# Saddlebred/Arab cross?



## CinderEve

I'm curious about saddlebred/Arab crosses. What are your thoughts? Good natured? Versatile?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## lilruffian

I've only ever seen one. He looked more like an arab, though tall & with a longer back. Handsome fellow, though. The lady used him for trail riding & was teaching him to jump.
It depends on the actual horse & what you want to do with them.
Personally, i'm not a Saddlebred fan but i love Arabs so who knows with me ha ha. Arab crosses are very popular in general & usually quite good horses so i cant see this being a terrible cross...


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## tinyliny

You mean National Show Horses, no? Those that I have seen are very high strung. They are gorgeous to look at but are nervous and high energy. The doubel whammy of two breeds with necks that are set on high makes it hard to get them to reach down and forward. they tend to run like gazelles with the head in the air. I have also seen that they can more easily have a slightly dropped back (sway) so be harder to fit a saddle to.
The have a ton of stamina and brio and are FAST!


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## SaddleDragon

Ist the cross of my 2 favorites. They are great. I love the personality of the arabs, the size and panache of the sb's. Extremly versitile and usually very sweet. Both are smart breeds and if left to their own devices they can be a handfull. The actually want/need human interaction. Most other breeds seem to put up with people. Thatn is a generalization, not all horses/breeds are the same. I seen nutty QH's and lazy sb's, and arabs give lead line lessons.

here is the only cross Ive owned myself, buit Ive seen many and they are very sucessfull and popular.
This is Kizzie, Kiss Him Goodbye. Registered 1/2 arab, dam was a asb, sire was arab.



I know, I know, no helmet, blah, blah, blah


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## SaddleDragon

They


tinyliny said:


> You mean National Show Horses, no? Those that I have seen are very high strung. They are gorgeous to look at but are nervous and high energy. The doubel whammy of two breeds with necks that are set on high makes it hard to get them to reach down and forward. they tend to run like gazelles with the head in the air. I have also seen that they can more easily have a slightly dropped back (sway) so be harder to fit a saddle to.
> The have a ton of stamina and brio and are FAST!


People that like these horses, prefer to have proud looking horses. Not cattle that has been bored to death.


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## sehrlieb

Saddlebred/Arab crosses, also known as National Show horses, are primarily bred to be english saddleseat horses. Most "half arabs" that you would see at Arabian shows in english pleasure classes are saddlebred crosses. I work on an Arabian farm and we've had a couple of half arabs (saddlebred crosses) in for training and from my experience with them and ones I've seen at shows they tend to be pretty hot. I'm not a huge fan of saddlebreds based simply on looks but I've also met quite a few who were pretty neurotic. That being said, I've also met a couple who were super sweet and easy, just depends on the horse! I will say they can be very impressive movers too!


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## HNS101

i love them but it really depends on the horse i've had one who was very hott he had a saddleseat backround though and i've also had one who was a amazing versatle horse he was so sweeet natured and even if they are hott they are amazingly sweet it really depends if they have shown saddleseat before but i love them.......btw they are also called national show horses


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## equiniphile

You mean a National Show Horse? My uncle and aunt have a ranch with 30 or so horses, a few for every discipline and mostly arabs, and my favorite (well, tied with their reining stallion which is just an EXCELLENT ride) is their NSH Southern Grace; Arab and Saddlebred cross. I believe she's triple-registered with the arab, saddlebred, and NSH associations. I love this horse more than words, but my aunt lives across the country in CO and I don't get to see them often.

Gracie is an amazing horse; she's worth about $30,000. She's an English Pleasure horse and has the most gorgeous headset and fluid gaits. I trust this horse implicitly and she's so responsive. She's crazy smart; I taught her to bow in one 20-minute session and refined it ocne a day for a week until it was perfect. I love her conformation; she's stocky yet graceful and gorgeously put together. Her mane is about 2 feet long and gorgeous; her tail is thick and her coat amazingly shiny....blah im babbling. She's very smooth, smart, and willing. All she wants is to please you, and she makes you feel like the best rider in the world. I'm attaching pics.

*I have a video of me riding her if anyone knows how to upload a video off a disk; I've tried everything!*


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## CinderEve

Wow, she's beautiful!

I didn't know they were NSHs. I'm a little obtuse when it comes to breeds other than TBs, drafts, QHs and straight Arabs lol. 

There's a lovely weanling that has really nice parents, he's well handled, healthy. He seems nicely put together. I get a really good feeling about him. I haven't had a baby around for quite some time but I feel like I can't miss this opportunity with him. Does that make sense? I would be handling him daily, I will be sending him to a professional trainer when he's old enough. Most likely I will be using him for trails, maybe foxhunting with Cinder, depending.

This is a pic of him (this is not my picture but one the breeder sent me)


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## tinyliny

*Cattle?*



SaddleDragon said:


> They
> 
> People that like these horses, prefer to have proud looking horses. Not cattle that has been bored to death.


I know that folks who love NSH love the show in the show horse. OK. but that doesn't mean other horses are "cattle"! I beg your pardon.

My friend's NSH is a giraffe runner and is a nutcase. Beautiful but a nutcase. On the other hand, I met a man who rode his NSH in Alaska all over killer trails and in sight of grizzlies and said it was the best horse ever.

I only meant about the neck that in general, they don't make easy horses to train in dressage.

Yours IS a handsome horse , without a doubt.


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## equiniphile

tinyliny said:


> I only meant about the neck that in general, they don't make easy horses to train in dressage.


Gracie would win first if I entered her in a level 1 or 2 dressage competition, right now, without any more training. Her headset is gorgeous and natural, her gaits are completely controlled by the energy in your body, and I know from riding her many times that she's got her half-passes, lead changes, circles, stops, and transitions down pat. She wasn't trained for dressage though, she was trained to be an English Pleasure horse.


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## equiniphile

Here's some screenshots of her carriage for an idea....

http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr340/equiniphile/AAA my pets/AAA Southern Grace/cantering.png
http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr340/equiniphile/AAA my pets/AAA Southern Grace/canterrr.png
http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr340/equiniphile/AAA my pets/AAA Southern Grace/graceee.png
http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr340/equiniphile/AAA my pets/AAA Southern Grace/gracieee.png
http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr340/equiniphile/AAA my pets/AAA Southern Grace/run.png
http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr340/equiniphile/AAA my pets/AAA Southern Grace/Untitled.png

GAH I need to stop, I'm taking over this thread!


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## CinderEve

She's beautiful and I appreciate the input!! Do you think then I should go ahead and get him?


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## myhorsesonador

CinderEve said:


> She's beautiful and I appreciate the input!! Do you think then I should go ahead and get him?


If you want him then HECK YAH! lol


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

*Saddlebred/Arab Cross*

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my NSH, ASB/Arab crosses. They are some of the most people oriented horses I've ever had. The NSH was originally bred to be an English (Saddleseat) horse, but many of them are now being used in all disciplines. 

I have LA Peppermint Patti, Atomic Deluxe X KZ Jubilee, she's 3/4 Saddlebred, 1/4 Arabian and a gorgeous Tobiano Pinto as well. She is NOT a saddleseat horse, nor is it looking like her son by RA Hot Every Night will be a Saddleseat horse. Patti is a Res. Champ. Pinto Congress Mare, her sire is a World Champ Pinto Stallion, RA Hot Every Night is World Champ Pinto and 5 gaited champ. 

I used to own TR Supergirl, HF Mister Chips++ (Canadian Champion Park Horse) X Calloways Blue Norther Daughter (one of the top siring ASB Park horses in history) and Gigi never took an English step in her life. 

None of these horses is HOT, a NUTCASE or a GAZELLE with an inverted neck. Actually, Gigi has one of the most gorgeous necks I've ever seen and has a super typey (Arabian) head. 



 
Above's a link to a rather poor video of Gigi, she's so lazy I could barely get her to get excited enough to flip her tail up over her back for the video. She's now got a great home in NM and going to be used for foxhunting. 

What all 3 horses have in common besides registry is the common desire to be loved, crave attention, love to please and have a wonderful work ethic. Oh yeah, and they're flashy besides.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

CinderEve said:


> She's beautiful and I appreciate the input!! Do you think then I should go ahead and get him?


Do you have a pedigree on him?


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

LOL, I just found a picture of Gigi that sums up the Saddlebred/Arab cross for me. 

Sense of humour!









The first pic shows Gigi stealing my barn helper's gloves. We were on our way to take pics and she thought it would be 'funny' to steal Heidi's gloves. Typical prankster of a horse!

Patti has been known to steal hammers when we're out working on the barn, and to try to 'help' with repairs. Smart smart smart!


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## PintoTess

yes they are called national show horses and are very "hot" if you know what i mean. i wouldnt mind one though. id rather a hot one with a little ATTITUDE!!!


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## SaddleDragon

PintoTess said:


> yes they are called national show horses and are very "hot" if you know what i mean. i wouldnt mind one though. id rather a hot one with a little ATTITUDE!!!


Saying they are 'hot', is a major generalization. No, neither breed is considered lazy, but hot isnt nessacarily true. Ive seen spastic stock horses and arabs and asb's the needed a fire under their butts. Its a personality thing, not a breed thing!


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## CinderEve

Well, someone snapped him up while I was umming and ahhing so maybe it's for the best.


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## SaddleDragon

Darn, dont rule them out. They are loving horses that would go to the ends of the earth for their peeople.


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## NCRider

I know this thread is defunct, but just wanted to say that I bought an Arab/Saddlbred cross this year (he's registered as a Half-Arab) and he has a fantastic temperament. He's not hot at all, but pretty easy-going and tries to please. If something startles him he'll spook, but not a dangerous spook; he just jumps a little. 

When I was looking for a horse, the last thing I wanted was a hot, crazy horse, and when I saw him for sale, I almost didn't go see him because of the reputation of the ASH. But his owner insisted he was calm, and she was right. I don't know if they're all like this--maybe not, from what some have said here--but I'm very blessed to have found him.

He's a beautiful mover and has great potential as a dressage horse. That's him in the picture on the left.


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