The Performance Horse

Therefore, the idea of buying a proven endurance horse begins to make good sense. A horse that consistently places well, and in particularly unstressed conditions, is quite likely to go on doing so with you as it's owner.

Some people are prejudiced against buying a "used" horse, perhaps equating it to a "formerly owned" car. But there is no substitute for experience, and the horse that has it has a certain value that the untried prospect cannot touch. By all means ask to see veterinary evaluation cards from various rides, and try to talk personally to vets who know the horse, either from judging it on races, or caring for it at home. Then have your own veterinarian, if he/she is experienced with endurance, thoroughly examine the horse pre-purchase.

"No hoof, no horse," was never so true as for the endurance horse. The closer to the ground the structure, the more concussion and stress is placed on it. Therefore, the hoof bears the brunt of the many miles at speed that endurance horses travel. Ask to examine the horse barefoot. (You may have to pay to have shoes put back on whether or not you buy it.)

Back in the days when horses worked for a living, they were bred with feet proportionately large enough to support their body weight. A 1,000 pound horse should have 23-25 square inches of load bearing surface on it's front feet. Arabians that are bred and raised on vast range land, such as Rush creek and Hiannys Cattle Company, do not have dinky feet.

Look for a prospect with absolutely no hoof problems. It should have thick hoof walls, concave soles, large frogs centered directly in the middle pointing to the middle of the toe, with equal hoof development on either side. The horse should not be down at the heel. Be particularly suspicious of any excuses the owner makes for hoof flaws. ("The blacksmith I had out just butchered him.")

"Four black feet, buy him; three black feet, try him; two black feet, see how he goes; one or no black feet, feed him to the crows." Do you believe that? I don't. I have known horse with white, black, and striped feet, some good, some bad. Black feet tend to be harder, with more of a tendency towards brittleness. Although white feet may wear down quicker, they may be less likely to crack. But I bet you can find farriers who dispute that.

I have found that "chrome" white markings on the legs is susceptible to both mud fever and photosensitivity. Therefore I prefer horses without white stockings. Since the color of the hoof wall is determined by the presence or absence of color above it, they will, of course, have black feet.

For a discussion of equine limbs, read and reread all of Dr. Deb Bennett's articles in the Arabian Horse Express. There is no one more knowledgeable. I was particularly glad when I first heard her state, at a lecture at the AERC convention a couple of years ago, that short coupled Arabians are supposed to be slightly cow-hocked in order for their stifles to clear their bodies when they reach under themselves to take a long stride. I had noticed in studying herbivores in museums of natural history, and on the hoof, that they naturally stood that way. And the particularly handy movers even more so than the others. I have found more poor movers to be overly wide in both the hocks and chest than the other way around.

A horse with a naturally long stride will put less stress on both it's cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems than will one with short, choppy strides. And not unimportantly, less stress will be placed on the rider as well. Study length and angle of shoulder, pastern, and hip and related structures as per Dr. Bennett's articles.

To conclude, look far and long before selecting your endurance prospect. Travel to endurance rides and ask around for either proven horses for sale, or experienced distance riders who breed and train endurance stock. Seek the horse that ranged free on a large pasture during it's formative years, or at least had years of long slow trail riding to develop density of bone and tendon. Remember that it will take a couple of years to really know if you have the right horse.