Temperment vs. Racing Ability

bridlewise · Postby **bridlewise** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:20 pm

I'd just like to take a general survey of people's experiences with "quiet" vs. "difficult" horses they have bred that were runners vs. not runners.

For example, does a quiet, laid back yearling mean he lacks competitive drive? Does a rasty, rough and tumble horse mean he'll be tougher and more competitive? I'm just curious about others' thoughts on this...

Thanks!

cng · Postby **cng** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:53 am

There are always exceptions but I favor tough, agressive prospects over mellow submissive ones. Initially the tough ones require more training but if done right will take less once pointed in the right direction. It is a generalization but as with any it will be true more often.

zinn21 · Postby **zinn21** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:29 am

I've experienced good runners who are laid back or aggressive. I find the smart ones seem to be classier runners than their less intelligent peers.

Dave C · Postby **Dave C** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:10 am

IMO whether they are nasty or passive will impact on their degree of toughness in the stretch once they have found their talent level. A nasty horse is more likely to acquire the label of a 'hard knocker'. JMHO

Hold Your Peace · Postby **Hold Your Peace** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:53 am

I recently heard some comments from Carl Nafzger about his top horses.

Carl Nafzger said that Unbrilded was so gentle that they probably had more children on his back than jockeys. He said you could have used Unbridled to give pony rides at the county fair. (since Unbridled was such a large horse it was nice that he was a gentle giant)

On the other hand Carl Nafzer said the top mare Banshee Breeze (a daughter of Unbridled) didn't like him, didn't like his wife or anybody else, and didn't like other horses. She only liked herself and she liked herself a LOT. So they just kind of left her alone and let her do her thing which luckily she did very well.

He said Street Sense was almost perfect to deal with, it's like you'd made a racehorse robot. Super smart. Did anything you wanted and did it well and never gave you a problem about anything. Loved the fact that he could make two or three moves in a race and wasn't a one run closer. You could use him a little and then settle. Use him again for a bit and then settle again. Then use him again. True 'push button' tactical speed.

el camino · Postby **el camino** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:57 am

It doesn't matter if they are aggressive off the track as long as they are aggressive on it!

Vindicated · Postby **Vindicated** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 10:23 am

With the horses I have been around from foal too retirement (or there about)
a good amount of the time, the ones that were a handful and you had too watch your back around were the better racehorses. They may not be the fastest, but they were all determined.
One colt who was a terrible pain in the A** was pretty quick, and could win easy-he got him self knocked down plenty for interfering with other horses.
I have story after story about such things-
But in my opinion, personality has a lot to do with it-even mediocore horses can be decent winners if they have the right personality

Bunty Lawless · Postby **Bunty Lawless** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:20 pm

I particularly like the Carl Nafzger comments because they underscore how a good trainer understands that each horse is an individual and should be trained and judged as such.

timex · Postby **timex** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 1:38 pm

see, now i don't necessarily agree with a couple of you. are you equating mellow with unintelligent and tough with intelligent? i've had some really mellow horses who could RUN, and some tougher horses who couldn't. heart, or agression does not always equal performance. one of the smartest horses i've ever had was one of the most mellow, easy to deal with, a great temperment, but don't think you could put another horse in front of her. even now, at 24 years old, don't expect her to go for a trail ride and have another horse in front of her. just ain't gonna happen, LOL. by the same token, i've got a colt in the barn right now that's dumb as a post, and is one tough sob. FWIW, i'd rather have a horse with a good disposition, a good temperment that was SMART and can figure out the job, rather than one that's aggressive, disrespectful of the people around them, and a brute. but hey, what do i know, right? LOL

valjoe · Postby **valjoe** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 2:17 pm

but hey, what do i know, right?

i think you know enough..

reenci · Postby **reenci** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 2:38 pm

i will take a horse with a "good mind" any time over a less intelligent one.

madelyn · Postby **madelyn** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:16 pm

There are the hot, silly ones that seem SO high strung that people expect them to go like a flash on the track - and lose their race on the way to, or in, the paddock. Then there are the stubborn, brutish kind that can run a hole in the wind in the morning but will usually get a bee in their bonnet in the afternoon and get rank and refuse to run. I have a pal who is a trainer who calls these kind "common." As in low class.

Then there are the elegant, smart ones that keep it all between the ears until the gate opens. They listen to their rider, pay attention and focus, and are all guts. They are all about the game. Those are the horses with CLASS. That kind of temperament is my favorite of all - in a racehorse, a riding horse, a show horse, or a horse to train for anything at all.

KBEquine · Postby **KBEquine** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 5:10 pm

madelyn wrote:There are the hot, silly ones that seem SO high strung that people expect them to go like a flash on the track - and lose their race on the way to, or in, the paddock. Then there are the stubborn, brutish kind that can run a hole in the wind in the morning but will usually get a bee in their bonnet in the afternoon and get rank and refuse to run. I have a pal who is a trainer who calls these kind "common." As in low class.

Then there are the elegant, smart ones that keep it all between the ears until the gate opens. They listen to their rider, pay attention and focus, and are all guts. They are all about the game. Those are the horses with CLASS. That kind of temperament is my favorite of all - in a racehorse, a riding horse, a show horse, or a horse to train for anything at all.

Yeah. What Madelyn said . . .

griff · Postby **griff** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 5:35 pm

Sorry Madelyn but I've never seen a smart horse.. I think thier intellegence comes in somewhere between a sheep and a chickin..

now goats are another matter.. they are as smart as sqirrles.

griff

wilf · Postby **wilf** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 6:03 pm

Griff I would not be knocking horses' intelligence quotient while you make four spelling mistakes in a short post, surely they are on purpose. Horses are VERY smart if only their handlers would listen to them.