Morgans vs. QHs - discuss

[Pocket_Pony]

Going to the Buck clinic made me all day-dreamy about getting another horse. I’m not going to do it now, but looking to the future and thinking about my next horse I got to wondering…

I’ve never had either a QH or a Morgan, but I have friends who have each. I’ve got three friends with Morgans - all horses are very personable, easy to get along with, sound, have good endurance for trail riding, have good, strong feet, and seem very willing. The QHs I know are more laid back, slower (still handy, though, just a bit more dull), sweet and kind, and very sensible.

I know it is asking for big generalizations, but can anyone tell me the pros and cons of each? Personal experiences, especially if you’ve worked with both? Things to look out for, health-wise, things (or breeding lines) to stay away from?

While I’m not really interested in showing, I would still like an athletic horse who could hit the trails, do dressage, work some cows, etc. I like a smaller horse and good feet are a must, with big bonus points for being barefoot. I’d be looking at young horses, so nothing already going/showing.

Just thinking ahead and daydreaming . . . where I’d find the time or money I don’t know! :lol:

[froglander]

Fancy That should respond to this one, she has a nice Morgan mare

Lol, my first horse was a Morgan/QH cross, she was a fun little horse, definitely a horse you had to get moving more than one you had to slow down (she was also 19 when I got her)

Friend at the barn has a good, “steady Eddie” type quarter horse gelding that she’s had since he was 3, I think he’s 17 this year.

Another friend has had a variety of Paint and QHs and they’ve been nice horses.

Have fun day dreaming

[ehwaz]

Love my morgan. Very eager. I would say that the Morgans I have known tend to be higher energy than the quarter horses I have known. I also think of morgans as longer distance horses, compared to the quarter horses as sprinters.

[minnie]

My quarter horse had more go than whoa until he was over 20!

[UrbanHennery]

QH come in pretty much any form you want. Mine is more refined than most with good large feed and more than enough engine. I’ve had others with the more blocky build and good feet than had more than enough whoa. I love QH and I’m not sure id go another direction other than perhaps an appendix depending on what I wanted to do.

[Dee-Vee]

Appendix. Love. They can do anything.

[workin_onit]

Morgans definitely are more high energy. Had an area vet say that to me and I was surprised but they were comparing them to QH. Compared to Arabians and Thoroughbreds Morgans are calm. Of course there are individuals in every breed. The breed standard for Morgans is 14’2" - 15’2", at this size they are very handy. I have the most experience and like the show bred Morgan as they are bred for trainability and temperament. My current dressage horse’s sire and dam were World Champion park horses. He is the most level headed horse, doesn’t spook, but can have high energy in new places. He loves dressage, but won’t let me push him around. My mom has a western pleasure Morgan and his parents were also park horses. My mom isn’t as spry as she used to be and we purchased her horse as a 6 year old who was/is totally safe and takes care of her. There are foundation lines as well, these tend to be less refined and stocky.

[tabula_rashah]

I can’t really say much about QH’s as I’ve only ridden a few as stock horses just aren’t my thing, but I currently have 3 Morgans- I trail ride and started in endurance a couple of years ago. I call my Morgans energizer bunnies on crack. They will go all day and then some. They are also crazy smart and need a job- my girls can definitely figure out trouble for themselves if they aren’t in work (AKA look I can open the gate, look what I can climb on, cat chasing, water tub dumping, etc LOL!). That said, they are definitely not for everyone as I think their high energy could be a little offputting for a nervous rider. And I don’t love do group rides on my girls because they have a 4-5 MPH power walk that leaves everyone else in the dust.

[Bluey]

Depends on what you want to do.

While there are individuals in all breeds that are athletic and very good at what they are bred for, you can find some in other breeds that will also perform well at those tasks.

Do you want to have a real cowhorse, you can find many more of those in QHs than Morgans, but if you look hard enough, you can find one in any breed.

I will tell you, starting colts, you can really see the difference in AQHA colts bred for cutting or reining or any other colts of any breed.

Those well bred colts will already have the moves, the talent to move so light and easy, they make you look good as a trainer and smile when you realize what you want on a horse is already part of that package.

You could go to a really good cutting or reining trainer and ask for a few lessons and have them use an adequately talented horse and then you ride one with real talent.
The difference is eye opening.

So, decide what you want in your next horse and then go look for that, regardless of breed, size, sex, color, all that is a far off second to a horse that makes you smile when you handle and ride it.

[Scandias]

I just bought my first horse and after trying out lots of different breeds over the years, I picked…drumroll please…a Morgan!

I think the biggest difference between Morgans and QHs is that Morgans are more elegant and have a more personable disposition. They are very sensitive to pressure, so I find a cooperative relationship works better than the Clinton Anderson technique. You can really upset them if you are too harsh with them.

The downside to Morgans is that they are generally smaller than QHs so if you’re really tall you are more likely to find a fitting QH than a Morgan. Also Morgan’s have very short backs and it can be challenging to find a well-fitting saddle, but they are out there if you’re willing to look and spend the $.

Some would say that Morgans are “hotter” than QHs but are more cooperative. In other words, they may spook more frequently but you can contain the situation quite easily and quickly; a more stubborn QH may not spook as often but once spooked may be more prone to running off/harder to control.

All this is just my humble opinion from my own personal experience. Both are good solid horses, but the Morgan is a better fit for me.

[Emilia]

In my observations, Morgan horse affection is a diagnosis by itself. It is like, when you meet your first Morgan, a part of your brain goes missing and you cannot rest until you get your hands on one of them for good.

So, of course, I vote for a Morgan. I have been infected seven years ago and never looked back.

If you consider a Morgan, look carefully into lines. I prefer old foundation types to what has become fashionable on the East Coast (very light, little hotter) and was lucky enough to get one with old foundation in him.

It is really just a matter of preference though (stockier vs. light).

As others have mentioned, Morgans tend to be forward and also can ride “big” (like warmbloods). Some people find it scary. Their natural pace is often fast and people not used to that might think that they are getting run away with.

Most of the ones I know also have the ability to go from dead quiet into full throttle in a second. Again, it can feel intimidating at first, when they “puff up” with their heads up in the sky.

All those I know are good natured and very people oriented. They like to be the number 1 in the eyes of their owner. They like to do something and be handled every day.

I would say, they are good versatile horses, but not particularly special in anything. I would agree with Bluey that, unless you caught a Morgan bug, you should consider a horse suitable to a discipline of your choice.

I am a strictly pleasure rider, have tried many different things, and our Morgan, so far, has been right there with me trying (though we did not break any world records).

OK. The end of serenade.

[Scandias]

[QUOTE=tabula rashah;7564790]
They are also crazy smart and need a job- my girls can definitely figure out trouble for themselves if they aren’t in work (AKA look I can open the gate, look what I can climb on, cat chasing, water tub dumping, etc LOL!). And I don’t love do group rides on my girls because they have a 4-5 MPH power walk that leaves everyone else in the dust.[/QUOTE]

LOL - I thought it was a great idea to turn my Morgan mare out in the arena; within minutes, she had knocked over a chair, grabbed my helmet, pulled down a blanket and was headed for my camera when I caught her.

I tried trail riding her with a slow moving Haffie, poor Haffie had to trot to keep up with our normal walk. Now we trail ride with her fast moving gaited horse friend and that works out much better!

[Sailboats]

I have a Morgan and a Quarter horse! Love them both, but they are vastly different. My QH is very short, very wide, and has a lot of go. Under saddle she is all work and no play, but enjoys a good scratch and runs like a fool in turnout. My Morgan is tall for one, medium-wide, and feels faster while actually being far more laid back and lazy; he can GO if motivated. (Most others I’ve ridden were very forward, but not out of control.) He is also a troublemaker and likes to hold things in his mouth, untie knots, open doors, carry buckets around, and wave around the hose.

My next horse will probably be a Morgan unless something else happens to fall into my lap. I like both the new and old styles, so will probably look at both. That being said, I certainly wouldn’t say no to a nice QH.

[kewpalace]

I have never owned a Morgan, but really like them - the older style ones.

I bought my first QH (cow horse bred) 3 years ago to be competitive in reined cowhorse (which I had been doing with my 1/2 Arab mare). My QH mare is very sweet, kind and smarter than a whip. Dull, slow and lazy does NOT describe her at all, although she will not waste energy if she does not think it is worth it. But if you her to get up and go, its 0-60 in 3 seconds, LOL. She is extremely quick and athletic. Having come from a horse that was not built to work cows (but did so very well for her build and LOVED it), having a horse who is naturally built to do what I want with the cow bred in her is like night and day. It is so much easier for my QH to work cows than my Arab mare. Having not ridden many QH other than my mare but seeing them at shows, I think my experience with cowhorse bred QH is typical - strong, quick, athletic but won’t waste energy if there is no need.

As others have indicated, it depends on what you want to do with your horse and the extent that you want to do it on which breed would be the best for you. Both breeds are great breeds and for general all around work, either would probably do just fine. But if you want do to a specific discipline, choosing the horse more closely bred to that purpose would be the best bet.

[SaddleUp158]

I am biased, but definitely a Morgan for all around riding and if you want a huge personality in a horse. Morgans are the only breed I have ever owned. Do you research on bloodlines and find the ones that are more suited to the style of riding you want to do. Lines definitely play a role in the Morgan breed.

[kasjordan]

I’m also going to chime in and say if you want a Jack of all trades, go with a Morgan. If you want more cow= go with a QH. Our Morgan has done a little bit of everything with my daughter and he’s an absolute trail machine. Beautiful mover. He’s the most one-person horse I’ve ever seen in my life though. If you’re not my daughter, he totally dismisses you.

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=SaddleUp158;7565210]
I am biased, but definitely a Morgan for all around riding and if you want a huge personality in a horse. Morgans are the only breed I have ever owned. Do you research on bloodlines and find the ones that are more suited to the style of riding you want to do. Lines definitely play a role in the Morgan breed.[/QUOTE]

Yes, but it bears repeating, if what you want is a really good athlete for a given task, do get the ones bred for that, it truly makes your and your horse’s lives much nicer.

No sense in struggling to fit a square peg in a round hole.
Not saying that you can’t do that, maybe, eventually, but why not start with the right tool for the job at hand, if you have a goal in mind, like some of your threads seem to be, geared to enjoying a good cowhorse?

There are many horses of all kinds of breeds and mixes that make good ranch horses or trail horses, but not many of those make good cowhorses.

[Timex]

what is it you really want to do, AND AT WHAT LEVEL? I’m much more a Morgan/TB/Arab person, and don’t care much for QHs. (that being said, there are some really neat QHs out there.) for an all-around hose, to play with, pleasure ride, do some schooling shows with, I’d say go for a old school Morgan. I ride for a breeder whose horses are all old government/brunk/lippett lines, and they’ll do anything.

[Lamb_Chop]

I moved from Arabs to a Morgan, so I’m on the Morgan bandwagon. Mine was foundation bred, what’s called Working Western. Lower head carriage than many Morgans and no high knee action like many of the show-bred ones. That being said, she has at least 3 different speeds of trot, and the fast one feels like a locomotive. Her walk is lovely and fast, and anything but a gaited horse has to trot to keep up. She was trained by a guy who worked on a ranch, and he said she was the only horse he could never tire out. She comes back from a long WTC trail adventure, and was the only horse that doesn’t need to be cooled out. Attitude-wise, she’s not high energy, but she will go all day, anywhere, at any speed. And she is the darling of the barn, sweetest temperament ever. She is also an escape artist, but can be found at the hay barn. Love love love this cool mare, can you tell?

[pook]

Morgans- Love, love, love !