Yes, MFT have a head bob. Remember though, that every horse is an individual, there’s plenty of registered MFT and TWH that DON’T head bob, and perform a rack instead of a foxtrot or running walk. That’s why I said to look at the individuals. When you sit on “the one” you will grin from ear to ear and just KNOW it’s the horse for you
Smart Alex
I am all about rescue, but when I go to Saddlebred rescue I see horses set up or being ridden for show. Which is exactly what I don’t want in a trail horse.
Perhaps it would be better for their marketing to show horses outside being ridden on trails???
Saddlebreds have such a bad rep, and I have been told over and over they are great, but when I see these pics I say WHOA! HOt horse…
Is this just me???
And I LIKE hot horses, but the heart strings and dollars go to middle aged ladies who want a nice ride? Why do they show them like this on this website? Unless you are a saddlebred show person, these images would not make one want to get a saddlebred.
Saddlebreds were supposed to be the quarter horses with flair of the south! Is that so gone as I cannot find it anywhere on the web!
I think this breed looks really cool, but.?
Saddlebreds are nice horses. And they fall into the category of horses who are known for 1 or 2 things, but “some” individuals do well on trails. I would never go out of my way to select a SB as a trail horse. But with that said, I have known a handful who are great on trails and would never dispute that they can be, in certain circumstances, wonderful trail horses!
Something I’d be very concerned about and critical of…is the legs, feet, overall conformation, and tendency to be “alert” and hence reactive. Once again, not all of them are that way and some individuals are as steady as the day is long. But they’re bred for conformation that 9 times out of 10 is not conducive to a sound, sure-footed trail horse with longevity.
I imagine most of the rescue horses are shown saddleseat because that is the avenue in which the breed really shines.
I personally have known a few excellent trail SB’s but they’ve been of older foundation lines and resembled the Morgan more than the saddleseat SB.
I’d never discourage someone from considering the breed but they certainly wouldn’t top the list for a trail horse in my opinion unless you hit upon that special one.
Club feet, contracted heels and ringbone, sadly, run rampant…
For good bone and feet, I say Shagya again. There is a breeder in California, I would go check them out. I think from your past with Arabs you would find them a good fit. Good luck!
[QUOTE=howardh;5271578]
I am all about rescue, but when I go to Saddlebred rescue I see horses set up or being ridden for show. Which is exactly what I don’t want in a trail horse.[/QUOTE]
SBR is struggling with trying to figure out how to market their rescues as trail horses. They are primarily show horse people so that’s what they know. Of course, the fancy ones that will go back to the show ring are easy to market because show people are our primary network and audience.
I guarantee you, if you call Pat at 908-304-3560 and tell her what you want, they will test a horse for you and they may have some that are already tested. That’s the great thing about SBR. They have a trainer on staff to help the horses train for their new job, and they often take the horses out on trail rides to determine which ones are suitable. They take photos of these and post them on the horse’s individual topic on their forum, and those are snapped up pretty fast. Many horses from SBR have gone on to be excellent trail mounts.
[QUOTE=howardh;5271578]
Smart Alex
I am all about rescue, but when I go to Saddlebred rescue I see horses set up or being ridden for show. Which is exactly what I don’t want in a trail horse.
Perhaps it would be better for their marketing to show horses outside being ridden on trails???
Saddlebreds have such a bad rep, and I have been told over and over they are great, but when I see these pics I say WHOA! HOt horse…
Is this just me???
And I LIKE hot horses, but the heart strings and dollars go to middle aged ladies who want a nice ride? Why do they show them like this on this website? Unless you are a saddlebred show person, these images would not make one want to get a saddlebred.
Saddlebreds were supposed to be the quarter horses with flair of the south! Is that so gone as I cannot find it anywhere on the web!
I think this breed looks really cool, but.?[/QUOTE]
I have ridden ASBs in the past(never owned one however), and now currently own a part bred saddlebred/arab mare who is one of my newer endurance horses. - she is very hot, yet strangely extremely ‘safe’ for a very young inexperienced horse. (I like hot horses too- so I understand where you are coming from on that)
Very gentle minded - loves people. She’s impressed me enough (I’ve had her for 2 years now) that my original intent was to re-sell her, but I’ve decided I’ll be keeping her. So they get a vote from me.
Way back when, my Dad had a wonderful old foundation bred Saddlebred who was a wonderful trail and western pleasure trail horse. So my heart is with the old style Saddlebred.
I have QH, so the nick says…lol…lovely lovely on the trail, my old gelding is very smart and takes care of me on any trail I point that dark sorrel muzzle at. Brains, brawn, and endurance all wrapped up into a 16H package, can’t get any better and I would recommend one any day. Not all have hard trots, you don’t have to post, and they are easy to train.
Have you looked at a Fjord as a beefy trail horse? Those draft ponies are the bomb and so cute too!
I rode mostly qh and arabs growing up but stabled at places that had a variety of gaited breeds since when we weren’t showing we were trail riding. TWH truly are individuals who like an honest rider. I personally don’t like the racking and found it odd to sit. I was extremely lucky to know 2 pasos and a Peruvian. Dale was the Peruvian and if I ever wanted a gaited horse I would go with them again. A saner horse there never was. He was a therapy horse and a crop out at 16hh. His momma owned him and a mother/daughter combo of Finos. The momma was sane and very correct. She won a TON of money for her owner before going to the broodie shed. Daughter was a bit more brio but just as sane and just a wonderful ride. She was a prankster and very forgiving of the beginner riders. Dale never had any soundness issues but he was imported from Brazil and really royally bred. Also this was almost 20 years ago and the breed may have drastically changed since then. The few Saddlebreds I have dealt with were very noble and very choosy of their people. There is a 20 something mare at the barn and I wish I would have known her when she was young. She’s very aristocratic and just carries the riders she likes. She’s been in full retirement since I have been there but I have seen her pics and talked to her mom. Her mom takes very good care of her and is very much an aristocratic older lady herself.
My advice, try em all and if you do go gaited take the lessons and learn how to ask for the gates correctly. Nothing beats sipping wine on a nice steady mount that doesn’t jar you at all.
One of my friends breeds Rocky Mountain horses and can’t say enough about them. She switched over from TW and loves her Rockies! I prefer a trotting horse so I stick with paints but if I ever went gaited I would try a Rocky first.
I’d research Pasos carefully, iirc they are predisposed to some soundness issues, and can be hotter than a lot of the other gaited breeds.
Paso Finos have no predisposed soundness issues.
Peruvian Paso’s sometimes do (DSLD).
If you have independent seat & hands you should have no problem with a Paso. They come in varying degree’s of temperment like all other breeds. As someone else said, it will come down to the individual animal and the one you 'click’with.
Good luck & let us know what you choose.
From my research thus far, definitely leaning towards Paso Finos. I haven’t found any indication so far that they’re predisposed towards any negatives other than obesity which is easily managed.
I like their combination of fire/forward with sensibility. They go but don’t seem to react much to external stimulus. Plus they are exceptionally beautiful. Interesting that John Lyons has come out saying they’re ideal trail horses as he’s a died in the wool QH/App guy! And he is one of the only horsemanship guru types that I like…
From advice I’ve gotten I will lean towards the horses with more largo and less fino…and definitely need a smooth canter!
I like how the Paso holds his neck up and arched, there seems to be little to no up/down and they sound as if they are sure-footed? Plus no ghastly “head bob” lol!
Can’t wait til my stomach heals from this silly tumor surgery I just had so I can try one out!!! Will keep you posted as I get to try some 
[QUOTE=SoCalGal;5271675]
Club feet, contracted heels and ringbone, sadly, run rampant…[/QUOTE]
I’ve never heard this about Saddlebreds. All of the ones that I’ve seen have GREAT feet, are sure-footed, and can go all day (mine included). Those are some nice trail horse qualities if you ask me. You will definitely get the alertness as well, which can be good or bad depending on how much imagination the horse has :winkgrin: but they generally can be trusted to follow their rider’s lead, no matter how concerned they may be.
Every SB I’ve ever known, and that comes from a SB trainer being located at my last 2 equestrian centers, plus lots of SB crosses when I was in the Arab world, had at least one club foot. Most developed ringbone past the age of about 10 or 12, and most had contracted heels, significantly contracted, it actually hurt to look at them just knowing what the poor horses must be feeling.
I find in every breed and discipline (so in no way is this a criticism of SB’s) humans tend to breed for the 1 or 2 traits they want and ignore the rest. That means horses with big trots and long necks, for example, are bred to other horses with those characteristics to reinforce those traits…but often they’re the horses with bad feet/legs so those traits also get reinforced. Believe me the Arab world has done it too, so have Morgans, the QH halter people have done their thing as well…but the clubs, heels and ringbone seem to be the particular negatives I see getting bred into the SB.
I have seen only a few SB’s who have decent feet/legs and they have been from the much older lines, before people started messing around with them too much.
Maybe your horse is from the more foundation lines? Personally I think those horses are beautiful…way more bone and substance, not so deerlike. I am always happy to hear about individuals from unlikely breeds working out on trail!
A friend of mine has a palomino SB mare who was disinterested in showing 3-gaited. He took her camping instead, and she loved it, was brave and a gem
All of my ASB’s are trained for the trail. All 7 are barefoot and live in large rocky pastures. Never a hoof or lameness problem out 20+ that have been raised/owned by me. However I don’t start them until they are 3 years old and they live outside from a week after birth until they leave or die.
My former show horse spent 3 weeks in the mountains with a 5 day pack trip into the Bob Marshall. You know how many people told me it couldn’t be done? The only other breed I’d consider these days is the TWH. I’ve had both my whole life.
They are modern sire lines crossed on very old dam lines.
FYI in my experience an alert horse is less inclined to be surprised for the giant spook. A stop and look maybe but never the dump your a$$. Stupid spooking has not been part of any of my horses repertoire.
The very first time I rode my show trained 3 year old gelding on the trail we very nearly bumped into a sow and 2 cubs. Have never been prouder of his reaction (and there have many, many reasons to be proud of this horse). However his knees were hitting his chin as we turned away. lol
[QUOTE=SoCalGal;5272830]
Every SB I’ve ever known, and that comes from a SB trainer being located at my last 2 equestrian centers, plus lots of SB crosses when I was in the Arab world, had at least one club foot. Most developed ringbone past the age of about 10 or 12, and most had contracted heels, significantly contracted, it actually hurt to look at them just knowing what the poor horses must be feeling.{ QUOTE}
Could that be because of the way they are shod for showing? I know a guy had a weanling and yearling in our local paper here that had won all these awards and those poor things had shoes on. Do they put pads or do stuff to enhance the gait as in tennessee walkers??
Yes pads and weighted shoes and caulks. But NOT like the TWH and their giant stacks. Not even close.
I think your experience with Arabs might reflect the fact that you use to show. I have owned/leased/known about 20 Arabs and only one was a true flake. 2 were quieter and calmer (even as green horses) than just about any other horse I’ve known.
My main riding horse is a triple Bask-bred mare I’ve owned since she was 2. She has her periods of silliness, but I never feel unsafe on her. Last month I took her out on the trail for the first time in almost a year and she was fine. She thought she was going to die, but she wouldn’t think of doing anything like rearing or bucking.
I can’t say much about the Pasos, but I DO know there are some leg/tendon issues that are common in the breed, so check carefully.
If you were going to go for a gaited breed, I would investigate fox trotters. Again, I cannot speak from personal experience, but I know several people who have them and sing their praises.
In at least 35 years with ASBs, I’ve never seen a case of ringbone. Club feet, unfortunately, are common in some bloodlines. Thankfully, breeders are finally having the good sense to begin culling this, and I’m not seening as many as I did in the 80s. A couple of the popular stallions who were passing it along have gone.
As for the contracted heels. That’s not the breeds fault. That is a result of poor shoeing and not giving the horse a barefoot break in the winter. A QH can get contracted heels just as easily if shod with too small shoes, and kept indoors 24/7.
Recently, a barn sitter looked at my gelding’s (currently bare) hooves and comments how beautiful they are. And he is from main stream show breeding. My mare’s hooves are even better.
As for your choice of Paso Finos, I don’t think you can go wrong there. I would love to have one myself. I got a chance to ride one once at a horse show, and it was an absolute BLAST!
Not very often will you admire a horse at a show and have the trainer step down and hand you the reins. This was a little 3 yr old stallion, and I rode him all over the grounds. What a treat!
[QUOTE=Kyzteke;5273027]
I think your experience with Arabs might reflect the fact that you use to show. I have owned/leased/known about 20 Arabs and only one was a true flake. 2 were quieter and calmer (even as green horses) than just about any other horse I’ve known.
My main riding horse is a triple Bask-bred mare I’ve owned since she was 2. She has her periods of silliness, but I never feel unsafe on her. Last month I took her out on the trail for the first time in almost a year and she was fine. She thought she was going to die, but she wouldn’t think of doing anything like rearing or bucking.
I can’t say much about the Pasos, but I DO know there are some leg/tendon issues that are common in the breed, so check carefully.
If you were going to go for a gaited breed, I would investigate fox trotters. Again, I cannot speak from personal experience, but I know several people who have them and sing their praises.[/QUOTE]
Oh, I absolutely DO attribute the nuttiness to my Arabs of recent years to show ring breeding trends. I grew up riding and showing Arabians, mostly of Crabbett, Kellogg, Ferzon/Azaff lines with a hint of Polish.
Back in the 1980’s, a horse could show showmanship with a kid, Western Pleasure, halter and hunter pleasure all at the same show and be competitive. They had better feet and could then hit the trails. I even rode over fences (working hunter.)
My trainer at the time had horses that were National Champs in sidesaddle, trail, and working hunter…all one horse! No more…
The quest for a flatter topline, more exotic head, longer legs and longer neck seemed to supercede the rest. I was away from the breed for nearly 20 years and returned to find OCD, club feet, crazy minds, narrow bodies, poor movement, and tons of nervous nellies. Certainly they’re not ALL like this but far too many in my opinion. Halter and saddleseat dominated the breeding for the most part. My last Arab was a halter-bred gelding of extreme beauty. I worked with him from 2 1/2 to nearly 4 and finally sold him as a pasture ornament.
It is a major shame, to me, what people do to breeds when pursuing their own goals sometimes…
