hand it over to someone who is an inexperienced handler and you can have an injury... That is what I am saying... They are hard to fit saddle wise and a lot like riding a pickle barrel. You have to watch their diet as they are extremely easy to keep and it is this factor that leads to a LOT of trouble...They want something... they just go get it...
Yeah well, they are basically draft horses. Only pony-sized. What you write above is all draft horse characteristics. (Not, obviously, every horse of every draft breed... but, certainly *on average*)
The extent to which people get into trouble with Fjords or Haflingers is I think partly a reflection of thinking of them as cute fuzzy-wuzzy ponies rather than vertically-disadvantaged draft horses. That is certainly not the HORSES' fault.
And these traits of draft horses are *excellent* for what draft horses are MEANT to do (and pretty darn handy for some things they were not originally bred for either, like lower level eventing or slow foxhunting, although unfortunately soundness can become limiting).
It's like saying "I hate racecars, they are too fast!" or "I hate watchdogs, the way they bark at everything". You know? If you want a racecar or a watchdog, you're going to be pretty ANNOYED if it DOESN'T go fast or bark. Uh, respectively, I mean (she says, envisioning a barking racecar
)
Quote:
Exactly precisely!
There certainly are a few breeds that it's easier for inexperienced folks to screw up than other breeds (though honestly I would not put any of the above in that category -- I am think more like what happens when a novice rider without much in the way of a trainer buys a young Lipizzaner because it's "cool"...), but you know, ANY breed consists largely of horses that will not do well being started/trained by inexperienced folks allergic to advice.
And that's not an attribute of the horses, in any way, nor is it their fault.
I mean, personally, I am not wild about gaited horses -- ANY gaited horses, really, from pasos to standardbred pacers to TWH to missouri foxtrotters to the mountain-horse breeds -- but that is simply because they're not well suited to the disciplines I have spent the most time in, and I did not grow up on or "imprint on" gaits that are not a clear walk-trot-canter, so it's just not familiar or comfortable to me. All of which are purely personal custom and preference, not a judgement on the horse at all.
(And I do quite admire many of the gaited horses I've known, even ones I did not like *riding*. In fact I am quite a fan of the TWH and ASB breeds, in the sense that in my experience they have on average a BRAIN that I get along really well with, very very levelheaded and interested in working with you. I just would not want to *own* one, except maybe a pretty nongaited example to use just as an occasional trail horse)
And you know what? When I close my eyes and think "if I could only have one last ride on any horse I can imagine, and that's IT for the rest of my life, what would I want to be sitting on and doing?" I am very clear on what I'd want to be doing -- galloping a good big not-too-technical-or-rolling cross country course -- and I am very clear on what I would like my imaginary horse to be like -- in particular I am very very clear in my mind on what his movement and temperament would be like -- but I could not even begin to guess what BREED I am imagining here. It could be anything from a sturdy (probably imported) TB to one of a dozen warmblood breeds to any of a dozen draft-breed crosses to an old-timey ranch-style quarter horse.
I suppose I can name some breeds it would *not* be... but for every single breed I have encountered, even ones where I've only known ONE horse of that breed (Akhal-Teke, curly), I can very definitely name SOME things that type horse IS good for, and therefore desirable if those happen to be the sorts of things you want to do.
Pat
Yeah well, they are basically draft horses. Only pony-sized. What you write above is all draft horse characteristics. (Not, obviously, every horse of every draft breed... but, certainly *on average*)
The extent to which people get into trouble with Fjords or Haflingers is I think partly a reflection of thinking of them as cute fuzzy-wuzzy ponies rather than vertically-disadvantaged draft horses. That is certainly not the HORSES' fault.
And these traits of draft horses are *excellent* for what draft horses are MEANT to do (and pretty darn handy for some things they were not originally bred for either, like lower level eventing or slow foxhunting, although unfortunately soundness can become limiting).
It's like saying "I hate racecars, they are too fast!" or "I hate watchdogs, the way they bark at everything". You know? If you want a racecar or a watchdog, you're going to be pretty ANNOYED if it DOESN'T go fast or bark. Uh, respectively, I mean (she says, envisioning a barking racecar
Quote:
Exactly precisely!
There certainly are a few breeds that it's easier for inexperienced folks to screw up than other breeds (though honestly I would not put any of the above in that category -- I am think more like what happens when a novice rider without much in the way of a trainer buys a young Lipizzaner because it's "cool"...), but you know, ANY breed consists largely of horses that will not do well being started/trained by inexperienced folks allergic to advice.
And that's not an attribute of the horses, in any way, nor is it their fault.
I mean, personally, I am not wild about gaited horses -- ANY gaited horses, really, from pasos to standardbred pacers to TWH to missouri foxtrotters to the mountain-horse breeds -- but that is simply because they're not well suited to the disciplines I have spent the most time in, and I did not grow up on or "imprint on" gaits that are not a clear walk-trot-canter, so it's just not familiar or comfortable to me. All of which are purely personal custom and preference, not a judgement on the horse at all.
(And I do quite admire many of the gaited horses I've known, even ones I did not like *riding*. In fact I am quite a fan of the TWH and ASB breeds, in the sense that in my experience they have on average a BRAIN that I get along really well with, very very levelheaded and interested in working with you. I just would not want to *own* one, except maybe a pretty nongaited example to use just as an occasional trail horse)
And you know what? When I close my eyes and think "if I could only have one last ride on any horse I can imagine, and that's IT for the rest of my life, what would I want to be sitting on and doing?" I am very clear on what I'd want to be doing -- galloping a good big not-too-technical-or-rolling cross country course -- and I am very clear on what I would like my imaginary horse to be like -- in particular I am very very clear in my mind on what his movement and temperament would be like -- but I could not even begin to guess what BREED I am imagining here. It could be anything from a sturdy (probably imported) TB to one of a dozen warmblood breeds to any of a dozen draft-breed crosses to an old-timey ranch-style quarter horse.
I suppose I can name some breeds it would *not* be... but for every single breed I have encountered, even ones where I've only known ONE horse of that breed (Akhal-Teke, curly), I can very definitely name SOME things that type horse IS good for, and therefore desirable if those happen to be the sorts of things you want to do.
Pat
