horse question

[cowgirl580]

the only arab's i've ever been around have been temperamental and not very smart. never owned one and don't plan on it. other ppl seem to like them okay though. we owned a spotted appy mare, oh for about a week i think. i rode her around for a while and had no probs, she was dainty but since she was for my mom that was okay. my friend and i decided to ride one day, so i got on the appy gelding (he was dumber'n a box of retarded sticks, by the way) and she got on the mare. 30 seconds into the ride, she decides to rare over on my friend. good thing this was a fairly small horse. she wouldn't stand to have her feet trimmed either. needless to say, she was gone within the week. the appy gelding we kept for a while even though he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed and he was a bit of a klutz. great cow horse though. he's the one my dad rode. me, i'll stick to my QH's.

 

[germancowgirl]

Arabs! i love this theme.....

My dad used me for the first ride on his training horses since i´m able to ride (which is way erlier than the time that i was able to walk ).
The first horse i was scared on was a 3,5 year old mare which was groundworked for about half a year. WI was i think about 7 at that time and we had put the first ride on that horse the day befor. So ther was the day af the second ride. everything was okay up to the point my lightwaight tucked the saddle. on this point this st..... beeeeeep..... beeeep mare stratet bucking like one of those rodeo horses..... so everybody is sitting in front of his pc, scared, imagining all this broken bones, dont ya? Sorry, no broken bones... :shock: BUT I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET OF THAT STUPID HORSE FOR A LIFETIME!!!

She was the ounly horse ever that i´ve seen bucking in a way you were not able to fall!!!!

End of storry: more bruises than I was able to count in that age, my father turned gray over night, owner (had seen the whole thing) decidet to use her as a broot-mare....


We owne a Lewitzer now (I´ts a german about 35 year old pony breed) She`a quarter Arab and you´ll see it in this special time of the month.....

But there´s another breed like those arabs: Trakhener... Ever heard of?

 

[germancowgirl]

By the way, my horses of choise ar mixed-breed ponys of any kind (very smart!!!) and QH, own a QH, Owned a German pony ("Deutsches Reitpony") for about 10 years, got him from my dad who owned from the tme he was born, my mom owned his mom. he was half- haflinger other half german warmblod, looked like a mustang, used to run like one of the pony-post horses. had to put him down last year bekause he was sik, still cry.... best horse ever seen, best friend i had...

 

[Alan]

Welcome to the board Germancowgirl!

The Trakhener is a elegant horse I fell in love with them the first time I saw one at a dressage show. Is it a German breed? We don't see many where I live.

Alan

 

[germancowgirl]

And they know why....

Trakhener are a Preusic breed (I hope you call it that way...)
In world war 1 they had to escape and took their horses with them. Befor the war the trakhener was a drafthorse as well as a riding horse and a good looking horse for the drife to church. after the war there where about 50 left.

Now there are a lot of them and most times there are so in-breed that they are just nuts.
Some of them are great dressage- jumpinghorses ore even used for distance-riding but they will never be "normal" if you know what I mean...
We had one for training and after that she came back as a boarding horse. 3 years and non of us was ever able to get allong with her.
i gues its the same way like with most arabs. They are usually one-people horses. They need an owner who is able to spend a lot of time with them and nurses them. And they nedd to work a lot....

 

[V_Key]

Being a rookie horse owner I have a rather rookie question. Are Arabs more "flighty" for lack of a better term than other breeds? By flighty I mean jumpy or maybe shy of things.

Well I'll get in trouble for this but...
Are Arabs more "flighty" My dad says that 50 years ago they were quite. The True Arab was very quite so it could be brought into a tent in a wind/sand storm - Breeders have Bussed them up - but it, a lot, in how their raised.

What would the best breed for a rookie to have or does it really come down to the individual horse?
Not knowing what you want out of a horse I'd say it really comes down to the individual horse?

 

[born2run]

Experience necessary for Appys??? Interesting! I'll admit mine is a bit challenging at times, and has a stubborn streak a mile long. On the other hand she's loyal and has stamina that won't end.

I've seriously thought about getting her bred to an Arab, just for a foal with more leg and a bit more spice.

I wish she had a bit more of this spitfire pony's attitude.

 

[rross]

I'll stir the pot!
I like to ride mares, they have 10 times the sting and bottom that your avg. gelding has. The high goal polo players ride them for a reason. They will beat the gelding to the ball every time. The same goes sorting cattle. When you ask they give it all, unlike some geldings where you have to ask more than once, and then its too late. Mares are far more sensitive to your attitude and mood[must be a female thing]. That might be why some people have trouble.
I like to ride all my young mares for a year or two before I breed them, if I don't like them while using them on the ranch they are sold. I have six in right now that I'm getting shaped up for calving and spring work. One is already destined for another outfit.
Just my thoughts on the deal anyway.

 

[cypressfarms]

I gotta jump in on this one!

I have 4 arabs, one more on the way in March. All are Spanish/ Egyptian mix. To classify a breed of horse as "hot" IMO doesn't speak much for the person saying it. Horses are very personable, and all have their own character, like people. Arabs are more personable IMO, and are loyal to a trusted owner than any horse breed. If they trust you, they will do anything for you. Any horse can be hot, any can be cool; it more so depends on how they were handled from birth than any other trait. Over a thousand years ago, arab mares were highly coveted as war mares by the Bedouins. One of the more recent famous ones was Zulima (c1900), from Egypt. Below, the flea bitten mare, is a descendant of her through the tail line. I can trace my arabs blood as far back as 1845! I can't even trace my family back that far. I think many people give the arab a bad rap without knowing too much about them. Pure arabs are a great horse. They are extremely versatile. Most breeds today have arab blood in their veins. Sorry, had to get it off my chest.

Some pics:

Zulima descendant mare with black(turning gray) colt

my "show" filly out of the same mare as above and full sister to the colt

 

[msscamp]

Any horse can be hot, any can be cool; it more so depends on how they were handled from birth than any other trait.

Cypress, I'm sorry, but I disagree 100% on this. Yes, handling will go a long ways towards evening out the traits of a 'hot' horse, but some horses are simply temperamental and off the wall regardless of their upbringing, how much they were handled, or anything else (short of a mega-dose of tranquilizer) that they have been around or exposed to. I've been around too many horses to believe otherwise. Every horse has his/her own temperament and personality and it's up to the handler/trainer/rider to take the time to get to know that horse and all of his/her idiosyncracies so as to be able to properly train/handle the animal, but the horse will still be hot and an error on the part of the rider/handler will usually result in a trainwreck.

 

[cypressfarms]

Any horse can be hot, any can be cool; it more so depends on how they were handled from birth than any other trait.

Cypress, I'm sorry, but I disagree 100% on this. Yes, handling will go a long ways towards evening out the traits of a 'hot' horse, but some horses are simply temperamental and off the wall regardless of their upbringing, how much they were handled, or anything else (short of a mega-dose of tranquilizer) that they have been around or exposed to. I've been around too many horses to believe otherwise. Every horse has his/her own temperament and personality and it's up to the handler/trainer/rider to take the time to get to know that horse and all of his/her idiosyncracies so as to be able to properly train/handle the animal, but the horse will still be hot and an error on the part of the rider/handler will usually result in a trainwreck.

No need to apologize, we can agree to disagree. Maybe I should re-state it. IMO with horses, like cattle, temperment is inherited. However, with horses, proper handling can go a long way to make a hot horse cool (as well as improper handling can ruin a horse for life) I am with the mare when all of the foals are born here. I imprint them while their still wet. The mares that I have are very "cool". I not only select them for their bloodlines, but for temperment as well; just as with cattle. The reason I was compelled to post was that too many people seem to paint arabians with the "hot" brush. I don't think it's fair to make broad statements like that. The flea bitten mare above is 15 this year. At the Arabian farm that I bought her, visitors children were allowed to climb on her bareback and she would walk around munching on grass while the kids had the time of their lives. She does pass that temperment on to her offspring, and the chesnut filly is a good example. Not bad for a hot breed.

 

[Alan]

Any horse can be hot, any can be cool; it more so depends on how they were handled from birth than any other trait.

Cypress, I'm sorry, but I disagree 100% on this. Yes, handling will go a long ways towards evening out the traits of a 'hot' horse, but some horses are simply temperamental and off the wall regardless of their upbringing, how much they were handled, or anything else (short of a mega-dose of tranquilizer) that they have been around or exposed to. I've been around too many horses to believe otherwise. Every horse has his/her own temperament and personality and it's up to the handler/trainer/rider to take the time to get to know that horse and all of his/her idiosyncracies so as to be able to properly train/handle the animal, but the horse will still be hot and an error on the part of the rider/handler will usually result in a trainwreck.

No need to apologize, we can agree to disagree. Maybe I should re-state it. IMO with horses, like cattle, temperment is inherited. However, with horses, proper handling can go a long way to make a hot horse cool (as well as improper handling can ruin a horse for life) I am with the mare when all of the foals are born here. I imprint them while their still wet. The mares that I have are very "cool". I not only select them for their bloodlines, but for temperment as well; just as with cattle. The reason I was compelled to post was that too many people seem to paint arabians with the "hot" brush. I don't think it's fair to make broad statements like that. The flea bitten mare above is 15 this year. At the Arabian farm that I bought her, visitors children were allowed to climb on her bareback and she would walk around munching on grass while the kids had the time of their lives. She does pass that temperment on to her offspring, and the chesnut filly is a good example. Not bad for a hot breed.

I have to agree with MS on this, I have known Arabs like the flea bit mare you refered to. But Arabs have are naturally higher strung than some other breeds, hince "hotter". As has been stated on on this board many times. every breed has the exception. You stated that your horse are bred for temperment. While I'm very sure that is true, I think also your horses know you and trust you, there for calmer around you. Not that they would go crazy outside of their envirorment. I just believe Arabs are hot for the most part as are the breeds that descended from Arabs, ie; TB.

JMO,
Alan

 

[Alan]

P.S. Nice looking filly!

 

[msscamp]

The reason I was compelled to post was that too many people seem to paint arabians with the "hot" brush. I don't think it's fair to make broad statements like that.

I agree that just because a horse is a certain breed does not necessarily mean they are going to be hot. Each horse has to be evaluated on his/her own merit and for their individual temperament, and I certainly didn't mean to imply that all Arabians are off the charts for temperament. We've had hot quarter horses, and we've had just plain dingy quarter horses. We've currently got a quarter horse/paint cross that is quite a bit hotter than the average. Your practice of selecting for temperament would certainly help to ensure a calmer, steadier temperament. You've got some nice looking horses!

 

[cypressfarms]

I just believe Arabs are hot for the most part as are the breeds that descended from Arabs, ie; TB.

JMO,
Alan

Alan, the Tb and quarter horse are descendants from Arabians. Most light breed horse (non draft) have arab in them of some sort. Even Appaloosa's still keep their registry books open to Arab's. Example: if you breed an Appy to an Arab, and if the resulting foal has one the acceptable color patterns for apps, then it can be registered as a full app.

TB's are entirely different. They have always been bred for speed; nothing else. After you do this for several hundred years, other factors made the horse less desirable. Hence, TB's that are not well mannered, and have more hoof trouble than most other horses. The arab was never bred to be fast, but only bred to be a finer all around horse. (Except for what the Americans have done to it in the last 50 years or so) There is no other horse that can compete with Arabians in endurance competition; they do well in many fields. I'm not trying to start an argument here, but I don't think the arabians get their due. Without them, most of the breeds we know today wouldn't exist, or at least not as good.

 

[Oldtimer]

rgnr- Go to a long time reputation horse breeder and tell them what your experience is and what you are looking for- most won't lead you astray since they are in the business for the long term and not the short term buck...

As far as breed I'd recommend Quarter Horse- I've raised and ridden most all breeds- but remember Quarter Horses are not an imported old country breed- they are a specific US breed that was developed 70 years ago by looking at size, build, conformation, speed, color, dispositon, intelligence, and working ability of all the breeds...The old original foundation QH sires and dams were a composite of the best of the Arabian, Morgan, Percheron, Thoroughbred, Shire, Walker, mustang, etc. breeds..

And I prefer the foundation Quarter Horses--that haven't had those chosen qualities of the old horsemen diluted by thoroughbred bloodlines...

 

[Alan]

I just believe Arabs are hot for the most part as are the breeds that descended from Arabs, ie; TB.

JMO,
Alan

Alan, the Tb and quarter horse are descendants from Arabians. Most light breed horse (non draft) have arab in them of some sort. Even Appaloosa's still keep their registry books open to Arab's. Example: if you breed an Appy to an Arab, and if the resulting foal has one the acceptable color patterns for apps, then it can be registered as a full app.

TB's are entirely different. They have always been bred for speed; nothing else. After you do this for several hundred years, other factors made the horse less desirable. Hence, TB's that are not well mannered, and have more hoof trouble than most other horses. The arab was never bred to be fast, but only bred to be a finer all around horse. (Except for what the Americans have done to it in the last 50 years or so) There is no other horse that can compete with Arabians in endurance competition; they do well in many fields. I'm not trying to start an argument here, but I don't think the arabians get their due. Without them, most of the breeds we know today wouldn't exist, or at least not as good.

No doubt Arabs are the foundation of many, many breeds but QH's are not considered a hot breed. I'm not disrespecting Arabs they are a old and noble breed and a elagant horse to watch. They a too small for me to ride in most cases and the QH (excluding the Appendix) are usally pretty calm horses.

Alan