Trotters and Appys - please tell me more

ycbm

ycbm

Overwhelmed
Joined
30 January 2015
Messages
61,638
Visit site
I'm trying to work out how my Trotter (mum, well bred) Appy (dad unregistered but probably a good horse as was put to a very good mare by a good trotter breeder) 2yo is likely to turn out, physically and temperamentally.

I know almost nothing about either breed.

Are trotters like TB's, early maturing because they race at two? How about Appy's? He has a TB type head, most Appys I see are coarser. But he is 100% Appy colouring. His ribcage is huge and he is definitely a wide fit for future saddles.

Are there any behaviours or physical problems I should watch for? If he is 15 hands or a little taller now, 3 in early May, what would your guess be about how big he will finish?

Anything else I should know?

Stale mince pie or hard centres from the chocolate box for anyone?
 
I have had my trotter since a 4yr old he is now 21. He has been a horse of a lifetime. He has the most amazing character, very quick and eager to learn and work. He was about 14.2hh as a 4yr old and stands now just over 15hh. Mine is much better if he has a job as he thrives on work , I would definitely recommend them as a breed.
 
Thanks :) Mine is very, very quick to learn, and also a very gentle soul. I'm hoping both traits will continue.
 
When you say Trotter, do you mean Standardbred? To be honest I'm not that well versed in the world of Trotting/Pacing etc. but it's my understanding that while Standardbreds are a breed, 'Trotters' are just a type and can be literally anything.

If it's Standardbreds you are talking about, I had one a few years ago as a quick project and she was the most quiet, sweet horse I've ever had. I bought her as a four year old so she was green, but was very willing to please and didn't have a nasty bone in her body.

She had a lovely long walk and a nice trot. Her canter wasn't great which probably wasn't helped by the ugly long back she had. I'd have another SB in a heartbeat if I was looking for a quiet family horse.
 
My appy is a sensitive boy. Will do anything for you if he trusts you but does fret easily. If you can't relax on him then he will be a bag of nerves.
 
Passported standardbred, SA. Maybe that's where he's getting his gentle nature from. Thankfully, he's well made and had a superb walk and matching canter :)
 
Peter7917 said:
My appy is a sensitive boy. Will do anything for you if he trusts you but does fret easily. If you can't relax on him then he will be a bag of nerves.
Click to expand...

Not much sign of fretting atm, thankfully. It took him two lessons to realise that kicking the door when you are left alone won't make any friends arrive to rescue you. He also seems to accept anyone telling him what to do, human and horse.
 
I know nothing about Appys, but Standardbreds are a great love of mine.

They are very slow maturing, so if your boy takes after that side, expect him to still be growing out of rugs at six.
They are brave, kind, quirky, emotional, sensitive, love learning, expressive, and will lay their life down for their chosen human.
They are also big movers and very self aware, but can have a mental block when asked to school traditionally, so you are lucky that yours sounds like he hasn’t inherited the Standie gait.
 
I think that may be why he was sold, LBM, he doesn't move like I would expect of a harness racer at all. EKW suggested that they were trying to breed a fast coloured horse, using an unregistered stallion, but failed. The moment his hocks reach the end of his bum in trot, he pushes upwards, not allowing the leg to extend out backwards, and floats like a quality dressage bred warmblood. His canter is amazing, slow and balanced. We'll see if he can do it with a rider! I'm an 'outside the box' thinker for schooling too, so I'll try whatever helps him understand.

I don't want him too big, it would be nice if he stops at sixteen hands, but I suppose it will be OK if he is quiet.

I'm surprised that horses which race at two are late growing. You learn new things every day :) anyone know of appys grow late too?
 
Oh, and they have fab feet! Ours do everything unshod and unbooted, my first one used to do endurance rides on the flinty South Downs and completely dumbfounded the vets when he trotted up sound every time, while the shod pros were coming in lame.
 
Appy's can be quite anxious souls, taking their confidence from the rider/handler. They also tend to be quite late maturing, I would not be backing until he is four (my current youngster was backed at three, I did nothing with her until her fourth year and she is not in full work yet, at six she will begin her ridden work properly) She was expected to make 15.2 and is currently standing at just over 16hh, she was a narrow, weedy thing at 3 and now has a decent chest and a building bum :) They do seem to tend to ewe necks, so work on hills helps to counteract that, as does feeding from the floor, rather than nets. They can have eye problems, both uveitis and night blindness, quite a few seem to struggle when the light is low,so at dusk, rather than actually having problems at night iyswim. They also can have a tendency to insulin resistance, as far as I know. On the plus side they have feet like iron, coats like silk and ours have been very, very loyal. :) Ours also have had good paces, the current young girl is very floaty, while the older one was less floaty, but incredibly responsive, and had a brilliant gallop!
 
LittleBlackMule said:
Oh, and they have fab feet! Ours do everything unshod and unbooted, my first one used to do endurance rides on the flinty South Downs and completely dumbfounded the vets when he trotted up sound every time, while the shod pros were coming in lame.
Click to expand...

Totally agree mine has lost only one shoe in nearly 17yrs my farrier says he has the best feet he has ever seen
 
My part bred Appy is my horse of a lifetime. He is however full of quirks, very clever and can be spooky and sharp. As already said, they can suffer with night blindness... I have never been able to do pole work on my boy sensibly under floodlights (he goes very spooky and unsure, very much like he can't see so I didn't try again) When the light is low he struggles to find his feed bucket in his stable and has to feel around for it so pretty sure he is either night blind or at very least struggles to see more than most in low light.

That being said, he has the heart of a lion, is very talented and very people orientated. He has a big strong chest and good feet and teeth. He hates to be bored and loves his work. He is nearly 19 now but has Hunted for the last eight seasons and although I am winding him down now, he still puts everything into it and absolutely loves it. He can be a bit of a stress head, especially when my other horse is out of his sight but he is without a doubt one of a kind and I know him inside out and have learnt to live with his many quirks!
 
Appys are late to mature.
Their personality is mostly chilled, smart and likes doing stuff but they do have a stubborn streak a mile wide.

They also have a few health problems.
Pssm type one is what they are prone to, the british appaloosa sociaty has mandatory testing for type one if you want to be a reg breeder.
They can also be prone to night blindness.
 
My part bred Appy is the most intelligent horse I've ever worked with - not always a good thing. She gets bored easily and will make her own entertainment unless distracted by food. Doors need to be secure, feed bins doubly so. If she learns a 'trick' she won't forget it. Makes it an easy job to train her, just annoying when she picks up something you wish she hadnt!

She's also quite anxious and takes her confidence from those around her. Extremely loyal - I am HER human.

I think yours has spots so won't be nightblind (although I've heard even some spottys can have issues in low light) & you're already experienced with PSSM. I've got both with mine.
 
i got a little trotter project and she has been the most fun! So much personality, but really sweet and gentle to ride, and so clever and fun. Cheap as chips to keep - never needs shoes (and we hack for hours!) , feed or rugs and is the healthiest looking thing ever. i absolutely adore her!
 
I have a Standardbred trotter. Like others have said, they are incredibly faithful, sensitive and sweet, gentle and kind.

Mine is barefoot and has very nice feet; in fact his feet were the only thing going for him when I got him as an underweight rescue. He's quite flat backed and short coupled with a very nice walk and 'normal' trot. His canter is poor under saddle, but that is more to do with his background I think - he panics and thinks it's naughty to canter, so does a scurry/tranter under saddle. He's not 'sharp' as such but he's very quick off the leg... a bit too quick, as he has a tendency to rush into transitions and his downward transitions are particularly problematic. He's the most willing horse I've ever ridden and he'd give me his heart on a plate... which is so humbling from a horse that's been ill treated and has every reason to dislike humans.

He gets bees in his bonnet. I'm told this can be a Standardbred thing. They can fixate on something. My sister's SB pacer was like this too. He was virtually bombproof but took fright at some traditional gypsies one day and it took weeks for him to stop pacing past the spot where their bowtop caravan had been pitched. He had other fixations too from time to time, none of which made much sense. My cob's navy blue turnout rug was frightening and he never truly got over that one and would steer clear of said cob in his winter clothing. Other horses in their rugs were fine.

Mine is currently confined to barracks as he has developed a fear of traffic and he completely loses it. The problem has gotten worse rather than better, mostly due to heavy traffic and inconsiderate drivers... so this is his present 'bee' unfortunately. Other than that, he'll have a go at anything and doesn't bother about much at all, he just gets on with it. The most difficult thing for me is getting him to give quality rather than quantity - he rushes in his eagerness to please and then gets unbalanced and on his forehand, so progress is quite slow in some ways. The rushing may be more to do with his background than breeding?

His trotter trot is very funny and not at all pretty. He tracks wide at the back and goes like the clappers - you will know it when you see it if yours has inherited this trait.

I'm sure you'll be smitten in no time. Never thought I'd end up with a fine little bay horse having owned cobs for years, but my ageing bones needed something less wide and lighter to ride.
 
The first Appy we had, a big built brussen creature, who was very cob shaped, but with very floaty paces, did in fact pace at times :) A most peculiar experience when you are on board and not expecting it!
 
Thanks everyone, very interesting.

He has brilliant feet even though they have clearly been neglected.

His winter coat is thin and silky, with thin mane and a fairly sparse tail.

He is under developed on the top of his neck but the hills are helping build it up a lot.

I'm told as he is crossed then night blindness won't be an issue.

I'll be testing him for PSSM before he starts work. I hope it wouldn't be disastrous, I've still got one with it, albeit mildly.

He is gangly, he definitely won't do much ridden at three. I'm planning to show him locally in hand for experience.

He seems to be quite a brave boy in terms of leading others out into the field, settling quickly into a new home, travelling, being handled. He is scared of being told off, but certainly not in any way jumpy or nervy at the moment. I hope that won't develop as he gets older, I shall blame myself if it does.

It sounds like he may have picked up Appy colour and body with Standardbred gentleness. Fingers crossed, what a great combination :)
 
Last edited:
Not sure if Toby has any appy in him but certainly acts like it at times! When I first got him he was as stubborn as a mule, scared of his own shadow and would take great pleasure in squashing my leg against trees, fences, other horses if he didn't want to do something (there was a particularly attractive fence post that would often take his fancy in the arena and we had to put plastic bags on the trees down the lane to keep him away) but after 2 years he is as others described theirs to be, very loyal and has a fantastic personality, he is a lovely lad and every day I feel genuinely blessed to have him around (despite the enormous vets bills!) Good solid feet too!
 
Who is the appy? I only know ones from over in KY but they’re such a varied breed from ‘proper’ stock horses to 16hh PBAs it’s hard to generalise!
 
LittleBlackMule said:
I know nothing about Appys, but Standardbreds are a great love of mine.

They are very slow maturing, so if your boy takes after that side, expect him to still be growing out of rugs at six.
They are brave, kind, quirky, emotional, sensitive, love learning, expressive, and will lay their life down for their chosen human.
They are also big movers and very self aware, but can have a mental block when asked to school traditionally, so you are lucky that yours sounds like he hasn’t inherited the Standie gait.
Click to expand...

This. I groomed for some standies as a kid & they were the most amazing beasties ever. Kind, brave & just gorgeous really.
 
I can't really add to this except to say that the local Riding for the Disabled has quite a few Standardbreds that they use in their programs. They'd have to be sweet, gentle, reliable souls for that.
 
See i have had four appys, my sister has a 2.5 year old appy, and know locally at least five others and none of them have been spookybor nervous. Just brave, gentle souls who try the hardest for you.
 
LadySam said:
I can't really add to this except to say that the local Riding for the Disabled has quite a few Standardbreds that they use in their programs. They'd have to be sweet, gentle, reliable souls for that.
Click to expand...

Slightlyconfused said:
See i have had four appys, my sister has a 2.5 year old appy, and know locally at least five others and none of them have been spookybor nervous. Just brave, gentle souls who try the hardest for you.
Click to expand...

Sounds like I've got a great cross :)
 
I have an appy x Arab, with plenty of tb blood on his appy side. (All the way back to Darley and Byerly Turk). He is extraordinarily brave and learns things in an instant. Loyal to me to an almost inconvenient degree and fast and athletic too. Sharp and can be opinionated but we haven't ever fallen out with each other! He is fine- coated, sensitive and with the manners of a true gentleman. He turns his hoof to everything. If I could find an appy x standie of 16 hh of the right lines, I would have hit the jackpot!! I have been considering breeding one...
 
I'm hoping I've accidentally bought one. I only saw him in a field of mares (where he let me walk straight up and stroke him) but they told me his temperament was exceptional for a colt, so I figured there was a good chance it would be exceptional for a gelding :)

I'm loving what I'm hearing of both breeds, thanks everyone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top