Describe what is todays halter horse and how are they different.
I have not been to any Class A shows in close to twenty five years last year I really injoyed some open shows and club community shows but not Class A. I will remedy it this year.
What is the difference.
The last champions I saw in the arena in Dallas could do many things. Halter was the first stepping stone. How about for example Beau Ibn Hanrah, Napitok, Cass Ole, Sakr, Royal Vanity, Zbruzc and Faleh, I can not for the life of me remember those that just went in a halter class.
Could these horses compete and win in todays halter class?
Things have changed so I ask you now what?
Val

Hello there,

I checked on the datasource as I was a bit suprised to see some of these names being listed as halter champions. According to datasource there are no listings for the following horses as being halter champions: Cass Ole, Faleh, Napitok, Beau Ibn Hanrah. Maybe I'm missing something??

All breeds evolve with selective breeding. I personally think we have some outstanding halter horses that are beautiful examples of all that is and should be "arabian". I think all you need to do is take a look at horses winning in halter around the globe today (pick up the AHW or the AHT) and there won't be any question in your mind as to what is the halter horse of today. I think many halter breeders today have taken the best of the past, instead of getting stuck in the past! JMO of course

Edited to add:
Many halter champions do go on to be winners undersaddle as well. I think the reason that some do not is because they are too busy in the breeding shed!

I have noticed that records sometimes do not show up if they were a long time ago. For instance, (I know this because I've looked him up being he is my horses sire) Kaiyoum++ he has no record on datasource but he was a national champion.

May the lord help us who love research!
Ms Epsom but the Datasource is FLAWED!
Severely so and yet it is the best to be had. I was told yesterday that the Canadian Registry does not even keep stud books. They keep transaction records.
If you want your horse in the Datasource it has to be registered with AHA also. CAHR told me so themselves.
I would be floored if a complete list of the accomplishments of the most reknown Bask was listed. Surprised if they mentioned any at all.
The show records is only a small portion of the problems Datasource suffers from.
How about death dates that are estimated or entered wrong and the horses is still live covering mares and concieving foals from the grave.
How about omitting the markings they have a plce to veiw them but though the markings are listed in type it is not showing in the file.
I suggest everyone should log in and check out all their horses records to check for errors.
To been touted as a stickler in the past , the things I have come across makes nme sad.
As to Cass Ole, Faleh, Sakr, Beau Ibn Hanrah, Napitok, and countless others all halter champions.
I saw these horses in the show ring many times and each one of those I listed are
Legion of Merit holders. Each of those horses did it all, competed in each division and won championships. Datasource will not mention the titled ones the Aristocrats or the Living Legends either,or their Championships. They should though don't you think?
Unless it was very recently added the National Championships are not in there either. The show record data has been made a joke it is so incomplete.
As to the stallions I saw them win in person. Shrug.
I also went to the stalls and checked each one out and that is a wide variety of bloodlines mentioned there and with out exception those stallions where all sweet natured gentlemen.

Actually stunningly beautiful photography is an art form. I have yet to see the esquisites in person.
A photograph is a stolen moment in time, it can capture the form and express more or less that the reality.
To see you have to experience. So go look in person.
I will also add that huge strides have been made in the looks department. Even stating that case I will tell you I walked away from a knock out because I did not like the way she moved.
I particularly like to see a breeding prospect under saddle, you can tell so much about them how they move and balance with a weight on their backs, about the dynamic between the horses and rider.
How well the horse understands the lesson is a gauge of intellegence.

I am also very much aware of the high mortality rate the halter horses suffered from just to get to the competition stage then stay in show ring condition. Hay bellies are a no no. A diet rich in roughage that prevents colic a no no. I had my heart broke several times going to book to a Champion Halter horse only to hear of an untimely death due to colic.
A performance horse at least moves around a great deal more.
As an Equine artist , at some point when working on a peice you will stop. Realize there is nothing else that you can do will to add to the creation instead it will take away from it.

In breeding Arabians we have turned a living being into an art form. Unlike painting when the foals is born then taught to present itself shown at halter, be it a winner or not .
That foal is still a work in progress. It still has canvas to use, spaces that need to be filled with living and companion ship.
A wild horse that survives on its own by it wits is the bare canvas with the barest hints of form and color. It in its right is a master work.
However our horses are domesticated they can achieve far more depth and perspective. Their canvas will tell a story that leads the eye to wander on a journey.
When you bring a horse into an arena you may have many goals. Promotion of a stallion is to entice a mare owner to invest in offspring. That is part and parcel of a Halter Horses job. Breed standard and conformational correctness. The job of a performance horse is the display of the mental and physical capabilities .
I have seen perfection become overwhelmed under stress. I have seen displays of bad temper.
I have seen perfection move like a string puppet.
Halter is the wife and performance is the groom. So when they are combined correctly bliss is achieved.
So once again I ask what is in todays criteria of a halter champion.
Val

Hi again Val:)

There is an old thread on this site that has our new scorecard posted on it. Have you seen it? I myself am waiting to see what effect, if any, the new scorecard will have on the halter arena and those of us who are breeding the halter horse. I'll see if I can dig it up and repost it. I could run through all the details of what makes a national level halter horse myself, but I think the scorecard does a good job of describing it. I'm off to go find it now...

Color me floored! They listed *Bask's accomplishments, who would have thought it?
On the other hand they are too selective in my opinion. Yes *Bask was momumental, but there
are other horse of great importance to our breed that they should list.
Number one gripe....pictures. I love it when there are pictures to go with the pedigrees, a face to go with the name.

The question is still the same, are halter horses too good to compete in performance?Or are halter horses incapable of being competitive in performance?
This is something I noticed a long, long time ago. Halter horses that placed well in class did not necessarily win the blue in performance. ( Not because the horse was unable but because the horse was not as well trained in this field.)

The question is at what point does a horse owner's priority turn from halter winning to performance winning. It should be encouraged as a natural logical progression, does this mean that a
honest to goodness, Halter Champion, must retire to the breeding shed to prove their reproductive worth. Or is it that the owners do not want to compete in performance? "It isn't their bag."
If that is the case then just say so!
Val

Val

I think that situations are different for all stallion owners and there are no "generic" answers to your questions. I'm happy to answer your question with respect to my stallion First Cyte+. He was campaigned to three National Championships and two Reseve National Championships in halter. To accomplish this he was living with different trainers for over four years. I was thrilled to get him home and have the opportunity to stand him from my farm. I believed he had traveled and been shown enough and he needed to have a chance to enjoy life.

He has become a leading juvenile sire, a leading yearling sweepstakes sire and the sire of both National and International Champions. I am delighted to have bred two of his National Champions myself. I think he would be an exceptional EP horse. That sentiment has been echoed by trainers that have seen him under saddle. He is not going to be shown under saddle, however. The reason is because I don't want to show him under saddle. I am a one stallion farm. I love this boy and he loves me. I simply am not willing to have him step on a trailer any more, not to mention be away from my scrutiny at another trainer for an extended period of time. Nope- we are both too happy as is. His sons and daughters are just now starting to make a name for themselves in performance, and I will be happy with that.

Lest anyone think he can't move- this is a short clip of him under saddle after only 60 days of training. He was wearing a snaffle and plain plates. Kevin Price of Cedar Ridge is in the irons. We took First Cyte (on his last trip off the farm) to the Stallion Auction presentation at MN Fall Fest several years back and Kevin rode him in. There was stunned silence because everyone was expecting a halter horse to run in. When the crowd figured out that it was First Cyte- under saddle- he got a standing ovation. It was great fun.

Donna

FC Under Saddle

Fantastic video of First Cyte !





Most of the records from before 1986ish are not on the Datasource . They have to put on old show records by hand , I know this because I asked them to do it for one of my horses ( they did do it for me ) . IAHA used to put out a Yearbook with show results for every show , it also included pictures of show winners . The first one was 1953 the last year I think was 1983 . It can be tedious to look up horses but many feature their wins with their pictures . Horses were invited to have their pictures in the Yearbooks based on show wins/placings , the bigger the picture ( a whole page , 1/2 page ) the more wins the horse had .

This is Beau Ibn Hanrah's 1969 entry , he has a full page .


Cass Ole's 1974 entry also a full page



It seems just from looking through the Yearbooks ( mid- 1970's and earlier ) if people went to the trouble to go to a show , they showed in a lot of different classes .

Wonderful video of First Cyte! I enjoyed watching it immensely. Kudos to you for caring for his quality of life so much to not send him chasing after more ribbons under saddle, after such an extensive halter career.

This is also what I have been told when I questioned about the lack of records for the older shows. Also the deaths, new owners and stallions/geldings are only as good as the owners that report it.