Is there any chance of Quarter Horse blood in New Forest ponies?

Fools Motto

Fools Motto

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I'm pretty sure my NF is not a pure NF, so I might already answer my own predicament, BUT, my little 12.3h NF 3yr old filly seems to have adapted 'cow herding' very naturally!
Many a times in the past, when the cows get out/in the wrong place and in HER paddock (it happens quite a lot due to crap cow-proof fencing!) she, with purpose, goes about to get them out, and in doing so, works very well - like a cattle horse!! She is doing it herself, lose and she won't stop til all the cows are out.
Today I caught her to round up a few strays, and on the end of the line, she was working again, and didn't relax til we closed the gate! She was then clearly very proud of herself!!

Makes me want to go out and buy a small stock saddle - do they do them in synthetic?

:D:D
 
Yes you can get small western saddles. I have one that fits my mini, 12" seat I think. My synthetic, Big Horn 15" isn't pretty, but it is lightweight and fits my short backed horses.

I think that any horse can have a herding instinct, after all, it really is no different from what both sexes do naturally in a herd environment.

ps. Not all QH's have the instinct.
 
Well, maybe they do have the instinct, but in some it is so deeply buried that you'd have to dig a long way to find it.

I think it has to be cultivated. I have a mare here that is used for breakaway roping and she'll chase anything that moves, another big gelding won't do breakaway because he won't stop when the calf is caught, but is brilliant at penning and sorting.

I have another mare that is trained for penning and sorting, but unless you guide her every inch of the way she won't do a thing. There is no urge in her to do it unless she is told to. On the other hand I have an unbroken stallion that we used to graze with beef steers, had to take the poor steers out because he was running them ragged. He'd split them, and put one in a shed, then keep another one in a corner and he'd keep them where he wanted them. It could be of course that that was just his natural herding instinct, who knows. He herds his babies around too.

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Then again, my mini can't be kept with sheep because he herds them!



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Some NF ponies do seem to have a very strong herding instinct. Many of them are used to herd each other in the Drifts so it could come from that.

p.s. My Quarter Horse x New Forest was frightened of cows!
 
I am told being frightened or aggressive is better than disinterested. My APH mare was frightened then aggressive and I am really pleased with how she is developing on cows despite me only knowing about training sheep dogs.
 
My new forest is a natural at herding cows too, he'll lock on to the one that's about to make a break for it and be blocking it and out thinking it
 
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