CLOSING THE SALE

Sound confusing? Grab a calculator and let's walk a horse through .

Before going out to look at something advertised as, "QH gelding, 4-H prospect, $425," make a few more phone calls — feed store, stables, trainers— to see what the going high price for such a mount is in your area. Also, while at it, do a little research on what grade geldings, of different ages, are selling for.

Arriving sooner than the seller expected, the horse immediately gets dinged for an "8" by being hard to catch, and a "3" for hard to bridle.

Riding him outside the corral, you find that while he doesn't stampede for the far horizon, neither can you relax the reins. Make a comment about this trait when marking a "5" for runs away, but don't praise his quick stop, for in our system it is a negative rating.

In Conformation, he stands base wide, toes out, a "5", and results in the hoof travelinq inward, for "5" more. Allowing for the fact that he is supposed to be a Quarter Horse, you still have to add at least ''2" for a thick neck.

In the Soundness classification the only thing to put down is a compromise ''5" for his feet being hard to handle.