Choosing a horse musing!

[pistolpete]

So my share horse buddy is a PRE X Arab. He’s an absolute sweetheart slightly more woah than go but will still do everything. Even jumps! He’s amazing. Sadly not for sale and now 17 so IF I was shopping good breeds and crosses that might be similar? Always found my highland a bit too much and found my warm blood speedy but solid. Appreciate thoughts recommendations and musings.

 

[HopOnTrot]

Work out what you want to do with a horse and finds a horse that does that job, in your budget.

 

[pistolpete]

Happy hack. The highland was a very unhappy hack! Warm blood loved it!

 

[Boulty]

You do seem to get on pretty well with PRE types so if money were no object maybe that would be a decent avenue to go down / a PRE X like your current share? If you found the right one a good cob could probably do what you’re after as well but with a bit less refinement / natural ability for collection (but then again they seem to be particularly prone to being lacking in correct early training in which case they can be absolute nightmares!). I’ve met some really nice Arabs as well tbf.

Funnily enough a friend of mine who absolutely wasn’t looking for one (She met the orange one in his “Gollum” period and don’t think he sold the breed all that well!) who has now ended up with 2 flavours of Welsh. One is very stereotypical on the ground (not so much ridden tbf) but the other is a literal angel. NOT suggesting you seek one out (although I probably am mad enough to be tempted back to them!) but goes to show you don’t always end up with what you thought you wanted when you started looking

 

[Cortez]

Happy hack. The highland was a very unhappy hack! Warm blood loved it!

That’s a very broad remit, almost anything could fit that job. If you liked the Hispanoarabe then perhaps look for a PRE fusion (stupid new name for Spanish cross), or an Anglo Arab - does anyone breed those anymore?

 

[I'm Dun]

arab!

 

[Ratface]

Definitely Arab! But I could be biased . . .

 

[Peglo]

I don’t think I would go looking for a specific breed for what you want. But that is pretty rich coming from me who was looking at haflingers for sale but when I saw Tali’s advert it was a love at first sight scenario with her (from a photo) and I just couldn’t get her out of my mind. No other horse has given me the same feeling. But she is the second special haffie I’ve owned so I’m biased to that breed.

when it comes to hacking some horses just love it and others don’t so I wouldn’t write off any particular breed if your not fussy on what kind of horse you ride. Buy one that enjoys hacking already.

 

[pistolpete]

A friend has a delightful TB who hacks like a dream! So you’re right the important thing is that he/she enjoys their job. I still love the look of the PRE and PRE crosses. The horse I adore in Spain is PRE Xquarter horse allegedly. He’s fantastic but over 20 now sadly it is be asking to buy him. Here’s a pic of him. Gordi!

 

[Cortez]

One of the nicest all round horses I’ve had through my hands was an Arab X Irish Draught. He wasn’t particularly spectacular at anything, other than just being a good egg and generally pleasant to be around, but he was easy to break and train on. He was also really pretty and sturdy enough for anyone to ride.

 

[shortstuff99]

A friend has a delightful TB who hacks like a dream! So you’re right the important thing is that he/she enjoys their job. I still love the look of the PRE and PRE crosses. The horse I adore in Spain is PRE Xquarter horse allegedly. He’s fantastic but over 20 now sadly it is be asking to buy him. Here’s a pic of him. Gordi!

There are a couple of breeders in the UK that breed this cross (they call them Aztecas or something like that).

 

[HopOnTrot]

My TB was a great hack, wasn’t the right horse for me though. When I buy again I’m going to take physio and instructor with me, they have the brains and eyes I don’t!

 

[maya2008]

A good hack…depends on their early training and life, more than anything. Any breed will do it. Everything I have ever had, has loved hacking, from Shetland to cob to TB.

 

[Goldie's mum]

So my share horse buddy is a PRE X Arab. He’s an absolute sweetheart slightly more woah than go but will still do everything. Even jumps! He’s amazing. Sadly not for sale and now 17 so IF I was shopping good breeds and crosses that might be similar? Always found my highland a bit too much and found my warm blood speedy but solid. Appreciate thoughts recommendations and musings.

Random musings:-
I found it was a waste of time (in my area at least) to look at "happy hackers". Too many people market broken horses that can no longer do anything else as "just a hack" to get them off their hands when actually they need to retire.

Not as many people pay attention to teaching a young horse to hack now that it's normal to box everywhere. It's seen as the poor relation- if he's not doing well in the important disciplines you could always teach him to hack.

There's a mis-match. If you are producing to sell, you concentrate on jumping pictures, once you own it the hacking is what makes an easy horse to keep exercised from day to day!

Ex-trekking ponies can be hit & miss. I've had two over the years that came as "nappy". Actually neither understood what the heck was going on, having only been taught to follow the tail in front. One schooled very well & became great, the other not so much. (ETA The successful one was a cob, unsuccessful was highland but that's hardly a scientific sample!)

Sorry- none of that is the least bit helpful!
Except to emphasise that you are looking for an individual, not a type or category. It's difficult because there's no standard measure of hacking ability to look at, no 'does he jump to 1m' or compete 'in xyz level' etc.

 

[Goldie's mum]

One more hack-buying musing, then I'll shut up.

You are probably searching in more up-market areas than I was but if you are tempted by a horse that "will be a bombproof hack because he has been driven in the past" insist on watching it be driven. Some of those are a bombproof hack, others are bat-sh1t crazy when they meet something that reminds them of the driving accident!

 

[Annagain]

Before she started sharing Wiggy, my sharer shared a Friesian. When that fell through, she was looking to buy an determined she wanted another Friesian. She started sharing Wiggy when she couldn't find what she wanted and now realises that, as much as she loved the Friesian, he wasn't that great a horse to ride. Just because you love what you have now, doesn't mean you can't enjoy something else and buying the same breed doesn't guarantee you'll get a similar horse.

All of mine have been great to hack (other than Charlie's pig issue and even that was manageable in company) but different. We suspect (none of them have recorded breeding) that Archie, Charlie and Wiggy are all part ID, probably crossed with other things (we suspect Irish cob, TB and Connie respectively) but don't know for certain. Archie was the most forward (bloody strong!) of them, Charlie the most spooky (but still pretty good) and Wig the laziest (but still responsive). Monty was TB x Shire x SecD and he was great too (he didn't like big things coming towards him after a near miss with a glazing van and a motorbike but would just freeze and shake bless him) and in a plot twist, Eb was a Sec D and probably the most bombproof (but stupidly excitable - we spent a lot of time going sideways or on two legs, I don't think I'd want that now!) out of all of them. A good horse is a good horse regardless of breeding.

I'd second whoever said above that looking for the horse who is already doing it is the best way to go - the mistake I made with Charlie was buying one that could be doing it (and he is now doing with it someone else) but I didn't realise how much I'd slowed down since buying Archie 20 years ago and I just didn't have the confidence Charlie needed me to have. Wiggy is very much more been there got the t-shirt and I'm so much happier on him.

 

[sportsmansB]

Its also important to remember that if you want a happy hacker, you need to keep and manage them in such a way as they will continue to be so, or get one with a genuinely really quiet temperament.
My mare is an excellent hack, brave, quiet, marches on. But she needs to do a variety of other more tiring work to keep her that way, If all she did was hack she'd get fresher and fresher and likely no longer be so good- unless she lived out 24/7.
She's an ISH (but one with the WB thrown in) - shes quite sharp and forward to ride, especially jumping, but shes quiet to hack (I wouldn't chance cantering in a big group though)

I think in the winter due to limited facilities some people keep their hackers more like competition horses but never really tire them out enough

 

[HopOnTrot]

Mine is the opposite to @sportsmansB she is a bombproof hack and I know it I got on her tomorrow (after 2 months off due to KS surgery) we could happily go for a hack without issue. Forest bred New Forest so I think it’s in her DNA

 

[LadyGascoyne]

Partbred Arabs are fantastic fun.

Mim is 80.3% and Miri is 50% - she is half QH.

They are both such sensible, straightforward horses and a joy to have around. So uncomplicated but they will both turn a hoof to anything.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

can’t read and not recommend a fell pony!

 

[pistolpete]

I don’t think I could do another native after the highland!