I can't believe this thread.
Thoroughbreds are bad, Warmbloods are bad, Arabs are bad. Such and such a breed is bad.
This is just not something I believe is possible. I think people just get biases, often based on only one encounter with a breed.
Horses are MADE stubborn, MADE dull, MADE disagreeable, MADE difficult. They aren't born that way.
I love Thoroughbreds. I love Arabs. I love Warmbloods.
Warmbloods are probably the most maligned. Initially, Americans bought a lot of warmbloods, without knowing how to train them, feed them or manage them. They tried to ride them like other horses they had grown up on - and with bad results. They didn't want to listen to the Europeans who had developed, managed and trained them for hundreds of years. So what happened. It's predictable.
Warmbloods aren't responsive? Well, I had a trainer spend THREE minutes showing me how to have a responsive horse, and no, there were no whips, chains or beatings involved. People simply do not know how to ride them. It's really sad in a way, but it's really that simple. I get sad when I see one poking along and the rider complaining and kicking and hitting the animal. The rider doesn't even REALIZE he's created this problem himself! And blames the horse!!
What I like about my warmbloods, is that they are so active, agile and energetic, as well as affectionate, loyal and smart. Insensitive? Dull? Not unless you make them that way by incorrect training. Intelligent? Oh yes. And I have one 'old type' and one 'modern type' and both are incredible animals.
People who want a quiet horse that is easy to handle and can fall into any sort of routine especially infrequent riding, should be looking at breeds that are known for having more individuals that are less sensitive and less energetic - Paints, Quarter Horses, and similar breeds and crosses like draft crosses.
Within those breeds, there will always be some that are more sensitive and energetic, and some that are less so, as with all breeds. But there does tend to be a general pattern in a breed, usually because a lot of breeders selected a lot of stallions and mares with certain traits that are desirable for that function that breed was developed for.
With the breeds that are often less active and less sensitive, you often can run into a situation where they need firmer discipline. They have more time to think things through and aren't as easily impressed by light types of training. They may also hold onto early training more persistently, and be harder to retrain.
On the other hand, more active, more sensitive individuals may at times react better to different kinds of training, and need different kinds of routines. They may not perform well unless they're 'in a program' where they get ridden more frequently and get a chance to expend their energy.
A more active sensitive animal may react to bad training by getting nervous and tense - fighting the bit, kicking out when the rider uses his legs wrong, or running away when anticipating the pain of a badly sitting rider that puts them off balance.
'Shying' can be due to the rider not allowing the horse to go forward, or to pulling on the reins while at the same time urging the horse to go forward with the legs, causing tension and confusion. And certainly shying may come about easier in a more sensitive horse. 'Nervousness' can be due to unsteady hands that bounce up and down because the rider's seat and back are stiff. The horse may fuss with his head and yank on the reins. Bucking, rearing and bolting are common when the rider doesn't respect the individual horse's needs for exercise and gives him more grain than work. Some horses simply need more work and less grain. Refusing to go where one wants can be due to not understanding how the horse was trained, or to not establishing basic obedience to leg and rein.
Because a few individuals one runs across kick, or are difficult, can be due to many things. Incorrect handling, management or training, or all three, being a big factor.
The average pleasure rider doesn't understand any type of horse other than the one he's used to. He's going to get in trouble with more challenging horses or those that can't be ridden once a week or once a month. The same horse another rider might find just fine.
Sport horses - Arabians, Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds and their crosses, simply were not developed to be go out every few weeks and walk along a trail on a loose rein. They were bred to be courageous, active, and busy - every day. While individuals may suit a pleasure riding situation, the breeds weren't developed with that kind of use in mind.
At one training barn I was at, we had two Arabians in for training, both from the same breeder and raised in exactly the same way. One was very quiet and had low energy. The challenge was in getting him reliantly obedient to light signals - and to the FIRST signal, not the ninth or tenth in a series more firmer requests to move his rear. The trainer often had to resort to a firm tap with the whip to back up her signals. The other horse, a full sister to him, was nick named 'Flyer'. She was extremely sensitive and fast, and had a very, very high need for activity. Even after trotting and galloping around a big paddock all day, she was a challenge to keep under control during arena work. One day the trainer brought her back into the barn, the horse's nostrils billowing in and out, her body covered all over in sweat. 'I think I got to the bottom of her' said the trainer, sounding a little skeptical. She said the mare had cantered and trotted very energetically, for forty five minutes, leaping forward every time the (very skilled and sensitive) trainer touched her with her legs.
The next day, 'Flyer' went out for her usual day, and spent the entire day cantering and trotting her pasture. Diet changes, more, less exercise, more, less fitness - nothing changed that. In other words, That Was Just Her! Full siblings - same sire, same dam, same handling - the first horse went to a youth rider and did western pleasure and english pleasure and the kid worked for every step. The second horse went to an endurance rider who LOVED to go out five times a week on that mare and was over the moon pleased with her wins in endurance. The MARE loved it too.
It isn't about a 'breed is bad'. It's about getting animals suitable training that fits their energy level and sensitivity, and finding them an appropriate job and an appropriate rider.
Edited by welsummerchicks - 10/31/10 at 6:43am
Me too, Ropo!
