Horse Talk

[PeepersMama]

This is what I don't really like. I mean, my horses are turned out 24/7, a whole group of them, and have barbed wire fence (I know, I know, controversial topic) and they (knock on wood!) never get hurt. I'd love to show them (June and Jasmine), but if I ever got so deep into it that they had to be stalled 24/7 with no companion then I wouldn't do it. Their happiness is super important to me. I don't want a dull, sad horse who's had the life drained out of it because it can't remember what the sun or a friend looks like. And they say they're worried about them pulling a muscle, but if they were turned out enough they wouldn't get so excited that they pull a muscle.

I don't think show horses are stupid. Most are actually pretty smart, it's just that they're only taught what they need to know in the show ring, which isn't the horses fault at all.
I can't speak for halter horses though. I don't like halter horses

But a reining or cutting horse has to be smart for sure. June's reining bred and I think she's a little too smart sometimes. Makes her a butthead.

He's beautiful! And I think he's pretty well behaved for all that he's got goin on, I mean he's an Arabian, he's a stallion, he's probably stalled 24/7, and we know he's bred mares so being around mares probably gets him excited and I bet there's some in that show ring. He could be better but he doesn't look too crazy to me

Yeah!

Oh yes they do. One of my first horses, Zailey, would act like a total greenie until we got her two buddies. Then all of the sudden, it was like she figured out was ground manners were! She remembered round-penning, stood still for baths, didn't freak out (as bad) with plastic bags, etc, and I suspect it was because hse had a herd.

Oohh okay. That makes sense. I don't have as much experience showing as I would like to say, but hopefully that'll change when we get Armira

He probably is. I'm just used to super chill horses, I guess

 

[abigalerose]

I have a feeling your in for it then, when you get Amira

I'm use to chill horses too, I'm definitely not at a level where I'd want to deal with an Arabian.
A nice clydsdale would work for me

 

[res]

Not all Arabs are bat-crap crazy. LOTS of them know how and when to "turn it on" and "turn it off". The barn I manage is a therapeutic riding center. We have several riding programs that require us to "borrow" extra privately owned horses, specifically, GOOD trail horses. What do we borrow???? Arabs. That compete heavily in Endurance - 25, 50, and even 100 milers. We usually borrow 9 Arabs, twice a year, for 2 months at a time. Those horse can hustle down the trail with the more experienced, able bodied riders, but walk on eggshells and stand like rocks for the challenged riders that need 3 adults assisting them in the saddle. The kids also have to bring the horses in and fully tack them. Those Arabs stand better than the Quarter Horses for the challenged kids. They are VERY sensitive to the handler's cues.

 

[Kusanar]

Not all Arabs are bat-crap crazy. LOTS of them know how and when to "turn it on" and "turn it off". The barn I manage is a therapeutic riding center. We have several riding programs that require us to "borrow" extra privately owned horses, specifically, GOOD trail horses. What do we borrow???? Arabs. That compete heavily in Endurance - 25, 50, and even 100 milers. We usually borrow 9 Arabs, twice a year, for 2 months at a time. Those horse can hustle down the trail with the more experienced, able bodied riders, but walk on eggshells and stand like rocks for the challenged riders that need 3 adults assisting them in the saddle. The kids also have to bring the horses in and fully tack them. Those Arabs stand better than the Quarter Horses for the challenged kids. They are VERY sensitive to the handler's cues.

Thanks for saying this. One of my Arabs, I used to give beginner lessons on him, just walk trot, he was never truely safe at a canter (due to not knowing where his feet were and falling flat on his face), the other Arab, if we have toddler age kids at the barn, I'll open the stall that one shares with my mini gelding and let the kid go in there to bother the horses because he is so gentle he won't bother them.

 

[Bunnylady]

I worked for a while for a person that said she hated Arabs and TB's - said they were all crazy. I handled the same animals she was referring to, and they didn't seem a bit crazy to me. A horse is a mirror of its handler, and that goes double for a hot blood. You can go scurrying down the barn aisle, quickly dumping food in the feeders, and a QH will be like, "oh, good, my dinner has finally arrived." You do that with an Off the Track Thoroughbred, and he may plaster himself against the back wall as you come bouncing in the door. We had some that were a bit quirky (like the obsessive-compulsive one who just had to put his mouth on everything), but IME for the most part, they are very people-oriented animals, where you get back "pressed down, shaken together and running over" what you put into them.

 

[abigalerose]

Oh yeah, I don't think they're crazy. But they are a little hot. I can be a little jumpy about things sometimes when I'm riding, and June handles it well because she's very lazy, but I think it would make an Arabian nervous, and then that'd make me nervous, and then it'd be all downhill from there lol. But they're smart beautiful animals, and I think you're right about them being very sensitive to their riders cues.
And I'm finally starting to love TBs

 

[ShrekDawg]

Not all Arabs are bat-crap crazy. LOTS of them know how and when to "turn it on" and "turn it off". The barn I manage is a therapeutic riding center. We have several riding programs that require us to "borrow" extra privately owned horses, specifically, GOOD trail horses. What do we borrow???? Arabs. That compete heavily in Endurance - 25, 50, and even 100 milers. We usually borrow 9 Arabs, twice a year, for 2 months at a time. Those horse can hustle down the trail with the more experienced, able bodied riders, but walk on eggshells and stand like rocks for the challenged riders that need 3 adults assisting them in the saddle. The kids also have to bring the horses in and fully tack them. Those Arabs stand better than the Quarter Horses for the challenged kids. They are VERY sensitive to the handler's cues.

Thanks for saying this. One of my Arabs, I used to give beginner lessons on him, just walk trot, he was never truely safe at a canter (due to not knowing where his feet were and falling flat on his face), the other Arab, if we have toddler age kids at the barn, I'll open the stall that one shares with my mini gelding and let the kid go in there to bother the horses because he is so gentle he won't bother them.

I worked for a while for a person that said she hated Arabs and TB's - said they were all crazy. I handled the same animals she was referring to, and they didn't seem a bit crazy to me. A horse is a mirror of its handler, and that goes double for a hot blood. You can go scurrying down the barn aisle, quickly dumping food in the feeders, and a QH will be like, "oh, good, my dinner has finally arrived." You do that with an Off the Track Thoroughbred, and he may plaster himself against the back wall as you come bouncing in the door. We had some that were a bit quirky (like the obsessive-compulsive one who just had to put his mouth on everything), but IME for the most part, they are very people-oriented animals, where you get back "pressed down, shaken together and running over" what you put into them.

Oh yeah, I don't think they're crazy. But they are a little hot. I can be a little jumpy about things sometimes when I'm riding, and June handles it well because she's very lazy, but I think it would make an Arabian nervous, and then that'd make me nervous, and then it'd be all downhill from there lol. But they're smart beautiful animals, and I think you're right about them being very sensitive to their riders cues.
And I'm finally starting to love TBs

They seem like great horses!

 

[henny1129]

Oh yeah, I don't think they're crazy. But they are a little hot. I can be a little jumpy about things sometimes when I'm riding, and June handles it well because she's very lazy, but I think it would make an Arabian nervous, and then that'd make me nervous, and then it'd be all downhill from there lol. But they're smart beautiful animals, and I think you're right about them being very sensitive to their riders cues.
And I'm finally starting to love TBs

A while ago I rode at a place that had off the track Thoroughbreds.....they were very good horses! Extremely gentle and caring and excellent jumpers too! They had a Welsh Pony there that threw me off 3 times, none of the TB's ever threw me off.

 

[Kusanar]

Oh yeah, I don't think they're crazy. But they are a little hot. I can be a little jumpy about things sometimes when I'm riding, and June handles it well because she's very lazy, but I think it would make an Arabian nervous, and then that'd make me nervous, and then it'd be all downhill from there lol. But they're smart beautiful animals, and I think you're right about them being very sensitive to their riders cues.
And I'm finally starting to love TBs

Yes, they are VERY in tune to their riders and SMART....

My grey Arab has a very evil sense of humor too... For instance, a friend of mine was riding him around bareback while I rode her horse, just at a walk, he didn't want to work, wanted to go back to the barn and outside, he pitched a small fit at the gate, she corrected him, got him moving again and he just put his head down and looked like he was sleep walking, went completely passive... about 1/4 of the way around the ring, out of nowhere, he just did a buck and twist... at a walk... she was relaxed, not expecting trouble, and came off (onto her feet though), and when I heard it, I looked around, he was standing there with an innocent look on his face and she was standing beside him looking shocked...

He likes to do things like that a lot, if you can get him to want to work for you, then you're golden, but if he doesn't want to... Good luck... lol

 

[PeepersMama]

I have a feeling your in for it then, when you get Amira

I'm use to chill horses too, I'm definitely not at a level where I'd want to deal with an Arabian.
A nice clydsdale would work for me

We have two right now, so she won't be lonely. She's litterally like a giant lab; like my great pyr, honestly. She pokes you with her nose if you ignore her

If I worked Smoke consitently, he wouold be perfect. I don't think he's any more than 14 hands at most. I wouldn't be suprised if he was barely over 12, the little shorty

I love how tal-short he is