Buying a new horse...what breed??

[stonefilly]

Howdy!

Well, I am in the market for a new trail riding buddy. My other horse was a Saddlebred mare and GREAT on the trails but, sadly, she injured herself in the pasture and can no longer be ridden. Her injury made me think a little about breeds and which one I should get next. I know that it was probably a fluke that she injured herself and didn't have anything to do with her breed...but it made me wonder if there were "hardier" breeds out there who could handle the trails with less chance of injury.

My trail riding is hardly relaxing: I gallop, race, climb hills and slide down valleys, horseback swim, jump, etc, etc for sometimes hours at a time....my mare handled these well but I often chose a different route because I was worried about her fine-boned legs (she didn't think this was necessary) so I need a horse with great endurance, comfortable stride, energetic, strong, and versatile. I know that horse personalities differ greatly horse to horse...but perhaps if I could get an idea of what kind of breed has those traits, I could start there.

Thank you!

[Remali]

If you want versatile, hardy, and has a lot of endurance......I'd say Arabian! I've owned Arabians most of my life, they are so easy to train and have such good dispositions, they are very people-oriented and perfect trail horses, they excel at the endurance rides.

[FoxFireEMT]

My Arab was always up for any challenged I put him in front up. I wasn't a fan of his personality at times but he was def. a hardy horse. But I feel with the right amount of training any horse can be good for any time of riding you do. Good luck!

[AppyLover]

Come on now spots are good. A well bred Appaloosa is also a good choice.

[JetLagaside]

I'm going to put in my vote for Hungarians :) they have enough Arabian and TB in most o fthe blood lines to have it all :)

http://hungarianhorses.org/

[gaited07]

I would say anything with four legs that is conformationally correct and health wise capable for this type of riding.
I have a Saddlebred/Walker mix that I take on a few extreme trail rides in the mountains and he handles this well. And I have a nice little QH mare who can barely make it up the mountain without huffin and puffin. With that said, my horse is conditioned for these types of rides and the QH mare is not.

[oursarge]

I think you're going to get as many answers as there are favorite breeds. I have a Haflinger mix and he's a good trail horse, I have a reg. 1/4 horse, she's a good trail horse and I have a Colonial Spanish and even though they are small they will run forever. I hope John Fusco won't mind that I'm copying this from the Red Road Farm Web site but there is a wonderful article he wrote about the Choctaws on there [It took me 3X's to get through it because I couldn't stop crying] and here is a quote from it:
“If you don’t catch an Indian Pony in the first two miles,” General Crook is reputed to have said, “then give up the chase, because they’ll run a hundred miles in a day and be fresh to do it again come morning.” The article is very sad but worth reading.

I don't have a Choctaw but I have a Baca Chica and his name is Relampago which means Lightning in Spanish and he can run like the wind. He runs and runs and runs, he tires my Haflinger Mix out, Sarge will just watch while Rompy runs circles around him like Sarge is lunging him. They are smaller horses but they can carry alot of weight. When I met the Choctaws and Bacas at the farm I knew that someday I'd have to have one, I didn't know it would be as soon as it was, I wasn't actually ready for a 3rd horse, or any horse really but Rompy and I formed a relationship in the week I was there, he came here on a trial basis and never left and won't leave. If there is a 4th some day it will be a Choctaw or another Baca. The girl I got Rompy from does endurance, dressage and even has herded cows with her Baca. They are also very gentle and smart horses. Rompy is so smart it's spooky sometimes.

Guess you know my pick but they aren't for everyone because they look so different than other horses and some people just don't like the looks of them. I love their history, I love everything about them.

[AppyLover]

Trueth be said, get a horse that can do what you want. Don't focus on breed, focus on the individual horse. There will be horses in every breed that can do what you want and there will be some that can not. Breed doesn't make the horse, heart does.

[FatSpottedAppy]

I love my Appaloosa, he is 24 and still going very strong. He still carries me up pipelines without breaking a sweat.
Heck, My boyfriend and I were having an argument on who was faster-- Raen, his favorite horse(grade) who is 6 and built like an Arabian almost.. or Tyke(Appaloosa) the 24 old fart.. So we raced and who won? Tyke, of course!

I am all for Appaloosas. I hope you find what you're looking for-- I completely agree with Appylover.

[WashingtonBay]

Arab... Appy QH - gaited horse. Any of them might be the right horse, given good conformation. You want good basic structure, good bone and nice big well shaped feet (stay away from little feet you'll find in horses with a lot of modern QH blood in them!) Not a lot of heavy body mass for better endurance and cooling, and above all, fair and reasonable conditioning to make sure they're ready for the kind of riding you want to do. :)


Good luck. Finding a new horse can be as scary as a new relationship... you just don't know how well it's going to turn out until you try it.

[Blue]

Arabian! :)

[Miracle Whip]

Traditionally, a Saddlebred is not a trail horse. They are bred for show.

I have a 1/2 Tennesse Walker, he is half Paint - Indian Paint I gather, not the showing type, and he is a good solid horse, athletic and gaited at times. What I like about him is his personality. He loves people. I would recommend a Walker for trail riding.

Sounds like you are an accomplished rider though so any breed would work. Maybe an Arabian?

[Cat]

You could find a good trail horse in almost any breed, especially once it becomes fit.

However, my personal vote is the haflinger. They are sturdy and hardier than many of the breeds out there and don't let their smaller size fool you! They are strong buggars. They were created in the mountains and make short work of hills and such.

[shynbvs]

Arabians are very good at endurance trail rides and stuff. I would definitely recommend them. Or if you are tiny you could get a Icelandic pony! No joke, i went on a trail ride on one of them once and it was hardly easy terrain and they handled it very well.

[Cat]

Traditionally, a Saddlebred is not a trail horse. They are bred for show.


I'll disagree with that. Maybe now a days we have "show" horses, but very rarely is that what the whole breed was bred for. Saddlebreds are named that because they were originally bred to be saddle horses - So traditionally they were bred to be comfortable rides that could carry a person easily over rought terrain. They were the original American "trail" horse.

[Ranger44]

It sounds like you are getting good advice. The individual horse is better to look at than the breed. Some are better know for their endurance but that is barely a guide. Since no one has mentioned the Morgan I will. Morgan Arab crosses (Morab) are very good all around horses with great personalities and usually seem to take the good traits from both sides. Both breeds are usually good endurance horses. Training plays a huge part in the individual horse. Good luck.

[Remali]

Actually, as far as Saddlebreds go, a friend of mine raised and showed Saddlebreds and her horses were awesome on the trails, I went with her a couple times and rode one of her Saddlebreds. She had both gaited ASBs and pleasure ASBs, they were really fun! I still love Arabians for trail horses tho, but I am pretty biased there....LOL.

But, I do think it is the individual horse....look for one that has those qualities you want in a trail horse....breed doesn't matter as much as disposition and over-all conformation and soundness. Also, if you are buying a registered horse, look for bloodlines that are bred for performance, rather than for halter.

[luckydoublesranch]

I have to agree, It totally depends on the individual horse. Plus, there are so many variations of many breeds now from the fugly to the fabulous, that you can really shop around! There are sound, well conformed nice horses in every breed, but then you have to be so careful of those "well-bred" horses that make NO sense to me...ie. these HUGE 16 hand horses with teenie tiny legs and hooves. What a shame!

I would say sit down and make a list of what you want in your new horse. Size, bone structure, conformation, temperament, color, etc. Then start shopping based on your list instead of a breed category. There is sooooo many awesome horse out there at a bargain price right now, so good luck and keep us updated!

This is soooo going to turn into a "favorite" vote, so my picks are well-bred/conformed Paints, Quarters, Appys and Arabians. :p

[Turn and Burn]

I agree with Luckydoublesranch.
I have ridden some psycho Arabians that seem to have no brains in their heads and some awesome ones, I know a little six year old girl that has a wonderful Arabian that is as calm as a lamb. Same with other breeds, It really depends on the horse.

[JackieB]

My trail riding is hardly relaxing: I gallop, race, climb hills and slide down valleys, horseback swim, jump, etc, etc for sometimes hours at a time....

Wow! You're some rider. I'd love to ride with you, but I'm probably too much of a wimp. :) You do all of this bareback as well if I recall. I know two teenage sisters just like you, actually. You just about woudn't believe what their daily, yes daily, rides are like. Dead out galloping races over uneven terrain, jumping logs up and down hills, all year round, and only bareback. I rode with them once and was absolutely in awe.

[stonefilly]

Wow! Thank you for all your "votes", lol! I guess I have my work cut out for me...

Yup, I do most of my riding bareback (except for the 7 hour-long rides...after the first 4 hours my bum goes numb) so that's why a comfortable gait is so important! ;)

I am looking at a 4 year old Morgan/Arabian cross tomorrow and some Morgans (7 and 9 years old) next weekend. I will let you know how it goes!
I never knew how much thought goes into buying a horse! I just sort of fell into buying my last horse, didn't even try her out or anything, and got reallllllly lucky. Now that I have the opportunity to get exactly what I want, I feel like a complete greenhorn!

[gaited07]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Miracle Whip http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/images/styles/beige/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/showthread.php?p=73643#post73643)
Traditionally, a Saddlebred is not a trail horse. They are bred for show.

I'll disagree with that. Maybe now a days we have "show" horses, but very rarely is that what the whole breed was bred for. Saddlebreds are named that because they were originally bred to be saddle horses - So traditionally they were bred to be comfortable rides that could carry a person easily over rought terrain. They were the original American "trail" horse.
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Right on target Cat!
Todays Saddlebreds are bred for Saddleseat, huntseat, jumpers, dressage,western, eventers, foxhunting, carriage horses, trail horses, 3 and 5 gaited and etc. They also have the American Saddlebred Sport horse Assoc.

[Horserider]

I agree there are a lot of good trail horses in every breed. Arabians, half-arabians, mustangs, appaloosas, quarter horses used to be ranch horses. A Quarter Horse X Arabian cross might be nice.

[stonefilly]

I wasn't aware that Saddlebreds were bred for trail riding...I did know that they were bred to be comfortable mounts...but I figured that they were more driving horses. Hmm...that makes me think I should look for another Saddlebred! lol! ah...decisions!

[Remali]

Hope the Morab works out for you, that is a really nice cross! If I were in the market for another horse that is what I would especially be interested in, some of the nicest horses I have seen have been Morgan/Arabian.

[TheBadLands]

I say Quarter horse, Arab, Paint or TB... all great

[shewasmyshadow]

Hope the Morab works out for you, that is a really nice cross! If I were in the market for another horse that is what I would especially be interested in, some of the nicest horses I have seen have been Morgan/Arabian.

My Rashad is a Arabian/morgan (Morab) cross. He's more arabian, then morgan, but you can still see some morgan traits. I've owned him since he was 16 (I was 12). He's 28 now and still trail riding. He VERY rarely ever was lame. He has some arthritis, but it's easily controlled with glucosomine.

We did most of the stuff you say you do. His gaits are BIG, but once you get used to them they're easy to sit to. He jumped decently when he was young. Could go for HOURS. We would ride to shows 6 miles away, ride all day, then ride 6 miles home. He would run bucking and kicking out to pasture when I got home. :D

Yeah, it'd say if you want endurance and stamina an arab or arab morgan would be a good fit. :)

Here's a pic of my guy:

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v150/172/78/514475951/n514475951_487897_8996.jpg

[doc_western]

I agree there are a lot of good trail horses in every breed. Arabians, half-arabians, mustangs, appaloosas, quarter horses used to be ranch horses. A Quarter Horse X Arabian cross might be nice.

exactally what i was going to say! :) good luck finding a horse.....sounds like you're getting some great advice.

[Ranger44]

Wow! Thank you for all your "votes", lol! I guess I have my work cut out for me...

Yup, I do most of my riding bareback (except for the 7 hour-long rides...after the first 4 hours my bum goes numb) so that's why a comfortable gait is so important! ;)

I am looking at a 4 year old Morgan/Arabian cross tomorrow and some Morgans (7 and 9 years old) next weekend. I will let you know how it goes!
I never knew how much thought goes into buying a horse! I just sort of fell into buying my last horse, didn't even try her out or anything, and got reallllllly lucky. Now that I have the opportunity to get exactly what I want, I feel like a complete greenhorn!

If you don't mind me asking, where are you located? I'm a fan of Morgans and Morabs and am always looking too. I have some young Morabs that I will be trying to sell this coming spring or summer. I am looking to buy one more older calm beginners horse(Morgan) after I sell a couple of young ones.

[missdixie]

Well of course I am partial to paints ;) But I think it sounds like an Arabian might be best for what you're looking for. They are hardy, sure footed, and bred for distance and endurance.