Horse-Breed Opinions: I Say X, and You Say Y
Suppose we got to sit down together for a chat about horse breeds, favored and unfavored. How would you complete the following?
Arabians are....
Appaloosas are....
Miniature Horses are....
Quarter Horses are....
Paints are....
I just plucked those five out of thin air; we could talk about other breeds at some point, too. But for now, go ahead and free-associate for the first five. Could be an interesting conversation!
posted by Juli Thorson @ 10:27 AM
18 comments
18 Comments:
Oh, let's get this ball rolling! ;)
I think Arabians are...beautiful, intelligent, probably one of the most misunderstood breeds. Loyal.
I think Morgans are...intelligent, versatile, probably one of the most underrated breeds.
I think Appaloosas are...tough, opinionated. They always struck me as very *pragmatic*; the ones I've known/ridden have been like that.
Ha!
Arabians are.. the never ending energizer bunny
Morgans are... intelligent, athletic,have amazing work ethics, a rush to ride and drive, have the power to knock you out of your saddle but the understanding and knowledge to keep you in there, can be crazy in the show ring but with the patience and kindness for the smallest children and the neediest handicap riders. (my first true love in horses ;)
Quarter horses- are simply practical- never got the rush from riding one that I have morgans or other breeds, but never had a complaint either
thoroughbreds-- flighty, fun, but would never trust one to look out for me
standardbreds-- too intelligent for their own good-- only breed that I have seen purposefully go out of their way to harm someone-but i think in the right hands can make amazing horses
Arabians-very pretty but way more "head in my face" than I can deal with.
Quarter Horses & paints my breeds of choice. I really like the laided back and dependable personality.
Mini's I don't have any experience with. I have gone and watched 1 show and was surprised at how poor the confirmation was on some that were being shown. Very cow hocked and no hips.
Arabians are beautiful, but high-strung.
Appaloosas have short tails.
Miniatures are cute but, devilish.
Quarter horses are reiliable and sturdy.
Paint horses were overbred not that long ago.
I'm sure this will stir some contraversy. It's just the first things that popped into my head. Now I've known some wonderful Arabs that have been just the opposite and I truly believe that it's not the breed but how the horses have been trained and treated.One of my friend's Arabs was one of the best trained unflappable mares I've ever had the pleasure to ride. I've got a spotted saddle which comes from the Paints and Saddlebred and a Morgan/Quarter cross and I wouldn't trade either for the world. I've known unreliable Quarter horses as well.
Arabians are.... fine boned, light bodied
Appaloosas are.... not as common as they used to be
Miniature Horses are.... still really ponies
Quarter Horses are.... diverse
Paints are.... supposed to be colorful
Arabians...lovely to look at.
Morgans..wonderful work ethic, versatile.
Quarter Horses..a lifelong love affair...steady, multi talented, ride them, drive them, spin them, turn them on a fence, slide them, halter them, hunt seat them, jump them, the list is endless.....wonderful dispositions.
Minis....Popular and have a place with horseowners who love them for what they are...adorable.
Paint Horses...do it all with color!! Talented!
Arabians are too much horse for me. I owned one for 5 years and he was the sweetest and most loving horse I’ve had, but after several trips to the emergency room I finally had to find him the RIGHT owner.
Appaloosas are sure footed and a wonderful trail horse.
Miniature Horses are a man made aberration.
Quarter Horses are my kind of horse. Give me a well trained and laid back quarter horse and I’m happy.
Paints are simply gorgeous.
QHs are kind of boring, actually. Sorry, don't mean to be offensive, but that's my opinion.
Warmbloods are dependable.
SAddlebreds are usually friendly; have met a couple who weren't.
Appaloosas are wary, intelligent, wise and stubborn...I speak thinking of my daughter's 32 year old appy that is still going strong.
Arabians are better when crossed with another breed...I prefer them when crossed with a draft - I have a Belgian/Arabian and she is wonderful.
Miniatures are sure where they fit in - are they a pony or a horse and what should they do ... pull a cart or just be looked at?
Quarter Horses are wonderful.
Paints will do anything for you.
Arabians are....
Appaloosas are.... opinionated, sensitive
Miniature Horses are.... weird looking!
Quarter Horses are.... dependable, versatile, athletic
Paints are.... beautiful!
arabians are .... for other people
Appaloosas are ... to smart for most people
Miniatures are... glad they live with someone other than me
Quarter Horses are... wishing they had some color
Paints are ... PERFECT
Arabians are... the most beautiful, intelligent, kind, affectionate, athletic, versatile, and wonderful horses in the world. (They do have a few odd-balls that unjustly give the breed a bad name.) The Arab's abilities are unrivaled in the horse world and they do it all with more style, beauty and grace than any of the rest. :)
Appaloosas are... my least favorite breed.
Miniature horses are... very cute lawn-ornaments.
Quarter horses are... sweet, calm, but too "thick" (like a linebacker) for me.
Paints are... beautiful when the breeding is good but often have confirmation issues since the #1 breeding focus is on looks (i.e. color) rather than quality. (This happens in the Arab world as well.)
Arabians are.... the only breed with the potential to pass Paints in the near future as the number 2 breed, thanks to the explosive popularity and variety of half-arabians.
Appaloosas are.... better when outcrossed to modern QH bloodlines.
Miniature Horses are.... adorable!
Quarter Horses are.... a dime a dozen. Or, these days, free to good home.
Paints are.... Quarter Horses with a white twist to the genetic makeup. Sometimes seasoned with Thoroughbred to get a product very much like a Quarter Horse, but that doesn't have the massive footprint of the Quarter Horse Bulk Breeding and Mega-Marketing Establishment.
Okay lets see.
Arabians are....fine in the desert I'm sure - and pretty to look at too. A little hot and goofy for me. Have owned 2 will never own another one. Surprised the mare I had didn't run head long into a tree out in her own pasture. Trainability was a tad low.
Appaloosas are....The only ones that would survive in the wild in our area if turned loose. They are the most sure footed and the most trail smart horses I have ever delt with. Can be stubborn - but I think that's going away with the influx of Quarter Horse blood.
Miniature Horses are....soooo cute - but not for me.
Quarter Horses are....born broke. Low maintaince. Cow Smart. A joy and pleasure to have. The performance ones are beautiful in form, balance and structure - the halter ones look kinda like beef cattle. Sorry folks but its true.
Paints are....Like Quarter Horses only not afraid of spots.
Thoroughbreds are kind of mean - and stubborn. But have athletic ability all breeds want.
Of course all breeds have thier highs and lows but some have certain reputations for a reason - I promise you its not a "few" giving the breed a bad name. AQHA is the biggest breed out there for a reason "mega marketing" or not, its working and almost all Quarter Horse owners are benefiting from it. There is a breed out there for everyone mine just happens to be the Quarter Horse. That doesn't mean it has to be yours.
Arabs..very smart to too smart. Owners and trainers have to be sensitive and be able to read feedback to relate to these horses. They don't put up with foolishness or tolerate crap or rough handling for long. They get bored with repetitive training so you have to mix it up a bit and do different things. They learn fast and get irritable when folks bog the training in a rut and nit pik. Some Arabs are more reactive and tend to be over sensitive requiring softer training. Some seem born trained already. Arabs rarely if ever need re-schooling once something is learned--they remember. They also remember bad training/handling.
Morgans... Nice substance on the older lines, very smart and dependable, I'll second the comment of under-rated.
Apps... had one as my first, some are dead heads, some are ditzy, some are very fine level headed. All attributes depending on the breeding and amount of QH & TB blood added. Kind of blend of horsees anymore based on spots. Hard to breed and get color all the time (when taking disposition and conformation/ability in account first).
QH... some laid back dead heads, some very competitive riding horses, some have hardly the constitution to stand in pasture.
Paints... could say same as above with the amount of QH blood but with color (most of the time).
Mini's... can be dangerous when not handled right from the start. Hurt you as bad as a full sized horse. Other than that, good for those with little land and not wanting to ride.
Have known some sweet gaited horses and Tbs.
You'll find every personality in every breed. I've worked with many breeds and had as many try to kill me as individuals I would have taken home in my pocket, each in the same breed.
Remember this is just an opinion...
Arabians have 3 gaits-walk, trot and spook which they can do mile after mile after mile...
Morgans can be very high strung but if trained right incredibly versatile. Not for the beginning horse owner if green..
Appaloosas- it is said the indians rode them to war so they would be good and mad when they got there- not too pretty usually and can be quite stubborn...
QH's- have owned a couple, watch the conformation and the mental state- generally good common sense horse
Paint-my fave-have owned several-love the whole package for any endeavor from polo to trailriding
Mini-pasture decoration mostly
Tb- good brave horses, usually good hearted,super athletic, not mean, just no common sense about danger
Stb-awesome from the getgo but have trouble getting under themselves due to long back and training at track which puts them on the forehand for life-lol.
Arabians never know when to quit.
Appaloosas DO have a LONG tails and are very reliable.
Quarter horses are even more reliable.
Pinto pony babysitter.
I've had all 4 of these breeds. I loved them all. They all have their distinct personalites. I had one half arabian/saddlebred, 2 purebred arabians, 2 appaloosas, one I used for a severely handicapped child, 1 very loveable pinto pony, and now 3 quarter horses that my daughter & I show. I've never had a preference, just ended up the way I bought them. I didn't own my first horse (the half arabian/saddlebred) until I was 23, so was just glad to have a horse. I was such a daredevil then, some very ornery trail rides. I also use to kick the quarter horse peoples' butts in barrels on that horse. I really miss my appaloosa, Domino. He was such a GREAT trail horse, nice/easy going. I always ended up riding drag, but at my age, 49, that was wonderful.
Arabians are the epitomy of beautiful. They represent the freedom and wildness we love in being with horses. They are easy on the eyes to practically everyone, but are not for everyone to enjoy under saddle!
Morgans are elegant, sophisticated,versatile, and generally speaking easy to handle on the ground and under saddle.
Appaloosas are amazing! They can be big chickens, but they can bond very well with their handler given time and patience. They are sweet, sure footed, cautious but try not to over-react when you tell them something is alright.They aim to please if you do right by them! (My personal favorite breed I've interacted with/ owned)
Quarter Horses are everywhere! They are for the most part trust worthy, willing to work, intelligent, and try to deliver whatever is asked of them. Even if they are boring to some, they put thier all into what they do. Thier owners love them for who they are and what they do for them.
Each horse in every breed is different so some are far from what would be considered the norm for that breed. Every horse is amazing though. We all have our flaws as humans and they are all entiteled to their own just the same! :)
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