I posted a while back about my horse and what breed you all thought she was.
She is 14.3 or 15 hands ( I'm so bad at measuring :lol: ) and about 12 years old (so she's finished growing). She is also fleabitten, which I know is more common in certain breeds than others.
So first off, does anybody else get some arab feel when you're looking at her?
I don't have any pictures of her running, to show you her tail, but her tail actually curls on top of her back. She's not just flagging it... it's CURLED. :shock: Are there any other horse breeds, other than the arab, that do this?
Second, what breed distinctions have you noticed? Quarter horse butt? Thoroughbred shoulder? Is there anything that just screams a certain breed to you?
Lastly, take a gander on what breed she is. I know it's impossible to know for sure without papers (sadly, she either had them lost or never had them in the first place). Just help me out, guys! Thanks!
Pics! :
I'm sorry, but if I don't post just the links, the images would be HUGE.
Kinda;-)
This horse is a pony. Welsh or Welsh cross I'd say. If it had a little less "upholstery" you could see her hind end is shaped differently. Legs are shorter, body longer.
As for feathering, yes, Arabs can have light feathering. If you leave them au naturel. Most people here clip.
You know what? I have been studying and studying your pics. I'm quite taken with your horse and I am sure she is more Connemara than anything Welsh. Have a look at the picture below. Your horse has many similar features to this one, the only thing being that this pony is 100% Connemara. Let me know what you think. They have a Connemara Society in the UK and they have a website which you could look at too. Google The British Connemara Society. You got yourself a gorgeous pony there!
Conemaras are very rare here in the US if that is where the OP is from.
I have several arab/QHs here an d have sold others.
That mare is stock horse and an Arab. Now I am not going to bet the farm on it. My first born maybe but onl if I still get ot keep any future grandchildren and still see the kid on holy days. Shalom
I'm not saying the pony IS a Connemara as in the picture, just she looks like she has Connemara in her. Not sure what a stock horse is and we don't have Quarab in England either LOL. No matter what, she is a lovely horse.
That is not a good example of how an Arabian moves naturally, sorry.....did you see his hooves?
This one is bred for English pleasure/park=high knee action.
And it has nothing to do with " lower quality" when they don't move like that.....just saying;-)
Also, the OP's horse is a MIX of Arab and QH IMO. I've seen quarabs with very good movement but also with somewhat less reach.
I agree with deserthorsewoman. That arabian is also probably a stallion, therefore showing off more. I think if any horse had that much energy being kept back (since they were walking the horse in and then all of a sudden released the pressure) they would prance around a bit like that.
And where I live (Midwest) there seems to be quite a few Connemaras. I know of three purebreds. They were used at a children's lesson and therapeutic barn. I'm sure there have both several others there too that could have been part breed. They seem to be a quite favored pony for lessons.
Believe me, nearly all Arabs behave like that at some stage no matter if they are stallions, gelding or mares. They always ride with their tales up and have a prancing gait. 'Chuckie' a gray Arab gelding(38yrs) boarded at our farm still runs around the field in that manner, just a little stiffer. A riding school near us use an Arab mare and she trots around the manege just like that too. Its more a breed trait than 'showing off'. They are great horses to watch.
That was just a video i grabbed off of You-tube because it looked like it had a good example of Arab-y movement to me.
What I meant by lower quality is that even back-yard Arabians have floating movement at liberty. At least mine did. They were not Scottsdale caliber.....just trail horses and they still have floating movement at liberty.
Everyone has their opinion. I just don't see the OP's horse moving like at Arabian. That doesn't mean I'm right. But nothing screams Arabian except perhaps the color. And most common breeds have gray.
I did get what you were trying to say, don't worry
It was just not the best example.
Im still for quarab, tho. I've seen more Araby ones, for sure, but she still has some features who give the Arab away. Apart from the color. And I bet she has better, floatier movement now that her feet have been fixed.
But, no matter what she i, she is awfully cute;-)
This is how I see most arabians on one of their less excited days. I've worked with some arabs, and they aren't always like the ones portrayed in the other two videos. They are stubborn, restless, and sensitive when they aren't on their great days. When they are having a great day, they will act like the ones in the other videos. Those could have also been trained a bit to do that on command.
The bay stallion IS trained for that. It's a libertyclass and the horse knows exactly what to do and when to stop. The elevated tail when moving is a breed trait. It's a hot climate breed, so anything what can be lifted to get rid of body heat will be lifted. When it's cold outside all horses clamp their tails down to keep bodyheat in. The typical prancing and dancing, snorting and blowing is to show off, to get attention, to play, to say, look at me. They know they're pretty doing that;-)
And in my book, a stubborn Arabian is a misunderstood one. Heck, people get cranky when they're not understood.
It could just be me, but I thought I saw a slight dish shape to her face which would lead me to believe she is an Arab cross. The picture is a little blurred though, so it's tough to tell. Also, kudos to you for rescuing her!
I think that we all need to remmber that the extreme dished head some modern arabians have is a new "invention". I ahve an Arabian mare that has a very straight profile. If she were a QH she would have a refined head. As an Arab hers is coarse. If you look at ehr straight on though you can see she is very much an arab.
Also about the spirit they have. I have a very n ice mare here that acts like a draft horse. she is quite lazy and laid back. Not flighty in the least. Shalom
I see a lot of arab in her. I had an arab QH/paint cross a year ago and she has the same movement he had. I see a lot of stock horse in her, too, but a lot of arab. It's quite possible she's a welsh mix- I've seen quite a few of those get mistaken for arabs around here when they're a more 'refined' strain of Welsh (a seller actually tried to pass one off as a purebred arab recently).
Honestly I wouldn't be too worried about what breed she is and if someone asks you just smile and proudly proclaim 'the best of both worlds' - she's definitely not pure so that would fly ^_^ very beautiful horse by the way.
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