Famous stallions' quirks

Thanks DD, that's how I traced his breeding actually and Caroline helped me get his DNA test done and proper SSH passport! But she lost touch with bunnies too when he came down south, know he was at a yard in Kent, but beyond that lost track of him!
 
someone mentioned Indoctro and Concorde...I worked with a Concorde son who was a stallion, he was a complete saint. And another gelding, very very easy and sweet natured.

Indoctro babies, not for the faint hearted IME...very sharp in a bit of mental way but excellent otherwise
 
Mildred said:
All the Catherston horses Ive known have suffered from terrible sweetitch. I have only ever known a couple of Fleetwater Opposition babies but have heard they can be tricky, and this would definitely be the case for those two - talented but certainly not easy!
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funny you should say that, the Catherston horse that belonged to my friend had terrible sweet itch too!
 
Have got to disagree about the Carnaval Drum offspring! Our boy is by Carnaval Drum and he has the sweetest temperament and just loves to please! Sensible enough to be hunted for the first time by a 14 year old girl. He is one of the most intelligent horses I have met and learns very quickly. He has, however, had a good upbringing and I would suspect that he could have learnt some bad tricks just as quickly if in the wrong hands!

A friend has another Carnaval Drum gelding and they are very similar, although hers had a more chequered history and needed a bit of straightening out at first!

Also met two more CD offspring at a local hunter trial, and their owner raved about them too. One was a mare who has evented to quite a high level but was still safe enough for a young teenager to learn on.

As for Clover Hill, we have a Clover Hill grandson on loan, and he is adorable - a really kind, sweet chap who has his heart in the right place, but perhaps not as intellectually gifted as our other boy!;)

Once hacked out with someone on a Jumbo gelding and that napped like stink but was apparently a great jumper!
 
4faults said:
Haha I have to agree with the Ramiro Z as I am currently on my third mare of his lines.

My Broadstone Landmark boy is kind with an amazing personality, very cheeky and loveable.

Does anyone have experience with Concorde babies?
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I have a young mare with Ramiro Z lines, very sharp and qwerky but lots of scope :)
 
stolensilver said:
Many posts ago someone asked about the Trakehner Va Tout. I had the misfortune to own a Va Tout daughter. She was 16hh, pretty, superb paces, enormous jump, the only horse I've ever taken over a 5'6" hedge and had a foot to spare when she wasn't even trying. She had a 7' jump in her and probably more.

She was also crazy. So stressy in the stable she almost kicked her way through a breezeblock wall. So stressy in the field she ran the fence from the second she went out to when she came in. One summer we decided to tough it out and leave her in the 70 acre field with 7 other horses for company till she calmed down. 4 days later she was still running the fence...

I had help from a guy who had evented to European level. She jumped a parked car with him out on a hack one day because he'd asked her to stand still at a junction and she didn't see why she should. She took me over several dry stone walls at the side of the road with no rhyme or reason and most worryingly, no warning. She tried to double barrel cars as they went past you. She did that with no warning either.

I later learned that with her previous owner (I bought her age 5) she regularly reared over backwards. She didn't do that with me but she was ridden every single day and treated very carefully. Asking around my Va Tout was not unusual. A small % of his offspring are super. Most are nutcases.

That mare almost put me off Trakehners for life. Fortunately I kept an open mind and bought a purebred Trakehner filly 3 years ago. She is by Le Rouge and is the sweetest, kindest athlete you could ever wish to meet. She's schooling half pass and flying changes as 5yo and hopefully will be doing the International 6yo dressage classes next year. She's ridden by an amateur and only gets ridden 3 times a week. I think her lovely trainability comes mostly from her damline which is the Trakehner K line. Le Rouge himself is rather hot and so are the young stallions I've seen by him. They weren't like my mare at all. I wish I could clone her and give her to all my friends. LOL!
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Not sure if you saw my post earlier - I have a vatout son - v stressy but excellent at his job, and a vatout grandson who is unbelievably calm - his dad (elfenstein by hohenstein) was given a 10 for temperament and I'm fairly certain he's inherited dads brain and mums body - he's 17.1 at rising three!
 
ecrozier said:
TGM that sums up my Clover Hill gelding perfectly! I think the male offspring differ quite a bit from the female ;)
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I ride one of each (Mally and a gelding called Archie) and they are vastly different! Mally is a compact little mare who is prone to getting tense and rubber ball-ish, Archie is a 17.2h giraffe who lollops around the school in his own laid back world! Although Mally adores working and wouldn't dream of being (too ;)) naughty, Archie likes to try and bust a few moves every now and again to test us!
However, they both have the same easy ride-ability into a fence and are as honest as the day is long. First time Archie ever saw a placing pole and a grid, he used the placing pole as a ground line then continued down the grid as if nothing had happened!

If I had to describe them - Mally is a typical girl, bit temperamental, you have to ask right and telling her off just sends her hysterical, whereas Archie is a bit more of a laid-back thug, needs chasing up and made to tow the line. But I love riding them both!
 
MBSJ said:
Anyone had any experiences of Indoctro horses?
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Yes, would have another in a heartbeat! He was a shite on the ground at times (displayed riggy behaviour so I always had to keep an eye on him) but every time I take a good look at the photo's of him on my wall I cry buckets.
When I went to try him, DieselDog will vouch for this as I got him off her, I was too scared to jump (and I mean terrified) and after 45 minutes I was jumping a little course of about 2ft, for 3 years after he looked after me and gave me such confidence. The day I said goodbye and walked away from him for the last time destroyed me.
I've heard alot of Indoctro's are similar (although I've only met 1 other, he was much the same as mine), athletic, awesome work ethic, intelligent, just a super super horse.
 
Kirstyhen - exactly what you say in last paragraph! Roo is laid back, not spooky at all, and did a very similar thing with placing poles to start with, also one stride doubles were actually bounced. Always.
Roo has a fab work ethic although my flatwork trainer reckons that comes from his Nimmerdor lines, he's def not temperamental and is yet to crack under (albeit limited amounts of) pressure.
Two friends claim to have had CH mares that were horrors but id say every chance they maybe hadn't had greatest start in life and maybe but of a personality clash - you and Kat do a great job with both your CH girls who I'm sure would be very different in different hands!
 
kirstyhen said:
Archie is a 17.2h giraffe who lollops around the school in his own laid back world! ... However, they both have the same easy ride-ability into a fence and are as honest as the day is long.
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That sounds so like Alfie! (Although he is rarely deliberately naughty and he is only 17.1hh).
 
Haha! Thanks ecrozier... the person brought her from said something very similar, so as a result she was VERY choosey about who she sold to, as she knew she was very sharp and clever! If she had gone to someone who was slighty less laid back about life, one of them would have been a wreck very quickly!! Luckily, I've had some very good people on hand to help me :)

She is also incredibly trainable, so as long as you're subtle and consistent with her, so not to cause hysterics, she will try so so hard for you. Both my flatwork trainer and various jumping people who have met her love her trainability and outlook, as long as they see past the occasional athletic display of exhuberance (!).

I've also come across a couple of CH geldings who are similar to madam, one is incredibly talented but sharp, and is in the right hands luckily. The other is the same, but not in the right hands unfortunately, and as a result faces an uncertain future :(
 
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Well, I have one with High Roller (Cavalier) sire, out of a RamiroZ mare....either the best or the worst of two strong willed lines!!. He is a lovely horse on the ground & very talented....but not always particularly easy....has a lot of his own very powerful ideas! But I think ,if I can continue to gain his trust, he might be the best I have ridden.

My other horse is by Master Imp.....as someone on HHO once said..."don't pick a fight with a Master Imp..they will fight you back till hell freezes over!"

Mind you....the fact that I bought both of them after riding homebreds for some years, may say more about MY insanity (hereditary???) than anything else......Maybe we should have a thread about human inherited traits.....or maybe not!
 
ecrozier said:
Kirstyhen - exactly what you say in last paragraph! Roo is laid back, not spooky at all, and did a very similar thing with placing poles to start with, also one stride doubles were actually bounced. Always.
Roo has a fab work ethic although my flatwork trainer reckons that comes from his Nimmerdor lines, he's def not temperamental and is yet to crack under (albeit limited amounts of) pressure.
Two friends claim to have had CH mares that were horrors but id say every chance they maybe hadn't had greatest start in life and maybe but of a personality clash - you and Kat do a great job with both your CH girls who I'm sure would be very different in different hands!
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I think Mal and I are a perfect fit temperament wise, she doesn't cope well with being told off, it tends to send her hysterical. So when she's being a mardy women, I just tend to work around her and ignore the teeth and legs coming in my direction. Whereas people who have changed her rugs or my farrier tend to tell her off and unless you get the exact right time she ends up cantering around her stable or snapping leadropes!
IMO she is a perfect horse and I wouldn't say a bad word against her, but I know other people would disagree! :D
Riding wise, JP said she was very cute and constantly changing her approach to get out of what he was asking and other (limited) people who have ridden her have said she isn't easy.
But I would never ever describe her as difficult or a horror, she is far too wonderful for that :D
 
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That's a shame Kat, about the one that hasnt found the right human :(
We have three clover hill geldings at our yard, two of which are captain clover. I'd say so far (one not yet backed!) all are of similar laid back temperaments like roo, they've all got their quirks but what horse hasn't?! Funnily enough one of the others is quite snappy on the ground as you describe Mal, Kirstyhen, but as you say all is forgiven when you ride him and he's a fab jumper.
Having said all that, my instructor was saying the other day that in her opinion you need three attributes to have a young horse as be successful - ability (or access to people who do have that ability ie good trainers), consistency (which in theory anyone can do) and most importantly your own temperament. That last one is the only one she says can't be taught. It came up in relation to a particular acquaintance who is struggling with a young horse - but she loses her temper all the time and the horse gets confused... Then stressed....then stroppy. I think even roo would get wound up!
I guess it's the nature vs nurture angle again!
 
Mal has always been a fanny about tack and rugs, she is also a witch for the farrier when tightening clenches, and putting hoof oil on is taking your life in your own hands!

The hoof situation is solved by parking her up with a Horslyx, then she is as good as gold, they used her on the website as it really makes a HUGE difference to her!

She rarely actually bites or kicks, unless you don't know her and put yourself in the way, which is why I think igoring it is the best course of action!

She would definitely be a highly strung, stressy horse in the wrong hands, but I'm so used to my laid back heffalump, that I've always treated her like I would him. When it counts she is as easy as pie to handle, so I'm happy! :D
 
shark1 said:
someone mentioned Indoctro and Concorde...I worked with a Concorde son who was a stallion, he was a complete saint. And another gelding, very very easy and sweet natured.

Indoctro babies, not for the faint hearted IME...very sharp in a bit of mental way but excellent otherwise
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I have a Concorde gelding, he is just under 18hh and a dope on a rope to handle, very affectionate, but is very intelligent. Learns quickly but anticipates! and is a bit sensative in the mouth. If HE thinks he has done enough schooling then YOU stop or he throws almighty strops lol. I have to very careful what I feed him as most things send him bonkers, I do think his Quirks are more to do with his early training and not down to him per say.
 
What a good thread!

I have a Sheraton gelding (by Indoctro). He is sharp and thrives on work. More than two days off in a row and he is a headcase, having said that he is so genuine and has a super back end, and once on side, there's no stopping us. He turns into a miserable git if I don't work him hard every day.

My Elmshorn horse was a saint. Classical shape over a jump, and would try his heart out over all but the flimsiest of uprights, which he would boot out. He was such a lovely natured horse that he was almost boring - you wanted him to do something a bit naughty!

The best horse I have ever had was Larino x Casimir (Larino is by Concorde). He was a genius, but way too good for an amateur. Larino offspring have distinctive wide-apart back end over a jump, like a kangaroo, but they aren't all that common as apparently he had a low sperm count or something. They also have a lot of white on them or are grey. My horse was bay roan with a white face and four stockings. He was such a clever horse.

The Carnaval Drum horses I have had have always been very loose in their front legs, not bending tightly enough at the knee. With Drummy, it very much depends upon the mare as to whether they are any good.

Padinus (Heartbreaker) are super talented but difficult to get to concentrate, and like to do things their way. You need to adapt to their way of going, they don't like to be drilled into your way.

All the Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve horses I've known have been lovely: super genuine, talented, easy and kind. I'd go for another of these any day!

Don't know anything about Parco, other than he will be standing in the UK from this year.
 
Sults said:
Anyone have any with Ben Faire bloodlines or welton louis?
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Dont have any, but I looked after the event mare Faerie Diadem when I was at WFPs, and she was lovely. Very laid back, easy to ride, and a nice person in the stable. We only hacked and galloped them so have no insight into her trainability, but she certainly wasn't naughty, and just got on with the job in hand. A tad idle, I seem to remember - one of the few we had to kick on the gallops!! Highly in demand when we were hungover.... I have vivid memories of one of the other girls having to stop her several times to throw up when William decided that everything needed galloping the day after the Young Farmers Summer Ball!!

Her more famous brother (Faerie Sovereign) was there too at that time, and was also very laid back and easy. Seem to remember him being a bit of a facepuller, but he had totally earned the right to be a grouchy old man by then!

Welton Louis was at Talland, and we used to fight over him! Lovely lovely horse to ride - he was a complete dressage machine!! He was getting a bit old and stiff, so didn't jump much, if at all. He was the first horse I rode advanced movements on, so is probably responsible for me going all dressagey after many years of being an eventing nut.
 
TPO said:
Someone asked about Accondy about 40 posts ago....

I've only owned one gelding and NEVER again! He was vicious, dangerous to handle and be in the stable with (so much so vets refused to treat him) and would throw the most almighty tantrums ridden that it was only slightly safer to cling on as if you'd come off I have the feeling he'd have come back to trample over you! He was incredibly clever and would think of a new evasion in the blink of an eye. He was really nappy, would go backwards, up and when none of that worked he took to throwing himself on the ground (ditto when attempting to load).

In his defence he came to me in poor condition and needed a lot of work, It took a year to turn him into a well mannered horse that gave you a nice ride. I've no idea what clicked for him to turn around his behaviour but he turned out as a nice all rounder. He was also a cribber.

I wondered if it was just me so done some digging and the general opinion seemed to be that although Accondy himself was a nice horse his offspring were very tricky with a tendency to be, ahem, "sharp" and untrustworthy. Handle with kid gloves seemed to be the motto of the day

Has anyone any experience with Cape Cross offspring?
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I know an Accondy mare like this - absolutely exactly like your description of your gelding but she was homebred and spolied rotten which I always thought accounted for some of her behaviour but I have heard that all Accondy's offspring have these traits...
ETS - I knew the mares Dam and she was the sweetest, most gentle, loveable horse ever so the mare definately got it from her Sire!
 
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ecrozier said:
Thanks DD, that's how I traced his breeding actually and Caroline helped me get his DNA test done and proper SSH passport! But she lost touch with bunnies too when he came down south, know he was at a yard in Kent, but beyond that lost track of him!
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im sure Vinnie Jones was bought from caroline by Charlotte Foreman - http://www.summerlees.com/

she is near canterbury - contact her she is really nice xx
 
woodtiger said:
What a good thread!

My Elmshorn horse was a saint. Classical shape over a jump, and would try his heart out over all but the flimsiest of uprights, which he would boot out. He was such a lovely natured horse that he was almost boring - you wanted him to do something a bit naughty!

.
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OMG really ?????????? The one i owned was extremely sharp but was soooooo careful and turned out a superstar!! i know 2 others who are both like my boy was and never heard of them being saints !!!! x
 
Brilliant thread!
Like others have said...all horses can be different but some stallions do seem to have stronger genetic (ahem) quirks than others. It was only after (doh!) I bought a horse by Animo that I realised the majority verdict on his offspring was "only for pros". Mine is gorgeous on ground and mega mega talented but should never have been sold to me as a mere amateur (and I was very honest about my (limited) capabilities....)!
I then met someone who had looked after the great stallion himself once in Holland when he was in the yard she worked on. Animo had remained in his tack once in his stable for 3 days, according to her, cos no-one could get safely near enough to him to get it off..... lovely....
 
almostthere said:
Brilliant thread!
Like others have said...all horses can be different but some stallions do seem to have stronger genetic (ahem) quirks than others. It was only after (doh!) I bought a horse by Animo that I realised the majority verdict on his offspring was "only for pros". Mine is gorgeous on ground and mega mega talented but should never have been sold to me as a mere amateur (and I was very honest about my (limited) capabilities....)!
I then met someone who had looked after the great stallion himself once in Holland when he was in the yard she worked on. Animo had remained in his tack once in his stable for 3 days, according to her, cos no-one could get safely near enough to him to get it off..... lovely....
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Hi have a friend with an Animo mare and she is fab although very very sharp! I put one of my jumping mares to him many years ago as i loved him so much unfortunately she absorbed :(
 
measles said:
I'll join in. Anyone any experience of Parco offspring?
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Hi Measls, a friend of mine has a lovely mare by Parco, very easy, calm and great on the ground and when being ridden :)

I used to ride a Darco mare who was amazing, the easiest horse i have ever handled with an amazing amout of ability! She was out of a Major De La Cour mare, so might have been the good mix :)

I have a Toulon mare, she is fab but a bit clingy, lots of ability but loses concentration easily, cant say much bad about her though :D

And then there is Lily the newest of the bunch, she is by Cicero Z Van Paemel, small sharp, qwerky with attitude but fantastic jumping ability if you can stay on! After me hitting the deck 3 times at her first show, i got a saddle with big blocks and some sporty haft spray, stick to her like glue now! She does make my trainer Geoff Glazzard giggle in our lessons when she jumps something 3 foot higher than needed, twists in the air, lands and puts her head between her legs and shoots to the side, but all part of producing a talented youngster! :eek:
 
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