of the horses were mustangs. That would explain the bigger boned look they have.

"bleep"
Last edited by dlfl on Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
Dіck

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High Roll-N-Angel
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Re: Big boned horses

Post by High Roll-N-Angel » Fri Jan 16, 2009 9:47 pm

I think in the old westerns you were seeing more of the old type foundation style quarter horses. I'm more familiar with MO Foxtrotters than Quarter Horses, but that trend has come about in the Foxtrotters also. The finer boned and short neck horse is very common now and a finer boned horse is not in my opinion a very wise idea. I think it makes them more prone to leg injuries. I also personally like the "thicker" horse. I think of it like this.....what will last longer 900lbs running around on 2x4's or on 4x4's?

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Re: Big boned horses

Post by lvrgsp » Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:34 am

I'll be the first to admit, I'm am buy no means a horse scholar, but on a trip to missouri the other day I got to see a Friesian, and man was that one beautiful horse, I know nothing about them, but your comment on big boned got me to thinking, and the few I saw that day were all big boned horses and all friesians.

http://www.gotpetsonline.com/pictures-g ... n-0004.jpg

Just rambling,
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dlfl
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Re: Big boned horses

Post by dlfl » Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:11 am

I if you look at the history Friesians they fine that they are a decendents of the big horse or the ones breed to carry armored crusaders.
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Re: Big boned horses

Post by LoveMyGSPs » Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:19 am

Really depends on what discipline of riding you are looking at. In the halter and QH rings, the "in" thing is the big, tank bodies with the TINNNNY little feet and head. To get the tiny feet, you need to breed for smaller bone.

However, if you look at the english disciplines, like dressage and hunter/jumper, you will see a big influence of warmbloods. These are horses, mainly from Europe or their bloodlines are from Europe, that are bred for their size, bone, and movement. Even if a warmblood is 15h, most will still have nice bone. Of course it depends on the breeding as well as certain warmbloods are crossed with TBs and Arabs to thin down the bone.

In foxhunting, you want a horse with good bone to hold up to the terrain and jumping and galloping.

In racing, the lighter boned the faster you go.

With the baraqoue horses, like Lustianos, the bull fighting horses, they have very compact bodies that are easily moved to avoid a bull but still nice bone and size.

So I think it is all relative. Im new to the dog thing so cant really comment there. :)
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Re: Big boned horses

Post by RayGubernat » Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:23 am

dlfl -

As regards old westerns, I have noticed in a fair nimber of them that the "head shake " typical of the Tennessee Walker seems to show up every now and then. I never notcided it when i was growing up, but then I wasn't into horses at all. Now that I have had Walkers for a few years, I have taken notice that some of the horses carrying the actors were indeed Walkers. I guess lots of folks like a smooth ride. :D

The other thing I noticed was that the horses in those old movies tended to be a little shorter of stature. Either that or those actors were all refugees from the basketball court.

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Re: Big boned horses

Post by High Roll-N-Angel » Sat Jan 24, 2009 7:29 pm

Just FYI.....the "head shake" and ear flop is THE TRAIT of the Missouri Foxtrotter. The better the head shake...usually the better the gait and the better relaxed the horse is.

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Re: Big boned horses

Post by Yawallac » Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:52 am

I'll be the first to admit, I'm am buy no means a horse scholar, but on a trip to missouri the other day I got to see a Friesian, and man was that one beautiful horse, I know nothing about them, but your comment on big boned got me to thinking, and the few I saw that day were all big boned horses and all friesians.
Chip,

Hopefully, jakemaster will post some pics of his. He has 13 or so and some are World Champions. Absolutely stunning animals.... :D

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Re: Big boned horses

Post by STEVE ANKER » Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:54 am

As someone said previously- my recollection as well,
I think most of those old cowboy horses were of quarter horse lines, stocky, large fronts and rears, built for burst speed and agility amongst the longhorns. We had a quarterhorse when I was a kid and she was built different then the TWH's I have now. She certainly was not as smooth, makes you wonder how you could ride them all day long.
As far as big boned, my TWH Casey is large boned, nice stocky build, but he is Cobb sized at under 15 hands, real easy to get up and down on chasing my pointers in trials.
I once read, Alan Ladd, "Shane" was only around five foot five in height, so he needed a shorter horse to look proportional in the movie shots.
Someone said, Trigger was a TWH, maybe so.
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Re: Big boned horses

Post by lvrgsp » Tue Feb 03, 2009 4:35 pm

Like I said Ross I don't know much about horses, but man those Friesans holy cow were they some nice moving animals.

Chip

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Re: Big boned horses

Post by lightonthebay » Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:30 pm

LoveMyGSPs wrote:Really depends on what discipline of riding you are looking at. In the halter and QH rings, the "in" thing is the big, tank bodies with the TINNNNY little feet and head. To get the tiny feet, you need to breed for smaller bone.

However, if you look at the english disciplines, like dressage and hunter/jumper, you will see a big influence of warmbloods. These are horses, mainly from Europe or their bloodlines are from Europe, that are bred for their size, bone, and movement. Even if a warmblood is 15h, most will still have nice bone. Of course it depends on the breeding as well as certain warmbloods are crossed with TBs and Arabs to thin down the bone.

In foxhunting, you want a horse with good bone to hold up to the terrain and jumping and galloping.

In racing, the lighter boned the faster you go.

With the baraqoue horses, like Lustianos, the bull fighting horses, they have very compact bodies that are easily moved to avoid a bull but still nice bone and size.

So I think it is all relative. Im new to the dog thing so cant really comment there. :)
The above quote is a pretty good summary of horsey builds.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", however, that subjective beauty tends to be linked to "form follows function" rule. Compare horses to vehicles--a lumbering 4x4 to a sleek ferrari. They both have their niches to fill and if you manage to fill the right niche, it's beautiful thing!

I have some big boned horses and fine boned which are all "mustangs" (BLM wild horse). I also have a thoroughbred. The differences in the ride between my big boned and fine boned horses is as one would expect. Slow and steady vs swift and light. My choice for riding depends mostly on terrain, cover and the speed i'd like to travel.

I also agree that many of the western movies (except spaghetti westerns) were foundation quarter horse types.

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