I can't remember if I posted here before.
Anyway:
Canadian Warmblood mare.
Paint/Arabian mare. (50% / 50%)
Arabian mare (I think. She's built like an Arabian [and acts like one, lol], but she was a rescue and I have no history of her breeding.)
Welara gelding.
Retired breeder wrote:
so what is the best horse too buy and /or have??
That depends on a lot of things.
Personality/Temperament:
A timid rider should have a confident, but quiet, horse, to help build the rider's confidence.
A bold rider may do well with a timid horse, because the bold, confident rider can help build a timid horse's confidence.
And there are personalities in between.
Some horses have a "pocket pony" personality. They are friendly, like to be touched, and often like to sniff or lick you to find treats. (My Canadian Warmblood and Arabian are like that.) Other horses are standoffish, and don't really like excess petting. They won't usually search you for treats the way a pocket pony will. (That's how my Paint/Arab is. She's friendly enough, but dislikes extra attention.)
Training:
You have to ask yourself a few questions when deciding how much training you want your horse to have.
~Do I have the experience and knowledge to train a young greed horse, or should I look for one that is more experienced?
~If I do want a green horse, can I train it myself, or will I need another trainer to help me?
~Do I want to have to work hard every time I ride this horse, or do I want to be able to just hop on and hack around?
A well trained horse is best to start with, for a first horse. My first pony was a little too green for me, and needed a lot of work. We had some ups and a lot of downs, but he and I learned together and were a good team. There is a phrase that I've heard, "Green plus green equals black and blue." What it means is, a green horse with a green rider may not be the most comfortable or safe match, and may end up with a lot of bumps and bruises.
Conformation:
Conformation is almost always what allows or prevents a horse from doing certain horse sports. As long as he is able to remain sound, almost any horse (in terms of conformation only) can be a trail mount. Other disciplines may require better conformation.
~Jumping: An uphill build is preferable, so that the horse can put more weight on his haunches. You also want strong, powerful haunches to help a horse to really thrust himself up an over the jump. Large nostrils are good, as that allows for increased air intake.
~Foxhunting: If you want to go first flight and jump, you'll want a horse built more like a jumper. However, if you don't want to jump while hunting, almost any sound, fit horse can hunt.
~Show hunters: The show hunters usually prefer a level topline. If you want to do in-hand classes, then conformation will be very important.
~Dressage: Don't ever let someone tell you that your horse can't do dressage. Any horse can do it, it's just a matter of training. While not every horse has the potential for the FEI levels, most horses, when trained correctly, can go through first level. I've trained horses that no one thought could do dressage, and let me tell you, it's a lot of fun wiping the smug grins off their faces when we get scores of 70% and above.
Any breed can do dressage, even though some people say that only warmbloods are good at it. All it takes is patience and training.
Overall:
Your horse should have the basic conformation required by whatever it is you want to do. You and the horse should have personalities that work well together: a timid horse with a timid rider won't work out well. Training and experience for both you and the horse should be considered.
She's the one in my in my avatar picture
Anyway:
Any breed can do dressage, even though some people say that only warmbloods are good at it. All it takes is patience and training.
