Horses - The Blazer Horse - Horse and Pony Breeds on equiworld.net

Kijika (Silver Sorrel stallion)

The Blazer Horse

"Blazer Horses excel at ranch work, roping, cutting, jumping, speed eventing, endurance events, mountain and or trail riding, pleasure riding, pulling and other equine tasks. They can and will do just about anything they are trained to do."

An Introduction to the Blazer Horse
by D. L. Holliday

I first started my journey towards becoming involved with the Blazer Horse in the spring of 1996. My best friend owned two Blazers at that time and he would occasionally invite me to go with him to the horses. Being somewhat intimidated by horses, I wanted to look at them, pet them and maybe ride one of them.

These horses were different from others I had seen or been around. They were gentle, docile and seemed to enjoy being around humans. Well it was not long until my friend had me petting them, then grooming them and finally even picking their feet. Early that summer, I was invited to have dinner at a local restaurant in a near by town and was introduced to Neil Hinck, founder and president of the Blazer Horse Association. He patiently endured the many questions I asked him and he impressed me with his knowledge of horses. What impressed me the most was his knowledge about conformation and the mechanics of how a horse moves and uses himself

Sleepy's Silver (Grulla gelding)

. Later that summer, I went to Idaho and visited his ranch. Neil is the largest breeder in the association with over 300 head of horses at last count. While visiting the ranch, Neil invited me to ride his personal horse BAM- BAM. Bam as Neil calls him, is highly trained and at the time, he was 23 years old and still going strong. With the exception of Neil, most of the breeders in the Blazer Horse Association are small breeders with small operations usually one stallion and a couple of brood mares.

Y2K Foals

Their ranks are growing and the spreading across the country. My best friend’s uncle is a small breeder and lives in the same town as Neil. After making many trips to Idaho and being around these horses, I decided to buy a Blazer Horse for my very own. I had done the research and the planning, now it was time.

My friend’s uncle made me a good deal and I purchased a yearling sorrel gelding now four years old. Just before he turned two, I got my first ride on him after Neil worked with him on the ground for about one hour. Neil rode him first because I was too chicken. You see I knew that horse had never been ridden and I did not think he was ready after one hour of groundwork but I rode him and he was a perfect gentleman. Since then, I have seen several Blazers started under saddle and recently assisted my friend while starting a two year old and all of them went the same way, no fuss and no rodeo. A gentle and willing disposition is a requirement for a horse to be registered in our association. The advantage being that you have a horse that can be easily trained and can be handled by the average person. Notice I said the average person, not the average horseman. The association also expects Blazer stallions to be solid citizens as well. If they are aggressive at all towards humans, they will not be registered as stallions.

Since purchasing my Blazer Horse, I have trained him myself. Whenever I had difficulty teaching him something, I went and educated myself so I could educate my horse. It’s as if he wanted to perform for me. If it were not for this breed, I doubt I would be into horses at all. Since becoming involved with the breed, I have had the opportunity to meet other breeders and owners of Blazer Horses. All seem to be sold on the horse. This a disposition and conformation breed with color requirements as well. The size is one of the things I had to overcome.

Red’s Cody (age two) starting under saddle

It is hard to believe that a 13 to 15 hand horse can carry a big man over steep mountainous terrain for miles. The man from whom I purchased my horse stands about 6’4" and weighs about 250 lbs. I have been on a trail ride with him in the mountains when he rode his 14 hand 3inch Blazer. The horse carried him effortlessly it seemed. The horse has a weight carrying conformation with good withers and a short back. The distance from the point of the hip to the last rib is much shorter than most other horses I have seen. They are also very sound with good hoof and a lot of bone, and a low center of gravity.

Blazer Horses also seem to be very efficient in the way they move and use themselves. These and many other characteristics were intentionally bred into the horse by a master horsemen who comes from a ranching background and makes his living selling, training and breeding horses. Blazer horses have competed in the O-mok-see, (an event sponsored by the National Saddle Club) barrel racing, team penning and other timed events. They make excellent trail mounts and can put in a day’s work on the ranch working cattle.

These horses have made my horse ownership experience enjoyable. Fun is the word that comes to mind when I think of a Blazer Horse. If you would like more information about the qualities of what makes a Blazer a Blazer, visit the web site at http://www.integrity.com/homes/lorenzo.