Anybody Wanna Take a Stab at my Mare's Breed?????

[LittleMissBigTime]

Bella is a 5 year old 14.2 hand dappled buckskin.

I have NO idea who her parents were, what color they were, or who owned them.

Bella is a dainty mare overall, not built like a quarter horse. She is not gaited, but has beautiful fluid movements.

Just for fun we call her a Connemara cross, but obviously we have absolutely no idea.

She has very very good hooves. Sold black and easy to maintain. This is said to be a characteristic of the “quarter horse” buckskin lineage…but I don’t see much quarter horse in her.

Anybody have any ideas?

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10156006_10201447661707362_8021248278567707897_n.jpg?oh=b5c6bd5e4d2d1fff389c339df1699067&oe=54742E6A&gda=1417143829_c75908c14dbdaaf305f68fe9ed68158a

(I am a long time lurker but new poster, so please let me know if that picture works as a link…I couldn’t figure out another way to post it. Thanks!)

[Belmont]

My first thought is a Quarter Pony, but I am not a breed guesser expert by any means! She is SO cute, btw.

[LittleMissBigTime]

Thank you! Her dapples make me melt every time I see her. I guess when I think of quarter horse I see those big butts and super stout standing guys…obviously not all quarter horse-(or ponies) are… she’s just SO dainty! But quarter horses are very prominent in the area I live & she came from, so I wouldn’t be surprised!

[Snowflake]

Welsh/QH cross is my guess. The Connemara crosses I know of tend to be a bit beefier. You’re thinking of halter-bred quarter horses with big butts and a bulldog stance but those aren’t the functional faction of the breed. Foundation bred quarter horses are smaller, faster and more refined than their halter bred cousins.

[SLW]

What a cutie pie!! That coloring sure brings to mind a bit of Connemara but Snowflakes offer of a Welsh/QH works too!

One of the Universities, maybe in Texas or California, does DNA testing. I’d go for it!

[BarbaricYawp]

Did you pull her mane or is it like that naturally? There are a lot of Pasos that look just like that and a cross might not be gaited, but still would be a nice mover.

[LittleMissBigTime]

The picture was when I first got her in May, and her pulled mane had grown out quite a bit. Not sure how long it gets, but I do know it grows super fast. Funny you mention Pasos, there are a lot of those around here as well. Maybe a Paso QH cross or Paso and some pony cross. She has fluid gorgeous movement so maybe that’s where she gets it. I would LOVE to do DNA testing on her, I just hear mixed reviews over whether or not it’s legit; something about them needing a ton of markers to test against for each breed. She’s an awesome little girl, since I’m 25 and she’s a large pony by standard of height, our goal is lower level eventing. But if that doesn’t work out, I’d love to get her going and have a kid take her in the pony classes.

[Zonderpaard]

Marsh Tacky. Esp if you found her in Florida.

[LittleMissBigTime]

There’s a new idea! I’ve never seen one…But could be… So I’m starting to really lean on NOT calling her a Connie cross, because she really doesn’t fit much of any criteria of a Connemara. Marsh Tacky would keep people interested! All I know is I drool over her dapples constantly, as does everyone who sees her. I am blessed to have such a flashy pony! I just wanna meet her parents! It would probably explain a lot of the ??? and fill in a lot of the blanks I have about her!

[Zonderpaard]

Size, body type, color. It all fits.

[Bluey]

Many cutting bred quarter horses are small and light to very light boned.
Not saying she is one, I can’t tell from that one picture any other than she is a beautiful color and the dapples set it off so nicely.

[Training_Cupid]

I was prepared to say mustang before seeing the picture, but not based on the picture. I’ve never heard of Marsh Tacky, now I’m super intrigued. You definitely need to do the DNA test! In any event she is very cute. Do you ride english or western?

[LittleMissBigTime]

I’ve spent half my day at work today not working and looking up places that DNA test for breed! If anyone can help point me in a good direction on that, it’d be great!

I ride english. Here are a few more pictures… (again I apologize if there is an easier way to post them, I still haven’t figured that out!)

https://scontent-b-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10369231_10201437200965850_2268704404061056297_n.jpg?oh=c7509ce28c5bad58651fe256d0a92fda&oe=5465DF4D
she looks a lot fatter in the picture than she really is

https://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/65453_10201673284227784_7331412140298684393_n.jpg?oh=70040a93d98ba5c698f67da9bad681fe&oe=5470204E
in action. her third lesson in jumping. [icky instagram filter]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/10446556_10201673290067930_8586223756133109301_n.jpg
we can blame her “wash out” color on this picture to be a combination of minor sun bleaching, but mostly of the fact that this picture was originally from instagram and had an awful filter that didn’t show her color off very pleasantly.

she has lightened up a bit this summer, as she did last summer. She does go for turn out at night to beat the Florida heat, but starts turn out with nearly 3 hours a day in the sun, hence the bleaching. Her face is significantly lighter than her body, probably because she sticks her head out of her stall during the day (outdoor style barn). She turns a chocolate dapple color in the winter if she’s not blanketed.

[Lady_Eboshi]

I think I see some Andalusian! :eek:

[Shagyas_Rock]

Her beautiful head and large, soft eye make me think of Welsh or Arabian . .which might also account for those lovely gaits. . .

[Zonderpaard]

The coastal horses, Tackies, Corollas and Crackers all have Spanish blood in them. The Spaniards dumped (or lost) horses all up and down the east coast of the US.

[Bluey]

She is beautiful in the latest pictures, where we can see her conformation and way of going.

Also ridden very nicely, I expect she tightens her front with a bit more height.

I can’t see any one specific breed in there, but it sure came out nice, whatever is back in her breeding.

Some 40+ years ago, while I was in Alabama, we had many of our school and show horses that you could not even come close to guess breeds that went into them.
I wonder if there are still many of those very nice grade horses around?

I seem to remember the U of CA at Davis has some breed and color studies.
May want to ask them if they test and/or if they know who does.

[LittleMissBigTime]

The eyes def. remind me of welsh, you’re right! Oh gosh how I love being able to come on here and post pictures and get other people’s brains working on ideas. She has a very emotional face…

(sorry about the instagram filter…you still get the idea though)
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10386251_10201801459432084_3870465789389074521_n.jpg?oh=15594d8b5150bb878cbc54e9f4c2719c&oe=546AA3A1&gda=1417218500_f7934aa17fdcb706e603ddef2dafbe93

She had a much thicker forelock until she started getting turn out with her “boyfriend” in the big field and kept coming in with burrs which in turn tore out about half. :no: :disgust: The fly mask didn’t help either, because she knows how to remove it without ripping or undoing the velcro.

Any takes on crafty SMART SMART SMART (she’s smarter than some humans) emotional breeds?!

I guess it doesn’t really matter what she is…just that whatever it is, it’s awesome! Just one of those “what is she” questions that will be answered with “take your pick!”

I wish I could clone her and make her a hand or two higher…I’ve always been about the big horses, and she is a huge change from what I am used to. Not at all what I pictured myself with at 25 years old getting into ownership after a youth of leasing warmbloods.

but some say the best things are those you weren’t expecting!

[Kwill]

Learn something every day … Marsh Tacky!

She looks nothing like my Paso Fino, frankly, but some are more refined.

[HungarianHippo]

I think that a horse with indeterminate breeding is an embarrassment to your stable, and you should send her to me immediately. I will make the sacrifice of hiding her at my farm, to spare you that shame. :lol: