We bought a Quarter Horse from an auction and to me she was very pretty and had the spirit in her. We found out after we got her home that she was used for barrel riding. When my daughter got on her she found things in the yard to go around like she would if she were going around the barrels. After she was broke from that she ended up to be a very find riding horse that my daughter loved very much. We were just looking for a family horse so were did not look for the qualities of the best horse. If you are looking for the best horse you would want to check out the web site  http://www.horsesdiy.com/blog/2008/11/10/characteristics-in-a-great-horse.html