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Opinions on breeds of horses for a multidiscipline rider?

4K views 23 replies 18 participants last post by  VaticanVice 
#1 ·
This kind of a long post, so please bare with me. I don't normally tend to be breed oriented, but am thinking about getting a horse and am looking for a starting point to look at certain breeds. I would probably consider myself a novice rider and have only been seriously riding for about 2 years, but spend most of my time at the barn and am experienced with being around different horses. I started out riding western, and switched over to English a few months ago. I am still undecided about which discipline I like more/ would be more committed to. Basically I want to become a more competitive rider, but will be leaving for college in a few years so will only really be in small local shows. So, I am just wondering what some of your opinions are about what breeds of horses could do well with both English and Western (I would most likely be competing in Western pleasure and reining in Western, and jumping in English).

I am open to looking at any breed of horse. The horse I am leasing currently is a young paint mare, but I also did most of my lessons and spent my free time riding an older arab mare for a while. The paint is very relaxed but also very stubborn, while the arab was very high strung and spookybut less likely to buck her rider off or not listen than the paint. Even though I have only been riding for two years, I am willing to take on a more highstrung "hotblooded" horse since I feel that I did better as a rider dealing with the arab's temperament.

Basically, I am just looking for suggestions of breeds of horses that could do well at a competitive level in both English (hunter jumper) and Western showing. I have a pretty open mind towards any and all breeds, however, I would prefer to ride a horse that is not gaited. It is also unlikely that I would be able to get a warmblood (although I would love to be competetive at jumping one day) which hopefully wont be too much of a problem since I will just be sticking to local shows. Finally, I am mostly just looking for breed suggestions here, but wont be basing my decision completley on the breed of horse but also on if I feel the horse is a good match since I am aware it's not all about the breed when looking to buy a horse. Thank you so much for any and all suggestions!
 
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#2 ·
There's a lot of breeds you could choose from, but I'd say my top 3 would be either a Morgan, Arab, or Quarter horse.
I say Morganx because that was my first horse and he was awesome. I love him to pieces and he was so willing and was a fast learner. :) But I also have an ArabxSaddlebred who is very smart and never runs out of energy. So if that's what you like I'd go with the Arab.
And of course I named the QH because they are known as very versitile and can do just about any discipline.
 
#4 ·
Morgan could be a good one. One of my good friends has a Morgan that she used to rein with, and now she does eventing with him.

My horse is a QHxAndalusian, and he's pretty versatile, too. I just do English with him (dressage & jumping) but I think he'd be decent at WP, too, if I wanted to go in that direction.
 
#5 ·
I would think a quarter horse that has the conformation for jumping - some are bred a bit too extreme in the quarters for my liking if you wanted an all rounder
I love the Morgans but they aren't very big and I've seen some really weedy specimens so I'm thinking you'd have to pay a lot more for a good one
Arabs are great but they either love jumping or they cant see the point in it - too intelligent - why be putting in all that effort to jump something when you can just go round it.
I've seen some lovely arab x warmbloods about, the cross is getting more popular and should be really versatile. They are in demand though so can be expensive
 
#6 ·
My vote is American Saddlebred. They are great horses who are very versatile. They are not gaited, though if you do get one that is trained to gait, it won't effect what you want to do, it just gives you an extra gear. They are very people oriented, generally love to work, and are beautiful.
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#7 ·
My vote is American Saddlebred. They are great horses who are very versatile. They are not gaited, though if you do get one that is trained to gait, it won't effect what you want to do, it just gives you an extra gear. They are very people oriented, generally love to work, and are beautiful.
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^ This times ten.

Many nice ones for sale and even in rescue. Saddlebreds are not 'just showhorses'.

Lizzie
 
#10 ·
I would look for a QH or Appendix. You will WANT scope, considering what you are looking to do, and the price should be better with a QH bc they are simply so many of them. I also, IMHO find them calmer than anything more blooded.
SO MANY of us trail ride our horses Western Pleasure, but SB, though great horses, are breed for gait and style, not multi-disciplines. ANY sound horse can pop over a 3' vertical, but a gaited horse isn't built to couple and "take you with him". I currently own two KMH's, but I don't jump them. I will be training my QH to jump this year, and we'll see what he has in him.
BTW, many splashy horses are bred just for their color, not for their build.
Plus, if you show, you will be riding among a sea of paints. You would really stand out if you bought a solid brown/black horse with no blaze and no sock/stockings at all!
 
#11 ·
I would look for a QH or Appendix. You will WANT scope, considering what you are looking to do, and the price should be better with a QH bc they are simply so many of them. I also, IMHO find them calmer than anything more blooded.
SO MANY of us trail ride our horses Western Pleasure, but SB, though great horses, are breed for gait and style, not multi-disciplines. ANY sound horse can pop over a 3' vertical, but a gaited horse isn't built to couple and "take you with him". I currently own two KMH's, but I don't jump them. I will be training my QH to jump this year, and we'll see what he has in him.
BTW, many splashy horses are bred just for their color, not for their build.
Plus, if you show, you will be riding among a sea of paints. You would really stand out if you bought a solid brown/black horse with no blaze and no sock/stockings at all!

It sounds as though you think Saddlebreds are gaited. They are NOT. They are trained to gait.

One I owned, was a five gaited champion in his day. I rode him doing everything but gaited.

Lizzie
 
#12 ·
Definitely an appendix quarter horse- thoroughbred x paint- anglo arabian (thoroughbred x arabian) - quarab (quarter horse arabian)

i like my AQHA horses but do think the 'mutt' horses make just as good riding animals. Arabians have that floaty trot and the horses ive rode that were arabian cross had that same movement- so keep that in mind if thats something you do or dont want.
 
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#13 ·
Saddlebred's have a high neck set that is not naturally conducive to jumping high and wide obstacles, which the OP would encounter doing 3-day events. Honestly, like I said, a sound horse CAN jump over small things when asked for. I've jumped horses that cannot jump well, and I've owned an OTTB who really COULD jump well. I got in a sloppy 2-point and we just sailed over 4 1/2' jumps. The other horses who were not scopey threw me up at the approaches and bounced me almost off on the landings.
Saddlebred's are great horses, just not for jumping oxers, coffins, in and outs and water jumps. Surprisingly there are some Standardbreds who are successful at eventing and Hunter, but, again, they do NOT have the Saddlebred neck set. I'm sorry but certain breeds excel at some sports and don't excel at others. The US Cavalry discovered that there is NO horse that Can do it all. In the 1930's they tried it and failed and that is why the Horse Cavalry was phased out in 1942.
Saddlebreds are, like TWH's, KMH's, RMH's, Foxtrotters and Pasos, bred for rider comfort. They can do things like endurance quite well, just not built for jumping.
 
#14 ·
My vote is either Morgan or QH. Both are intelligent, versatile, easily trained in either discipline (or both), and hardy. At the moment I have two Morgans and like you, had no specific discipline in mind for them (apart from trail riding), but I am now taking dressage lessons with the older one (4) and he is doing great!
 
#15 ·
Gypsies are also not 'bred' to jump, but almost all love it, try it more often than we like when at liberty and do very well at it, under saddle.



This little mare hadn't even been ridden for a long time, let alone jumped. She was just saddled up for a buyer to see what she could do.

No horses do it all. Some do more than others. I think the OP should look at (and ride) many different horses, including some interesting crosses, before making a decision.

Lizzie
 
#19 ·
If I were you I would shop for a horse that is already trained to jump, that way you know it WILL. You can work on slowing it down enough to do WP on your own. It really doesn't matter the breed, unless you WANT to go to breed-specific shows.

Shopping at shows is the best way to find a horse, IMO. You get to see how they react to stress, and the owners are not "presenting" the horse to you, so you can form an early opinion without a sales pitch.

Nancy
 
#20 ·
I'm with the vote on QH. These days they come in so many different "varieties" you really can find something built to suit dual needs. My pleasure bred boy could jump 4ft no problem, was fearless on the trails (which made me think = XC someday!), and wonderful movement for Dressage. Not all of them are quiet either. Dani is the hottest, spunkiest QH I've ever met. She's not the type of horse that you could barrel race and then turn around to trail ride in the same day. Of course now she's getting much better but that's because I don't want a hot horse LOL.

I do know a gal who actually events with her ASB mare. Just met her recently actually. She's the sturdier old school build, still a bit hyped up, but is apparently coming along very well. They've had some issues with Dressage - I don't think anything with the jumping portion.

I've always like well built ApQhs that get the best of both worlds. TB x Drafts were popular around me for awhile. Some of them turned out nicely others were just uggo >.>
 
#21 ·
QHs are IMHO the best all-round breed, but you can find a decent all-rounder in many breeds. It just depends on the individual horse.

I would recommend finding a trainer that does multiple disciplines and ask what they look for in their horses--at my barn we do h/j, eventing, dressage, cutting, sorting, penning, etc.

I like short-backed horses with good conformation, dense bone, and enough athleticism to jump, cut cattle (or have good lateral movement for reining), and collect comfortably. Generally 14.2-15.2 HH, although bigger may not be a problem since you're not interested in working cattle. If you're wanting to compete western pleasure, you'll also need a horse with a quiet mind that won't mind the slow pace. Breed is secondary to all that, haha.

My trainer has the best little QH that I got a two 1sts in a hunter division, and I took him the following weekend to a ranch sorting where he did well, then a couple of weeks after that, he got grand champ in jumpers (with a young rider). If my horse is out of commission, I sometimes take dressage lessons on him (though my trainer will admit that it's because she likes me to school him after the kids ride him, bahaha). He'll carry any kid safely, but he's well trained enough that I enjoy riding him too at a much higher level. He's really a horse that does anything you ask him to!
 
#22 ·
Personally, I think it depends more on the temperament, conformation, and ability of the individual horse than the particular breed.

Anymore, there is such a wide range of different styles/builds of most breeds that you can find anything from short and squatty to tall and flowy, regardless of breed.

Personally, I would likely choose a stock horse (AQHA, Paint, ApHC, etc) just because those are the breeds that I know best and I know what basic lines to look for...and avoid.
 
#24 ·
I agree with a lot of the opinions already expressed--stock horses are very versatile, and an Appendix QH would be likely to have the scope you want for competing in HJ. I've seen some of the Warmblood/Arab crosses, and they're absolutely fantastic if you have the budget for them.

That said, it's been my personal experience that Haflingers are also extremely versatile. They're not tall, of course, so really high-level jumping might be beyond them, but what your average Haffie lacks in height they make up for in spirit. They're small, but strong, physically and mentally. They're not common in the Western show ring in particular, but I've seen some truly great reining Haflingers, and the breed is gaining popularity in Dressage. In the US, you typically only see children competing in HJ on them, but in Europe they're not uncommon in the jumping ring.

Take all that with a grain of salt. I am, of course, biased.

But! Haflinger reining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1FU4X4eTEI

Haflinger jumping with adult rider:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA9yNUYcs0k
 
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