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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.
 
#2 ·
Most people have either had a bad experience with a crazy Arab or Morgan, or they know someone who has, or they have heard of someone who has. *rolls eyes* Most people who are like that are incredibly narrow-minded.

Before I met my friend's Arab gelding (not my best friend's gelding, another friend), I thought all Arabs were supposed to be crazy. Then I met Kintari. I swear he's more dead-headed than most quarter horses I've met. If he didn't look so darned Arab, you'd never think he was just from his temperament.

My old BO is an old school cowboy. If it ain't a QH, it ain't worth nothin', is his attitude. He loves my draft cross (I bought Aires from him as a 2yo and he'd had him since he was a weanling) and he won't admit it, but he likes my best friend's Arab gelding (that he gave her), but other than that, he thinks anything but a good stock horse is worthless and he doesn't have a problem saying so.

When people bash you breed of choice, just smile and think about how wonderful your horse is.
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#4 ·
I don't get it as much either about how some people can be so close minded.
Just don't let it bother you. When I first started riding, I never knew about the "Arabian's are demons" reputation, because all the Arabians I knew were angels. I learned to ride on an Arabian and the most beautiful, sweetest horses I knew were Arabians.


But it isn't just horses, I have the same problem with dogs all the time. People just feel like they have to be defensive and stubborn, at times.

I feel the best way to help people get over it is to be unbelievably kind, well educated about your breed and unbelievably patient.
 
#6 ·
I think its because they have a bad reputation and sometimes they are managed and handled in a way that brings out that worst parts of their sensitivity. Any horse can be managed to the point of being crazy but it seems that the reputation has stuck with arabians. Its become part of breed identity an not part of management identity. I had a lovely arabian. That said, I would be hesitant to purchase one without investigating and thinking really hard. Those handling/management habits can be hard to retrain. Its not the breed its the common tends in handling, ie fed hot, handled hot. Thats not just arabs that thoroughbreds as well in my opinion.

I would just nod and smile when they say negative things about your breed of choice. Everyone has a preference and horse people are opinionated.
 
#7 ·
It's because Arabians are more high energied and often times quite smart, so they can out-think their handlers very easily, which most people do not like. However, when the horse does no cooperate for any reason, people have a tendancy to call it stupid when alot of the times horses that try different methods of getting away with things and cause "trouble" are very smart because they use their heads to solve a problem (or cause one lol).
 
#9 · (Edited)
People like that just make me wonder about where their manners went.... she sounds jealous and rude.

I'd like to tell her about all the bad experiences I've had with QHs...

Have your Dad tell the woman that in order to train Arabians and Morgans, you have to be smarter than they are.

Maybe it stems from most people who think they can manhandle Arabs (or Morgans), because Arabs won't take rough or abusive handling. I once knew someone who owned a boarding stable, she was rather new to horses and bought a couple Arabs that had been really mishandled from the previous owner, these Arabs were never even properly trained (the previous owner just got on and galloped them like crazy), so she whined and complained about her new Arabs, then later on she went to some fancy expensive QH farm and bought a professionally trained push-button QH gelding that anyone's grandmother could ride.... after that I never heard the end of it about "crazy Arabs", until one day I told her what I thought, then she finally shut up, ha.
 
#12 ·
Meh ... when someone tells me how much they hate Arabs ... I usually shrug and reply:

"Well, they certainly aren't for everyone. As a rule, you need to be smarter than your horse."

I smile sweetly while they take a moment to digest my statement.

I love mine!
 
#15 ·
Arabian's are incredibly smart and in the "bad" Arabs I've met I have always found that the horses imitate their owners and or riders. If she's had a bad experience maybe she should look at herself! Though I will say I've also known most Arabian's I've been around to be a bit high strung and flighty and the breed isn't for everyone! I learned how to jump on a super Arab mare who I loved and I've loved every other Arabian horse I've ever sat on as well!

The lady sounds like a stuck up snob who's not willing to open her mind to the idea that not all horses are the same. Shame for her. I'd rather have a smart, flighty over energetic Arab than a dumb QH (I've got a Paint/QH mare so I'm not trying to hate on the breed ;) ).
 
#17 ·
My mare is the stereotypical Arabian mare. My Appy is 3/4 Arabian, and he rolls a cigarette and smokes it as he strolls down the trail, askin', "What's next, boss?"

Psychogirl on the left, Mr Mellow on the right:



FWIW, a rancher friend brought down a Border Collie from Utah last weekend. After watching Mia, he looked at a mountain about 10 miles from here and said all she really needed was to be ridden to the top of the mountain and back...but then, he's spent his life on horses. Hard to fool him! :wink:

We sold the dark purebred Arabian mare in the picture below several years ago, but my youngest daughter rode her as her first horse when Lilly was green broke. And Green on Green worked out fine because of how sweet Lilly was. Pity Trooper and Lilly hated each other...:evil:

 
#18 ·
I can't believe this kind of bias still exists:-x

Growing up in the Sixties, I put up with so much Arab/Cross hostility that I learned to strongly dislike Quarter Horses and Appaloosas for a lot of years.

I finally got myself over that because it isn't the fault of the horse, just the ignorant owners of the horse.

I've been riding Tennessee Walkers for 22 years in order to be able to ride and I even get hassled over them, on occasion:?

Those occasions are generally when the soring issues hit TV and the newspapers. I own three Walking Horses, therefore I sore them. In some people's minds you can't own a Walking Horse without being an abuser, ya know:shock:

I hope the OP can get over those criticisms a lot faster than I did :)
 
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#20 ·
Like a lot of sensitive breeds, it's the owners who mishandle them and make them nuts. I've met good Arabs, and I've met crazy, high-strung Arabs (they generally resemble their owner!). I encounter the same with pasos. A lot of people locally won't deal with a paso fino, because they've been made crazy and people-wary with bad training. I love the breed, but when I went shopping, I thought I was actually window shopping because I didn't think I'd find one that hadn't been pretty much abused. Then I found my little mare, and she came right home!
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#21 ·
In my neck of the woods, QH is king & every thing else is view as crap. I was raised to beleive that Arabs were crazy & worthless. When my trainer told me to get a little Arab mare out for my lesson one night, I almost had a panic attack. However, once I rode her, I realised she was one of the most wonderful horses I have ever had the pleasure to ride.
 
#22 ·
My ultimate worse experience with a horse that I would condone as crazy happened to be a breeding stock paint. She was just out of this world. Beautiful mare but gee she was the proof that beauty doesnt always have brains. The only issues I have seen with arabs is when novice handlers or riders aquire them because they are such beautiful creatures and it take an arab all of 2 minutes to figure out they can walk all over someone if not handled properly. One lady I new was 48 yo just getting into horses learning all the parelli nonsense. She bought a 3 yo untrained paint. Started training her parelli. That was the rudest most annoying horse I have ever met. Then, someone decided they would give her an 11 yo green broke pure bred arab. Absolutely stunning horse. He was a level 8 parelli I believe but was another story undersaddle. She got this horse for free and I have never seen such a disaster. She couldnt handle him at all. She asked me for help one day to get him from the pasture to the stall. I went got him, brought him in and had no problems whatsoever. He was just as well mannered and respectful. He liked to fidget with his lead but that was it. She had done shown him too many times that she feared his eagerness and energetic behavior. That is what I LOVE about arabs. But, some people just cant deal with it. One of our TWH mares is OVER eager and can be very intimedating to someone that isnt use to it.
 
#24 ·
How silly to "hate a breed". Goodness there are good and bad horses in every single breed. Lots of the bad is due to stupid handlers. :lol:

I board at an Arabian ranch so I am surrounded by them. Yes, they are sensitive and a little spunky shall we say. But, all of them are well mannered and well trained. Even the stallion out there, Sada, when he is in his little paddock he will run at the fence, turn and kick it...blah blah blah. But if you fuss at him he instantly stops :lol: until you walk away and he does it again. But, on the wash rack or under saddle, he is always obedient. He was fussing at Biscuit on the wash rack a few months ago and I fussed at him and he instantly obeyed.

He used to scare the pants off of Sarge or Sarge thought he was crazy, one of the two. Sarge got out of his pasture one day after I had put Red up in a stall due to a health issue. He went looking for Red and encountered Sada. He and Sada must have had some conflict because after that, when Sada would see the little bay QH he would cross to the other side of his pen and stay there. LOL he was brought up one day and was thinking Sarge was pretty dang cute until he realized who he was. He shut up instantly and was quiet as could be.

Arabs are smart, full of life and spunky. Some of the ones out at the barn are lesson horses and you could put a child on them. The original old stallion, Amir, was a child's lesson horse. Not to many studs could be trusted with a child!

I have QH's but I ride with a variety of horses, QH, Paints, TW, Arabs, a Quarab, Rocky Mountains, a Morgan/Friesan cross. They all are wonderful horses.

Just ignore people with that attitude. It is the same as people saying QH are just cow horses, or just stupid push button horses. Or lazy or whatever the insult is. I ignore it. Biscuit is pretty dang special to me and so is Sarge. :lol:
 
#25 ·
How silly to "hate a breed". Goodness there are good and bad horses in every single breed. Lots of the bad is due to stupid handlers. :lol:

. :lol:
Agreed! Well, I might go even one step further. All horses are good, some just have not been lucky enough to find the right owner to help them be confident and secure and well trained. There are breeds that I tend to enjoy more then others but often, it is due to their looks and their physical ability. Personality is very individual regardless of breed.

If you love your Arabian and your Morgan (as I know you do) then who cares what some random stranger thinks of them? I know it can be hard to own one of those breeds that others think are nuts (I have Saddlebreds) I think the best thing anyone can do is enjoy the horse that they love regardless of what others think. I don't really worry about changing people's minds anymore either. I think if one loves their horse, treats it well and enjoys it for how it is, others (with brains) will take note. Minds change when they see the good side of things, not when others tell them about the good side. Some people are too twisted to see it even if it is right in front of them. I don't worry about those types.
 
#30 ·
People just don't seem to take too well to being outsmarted by a horse, and more often than not the people who hate an entire breed because of a bad experience they had/saw someone have/ heard someone had are the ones that always get outsmarted by horses ;)
No arabian I have ever encountered has been the type to suffer a fool well. Not like other breeds. Especially the old cranky mares...
 
#31 ·
Morgans are "special"... or at least mine certainly is! :lol:

I had a batsh!t crazy QH whose goal in life was lure riders into thinking she was a calm, safe wonderful horse and then try to kill them. I wish I still had her around for all the folks who think my Morgan is nuts and I should go buy a QH. Oh, QH's are sane, wonderful horses... here, ride HER!!! :lol:

My Morgan may be a complete handful but he has no desire whatsoever to hurt his riders. He's been known to pause mid-tantrum because his rider was slipping. He doesn't want to dump his rider, just make it known that he didn't WANT to work on that skill....

I actually enjoy others thinking I bought a crazy breed. They don't ask to ride him and they give me plenty of space when sharing an arena. Shhhh... don't tell them they are missing out on an absolutely wonderful horse.
 
#34 ·
Morgans are "special"... or at least mine certainly is! :lol:

I had a batsh!t crazy QH whose goal in life was lure riders into thinking she was a calm, safe wonderful horse and then try to kill them. I wish I still had her around for all the folks who think my Morgan is nuts and I should go buy a QH. Oh, QH's are sane, wonderful horses... here, ride HER!!! :lol:

My Morgan may be a complete handful but he has no desire whatsoever to hurt his riders. He's been known to pause mid-tantrum because his rider was slipping. He doesn't want to dump his rider, just make it known that he didn't WANT to work on that skill....

I actually enjoy others thinking I bought a crazy breed. They don't ask to ride him and they give me plenty of space when sharing an arena. Shhhh... don't tell them they are missing out on an absolutely wonderful horse.


HA! THIS! It's so true, I love having a so-called "craaaazy horse" because then I get my wonderful and totally sane pony all to my self :twisted: ha ha, my mom likes to pop the neighbor kids and her friends on my sisters' horses without asking or even telling them, but never mine, because both of mine are dubbed scary. It's great for me.
 
#32 ·
I once leased a crazy QH that would act like the sweetest thing until he decided to buck me off - this happened almost every time I rode him.

After that, my parents bought me my Arab mare that would show those QH's what was up any day. On the trail, she was the first to cross water, difficult terrain and at the end was never tired. In the show ring, we could do anything and did well. My sister's Arab was a different story though. She would spook at clumps of dirt, refused to get her precious feet wet, and was wide eyed and fearful on a trail ride. Inside a show ring, she was great.

Arabs are a little more spirited and let's face it, not for everyone. I liked my mare for the very reason many wouldn't. If I started to daydream, she would do something to snap me back to attention. If I started becoming complacent when doing a certain exercise, she would do the opposite of what I wanted. I started riding when I was 4 and the stable where I started only had Arabs, so perhaps I was just more accustomed to the way they think. Had I started at a QH barn, my breed preference might have been different, who knows.

I've never heard of someone hating Morgans specifically, however, I haven't had much experience with them. I've always thought of them as being wonderfully versatile, well-rounded horses.

Too bad the lady your dad was talking to was so rude. I almost feel sorry for people like that, because they miss out on so much with their close-mindedness!

Here's a picture of my "crazy Arab" growing up with me taking a nap beside her. Man, she sure was a nutcase. (I know, not the smartest move on my part, but let's say at 12 yrs old, I didn't always exercise the best judgement.)
Horse Mammal Mare Ranch Sorrel
 
#33 ·
It's like Dodge, Ford, and Chevy. I have both Quarter horses and Arabs. And my Arab is just fantastic. I actually have a friend who wants me to train her horses and they are a Morgan and an Arab. It's what you like as well. Clinton Anderson says to match up your personally with that of an opposite horse, most of the time. For example, if you are a more laid back kind of person, go with the flow, get a hotter breed of horse, because you will balance and you will bring that horse more calm.

On the other hand if you are a uptight, go go go kind of person, get a colder more lazy horse, because again, you will balance. Not saying that you couldn't get a horse like you, but this is just a match.
 
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