Question for people who know horses?

Question

What is a good breed for trail riding (non-competitive)? What do you think about Appaloosas? Arabians? Any other suggestions?

Answer 1

As a person who owns several different breeds you shouldn't rule out any horse by their breed, sex, or age. Look at their temperament, soundness, and compatibility with you.
With any breed you run across hot tempered horses or a more even tempered horse. Look at the horses sire and dam- what are they like? Are they high strung and always needing exercise or more laid back with no buck even after month long cycles of not being ridden. While quarter horses, appaloosas, and paints are usually considered a more even tempered breeds- there are blood lines in each that actually produce high strung or hot tempered offspring- many of those bloodlines include Zip Zillion, Van Tyke, Easy Jet, and many of the lines that go back to racing thoroughbreds.
There are many different breeds that bring something different to the table. My advice is to shop around and try out many different breeds- from warmbloods, Arabians, paints, quarters, appaloosas, drafts, gaited, and even some half crosses or even grade horses. Have a vet check done when you've narrowed down your top choices and try them out a lot- this includes many visits to ride them and just observe them in their natural environment before selecting your final choice. It may be that spunky little Arabian, spirited haflinger, or docile little paint. Your vet and trainer if you choose to take one with you on consults will help you pick out a safe and sound equine partner.

Answer 2

I say this all the time on here- DON'T LOOK AT THE BREED!!! Ok, now that I made my point....you need to just look at the individual horse. Apps are usually more even tempered than Arabians, but not all of them are going to be better trail horses. Some Apps are going to be spooky and horrible trail horses. Some Arabians will be excellent.
Breed really means nothing (unless you are planning on doing breed shows or TB racing). A horse of any breed, or a mix, can be good at any discipline.
You need to look at the individual horse. Is the horse you pick calm? Good for your level of experience? Have a lot a trail miles? Good conformation for what you want to use it for? That is what you should be asking yourself first. The very last things should be the color and the breed. There are good and bad individuals of every breed. A lot depends on the training and temperament of the horse.

Answer 3

I have worked for several guest ranches over the years and every ranch has had so many breeds it's hard to say that one stands out in particular, but they were all good horses.
Purely from my experience, i have found that arabians tend to be better for more experienced riders as they are hot blooded breed, however their endurance capability far surpass any other breed (especially in drier climates), so if you plan on doing anything overnight or long distances, arabians and arab crosses are a good bet.
A lot of ranches have a predominantly appaloosa string for kids and beginner riders as they seem to be mellower and less likely to spook, however they generally aren't the smartest of all breeds.
QH and Paints are great all round horses, and morgans and arabians tend to have less leg and foot problems.
Mustangs are very hardy and you wouldn't need to worry about shoeing, but unless you plan on shelling out a lot of money for training, i would go through the BLM prison program that train mustangs.
A truly wouldn't worry about breed or color, what I would suggest is to find (and have someone who knows what they are looking for go with you) a well-conformed, well-mannered and well-trained horse. Check feet and get a vet to check any you are thinking of buying.
Lastly, what kind of terrain do you ride on? Shorter stocky horses work a lot better than tall horses in the mountains, if it's mostly plains or a little up and down, any size is fine (as long as you can get on them. if you are 5' tall i wouldn't suggest getting a 16hh giant, or if 6' tall, don't get a 13.2hh horse).

Answer 4

Hi. I have a 7 year old quarterhorse gelding. I board him with a professional year round near my home. We show competitively during the summer in western events and halter/showmanship. The thing is....he is the BEST TRAIL HORSE! He is sane and nearly bombproof. Nothing bothers him and he can slosh through the mud with the best of them. It doesn't matter if you have an expensive show horse or just a good trail horse...or both! You can't beat a nice trail ride. He loves the woods. He'll go through mud, water, over logs, brush, high grass, is okay with guns, other animals like deer running out in from of him. Just a good boy. Arabs can be high strung, but everyone has one that is perfect for something. I have see arabs in the barn where I board. They are a "hotter" breed, so they may not be as easy going. Some people, swear by them. Appys are good, too. Most are very level headed, but have a stubborn streak. But, hey...my horse does, too once in a while. I don't think a thoroughbred would work at all. Although, for some, they probably like the challenge. I highly recommend a Quarterhose. They are tough and are highly versitile. They are just a lot calmer than a lot of breeds. Good luck and ride safely! One thing I might suggest, if you are planning on buying....try out a few different breeds at the place you plan to buy. Most all places have some trail type area for your to ride. Test them a little. Wear a flappy jacket, ask them to go over weird ground, around cars and tractors.

Answer 5

I don't know if any one breed is better for trail riding than another. Any "light" horse breed can be used for pleasure riding. Arabians are going to be smaller than some other breeds, averaging about 14.5 h.h., but are hardy and intelligent. Quarter horses are by far the most prevalent breed (at least in my area) of horse and are going to be more easily obtained and cheaper to purchase than other more "exotic" breeds. Average height of a quarter horse is around 15 h.h. You might also consider a Tennessee Walking Horse. They average around 15 h and their four beat gait, half run, half walk, is as smooth as sitting in a rocking chair - great for long rides. They are also good tempered horses and strong. Hope that helps.

Answer 6

the closest Yahoo! solutions has ever come to suggesting the dazzling type (whilst it includes the pony area) is 'Horse Racing'. UGH! My dream horse could be a dapple gray, 11 3 hundred and sixty 5 days previous Hanoverian PSG schoolmaster. Woot.

Answer 7

I would suggest looking at horse buying sites for a trial horse, don't just look at specific breeds, make sure you get a calm horse not one that spooks at every paper bag that he sees on the road side.

Here are a couple good and easy sites to look for trail horses.

http://agdirect.com/scripts/horssrch.exe
http://www.equine.com
http://www.horsetopia.com/

Answer 8

quarter horse.