[cloudyandcallie]

I love everything about TB mares: their intelligence, their hotness, etc.

I love arabs but have never owned one.

I solved the problem of breed bias by buying a warmblood. Since warmbloods are not purebreds, I got a wb who is 1/2 tb and part arab. This way, I got some features of both the 2 breeds that i love. And his tb blood is straight out of KY via Germany.

I will get another hot hot hot ottb mare. I've had 3 of them over my lifetime, and I still think they are the best horses. (Although I have to admit my German boy is a better jumper and has the dressage gaits.)o

Another old thread bumped up. Who does this?

[clanter]

Another old thread bumped up. Who does this?

A greater question that I wonder about is how can a board have over a thousand people logged on at any given time and there can be little to no activity on the board?

[Bluey]

A greater question that I wonder about is how can a board have over a thousand people logged on at any given time and there can be little to no activity on the board?

I would guess, that is because so many people may be reading, learning, pondering what is being said and not contributing with their own posts.

[Bluey]

I'm incredibly breed biased. My breed of choice is the Saddlebred. They are, to me, the most elegant, personable, forgiving, intelligent, and willing breed.
There is not a single negative thing about their characteristics I can say; I can not say the same about some of the training methods, of course.

I do own a QH and a Shetland cross, along with my ASB. I love them for personal reasons, but did not go out and seek them. When they pass, I won't own another breed.

Since I was four years old, I have never had the desire to even look at another breed. I've often been the only ASB owner in a barn full of TBs and QHs, and I like it that way!!

That is why we breed all kinds of horses, of all breeds and mixes of them, to suit all kinds of needs and wants.

[CFFarm]

I have never come across a breed of horse that I couldn't appreciate for it's particular talents. Individual horses, yes. One or two, that I can't say I would have wanted to spend a lot of time with.

I love the intelligence and heart of the TB
The loyality of the Arab.
The steadiness and patience of the QH
The look of Baroque horses
The "usingness" of the Appy and Morgan
The power of the Draft
The movement of the Warmblood
The kindness of the TWH and Saddlebred

[Isabeau Z Solace]

Right, and I understand liking the predictability of certain things, but for open shows, if the horse is a proven performer or has shown the potential to be, does it really matter? Yet some people will refuse to even LOOK at a grade horse, regardless of performance record or other attributes, and a grade will often sell for less money, regardless of its actual record. To me, that's every bit as breed biased as someone who says "I hate those crazy Arabs," or "I love Friesans!"

And while I agree it's nice to know a horse's exact age, as long as he's sound for his job, to me, that's more important than the number on the paper. I've known horses in their 20's to be sound at various levels of competition and horses under 10 to already be on-and-off lame. Conformation has a lot to do with that, and well, papers don't guarantee good conformation, and some grade horses are put together beautifully for their intended use. Dismissing an otherwise suitable horse offhand simply because it doesn't have papers seems silly to me, and so does creating a bunch of "registries" for what are truly grade horses. After all, they can't read.

While the horses cannot read, there is a reason that the most successful breeds in the world keep records. The Europeans got to the top of the sport horse breeding world by virtue of their decision making (selecting 'best' horses) and record keeping. Only by keeping records can you figure out whether the decisions made are productive over long periods of time.

I love a good mutt. But in the long term they are a dead end. And the sun will still rise tomorrow. So the smart folks will think about the future and plan for it. Not just sit around thinking to themselves, "well it's good enough for today so why do we have to care about tomorrow?"

Some of the warmbloods are 'mutts.' They are 'types' NOT breeds. The dutch mix in a little of this and a little of that as time goes by. They are not a 'breed' like an Arabian or a TB. So I think you can have the best of both worlds. But record keeping is the key to success.

[SendenHorse]

I prefer the half- arab for dressage. (I own a mostly polish arab x paint). Why? they are a horse I can ride, my horse is very tractable. Smart, forward. I just had to be careful to find one that was not overly spooky. My horse is doing very well in dressage. Can most arabs do dressage well? sadly, no, after being around and owning them. Its probably 1/100 that has the mind and body for dressage.

I don't like warmbloods personally, nor TBS, nor morgans. Just my opinion after riding many breeds.

I don't fit very well on 17h horses, esp those you have to push to keep going.

I was not going to buy a horse without some amt of arab for my second horse. Its a matter of knowing what horse you get along with best and the horse that will suit your goals.

[Bluey]

I prefer the half- arab for dressage. (I own a mostly polish arab x paint). Why? they are a horse I can ride, my horse is very tractable. Smart, forward. I just had to be careful to find one that was not overly spooky. My horse is doing very well in dressage. Can most arabs do dressage well? sadly, no, after being around and owning them. Its probably 1/100 that has the mind and body for dressage.

I don't like warmbloods personally, nor TBS, nor morgans. Just my opinion after riding many breeds.

I don't fit very well on 17h horses, esp those you have to push to keep going.

I was not going to buy a horse without some amt of arab for my second horse. Its a matter of knowing what horse you get along with best and the horse that will suit your goals.

And our goals may change over time and so will the kind of horse that best suits them.

[clanter]

And our goals may change over time and so will the kind of horse that best suits them.

you could just get a Morgan, then all you need to do is get new tack

[saddleup]

Paints have been "my" breed for 25 years. I've tried to branch out but it never worked out. I want to see spots when I look out my kitchen window. I've long attributed it to my first love affair with Little Joe on Bonanza, loping across the meadow on a black and white horse. I was little, but it left a big impression I guess.

[RedmondDressage]

My best horse was my appendix gelding (still with us, now retired and pushing 30!). He was THE BEST all arounder and I learned pretty much everything I know now riding him. For that reason he will always hold the title of Best. Horse. EVAH

That said, now I prefer a well bred, modern type European-type warmblood. I don't mean they must be imported, but I typically exclude registries like AWS because the overall quality is not the same in my experiences and it hasn't been worth sorting through them on sales sites to find the good ones. European-type warmbloods are the best suited for what I want to do and being purpose bred, there are more out there that offer the chance of achieving my riding goals. Of course there are good and bad within any breed/registry and I don't discount individuals. In the end it is performance that I'm concerned with and if I came across something other than a warmblood with the right stuff I wouldn't hesitate to pursue that horse... But if I'm looking at sales horses for an FEI prospect for example, I want to maximize my chances of finding the right horse. I'm not going to spend hours sorting through QHs and Paints trying to find the needle in the haystack. My time is much better spent looking at purpose bred horses.

I do have a bit of a breed bias... I really just don't like Arabs. I can't see myself ever buying one. My first pony was an Arab and we had a very love hate relationship so perhaps that's why. I've been shown to be wrong on that as well though. One of my barnmates wanted a German Riding Pony very bad but ended up with an Arab gelding. He's just fantastic, nice little mover and a great temperament.

[Bluey]

My best horse was my appendix gelding (still with us, now retired and pushing 30!). He was THE BEST all arounder and I learned pretty much everything I know now riding him. For that reason he will always hold the title of Best. Horse. EVAH

That said, now I prefer a well bred, modern type European-type warmblood. I don't mean they must be imported, but I typically exclude registries like AWS because the overall quality is not the same in my experiences and it hasn't been worth sorting through them on sales sites to find the good ones. European-type warmbloods are the best suited for what I want to do and being purpose bred, there are more out there that offer the chance of achieving my riding goals. Of course there are good and bad within any breed/registry and I don't discount individuals. In the end it is performance that I'm concerned with and if I came across something other than a warmblood with the right stuff I wouldn't hesitate to pursue that horse... But if I'm looking at sales horses for an FEI prospect for example, I want to maximize my chances of finding the right horse. I'm not going to spend hours sorting through QHs and Paints trying to find the needle in the haystack. My time is much better spent looking at purpose bred horses.

I do have a bit of a breed bias... I really just don't like Arabs. I can't see myself ever buying one. My first pony was an Arab and we had a very love hate relationship so perhaps that's why. I've been shown to be wrong on that as well though. One of my barnmates wanted a German Riding Pony very bad but ended up with an Arab gelding. He's just fantastic, nice little mover and a great temperament.

Definitively, if you want to be competitive in, say, GP jumping, don't get a mini, or in cutting, don't get a WB.
That makes sense.

[katarine]

I don't like huge horses, I don't like overly wide bodied horses, I like 'em about 15 hands and handy. I would rather apply brakes than have to pedal constantly. I want a horse that wants to try and is a real thinker. Prefer geldings all day long and one of these days I'll own a blood bay.

I don't like hothouse flowers that have to have everything just right before maybe we can attempt ( ). I just want a horse with try and decent feet

[sophie]

And our goals may change over time and so will the kind of horse that best suits them.

That is very true. My sister is a perfect example.

When we were both young and nimble (!) Sis and I had a Selle Français (WB) mare. Sis rode her on the trails and competed in TREC, and I did the jumpers.

Sis then rode this mare's son, SF as well. But then she started having knee and back problems, and bought an Icelandic for trail riding and treks. Smooth and fun little horse. When the little Icey passed, she resumed riding her SF gelding, but his gaits were still too jarring on her bad knee and back, so she bought a Percheron/Arab mare with very smooth gaits.

That mare seems to be the ticket for my sister, although she (the mare) doesn't do well in hot climates, as we saw this summer on a 1 week trek. The 17 yo SF gelding, whom I basically pulled out of his pasture to bring on the trek, did much better than both the younger, more conditioned 1/2 draft horses as far as stamina, recovery, etc.

[MistyBlue]

Well I could pretty much have written Kataraine's post above...with a small change or two.

I like short cobby built horses, if given a choice I don't choose narrow or dainty-built horses. But...like Kat said...I don't like them overly wide. I'm narrow hipped and *really* wide or flat backs torque my hips over time.

I also tend to prefer mares, at least under tack. But I'm getting more used to geldings and they kinda crack me up and, IME, are a little less diva on the ground.

But short, hot and handy...grabby hands! And it's gotta be SMART. Even a smart-ass or evil genius. (actually like the smart-ass ones better, LOL)

My breed of choice that I've owned and prefer...Appaloosa. I don't *think* I'm breed blind...but I could be. I think way too many people rate/rank their horses or each breed of horse against the elite of that breed or their chosen discipline, etc. I see it on here ALL the time. People poo-pooing horses because it won't ever get to Olympic levels. I rarely have the heart to tell them, "Well, chances are neither will you." And not as an insult...but I think we'd all be more content if we expected out of our horses the same level that we're also capable of achieving. Don't pass up a great horse because it won't be able to jump 4'6" when the rider never will either. I see it most in dressage..."well it'll never be able to perform a correct ______ "(insert 3rd-4th level move here).

So while it's unexpected for an App to be a GP horse easily...it's also unexpected that *I* will get there also. But if I want to do pretty much almost ANY discipline to the best of MY ability, still be quite competitive and have a freaking blast trying almost anything and hanging out with a slightly funky looking but personality-rich equine buddy? Gimme the app, spots or not.

A greater question that I wonder about is how can a board have over a thousand people logged on at any given time and there can be little to no activity on the board?

I always assumed a lot of people do what I tend to do...log on, look at a thread or two and then wander off and do something else while still logged on. I do the same when I check FB, walk away and come back later and see a few IM type messages there of people wondering why I;m ignoring them, LOL!

[WildandWickedWarmbloods]

[QUOTE=Isabeau Z Solace;6777941]While the horses cannot read, there is a reason that the most successful breeds in the world keep records. The Europeans got to the top of the sport horse breeding world by virtue of their decision making (selecting 'best' horses) and record keeping. Only by keeping records can you figure out whether the decisions made are productive over long periods of time.

Exactly why the europeans have bred the best to the best for a long time. So warmbloods can do it all, well in the ring not on the track. In registries, not in "breeds." WBs are crossbred to get the best performance horses for jumping and dressage by the europeans. Who study breeding and performance records before they breed. Plus, if europeans don't breed good horses, the registries can reject them.

American still breeds a lot of good horses, such as thoroughbreds and QHs and TWHs and ASBs, etc. Americans just need to learn to breed WBs as the europeans have done for years and years.

To most little girls in America, any horse is a great horse. So it's kind of useless to argue breed bias to anyone who is a kid and in love with horses.

[millerra]

I love a forward sensitive ride. I want a horse interested in the world and me. I want a horse with the confidence to come out on cross country or stadium day, survey the world and go "oh yeah, baby. I'm ready". I want a horse that gallops across the ground with such ease that you feel like you're gliding . I want a horse bubbling with glee on our interval training days - just happy to be out and about and moving free. I want my horse to finish cross country with ease and looking for more. And I want my horse to be a breath-taking beauty when fit and ready.

I found that type of horse in the TB. I love the TB simply for the way they are.

I find other breeds cool and all that but they simply just don't float my boat like a TB. Although a TB looking WB or irish horse would do but I couldn't afford them!

[HeartsongHorses]

My breeds of choice are Arabian and Morgan, and I have one of each. My next horse will likely be an Arabian. My Morgan is a hot little red mare, and my (half) Arab is a much more relaxed ride. I have loved these two breeds since I was a kid. I boarded my Morgan gelding at an Arabian barn back in the 80's. I loved my Morgan and dreamed of owning an Arabian.

Who knows if I had boarded at a different breed barn if I would have fallen for that breed rather than Arabians?

I think that part of the reason we prefer one breed over another is the same reason we have a favorite flavor, or color, or musical style. It's just the way we are wired.

[paulaedwina]

I like sofas. I like broad, boomy, meaty horses that have a bit of go. I love big necks -I swoon over big necks. A barn mate has a halfie cob mix (I think it's cob) who is just to die for. I don't care for much height but I want width.

Paula

[Hippolyta]

I like sofas. I like broad, boomy, meaty horses that have a bit of go. I love big necks -I swoon over big necks. A barn mate has a halfie cob mix (I think it's cob) who is just to die for. I don't care for much height but I want width.

Paula

I always put gloves, curry, etc on my mare's back when I am working. People laugh & I say that I require a horse with a back that can be used as a table/storage shelf. The horse I grew up with was referred to as a Mack Truck. My current mare fits the same description.

I hate narrow chests. Hate loooong backs. HATE triangle butts. I don't like the narrow/snakey look.