I’ve had the privilege of riding some ex-Amish Saddlebreds during my wee h/j days, and I love the breed. I just wish the breed community wasn’t so…cloistered? Some people I’ve run across on the internet are…surprisingly hostile to people with a sporthorse but not saddleseat background trying to enter the breed community.
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I always kind of laugh when people say the breed is brave. I grew up riding saddleseat Saddlebreds and they were the spookiest bunch of nuts I’ve ever ridden. Its fun to show them, because they were all pretty hot and you can channel that energy in the show ring, but I wouldn’t have taken a single one of them out of the ring.
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They are such a blast to ride. You can go forever trotting down the trail on them. I have a couple friends that are doing quite well in endurance on full saddlebreds.
Just watched part of the first video that cb06 posted and have zero desire to find out what that feels like or even to see it in person. It disgusts me.
I have known a couple of saddlebred sport horses - broke to drive then switched to dressage. They were apparently good driving horses but struggled with the dressage. Wouldn’t have called them especially level headed. Tiny sample size though, obviously.
If something others do is it is not your thing, it is not your thing.
Now, we should realize that for some, depending on what they are used to seeing as “not disgusting”, that can be anything like racing, reining, dressage, even just that we are riding horses!
I have heard people strongly dislike any and all of those and more.
Whatever we may do with horses, that we of course like, is why we go there with our horses, we need to remember that many others won’t necessarily like it, or strongly dislike it and it may even disgust them.
Most will be polite enough not to tell us how much they don’t like what we do, leave it at a non-committal “not for me”, as a courtesy to other horse lovers, no matter what they choose to do with their horses.
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Well said. I think all the time about the fact that there are plenty of people out there, some horse people of different disciplines and some non-horse people, who would be 100% fine if my discipline of choice (which is not SS) and preferred practice of said discipline disappeared from the face of the earth. There are “pros and cons” to all horse sports and as many opinions on horse care and training out there as there are horsepeople.
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What are Saddlebreds like to ride? My sport type Saddlebreds are smoooooth. Responsive, light off the aids, and sooooo comfy. <3
These are my two Saddlebred mares:
https://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/ASBJumper/FB_IMG_1568246779364_zpsbze32csf.jpg
https://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/ASBJumper/Arya_2_zpsepvwvdky.jpg
https://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/ASBJumper/Sasha-Nov2010-2_zps24bf4477.jpg
https://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/ASBJumper/Sasha-show_zps92c5a383.jpg
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I love the nice strong backs on both mares. Did they come from the same breeder?
Thank you!
And nooooo. One was bred in Wisconsin the other in Oregon. And they have completely different lines, no overlap. One is old-style breeding (the chestnut), she is stockier and thicker and has big feet and 8" cannons. My black filly is typey and modern, totally different bloodlines. But both were started as sporthorses.
Honestly, if people started Warmbloods the way most 2 yr old Saddlebreds are started - with gigantic cutback saddles that press on their loin, heads jacked up in the air, chains on their ankles, big shoe packages and heavy (often male) trainers riding them very young and getting them ready for baby futurities - I can pretty much guarantee many of those Warmbloods would also have a low, wrecked back with no muscling by the age of 6.
I didn’t happen to find two rare, well-conformed Saddlebreds. I simply found and bought two lovely babies off the interwebz who hadn’t yet had any SS training and started them myself. The pictures show the result. It’s all in the training. Most Saddlebreds with the right start would look just like mine. 
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And look what popped up on the sidebar:
@ASBJumper Can you PM me the name of the breeder in Oregon? I’m low key in the market and looking at all my options.
Done! 
A few years ago I took lessons, leased and showed a 5 gaited pleasure ASB gelding and he was one of the nicest horses i have ever ridden. I had only ridden hunters, so sitting upright with my hands up and having his head and neck so close was something i had to focus on. He was a gentleman and all business in the show ring. That slow gait and then hearing the command “Rack on” was so much fun ! If you have an opportunity, try it out.
