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What is so bad about Arabians and Morgans?

13K views 62 replies 45 participants last post by  Abel 
#1 ·
So, a few days ago my dad was talking to this lady at work and he mentioned that I have horses. The lady seemed very interested and asked what breed. My dad replied, "Oh, she has an Arabian and a Morgan colt." The lady's attitude totally changed and she was like, "UGG, I HATE Morgans and Arabians!" Dad said, "So let me guess, you have Quarter Horses." She answered that yes, she did. Dad kind of steered the conversation away from horses after that.

Anyways, I have never encountered this kind of breed hate before. After all, every horse is an individual and should be thought of as such. And why would she hate Arabians and Morgans? I understand that Arabians have a reputation for being flighty, but not all are like that, and Morgans also are wonderful horses.
 
#35 ·
Haha, I had the opposite growing up! If I had friends come over who weren't terribly experienced, I would always have to give them my horse to ride and I would get my sister's horse who was a complete dumba$$ on the trail. She's a grey and I used to joke that it was her blonde roots kicking in when she had to go outside of a riding arena. (no offense meant towards any blondes out there, I'm one myself!)
 
#36 ·
YAY! My two most favorite breeds. Arabs and Morgans. Hateful people will hate what they don't understand. I know full well what kind of crud I will end up taking when Zoot is old enough to go on trail rides. I'm prepared! Good thing I'm old now and don't give a DARN what other people think anymore.
 
#39 ·
The first horse I ever took a lesson on, first rode bareback, first cantered on... was an Arabian. Quirky and sensitive yes, but loyal and smart as no other. He was the only Arabian on that farm but there was also something about his presence that stood out. That horse took care of me.

I love what people in this thread are saying to people who badmouth these awesome horses... you have to be smarter than the horse you ride! :lol:
 
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#41 ·
Over the years I showed several Arabians and Morgans. The Morgans were pretty chill for the most part. Even the Morgan Stallions I rode were pretty easy going all things considered. There was one that thought everyone was worthy of biting but that was a stud thing, not a Morgan thing. The Arabians (studs included) were all worked often and were well trained (in my opinion) and all the hard worked showed in that they were as trustworthy as ANY horse could be. I loved them all and though they are not my first choice of breed to own personally, I will never understand the foolish comments of the breed haters. They simply are inaccurate and uninformed.
 
#42 ·
It's because their too smart for the average rider! Take it almost as a compliment! My horse outsmarts the barn owner's daughter, so she hates him. He's flighty and high energy so she doesn't like him. Don't take it hard. you can either take it nicely and diplomatically, or if you're me and they said something about TB, I would make a retort about QH (even though I love them).
 
#45 ·
Sorry, I would never buy an arab or a morgan. I've just never meshed well with the "hotter" horses, be it arabs, thoroughbreds, warmbloods, or other. I'm sure they are nice horses for some people, but I've just always meshed with the lumpy stock horses. Doesn't mean I would bad mouth somebody else's type of horse, but I don't think that one size fits all when it comes to breeds. Just don't care for them, but that's okay. I can certainly appreciate how beautiful they are.
 
#48 ·
Arabians are wired a little differently than stock breeds. If someone either is not interested in that or doesn't know how to handle it they won't get along with an Arabian. A stock bred horse can generally be bullied into being brave and performing, they're pretty simple to train. An Arabian as a much higher sense of self preservation. Bullying an Arab is a great way to land in the hospital. Morgans are similar. Higher self preservation instinct as well. The key is to teach those breeds to use that instinct correctly and appeal to their intellect.
 
#49 ·
Sorry, I haven't read the whole thread - I'll go back and read it in a sec.

Personally I grew up as an "Arabian hater" in general - there was only one Arabian in my life I ever loved. I think part of it was that while I was growing up they were the 'fad' every rich girl needed an Arabian - sort of like a poodle. So I was repelled by their audience and never really paid attention to the animals themselves.
The one I loved was a gelding and he was my best friend - he was a grand son or great grand son of Aladin (SP?) and was born with a terrible muscle issue (I believe it was Miotinitis, but I was a child and didn't pay attention to those details). His hind end was almost useless sense birth, he could stand and move without excessive pain, but could never be anything more than that.
He came to our rescue, before I got there, as a 6 month old foal, just weaned - his owners didn't want a foal who couldn't do anything. This foal hit the ground full of piss and vinegar, despite his disabilities he was violent and wild! The owner of the rescue's mare taught him some manners and after winning the No-Ball prize he became a little more manageable. His breeders had never expected anything of him so they never bothered to handle or halter break him. So at this point we had started working with him - he would only allow his face to be touched, no where else. But he LOVED his nose being squished. By the time I met him I was a teen who 'didn't fit in' and he was the bratty, wild horse that every girl dreamed of. I fell madly in love - he kept me alive through the trauma of high school :P
He would always stick his tongue out, he taught himself that trick - I think he just liked to make people laugh :)


He was the love of my life! He passed away when he was 17 - it was tragic and awful and no one was prepared.
I had dressed him up for an open house:



At that point I had swarn off Arabians all together, none would ever be like him. I had the stigma of them being 'barbie doll' horses and the photos on the internet of them covered in grease and flapping around did them no service in my eyes.
At our rescue we had a few more arabians - who I loved in their own rights, but they were never special to me. I always wrote them off for being 'arabians'.
Lately though it's occurred to me why these stigma's exist. These horses are brilliant beyond explanation. When they're not given something good to think about they make things up. They were designed as endurance race horses, to keep them contained was just asking for issues.
I began to realize all the 'behavioral issues' I've heard people say Arabians had, really was just Arabians being kept in conditions not appropriate for them.
Like keeping a grey hound in a studio apartment without taking them for good runs - they just want to explode!!
Trying to keep an Arabian as a recreational pet-type horse just wasn't going to work.
All our Arabians at the rescue have always been flighty and over-reactive, flipping out over everything. I've come to realize they're living in what's essentially a 'senior center' for horses, with life at an exceptionally slow pace and their minds and bodies are just racing a mile a minute and without an outlet they make things up.
One of our Arabian mares can hardly contain herself if anything in her environment changes - like monsters have come out to eat her!

I've sense started working with the younger, flightier of our Arabians at the rescue. I use clicker training with all my horses and thought of using her as a challenge to myself. I wanted to see if CT could work on a very reactive horse. And boy can I tell you it does! And I can tell you Arabians are probably the quickest, most intelligent horses I've ever worked with! I work with a number of ponies, who are all too smart for their own good - but this mare figured the game out faster than any horse I've worked with!
With CT she's learned then when I'm not asking anything of her, her nose should be close to the ground (shifted out of flight mode). She's learned about SO many 'scary' objects and is even working on riding now, which had disastrous outcomes before. She's doing fantastic. Her mind and body are now finally being used and she's doing SO well, she's no longer spooking over everything, making things up to spook over. She's just the best horse I've ever worked with!!!
This is her when she first met my mare:


I also have to say I love Morgans I haven't had any 'special' ones in my life, but I think they're also among the brilliant. I personally love the more old-style Morgans, a little heavier body. I think they're magnificent.
I actually have a Canadian horse mare - who's a small breed of draft that eventually made Morgans and Saddlebreds and other similar breeds. :) I think she's the most perfect horse Ever!
You can kind of see the influence her breed had on Morgans:


I just wanted to add one more thing xD
At our rescue we have a term "Arabian mare syndrome" - it lovingly refers to Arabian's habit of over-reacting to little things :P I think some of us 'crazy horse ladies' all have it xD It's the terrible habit of thinking SO much that even the simplest things become terrifying.
Like... I heard a pop noise... Ok, nothing's happening... OMG maybe the cord on that light broke... Maybe it caused a spark... Maybe the barn's gonna burn down! Who do I pull out first? How do I get all the horses out?! That horse is lame do I get him first or last?! At this point you go on and on until your mind just explodes!! xD Maybe I'm the only one - but I've SO been there. Now being able to understand and relate to my new Arabian project is definitely making working with her easier, cause I've SO been there xD
 
#50 ·
I think it's stupid to hate a breed....I have to admit though, I have a dislike for thoroughbreds because all the ones I saw have been extremely poor keepers. The one at my barn, got like 6 lbs of grain (4 scoops a day) and 1/2 a bale of hay, plus pasture/round bale, and was in racing trim. She was regularly wormed, had her teeth done 2x a year...

As for Morgans, When they say they don't like them, I say "What do you have against me?" I share a name with them, so I'm kind of biased, but I'm learning to ride now on a 37 yr old gelding. He needs no extra care, staying fat on 4 flakes a day in winter+ roundbale/pasture, fat on 2 flakes a day plus pasture in summer. Love him =)

I like horses in the 12-15 hand range. Easier to tack. (But my favorite breeds are drafts 16h+. Go figure)
 
#51 ·
I like horses in the 12-15 hand range. Easier to tack. (But my favorite breeds are drafts 16h+. Go figure)
Than you'd be a Canadian horse fan :P Essentially, draft Morgans, mymare is 15.2 hands but bulldog-wide build - They're perfect! And equally easy keepers, she's obese on 6-8 flakes and ration balancer - seriously need to cut her down, but she's so cute how can I say no? XD
 
#52 ·
There is nothing wrong with them. I had the love of my life, my Polish Arab for 22 years. I had to put him down because of cancer 9 years ago. I still get teary eyed when I think of him. We did shows, trail rides, parades and were even invited to ride in the only Presidential Inaguration Parade that was cancelled, Ronald Regan's. I have had many horses since, then, grades, QH, TW and Mountain horses. I recently adopted to Eqyptian Arabs and could not be happier with them. They are sane, sound and incredibly friendly. At 63, I have found love again.
 

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#53 ·
[/QUOTE]

I also have to say I love Morgans I haven't had any 'special' ones in my life, but I think they're also among the brilliant. I personally love the more old-style Morgans, a little heavier body. I think they're magnificent.
I actually have a Canadian horse mare - who's a small breed of draft that eventually made Morgans and Saddlebreds and other similar breeds. :) I think she's the most perfect horse Ever!
You can kind of see the influence her breed had on Morgans:


[/QUOTE]

I love older style Morgans also!! My Morgan colt's dam is a 100% foundation bred and a full Lippett Morgan. Here are two pictures of her with my colt and one of her pregnant, and yes, I can totally see her resemblance to the Canadian horse.
 

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#54 ·
Morgans and Arabians - oh what bliss...

My first "real" horse that was my own was a Morgan mare with a 6-week-old purebred filly at her side. We had friends and neighbors with Morgans. They were all gentle, intelligent, sensitive, and oh so surefooted. We had never heard that they were supposed to be "hot". We didn't know any better. That mare of mine was a good, calm, solid horse for a kid. Her foal, however, was the love of my life. Easy to train, never spooked - not once, loaded the first time, crossed bridges the first time - incredibly trusting. Best horse I've ever had or ridden. I never heard how "hot" Morgans are until a couple years ago. I never recognized any of the stereotypical Morgan behaviors in any of my Morgans.

Then I had an Arabian a couple years ago. Same thing. He was so calm, trusting, and smart. He certainly had an alertness about him. He liked having his head high and paying attention, but none of the stupid behaviors I've since heard about Arabians. My "daily rider" is a 1/2 Arabian. The other is pure Morgan. Both are the most mentally solid horses around.

Could it be that there are a few "crazy" Arabs around, and they just ruin the reputation of the rest? The're different, they think differently, their head and body is shaped differently. Maybe that just makes them easy to pick on?
 
#58 ·
Morgans IMO tend to be more level headed, willing, understanding, and forgiving than most.
As much as I love both breeds uniquely, Arabians are a handful, you're right they need an owner who's sensitive to their sensitivities.
The reason I think the same assumptions are being made about Morgans is because, honestly, people have been breeding Morgans to be more and more like Arabians, mixing in Arabian blood too. It really frustrated me that that's happening. We have Arabians, they're wonderful, but I want Morgans too - not blending them into one vague moosh of a breed varying in temperment from the calm, intelligent, dependable Morgan to the high-strung brilliance of Arabians.
I wouldn't mind so much mixing the breeds so long as we're careful not to loose the foundations of both breeds. It's getting harder and harder in my area to find a decent foundation Morgan.
 
#56 · (Edited)
I have a TB and an Anglo Arab. I get more of the "is it nuts?" with the TB to be honest! [and she is a bit nutty, my god can she react FAST to things... but I have no trouble with her]

The Anglo is just SOOOOO quiet, the one time I took him to an eventing show he fell asleep in the XC start box!! Then when I lifted my weight and shortened my reins in preparation to move off he started jigging around and fidgeting because he knew it was time to go. He is SO smart, he has an on and off switch. He can be your classic plodder [I have been asked if he's a QH more times than I can count - my response is always a laugh and "I wish!", I love the breed] or he can be REALLY strong and fidgety, it's a real test of my abilities and he's certainly not an easy ride but he's incredibly quiet. Spook him and he reacts big but gets over it just as quickly.

My TB hangs onto her anxiety. I'm actually MORE relaxed on/around her than I am with Monty, but the other day, I was taking her for a casual walking trail ride with my mother, and my dog got out and followed us. Scared poor Magic, who chucked in this MASSIVE buck [or at least I'm told it was huge, didn't feel like much to me??] and kicked out backwards, then was on her toes for the whole rest of the ride. Granted the ride WAS fairly short but still...

I have one that breaks stereotype [extremely smart horse, but very quiet and easygoing unless you actually want his energy levels to be up], and one that is so true to stereotype it's not even funny. Magic certainly isn't for the faint-hearted! Neither is Monty, but that's not because he's hot or nutty... he's just so bipolar you never really know until you get on his back if he's going to behave himself or not.
 
#57 ·
There are some benefits to having ultra sensitive horses. For instance, my Arab would never, ever touch a fence or anything that resembles one just in case it might shock her. When her fence was torn down by a colicking horse, the barn owner had no worries. She stuck some sticks in the ground and tied up baling twine to look like hot wire and my mare was good for a few days until they had time to fix the fence.

Another time I was free lunging both my Arabs and sent them galloping toward the end of the outdoor arena, which has a dressage type fence lower than a horse's knees. The barn owner saw me and nearly had a heart attack, but both horses screeched to a halt and did not go over the fence they could simply step over.

On the other hand, my friend's QH is so desensitized that she has torn down multiple fences and is living in a stall right now while they figure out what will keep her contained.

There are obviously some cons to having ultra sensitive horses too. The barn owner told me my other mare had not eaten her grain in two days. She seemed bright-eyed, healthy and happy to me. Then I remembered that I'd thrown out her old, scuzzy feed pan and bought a nice, shiny new one. I had to feed her out of it by hand a couple of times until she figured out that it was OK to eat out of.
 
#59 ·
People dislike/hate/mock what they dont take the time to understand.thus racism, etc.

I love all horses. I understand why people like all different types of horses, but I have my preferences. I dont love riding drafts or typically stockhorses. I'm a little high energy myself, so I like a horse that has the same energy type as me. I like a horse that responds to my comands as soon as I think them, can turn on a time, jump whatever I point them at, and cover some serious distance if I need it. the farrari of the horse world, which is why I feel i undertand arabs so well. I also have a personality that drives me to constantly ask "why?" I'm sure I drove my parents insane. I like my horse to be the same, I want to constantly interact with my mount, and have a relationship with them. I want my mind engaged in things other than the rest of my life.

many people want a very quiet, non sensitive mount, and for those people an arab(or many morgans, saddlebreds, ottbs, etc) would drive them crazy.

I get very bored on the push button, quiet types. to each their own.
 
#61 ·
I'll never understand breed hate. I dealt with it when I had my first horse, a fiery Anglo-Arab. Too smart for his own good, but one damn good horse. Even now, I have a TWH and deal with the breed hate. I feel like everytime I go on a forum or talk to someone, I have to clarify that my horses are not sored or abused, but in fact, quite spoiled.

Some people...
 
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