Mountain Horses

[chambero]

How old do you guys run horses for riding packing in and out in the mountains. I know it really depends on the animal. My real question is, I am about to buy a 17 year old QH for my little boy. He is in great shape, but can't go all day long at a hard pace (roping, cutting, etc) anymore. I'm just wondering if I would be pushing this horse too hard on using him for a trail horse next year for 5-10 mile forays into wilderness areas from a base camp.

 

[Elkhunter]

I got mine when he was 17 and he is now 21 years old. If a horse is in good shape, you should be able to use it until it is about 25 years old. This I was told by my vet. I use mine every weekend in the hills. I start out in the spring with some small easy rides and then progress. By mid to late summer a 15-20 mile ride in the mountains is about norm. During hunting season mine goes in 6-8 miles everyday and back out everyday. I know of some that are using horses that are 30 years old.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Hey Elky,

You talking about that Flatland you hunt, or the vertical stuff I always seem to get stuck hunting???

Chambero,

I think you would be fine with a 17 year old, and it kind of depends on the horse. I have been test riding horses the last couple of weeks, and am looking to buy one, that I can hunt with in 7 years, when my buddy finally lets us use horses, insstead of our pack frames and Schnee's.

I have ridden ones as young as 6, and am planning on a 10-11 year old, so it would be about 17+ by the time we would hunt it. I would then think as a primary saddle horse, you could ride it till 22-25, as Elky said, and then keep it in the pack string, until it ends up getting hurt.

And huge parts depend on the specific horse, and the actuall country you will be hunting.

What are the prices down there for stock horses, for riding and hunting? Up here, it looks like the range is $1000 to 1600 for a stock gelding, with not "pretty" paint on it. If you get one for roping or barrels, then you get in the $2-3,500 range, pretty quickly. Cutting is a complete different price range.

I found one 11 year old that used to be in a bucking string, that is pretty scarred up, but seems to be sound, and is a damn athletic horse. (Will about spin me off.) And he could likely be had for $1100.

 

[Elkhunter]

You talking about that Flatland you hunt, or the vertical stuff I always seem to get stuck hunting???

LOL Gunner.

I think you will enjoy having that horse chambero.

 

[chambero]

The guy is a very good friend of mine and is asking $2K for the horse. I'm actually buying it for my four year old to learn on. The horse was his dad's last horse and he is no longer able to ride. You can get good quality ranch horses down here in the $2 to $3K range, but the high end obviously goes way up from there. There aren't too many bargains to be found on horses these days.

Elkhunter: Do you know Randy Blackburn from Cody by chance? He used to own East Slope Outfitters. I went on a couple of trips with him several years ago and wound up with a pretty nice black bear in the Bighorns. I was must wondering if Randy is still guiding, and if so, who for. I'm getting ready to try draw for an elk hunt around Jackson Hole or Cody in a year or to.

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 09-10-2003 06:52: Message edited by: chambero ]</font>

 

[Elkhunter]

chambero, I do not know of him. The price of $2k-$3k is not bad for good stock and quality in a horse. It is more than I would want to pay though. Up in these parts one can find a good horse for $1k and up. Maybe I will run into you in the hills one day up here on the back of a horse.

 

[Casey Richardson]

Just my two cents worth. I have been around a few horses and m experience has been horses that are used mostly in the mountains for packing and coverning country tend to last much longer than horses that have been used for sport; ie cutting, team penning, roping, etc.... The hard stops and start tend to break them down more. I have a fantastic horse out back right now that is just such and instance. He is 12 years old and handles like a dream, problem is this, he lames up after one ride. He injured his right front fetlock a couple years ago being used for steer wrestling. I have tried two horses that came from rodeo and neither worked out. I have a 26 year old mare that is still ridden dailey by my daughters but she has not had a rough life. If you take the horse ask to try it for 2 weeks and get some miles on it and see if it lames up. Best of luck. Happy hunting, Casey

 

[JoseCuervo]

Casey,

That is what Butte is for....

I think if a horse is sound, you can always throw them in a pack string to make themselves usefull for years. But I agree, the rodeo sports is tough on the horses legs, or at least the timed ones. The ones out of the bucking string may not have the same problems...

 

[GatoMan]

Whats the name of the horse and what stock contractor had him gunner, I probably have been on the horse.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Gato,

I am sure you could have stayed on him for 8 seconds. Hell, I stayed on for 8 minutes...

I don't know where he came from. His name is Reno, and he has an 85 brand on the top of his Left hip.

My thinking on a horse is to buy something I won't feel too bad, if I have to put a Nosler Partition through his ears...

 

[GatoMan]

Hmmmm not to sure, I been on a Major Reno but I know its not him, possibly a horse from Bo Pinz P-9 rodeo company in Parma, is it a bay horse? For some reason I was thinking he had a bay horse named Reno at one time but very short time maybe month or 2.