A horse’s feet are of supreme importance to the overall quality of the animal. At least that was the expert opinion of the two biggest authorities on the subject. They based their expertise on years of riding horses, training horses, trading horses, buying and selling horses, driving teams of horses; if it had to do with horses, they had done it. The pair chose ranching as a profession so they could be around horses, the bond was that great.

Every month there was horse sale in the area. It was another excuse to be involved with horses. The pair of friends happened to be visiting each other, and one of them wanted to purchase another horse. Three horses were not nearly enough to own. The visiting friend raised registered horses, so they went to the sale expecting to get a good deal. With their combined experience, how was it possible to make a wrong choice?

Many equines of various descriptions filed through the sale ring that day, only to be rejected by the pair for one reason or another. They were all too old, too young, the wrong color, too weak. On and on, none seemed to have that special quality they were looking for in a quality specimen. Finally they saw a horse that seemed to match their exacting criteria. This horse’s feet were perfect, they were just the right shape, size, and arch to insure stamina after a long day’s work. The animal was selling for cheap enough, so they bought him, loaded him in the truck, and took him home.

The men were admiring their purchase while it was standing in the corral when a neighbor happened to come for a visit.

"Ah, I see you got a new horse," the neighbor said, greeting the two expert horsemen.

"Yes, we bought him today," the owner said with a proud look on his face, "What do you think of him?"

"Well he don’t look so good," the neighbor said.

"Just look at his body and his feet," the second owner reasoned, "what do you mean he don’t look so good?"