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Stereotypes about your horse's breed

8K views 39 replies 31 participants last post by  EliRose 
#1 ·
I think this will be an interesting thread! What are some stereotypes about your horse's breed?
Do they fit or is your horse(s) a rebel? :lol:

My mare is a tiny Paint. People see her and expect her to be very loving and quiet. And she is! To me... She cannot stand other people, though. She has tried to bite my mom's fiance, kicked at her trainer, reared at my friend, and refuses to let anybody else touch her face. She's smart and usually only does those bad things when I'm not around since she knows she'll get in trouble. I even told a trainer she didn't have to ride her after seeing the fear in the woman's eyes. She's my problem child...

My gelding is an OTTB who did very well on the track. He would have stayed racing far longer had he not gotten colitis. He's a fast, powerful guy. But he's also a mushy little puppy. He loves absolutely everyone and is the most "bombproof" horse I know. He would walk through fire for you. My trainer has a barn full of grand prix horses but still says he is her favorite and he has better ability and attitude than any of them. He's just worth his weight in gold and always makes me laugh.

So I'd say my horses definitely don't fit into their breeds stereotypes! Whenever I hear "Paints are good for beginners" or "Thoroughbreds are psychos" I crack up lol
 
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#2 ·
I love horse stereotypes xD

Both my horses are leases. Dozer, a QH, goes against the stereotype physically as well as in his personality. If it wasn't for his BIG QH butt and chunky chest, you'd think he was a TB because he has the thin, high withers 'typical' of TBs. And personality wise... QH's are 'supposed' to be fast and cowy, right? Nope. Has to stop and stare at any animal we pass, especially cows (but alpacas are his mortal enemy). And talk about slow!

MJ, on the other hand, is a Standardbred. Typically, Standies seem to be thought of as quiet, 'slow' beginners horses. NOPE. He may be 20, but he's got serious 'tude. Gets hot and is always ready to gogogo. I would only ever put a beginner on him if I was holding him tightly and he was tired. He is horribly awkward looking in the pace though, which I guess could be stereotypical xD
 
#3 ·
Julius fits his warmblood stereotype. Big, kind, not too bright. Can be a bit dull, but is also a sensitive soul with the potential to get very hot.

Blaze it's a bit of a meld of his stereotypes. He's qhxtb. Opinionated and forward like a tb, unflappable and honest like a qh. I dont really know where his intelligance came from. Neither are 'smart' breeds. He's also got the size of a qh and the build of a tb.
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#5 ·
Not a breed stereotype, per se, but a breeding sterotype. My gelding has Impressive in his lineage, he is n/n. I have heard mostly bad things about the mindset of Impressive horses, but he is wonderful, and when we were at the trainers he said he has worked with many, many Impressive-bred horses and only had one who was a little cuckoo and that had nothing to do with his breeding but his mindset.
 
#6 ·
My horse is a draft cross. Most of the things I hear about them have to do with being cross-bred and having draft blood, and most of it is negative. People have told me that draft crosses are poorly-built, because crossing two different breeds can lead to a conformational train wreck. This goes hand-in-hand with the stereotype that they're all terrible movers and go lame easily. I've also heard that drafts and draft crosses are too heavy to be ridden, and have no athletic ability or agility, and if jumped, their legs will break down. As far as temperament, I've heard that drafts and draft crosses are usually pushy, stubborn, and lazy. I've also heard that draft crosses tend to inherit the hot temperament of their lighter-bred parent and the size of their draft parent, making them extremely dangerous.

Hardly any of this is true. My horse is not a conformational train wreck. She's certainly not perfect, but she's doesn't have any terrible faults either. I've seen some pure bred horses with much worse conformation than she has! She may not move like a grand prix warmblood, but she's still a clean mover. She has good, proportionate legs and feet that support her body well. She's never taken a lame step since I've owned her, and yes, I jump her. Believe it or not, she can be quite agile. She's actually a better jumper than any other horse I've owned or ridden. She's not pushy either. She's quite light on the lead and sensitive to rider's aids. Her temperament is not stubborn, or unwilling, nor is she crazy hot. She may be a bit emotional at times, but she's generally laid back and tries very hard to please her handler.

However, she does fit the lazy part of the draft cross sterotype. It does take some encouragement to get her going, and she easily falls out of shape and loses stamina. It's a small price to pay for all her good qualities though!
 
#7 ·
"Thoroughbreds are nuts" - young chestnut TB filly, so probably the worst possible horse to have according to stereotypes, and was a bit of a nutter when I got her but that was just lack of good handling. She's now 5 and belongs to a beginner rider and they do great together.

"Standardbreds are great for beginners" - NO WAY NO HOW with the mare I worked with!

"Arabs are nuts" - NOPE. Quietest horse I ever had was an Anglo Arab.

"Welsh Ponies are great for children" - not this little dude. He bit, bucked, bolted, and had this nasty little trick where he would shy, buck, then spin and bolt just as you were getting into two-point for a gallop.

I'm riding a horse now that puts the "nut" into "chestnut" but I blame the horse, not the colour.
 
#8 ·
Appaloosa - stubborn and mean. We own two Appies - neither are stubborn or mean. One is mostly AQHA bloodlines (a great grandson of Impressive) he has large feet, great Confo and with a little more riding would be a kids horse. The other is all Appie bloodlines but is built more slight and is quick on her feet.

Owned 1/2 Morgan and she was by far the smartest horse I have ever owned - you had to be one step ahead of her at all times. She was just a blast to ride- owned her for 23 years before she passed.
 
#9 ·
being trained in the past by die hard QH people they tried to tell me every other breed was crazy and not worth having, Appies are mean, and overly stubborn ( most aren't..lol) Same goes for arabians. They are mean, and impossible to work with, and are all out to kill you. I was told if I ever wanted an Arab I would be on my own because they wouldn't help me if I had such a death wish.. and again.. the 2 arabians I have met/ dealt with were sweet as pie, and as about as bombproof as a horse could be. I no longer take lessons there..LOL
 
#10 ·
My Morgan fits the stubborn stereotype...... he thinks like a mule and acts on it! :lol:

Anyhow I hear commonly that: "Morgans are deadheads"....... nope. Never met one that is. Most of the times they just outsmart their owner.

Also I commonly hear: "They're hot! They're english horses, they're small and fragile!" Nope. They may be refined but they can carry a full grown man all day with no problem...... and look western doing it!
 
#11 ·
My Morgan fits the stubborn stereotype...... he thinks like a mule and acts on it! :lol:
Now as a former mule owner and big fan of the long-ears, here's one I encounter quite a bit. :wink:

Mules and donkeys are not really "stubborn", but generally cautious and independent-thinking. It helps to know how the "societies" of Horse and Donkey work.

With horses, you have two main leaders in a herd (the stallion and the lead mare) and everyone has a pecking order down from that. The herd stays together as a tightly knit family group, and the stallions basically add or lose mares as they or other studs can steal them.

With donkeys, jacks maintain individual territories that they defend from other jacks, and jennets and juveniles roam freely in loosely-organized groups. Often, a jennet and her offspring will have another jennet or two that they stick close to when feeding or traveling, but it's not the tightly-bunched group that horses have. This goes into donkeys' tendency to need a companion. They largely think for themselves rather than depending on a leader, whereas horses are the opposite. In a desert situation, a large herd is just not going to be able to find enough food and water, or it will decimate whatever it finds, so it's better to spread out your numbers.

Mules have more than their fair share of stereotypes, and while the positive ones are generally true (hardier, curious, loving), most of the negative ones are not. I've heard they are slow, vengeful, mean, and hard to train, or they're just waiting to get back at you. I must just run into a lot of atypical long-ears, then!:wink:
 
#12 ·
I think I've heard every Arabian stereotype out there. THEN, among those I hear the Straight Egyptian stereotypes. Oy!

Arabians are crazy, SEs are the craziest. Arabians are too type-y, SEs can't breath because they're so type-y. Arabians are super hot, SEs are the hottest. Arabians have a head full of cobwebs, SEs only have dust. Arabians are too dainty - their legs will snap (nevermind the denser bone).

Mine could hardly be less true for all of those. What I typically find is that the people who dislike "typical Arabians" the most are the people who possess to lowest IQs. I do enjoy a good "I saw/rode/petted an Arabian once..." story - some of those are pretty entertaining and usually involve a certain lack of horse knowledge on the part of the storyteller.

Just like in any breed there are crazies and the vast majority are awesome.
 
#13 ·
I raised Appaloosas, and a breed said to be stubborn, which is totally incorrect.
Many foundation bred Appaloosas have a lot of cold blood, thus lack the sensitivity of a horse with more warmblood and hot blood breeding, but the Appaloosa horse itself, is noted for it's willingness to please, and the mind that makes it a great family type horse
 
#14 ·
"[Morgans are] small and fragile!"

Really? The one I used to own was the stockiest thing I've ever known! She looked like a 15hh draft.

The "Morgans are really strong" stereotype did fit her. She could work all day and not get tired -- sweaty, yes, tired, no. I have a funny story on her strength from when I decided to try jumping her. (I mentioned how stocky she was, right? It was funny to see her jump.) We had just warmed up, and I was trotting her up to about a 2.5' jump. She slammed on the breaks right in front of it. I was not about to let her get away with that, so I told her in no uncertain terms, "GO!" I knew that jump was just a PVC pole and that it wouldn't hurt her to go through it. She cleared it from a dead stop. The trainer's expression was priceless!
 
#16 ·
One of the jokes of Paso Fino people is that Pasos are "hyper little ponies with great long names you can't pronounce." Pretty much true. Pasos are almost always small, and famous for being hyper all right. Many of them are hyper, but it is often all flash and dazzle and they are quite gentle. It makes them totally fun to ride.

Once I went to a big Paso show and watched the class for 6 to 8 year olds waiting in the ketch pen. There were 30 stallions milling around together with tots sitting on them, all quietly standing together like quarter horses waiting for their barrel race. One reason people ride so many Paso Fino stallions is because they can. The Pasos are bred to be well- behaved as stallions--unruly ones are quickly gelded.

Pasos are said to not spook and not buck, but mine do. The spookiest horse I have ever owned is my heart horse Paso. But the other Pasos I have owned or ridden tend to not spook much at all. I guess I just got one that doesn't fit the mold.

Until I started up with Pasos, I had appaloosas for most of my life. Over the years I had 9 of them. All my appies were smart as anything and VERY stubborn and opinionated. Very sure footed, very handy, and quite capable of thinking for themselves, which does fit the stereotype.
 
#17 ·
Bottom line, sterotypes are based on average assessments, without taking family lines, handling, training into effect
Race bred horse s are generally 'hot', having 'hot blood' (Arabians and TBs are hot bloods )
however, one of the easiest going stallions I ever trained, was AQHA running blood on top, and ApHC running blood on the bottom
We all find those exceptions, but for the average person, getting into horses, these steriotypes do have some basic application
Therefore, I would not recommend a TB or other running bred horses as good solid trail horses, even though, of course, there are exceptions
Some halter bred horses ride great, but the fact remaINS, that halter bred lines often do not have either mind or conformation tested, when it comes to work under saddle
Therefore, for someone looking for a performance horse, I would not suggest a halter bred horse, but there is always the exception to that rule
 
#18 ·
@knightrider.. lucky you, I have always wanted to ride a paso, but around me they are rare as hens teeth, always heard they were sturdy things that were fun to ride.. I have heard they can be some of the spookiest horses from people that do own them.
 
#19 ·
Knightrider:
Until I started up with Pasos, I had appaloosas for most of my life. Over the years I had 9 of them. All my appies were smart as anything and VERY stubborn and opinionated. Very sure footed, very handy, and quite capable of thinking for themselves, which does fit the stereotype.

See, I raised Appaloosas, showed them both breed and open, trail rode them, and never found them to be stubborn.
The problem being, many horses with Appaloosa markings are "heinz 57', so that a draft, with App markings is said to be a stubborn example of the breed, while that horse does not qualify for papers, and the draft is most likely the cause of that; that cold blood stubborn attitude
Unfortunately, unlike some AQHA blood , that remains hidden in a grade horse, App markings breed through, and on a horse with characteristics, far as temperament, not even related to Appaloosa breed traits, thus produced
 
#20 ·
What I find about Pasos, is they have so much leg action for going anywhere!
I know that makes them smooth, but still, all that lateral movement on those fine bones drive me nuts, just watching.
It is basically a latin macho American attitude, far as riding stallions, that extends to breeds like Andalusian also.
A 'real man' does not ride a gelding', LOl!
I sold that race bred ApHC stallion, and the buyer's children were riding him, as he was the most broke horse on the place, and I sold him as a green broke horse!
 
#21 ·
I have a half draft (half Breton, half Arabian) and she's sweet, gentle, loves kids, tries really, really hard to do what I ask of her, and never says no to what I want. She does spook a little on the trail at weird things or birds flying out of nowhere, but she never runs away. She just dances a little. But she sure has get up and go when she wants to have it. She loooooves running after other horses in front of her. But when she's in front? She's sloooooowww. She's front end heavy, has beautiful feet and great legs. She will jump and she never refuses, but she's kind of klunky at it.
 
#23 ·
I have a Tennessee Walking Horse and it isn't so much about the breed stereotypes as much as it is the industry with Walkers and the Big Lick. Most people assume since I have a TWH and live close to the TWHBEA HQ where all of the big shows take place that we are somehow associated. A lot of friends/co-workers ask me if she "can do the big leg thing". Yeah, that's a big ole "no".

Other than that, she lives up the typical TWH stereotype of being very even keeled, temperament-wise. I have had several people comment to me that she looks part Arabian when she is in full gallop because of her headset and how flashy she moves, but other than that--- just a sturdy black little walking horse!
 
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#25 ·
The TB stereotype does hold true to some degree but it certainly seems to be more prevalent in the OTTBs, I would say that much of that comes from race training and not being rehabbed correctly. I have personally owned two that were extremely level headed and "thinkers" The 22 yea old stallion that we acquired quickly became my favorite trail horse. He had never jumped before in his life, but show him something on the trail, give him a moment to size things up, ad his attitude was " Don't worry I'll get us over that"

I have also never had a problem with an Arabian and have worked with a lot of breeding stock that had little training or handling. I was asked once to bring a broodmare up from the lower pasture. I hopped up on her with a halter and as I came up to the barn, the BO;s wife was shaking her head. I asked what was wrong and she replied "Oh, nothing it's just that she's not broke to ride" My favorite horse at that farm was a SE stallion that I was told to be extremely cautious around. If you were patient and easy with him he would do anything you ask. Treat him any other way and he would warn you, possibly twice, and then all hell would break loose. I saw him in action with a farrier once . . . SCAREY ! Farrier left without trimming his feet (understandably) and the horse went back to being calm and well behaved. I also heard a story about a Polish import who was no where near as cooperative once he came to this country. Problem was he was voice trained and didn't understand English. Once the trainer learned the words in Polish the problem ceased.
 
#26 ·
My Percheron/paint gelding is more Percheron in personality than he is paint. He's quiet, willing, loving, brave, honest and was pretty much born bombproof. He can be a little stubborn and sometimes lazy, but he has more try in his left ear than most other horses I've worked with.

I rode a paint mare for my grandma's neighbor who fit all the stereotypes I'd heard about paints at the time: stubborn, lazy, and not-too-bright. She was a typical mare, too.

The same neighbor had three Belgians who fit the draft horse stereotype: big, calm, placid, and a little stubborn.

Rode a Peruvian paso gelding who was a breeding stallion most of his life (he was gelded at 13). Sweetest, most willing horse...but only if he liked you. I could do anything with him. My friend who owned him could barely approach him.

Have known and worked with several OTTBs, only two of whom were the typical hot, crazy horses. I lay their bat-crap craziness at the feet of their handling/training, though, not their breed.

The one pure appy I know is a complete ***. He's mean and stubborn. He's been known to attack people and he's taken chunks out of my gelding (who is a full two hands taller than him and outweighs him by a good 500-600lbs) in turnout. I knew one TB/appy cross who was a complete nutcase. Not mean, but would spook at his own shadow and his spooks were full-on blow-ups.

As for Arabs, I've met both sides of the spectrum. So calm you'd think they were QHs and so flighty/hot they were complete basket cases all the time.
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#31 ·
The one pure appy I know is a complete ***. He's mean and stubborn. He's been known to attack people and he's taken chunks out of my gelding (who is a full two hands taller than him and outweighs him by a good 500-600lbs) in turnout. I knew one TB/appy cross who was a complete nutcase. Not mean, but would spook at his own shadow and his spooks were full-on blow-ups.

We have an appy shetland cross. He's a bitter and can be nasty.

Cute as a button. Used to be a pony ring pony. Obviously he made a terrible one. We have to keep after him but as long as he knows you are boss all is well. I think he's too smart so walking in circles is not his cup of tea.

He works well for my oldest dd. She just worked cows on him today and he did great taking on cows much larger than he is.
 
#27 ·
Owning an Arabian is a struggle sometimes because people automatically assume they're all "hot" or are all beauty and no brains.

Anyone who's owned an Arab knows that's not true. My horse is a purebred Arabian and is the calmest, most solid horse in our barn, and pretty much just babysits me when I'm nervous at shows. Some are spookier than others, but they're not all "crazy"
 
#28 ·
I have a 3/4 TB / Arab --- "Too hot for my age!" I thought.

But she has turned out to be the most laid-back (some would say, lazy) mare. The only time she's "hot" is when she's scared, and yes, the explosion is TOO MUCH! I think it's because she's RARELY afraid of anything, and has never learned how to handle it.
 
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