I actually did plan on sending in a DNA sample, you just never know and I think it’s worth a shot to find out about his history. I admittedly have not had experience with Saddlebreds personally but based off all the information I’ve read/seen… he definitely seems to fit the bill.
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He’s here, finally! The transport postponed for one reason or another but he’s here. I love him. He is nervous and paced himself into a sweat, but once he knows he’s safe and not going anywhere I feel that will melt away. He has a lovely cadence to his gaits, a sort of elegance. He is thin and his coat shedding and dull, but I see a gem. He is so kind, he just needs someone to show him the way. His hooves are large and in better shape than I expected. He was originally advertised as being 14.3, my quarantiner judged him to be much taller but honestly 14.3 sounds pretty accurate. Maybe 15. Which is perfect for me, I believe I may have an endurance horse afterall under there. Of course a torrential thunderstorm came through shortly after, my photos aren’t great and don’t do him justice but here’s a few anyways.
I don’t think it’s set in yet fully with me that I once again have a horse. And that he’s finally here after a number of setbacks. What!
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Yay! He’s so pretty, he looks like he’s ready to take off!
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1960? I’d call him Little Hippie (which is also appropriate to his current condition, but you’ll fix that).
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I’ve just been hanging out with horse in the pasture past couple days since he’s been here. The first time he arrived he was terrorized by a peacock on full display in his paddock (there’s a rampant flock of peacocks in the area) and now he doesn’t even bat an eye at them. He is very curious, and sweet. Yesterday he wouldn’t go up to the gate for feeding and has been picked a favorite back corner on the paddock (I think he likes the horse next door) so we had to move everything down there so he would eat and drink. He is happily munching on hay as I type. I’m taking things very slow, yesterday I did very little brushing and today I did some solid currying but stopped before he had a chance to get antsy. I will do just a little more each day. He has an enlarged fetlock, but it doesn’t seem to bother him. Either way he has a home with me.
My boyfriend also loves him, and he is not a horse person. He loves all animals but just hasn’t had experience with them. Here he is feeding who I’ve been calling “Redman” a carrot.
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He is going to be one handsome boy! He’ll be unrecognizable before you know it!
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I love chestnuts, and his soft expression is bringing back sweet memories (sniff). Congratulations!!!
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I loved how much he looks to have settled already, too!
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he’s just LOVELY!!! Such an elegant fellow you’ve got there. He’s gonna be a beauty once he glows up.
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It means so much to me that y’all see the potential that I have. Thank you for the kind words. Oh, I’ve decided on a name 
, Felix! It hit me tonight and after I looked up the meaning, “happy” and “lucky”, it was a done deal. Whew! Only took me six weeks lol
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He is gorgeous!!! Congratulations!!!
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@atomicfriday If you haven’t had experience with Saddlebreds please ask @Alterration about the differences between breeds.
Saddlebreds behave differently from other breeds and if you are unfamiliar with Saddlebreds Alterration can explain the reason that handling, or getting on, a puffed up snorting Saddlebred is not nearly as concerning as getting on a puffed up snorting TB, Warmblood or QH.
I’ve ridden a Saddlebred once, and was told that the horse may feel to me that it may explode, but it won’t. He was a snorter and I was happy to be warned in advance that that was his nature and not a sign of an impending freak out.
It was a very fun ride. The one I rode was in the cutback flat saddle and the typical full bridle with the very long shanked curb. I was told to cue almost entirely by seat and legs and a bit of outside snaffle rein. So different, but really fun.
It really felt like the reins were almost unnecessary, the horse worked off the seat and thigh, it was a very different experience from any other breed I’ve ridden.
Good luck. I hope he is sound for what you would like to do with him. He’s a cutie!
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Thanks @skydy and you’ve absolutely got it!!
I am always happy to help anyone with them because they are such neat horses and I had a bit of a learning curve to go through coming from traditional sporthorse land.
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He is a LOOKER! and look at the tail on him.
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Never owned an ASB but boarded my Western horses, APHA and AQHA, at an ASB show barn for about 4 years. Although I disagreed with some practices, they took much, much better care of the horses than any other area barn in the area…long as I stayed out of his way and picked up after myself, he didn’t care. He worked the show horses in the early morning, gave lessons until about 11am.
Not that I had any intention of interfering with them. The top show horses scared me at first as they looked like they were ready to explode. Longer I was there and more I watched, more I realized how wrong was my assumption they were preparing to misbehave. They are bred and built to puff up, strut like peacock and pose like a fashion model. That’s their job. Their purpose in life. They sparkle.
Most other horses of any bred look like that, you grab a lunge line first then beware of coming explosions. Or get somebody else to ride it. And then theres that periscope neck that can be intimidating when its making like a giraffe and leave you with 2’ of extra rein if lowered. Once I took some lessons on a retired one, found them extremely easy and quite fun. Due to their desired conformation, IMO, they can’t really rock back behind enough to really stand up rear and can’t root the head down low enough to uncork much of a buck. Once you get past the peacock pose, most are smart, kind and willing to work with and for you.
Many new to ASBs, including some trainers, get a bit scared seeing the horse strut and snort and try to ride it forward seat on full contact, which can lead to misunderstandings at best and just not ever clicking with the horse at worst so it ends up at the auction.
OP should reach out to the other ASB fans on here for help and get familiar with the breed More important, spend as much time as possible just watching the new horse and understanding his body language as you start his basic groundwork.
BTW, one of the videos of him in the paddock? That trot? To die for. Got some quality there.
ETA…much is made of understanding the body language of a horse. ASBs speak a different body language than the more common working breeds. Don’t let what they are telling you get lost in translation. They are saying “Look at me I am ready to show off and please you”. You are reading it as “I am going to kill you”.
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Exactly!!! I still longe mine because I am a chicken rider (and most saddlebred people shake their heads at me like “you’re getting rid of the best part”) but they are amazingly fun and safe mounts once you get over the idea that that body language means danger.
It took me a long time to get comfortable with the feeling, and mine really wasn’t that exciting (most saddleseat people call him boring which is why he is a saddlebred hunter and western horse).
They can pop up in front but it’s usually tiny and just melodrama. I always say with mine that he is saying what the other horses are thinking. And I appreciate that quality about him - it actually feels much safer than the horse who ignores all input and explodes when it goes over threshold.
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I would love to speak to other ASB people, as I don’t know any personally. I’ve only ever seen a Saddlebred in person once, he was a very kind fellow however into his golden days and had quite the case of lordosis. The quarantiner said he’s a terrible bucker, in the sense he only really kicks out a heel in the attempt lol so that makes sense saying their conformation allows a certain way. His trot IS lovely, I wish I took a video of when he first got here but I was too busy just watching. That peacock really had him going. Instead of breaking into a canter he just went faster, the head went higher, and the leg action out of sight. Now, he doesn’t even look at the peacocks.
I’ve been brushing him in the pasture and today he nearly fell asleep, when two days ago he was unsure what the sensation of the brush meant. He is incredibly curious and has to check out everything. He’s very sweet, and he’s hanging out with me more and more.
Oh, also I ordered a DNA kit. So we will find out if he was ever registered, and the history that’s involved with that.
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What a lovely, kind eye! He’s already a looker. Imagine how great he will look when he’s had time to recover from his ordeal. Bless you for rescuing him.
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You gotta love the ones with a pathetic buck! My Spotted Saddle Horse was the same - wrong conformation for a buck.
Saddlebred people are here - more of us than I thought there were which is great! I hope you figure out who he is, and yes that trot is so much fun to watch!!
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There’s an ASB fan on here who Events or does Jumpers with hers and has quite a wealth of knowledge.
@ASBJumper
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