# Whats a good breed for my first horse???



## Lis (Oct 29, 2009)

Ignore breed and go for one that is completely bombproof and well trained.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Beginner friendly, well trained, and as bombproof as possible.

Also, an easy keeper if you can find one. Hard keepers are difficult first horses, especially since there's always a learning curve for noobs.

Breed and color are immaterial at this point. You want safe, sane, and willing to put up with a beginner's mistakes.


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## stefanixx (May 18, 2010)

Are there any breeds i should stay away from?? does easy keeper referr to feeding and those sorts of things or behaviour and temperment?


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Stefanix, a hard keeper refers to a horse who has difficulty putting and keeping on weight. Sometimes it has to do with their temperament, but other times it has to do with their breed and body type.

I don't necessarily have any hard keepers, but when I brought home my TB I literally _doubled_ my feed bill. I can feed two Arabians for 2 weeks on what my _one_ TB needs for the same time schedule.

It's not so much a particular breed you need to avoid, but a particular _type_ of horse. TBs, Arabians and Saddlebreds all have the reputation of being hot and reactive. Yes and no. Some are very much stereotypical, while others are not.

As I said, find a beginner friendly horse who has been well trained. Breed and age of the animal don't matter, as long as it meets that criteria.


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## BritishReiner (Feb 12, 2010)

From my experience quarter horses tend to be hardy and well balanced mentally. I hope you find the perfect horse for you.


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

Anything that's quiet and dead broke.


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

If it's quiet and very well broke, then there is no breed to avoid. Good luck - and don't buy anything because of looks. There is no such thing as an ugly horse when it's trained well.


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## BrewCrew (May 12, 2010)

" to all that's been said. Some breeds can be more high strung then others, though, such as Arabs. That being said, my first horse was an Arab and he was (and still is!) amazing. It depends on the individual horse and the training that's gone into it. Mine had been trained and ridden pretty much every day of his life for 10 years, shown English, Western Pleasure, Hunter/Jumper, gone camping, etc. Maybe look for someone's "hand me down"; a semi-retired horse that's older and has the patience and experience you need. HTH.


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## farley (May 23, 2010)

yea i would stay away from any hard keepers and anything hot and flighty, make sure you have someone horse savy/experianced horse own/rider to go with you, ask many questions about health age and temperment, dont take someones word for anything if you consider buying visit the horse on more then one acassion have the present owner doing everything! first then you do if the owner cant control/handle or doesnt have respect from the horse then keep looking. dont buy the first thing you see there are plenty of horses out there and getting a horse should be a life time commitment if poosible, so make sure you and the horse complement each other make sure the horse will fit into your life style. anyway good luck i wish you the best


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Good advise.

I, too, would avoid the hotter breeds such as TB and Arabs. Although you can find calm examples of either, as a first horse I would avoid them until you know enough.

I would look to the stock horse breeds such as the Quarter Horse, the Paint (it's breed not just a color), or an Appaloosa and between 10 - 20 years old. The problem with a grade horse is that you really may not know what you are getting. Again, there are perfect (and many) examples of wonderful grades but, and even with a known breed, you need to take a very knowledgeable horseman with you.

How much experience do you have in taking care of horses?


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## Amarea (May 25, 2010)

I agree with what some of the others are saying. I would really watch out for TB's. I just came close to purchasing one and am glad I didn't. After visiting him again today he proved that he is very flighty and headstrong and not suitable for a beginning rider. I am looking at a QH tomorrow but this lesson showed me not to look before I leap. When you find a horse you feel is "the one" take at least 24 hours to think on it. You won't regret it.


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## mct97 (Jan 19, 2010)

I would say a quarter horse or a paint. A tennessee walker also may do well for you. Or maybe even a draftX We have a quarter horse, a paint, and a tennessee walker and they are all very easy going and super easy keepers and they are super sweet. STAY AWAY from thoroughbreds, whoever told you that was right. Thoroughbreds are often skittish and get worked up easily. Don't let their beauty draw them to you! Especially stay away from retired race horses. They are not very well socialized at young ages, and so often have health and lameness issues. For your first horse, I wouldn't recommend a warmblood either. Although many of them are quite easy going and sweet and gentle, they often have strange spooks at things that you wouldn't think they would spook at. Example: Your warmblood doesn't spook at your little brother waving a towel tied to a stick around, but he does spook at your chaps sitting still in the corner. Your very best bet would be a quarter horse, I think. They are just so easy. Hope this helps!


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## mct97 (Jan 19, 2010)

Oh, and stay away from Arabs. They are headstrong and have weird spooks. Once again, don't let the beauty draw you in.


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## wicastawakan (Mar 2, 2010)

Pretty much agree with those recommending buying a well broke and calm horse vs a breed of horse. That said, some breeds are more user friendly & likely to be healthier both physically & mentally. Do a little research and go to that group of horses & see if you can find a horse you like. Bettter yet, go shopping & buy the horse that likes YOU. Buy beauty vs pretty. You'll be glad you did.


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## Ilovemyarab (Jun 1, 2010)

My first horse was an Arab and she was perfect for what I needed, not skittish like most of them. She had been in a stall and arena her whole life and I brought her home and threw her in in field with my tiny pony. She adapted really well, although the first 6 months no one could ride her but me because she was so skittish of everything. But she is so calm now we use her for therapudic riding for a little girl with Cerebral Palsey. She just trods quietly back and forth like she knows what her job is.
So yes, find something older, and see how they do with what they will be exposed to where you are going to ride. If they are terrified of playing children, you won't want to bring them somewhere you know there will be children.
PS- My Arab will now walk quietly past kids jumping on a trampoline screaming.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

My Arab is currently a therapy horse in a riding for the disabled school - hardly wild and spooky :]

Look at horses as individuals - You might find an Arab that is perfect for your needs (Like I did) or you might find a QH, TB, ASH... As long as it is begginner safe, tolerant, willing and sound, the breed is irrelevant.

What country are you in, out of interest?


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Haven't read through any posts but the OP, so I apologize if I'm repeating what someone else said.

Breed, color, height....all are your LAST concern. Sure, turn down a hot right-off-the-track TB no matter HOW calm the horse is claimed to be (they need a lot of retraining, most of which doesn't have anything to do with temperment, but what they know), but if you go out to look at a horse and he's a good, SOLID, bombproof horse, it's worth its weight in gold no matter the breed. If you want to conduct online searches and are looking for what breed to put in, Welshes, Quarter Horses, Quarter Ponies, Arabians, Paints, Haflingers, Appaloosas, Tennessee Walking Horses, Missouri Fox Trotters....all good breeds (as a whole of course, no horse is guarenteed a good horse based on his breed) for a new rider. Standardbreds are good but watch out because a lot of them are bred to pace, often a very uncomfortable gait that you don't want them to take to the saddle. The draft mixes are also good; cold blood=calm.

Just don't turn down a horse because he's not of a breed notorious for being a good first horse. I've known Thoroughbreds as docile as lambs, and I have a Clydesdale mix I just sold that would be wayyy too spirited for a beginner.

If you have a trainer, and you're willing to work with a horse, a horse with some minor problems is alright. Minor. And only if both you and a trainer are willing to work with it. Otherwise, green+green=black & blue!!

And above all else, make sure it's a horse you feel comfortable with! If you feel a horse's trot is too big or he feels too out of control at the canter, pass him by. You'll thank yourself later when you've found a horse you feel comfortable with.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Speed Racer said:


> I don't necessarily have any hard keepers, *but when I brought home my TB I literally doubled my feed bill.* I can feed two Arabians for 2 weeks on what my _one_ TB needs for the same time schedule.
> QUOTE]
> Oh, I know what you mean. My Paso Fino gelding is 22 and on Nutrena Equine Senior.....have to feed him two plastic feed scoops of that, plus half a feed scoops of oats to keep him fit! He's very active for a senior. Costs me more than it costs to feed my four other ones!:shock:


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

Honestly every breed has horses that are hot or calm, and sure thoroughbreds of there sterotype of being hot, but don't completely avoid a certain breed just because of there sterotype. When I used to just browse horses for sale a couple years back I always never looked at the thoroughbred ads...I always saw thoroughbred on a website and hurried up to find a different breed. But go figure guess what breed my first horse is?? Yelp he's a thoroughbred, and he does not live up to the sterotype of being hot. Actually I got Hero a week after his last race and he was so level headed and calm I never thought he would of been an OTTB. There are a bunch of OTTBs at my barn and most are really calm and great horses. Needless to say go for how the horse is...that is so important..dont worry about breed but dont purposely stay away from breeds..just worry about the actual horse!


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## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

You also need to figure out if you want a horse that is gaited or not. Around here most of the horses are gaited and used for nothing but trail riding. I don't have a ton of experience with different breeds, but our TWH's are generally pretty calm and bombproof. I'd also get an idea of what size you're interested in. Both of our horses are on the small side (14.2 and 15 hands) which I think is ideal for trail riding (easier to duck under trees) and they probably eat less than a the 17+ hand horse we looked at first (maybe not, but I'd assume bigger would usually eat more). Plus, we're both short, so smaller is better and less scary for a newbie.

Have you thought about leasing a horse for a while to figure out what you like and don't like? Have you taken lessons on any particular breeds? 

Of course we were going to get 2 geldings - between ages 5 and 10. We ended up with 2 mares - ages 3 and 5. We just found two horses that were right for us. My horse, the then 3 year old (way to young for a beginner according to everything I'd read), has turned out to be the calmest and most bombproof horse whenever we trail ride with a group. The horse that should have been all wrong for me, turned out to be perfect. Just look at lots of horses with an open mind and don't jump into anything.


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## roro (Aug 14, 2009)

You'd probably get better advice if you posted specific horses you were interested in so we could critique them. 

Although I don't really encourage people to pick a horse by breed, there are a few generalizations. Quarter Horses and certain Appendixes, as well as some Paints, are typically thought of as more laid back and easier to maintain than other breeds. Thoroughbreds, Arabians, and Akhal-Tekes are generally thought of as spookier and hotter, although obviously this depends on the individual. Thoroughbreds are typically harder to keep than other breeds and might cost extra feed wise. There are a few relaxed Warmbloods around, but generally they are more suited for serious/experienced riding so they don't get boredom temperament problems.

For your first horse, your priorities are a) temperament b) health and c) experience.


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## >Smokey< (Jan 4, 2021)

If you don't want a high maintenance horse do *not *get a Gypsy Vanner... They need to be groomed a lot. I think any horse that is well broke.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

*MODERATORS NOTE:*

*This thread is from 2010.............*
Please, please read dates before making comments on old, dusty and forgotten threads.
If you have a question please start your own thread not hijack another.
If you need answers, then make a thread so answers come to you specific for what you ask about...

Based on inactivity this thread is now *CLOSED*.


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