Trakenher advice

Quantock-cob

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Hi, we are currently looking for a new horse for my husband to ride and have found a lovely 16hh Trakehner x TB. We need a horse who is keen to compete up to BE100 but also happy and relaxed when out hacking. We are a little bit cautious because we have had no past experience of Trakenhers. Can anyone who has owned / ridden one give us some insight into their characters? Thanks.
 

blitznbobs

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Every trakehner I've ridden has been as as hell, I'm sure there are some chilled ones out there but I've ridden 3 for other people basically cos they were scared of them - spooky and hot. They would probably event well but I'm not sure about the chilled when hacking tho. However all horses are different so see what this one is like hacking...
 

Charmel

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Our Trakener mare is now 20 had her since a yearling. She was a monster untill about aged 10 ish when she finally grew up...When I say monster I mean everyone who rode her came off her, stubborn, difficult on the ground, impossible to lead......Semi retired now but wow for 8 years she was an absolute angel easy to hack, jump the world for you, beautifully responsive....cant fault her...devastated that her arthritis has meant that she now just gets hacked around quietly with my pregnant daughter. literally anyones ride and perfect on the ground. She just took a while to mature.......

Would def have another one......!
 

kirstie

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I have a Trakehner, she is hot, sharp and spooky. I do trust her to never intentionally chuck me off, she is never nasty, however she is very quick and I have been caught unawares a few times!

I could ramble on about her forever, but I won't bore you. I will agree with the poster above- I have had her since she was rising 4, she is 10 this year and I can honestly say it is only in the last 6 months or so I have really started to completely enjoy her. It could be because she has finally grown up a bit. It could be that she is happy in our new yard and feels more settled. It could be because of my new trainer and my new approach to riding her suits us much better... I think it is a combination of all 3.

I know this is a huge sweeping statement but if you are looking for something that is fairly simple and straightforward, I would probably steer clear of a Trakehner. (though I would definitely have another myself!)
 

wyrdsister

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I have a Trakehner X Knabstrupper. She's talented, clever, and basically a lovely girl. But she's also electric, opinionated, and prone to explosions. Some of that is due to mishandling as a baby before I got her, some of that is just her personality. I know her parents and her dad (the Knabstrupper) is wonderfully sane and has just started BE eventing. Her mother (the Trak) is from some cracking dressage and SJ lines, but is a hot-headed, high-strung, diva. That said, in spite of some proper drama queen moments, Bug has been relatively straightforward to back, has a good pop on her, and hasn't put a foot wrong out hacking (she's 4 and been backed for ~6 months). I'd definitely consider another one in the future - and they've usually got the scope for what you want.
 

be positive

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My friend has one, whenever they were struggling the trainer would say "what do you expect, they are known as tricky Trakenhers for good reason" a lovely mare but challenging, that said each horse must be judged as an individual, this may be just what you are looking for.
 

Pinkvboots

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I used to ride and show a Trakehner x TB for someone last year and she was very sharp and spooky out hacking but very good in a menage, she did rear with me a few times out hacking too when she didnt want to stand still, to be honest I gave up riding her in the end because it started to knock my confidence a bit, I only rode her a few times a week and We just didnt have the trust maybe, I have two horses of my own that I am very confident Riding and dont have any issues with so it seemed pointless to carry on, maybe it was that we didnt have much of bond I dont know but by the sounds of it they are known for being sharp.

Just wanted to add I own a Warmblood and an Arab of my own and they can have there moments and are not novice rides,but I would choose them over the Trakehner any day, unless your looking for a challenge and are very confident and not spooked easy I would steer clear.
 
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Eggshells

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I've ridden a couple of Trakenhers over the years. One was an amazing ride, but even at 18, would spin of a six pence and hare off across the school if you lost concentration for a mili second. The other never spooked and was an angel to hack but could get very worried and tense. Lovely horses when you get their brain engaged, but definitely on the hot side.
 

Partoow

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What a load of tosh is talked about whaen it comes to Trakhners!
Like any breed there are those that have their moments
One of the best eventing sires and highest point Futurity eventing sire is Gravenstolts
I personally ride a Trakhner stallion who is competing at Grand Prix internationally
A more diligent hard working and compliant horse you could not wish to ride.
Many of the anecdotal horses above are crosses and I fear you would have to question the cross
There are more rideable bloodlines in the Trakhner book, Kostolony being one of the best and Caprimond ( more dressage lines granted) but I can assure you there are many very good compliant trakhners out there .
Bear in mind the Trakhner is a breed, not a type and as such the line is very important . So research the lines and look at both sides of the breeding
 

Hurricanelady

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I have 5 part and full bred Trakehners (the part breds are either 1/2 or 1/4 TB) and they are wonderful horses. They are generally eager, trainable and and very willing to please but they are extremely intelligent sports horses and therefore benefit from quiet and sensitive handling - however that would be my personal approach with any horse regardless of breeding. Only one of mine is being ridden at the moment as the others are babies and a retired brood mare, but the babies have both been out and about to a few county level shows and quickly picked up their in-hand training and did well and I have every confidence that with the right starting and training they will be excellent riding and sports horses.

My main riding mare is 1/2 TB, 1/2 Trakehner and it is a lovely mix, she has all the stamina and speed of the TB combined with the additional bone and natural jumping and dressage ability from her Trakehner side (not to say that TBs don't often have these attributes too (!) of course they often do but these are very often particular traits of the Trakehner breed). She has spent a couple of seasons recently having a great time on the hunting field and is a safe and enjoyable ride, willing to leave the field when asked, stay at the back and do gates; or she would be equally happy up front but I like staying quietly at the back and going home when I've had enough. She is a lovely hack and will occasionally spook a little bit at things like new big boulders that might have appeared in field entrances, but will easily go past them with quiet riding and encouragement. She also recently passed her performance test with the TBF (should have got this done quite some time ago but have been very busy with breeding) and will be doing BD and BE this season.

I would say that as with any potential purchase of a new horse whether it will be suitable depends on how well the horse and rider are suited from a temperament, weight carrying, experience, age of horse and nature perspective. Good luck I hope you find what you want, feel free to PM me if you would like any further info on my personal experience with Trakehners :)
 

Cortez

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I used to breed Trakehners and have to say that despite the hot/difficult reputation NONE of mine were anything like that, HOWEVER I bred the Mahagoni/Flaneur line (which is behind Caprimond & Kostolany too, BTW) and did so because of the noted rideability and trainability - there are some very hot Trakehners! I would never add TB to the mix. I don't actually know what lines are prevalent in the UK now, but suggest that you do a LOT of research, and maybe think of a less volatile type. Good luck, they are wonderful, beautiful, generous horses IF you can ride them.
 

Meowy Catkin

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I knew a Holme Grove Solomon mare and she was lovely. Nice friendly temperament, sensible, willing, trainable and bright orange chestnut - super I'd have bought her if she hadn't been well out of my price range.
 

amanda123

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Hi I have a TB X Trakehner mare by Fleetwater Opposition out of a Java Tiger mare. She has unfortunately been retired at 8 because of a shoulder (field) injury but she is kind, sensible, non spooky, safe and had loads of ability, easily BE100, I wouldn't describe her as a novice ride but like everything it depends on rider and horse suiting each other. I would say she is a quite sensitive horse. What sort of horse is your husband used to riding? It is easy to stereotype. She was my first warmblood x, I have had mainly full TB's. I'd have another one, she was nothing like as sharp as some of the TB's (some of which are not sharp at all!!). Unfortunately I can't afford another one! I had a 3/4 TB X 1/4 ID for 11 years he was very quirky!
 

Sunshine

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My 12 year old daughter has a 15.2 pb mare who has just turned 5. She is out of a Caprimond line x TB mare by a German Dressage pony, and you couldn't wish for a more willing, trainable and genuine mare. She does learn very quickly and therefore could pick up bad habits or become spooky if she was to be ridden by someone very nervous as she is so switched on to her rider. I find her gentle, patient and affectionate, and she just loves to be praised.
 

maccachic

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Personally I don't use sterotypes when buying horses, thy are all individuals and all have different upbringings. If you like a horse it ticks all (most) the boxes after a decent try out, refernce check etc buy it. Thats my motto and it has lead me wrong yet.

A lot of people are quick to judge after one experience (and we also don't know what their riding is like) and bag a breed / colour / sex etc with very little tangible evidence.
 

cloppy

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I also have 3 homebreds (all out of my Holme Grove Solomon mare) and my only advice to you is make sure you have another spare stable. They are very addictive and one is never enough.
 

1Anastasia

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I've broken two to ride and often rode their mother too. The mare was lovely, laid back, gentle and 100% safe. One of her offspring was by Fleetwater Olympus and the other was a Holme Grove stallion whose name I forget but I met him on more than one occasion and he was lovely. The first one was sweet but really dim bless him and unfortunately this mean't that he had no sense of self preservation whatsoever. He once, for no apparent reason, suddenly scaled a bank along the side of the walkway whilst I was walking him to his stable and then propmtly fell off, landed on his head and fractured his skull! He was very easy to back but was never going to be a superstar. He went on to be a nice, genuine all rounder but with no particularly outstanding talents. The other was sharp as a pin, decided to stop growing when he reached 14.2hh despite both his parents being well over 16hh and is now doing very well with a local trainer who does dressage up to medium level with him.
 

Billabongchick

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I used to help at a Trakehner stud when I was quite young. Karen Bassett was based there for a while with her driving team of them. From what I remember they were quite sparky but very trainable; not a first horse but then as others have said you really need to take each individual horse on a single basis. Not all ex racers are crazy hyper scary things as the general consensus is!
 

trakehnersrock!

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We have had a Trakehner mare now for over 6 years. Bought her at 4 years old, just broken. She is very affectionate and very quick to learn, like a lot of Trakehners, so care is needed that bad habits aren't picked up as well as good things lol Would we have had her as a first horse? - no chance! (we had the ex-racer for that lol). She is a big girl for a Trakehner though (over 17hh), bit of a stresshead at times but the most wonderful and elegant lady.
 

kirstie

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What a load of tosh is talked about whaen it comes to Trakhners!
Like any breed there are those that have their moments
One of the best eventing sires and highest point Futurity eventing sire is Gravenstolts
I personally ride a Trakhner stallion who is competing at Grand Prix internationally
A more diligent hard working and compliant horse you could not wish to ride.
Many of the anecdotal horses above are crosses and I fear you would have to question the cross
There are more rideable bloodlines in the Trakhner book, Kostolony being one of the best and Caprimond ( more dressage lines granted) but I can assure you there are many very good compliant trakhners out there .
Bear in mind the Trakhner is a breed, not a type and as such the line is very important . So research the lines and look at both sides of the breeding

The Trakehners you describe are clearly ridden by pros and have been very well produced. My Trakehner is amazing, very good and most of the time compliant. She has certainly taught me how to listen! She is definitely my horse of a life time and I would certainly have another. That said, she is certainly not a novice ride or for the faint hearted some days. She is very trainable and has a temperament to die for. I have high hopes for the pair of us.

There is a very interesting thread on BD about Trakehners which made me laugh.

My horse is PB, Sire is King Arthur who is by Buddenbrock, Dam sire is Finley M, Dams dam is Va Tout, so quite nicely bred.

I think the point I am trying to make is that generally the Trakehner is an excellent competition/ sport horse with intelligence to boot- may not be perfect for someone wanting to relax and switch off out riding or a novice rider.
 

trakehnersrock!

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"I think the point I am trying to make is that generally the Trakehner is an excellent competition/ sport horse with intelligence to boot- may not be perfect for someone wanting to relax and switch off out riding or a novice rider."

That's it in a nutshell!!!

Our mare is by Monteverdi out of a Quatre Chemins mare, PB and quite good breeding too, I think I got back to 1600s in her pedigree one rainy day lol)
 

Quantock-cob

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Thanks everyone for your comments and advice. I don't like to pigeon hole horses by breed, as they are all individuals, but the comments here seem to sum up what we were thinking and what some other people have said to me.Great competition horses, but can be sharp and sensitive. If this was just a horse for my husband to compete we would consider going to see him, but we also need a sane and sensible horse that I can hack out (i'm much less confident than my husband) during the week to keep him fit. I think we will keep looking - I'm sure the right horse is out there somewhere.
 

Perfect_Pirouette

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Seem to be a lot of negative comments on Trakenher's :(

I ride a trakenher, he's only 6 but an absolute sweetheart. Very sane and sensible. He was bred to event but his jump wasn't good enough and he has lovely paces so he was sent to a dressage yard to be produced and sold there...and he was.

Here is my thread tonight with videos of him http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?648614-Schooling-the-Trakehner-tonight-*videos*

He is sensitive, VERY sensitive. He likes to get it right and worries when he gets it wrong but he is VERY safe.
 

rainer

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I used to work on a yard where the lady bred trakehners, they all had great temperaments,were quite sensitive and myself as a novice handler I could handle the 1,2,3 and 5 yr old,I loved them and found them quite easy :)
 
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