Hey all,
I am looking at buying a QH to do endurance, ranch work, cow work(probably the same thing :)),gaming and maybe some reining if possible. Can I get one horse to do all that and be a great family horse as well or am I dreaming? I have been 3 day eventing on and off since I was about 12. More off in later years and I really want to experience these other disciplines. I’ve also not had the best of luck finding suitable partners and really want a kind no nonsense QH that brings joy back to riding:). Am I asking to much or can I experience all of this with one horse? Thanks in advance!
It depends on what level you want to compete at. I am a QH person and maybe I am biased, but I would not recommend them for endurance. I am sure there are some that do it and compete well, but if you are serious about competing, you are better with another breed like Arabian or Morgan or crosses.
Ranch work, cow work and reining are all can be tied in together and many QHs are versatile enough to game a little in addition to those disciplines. But, maybe not if you are looking for a World Champion in all these events!
You can do everything…but it depends on what level you want to compete in.
I did nearly everything with my last horse who was a Morgan/QH cross. She wasn’t a world beater, but she loved to game, never spooked on the trail, and was a stellar little dressage horse.
When I bought a new horse this year, I wanted another jack-of-all-trades who would do a little cutting, a little roping, a little dressage, and a little driving. However, I knew I primarily wanted a horse that would run at least 2D barrels. I ended up buying a reject ranch and cutting horse with a big, BIG trot for any QH–let alone a 14.1 foundation QH. If I were in your shoes, I’d hunt for my number one discipline priority regardless of breed and then look for a horse with a steady personality amongst that group.
When looking at your list, I thought of Quarabs first. Quarabs and arabians are very popular gaming horses around here, plus they do endurance, reining, and just about anything you ask of them.
It really depends on how well you want to do in each of these things. I ride a horse that can do western dressage, horsemanship, jumping, equitation, run barrels and speed events, games (like tag, capture the flag, etc.), and of course trail riding. She isn’t the best in these things, she’ll never win anything but local shows. She however does all those things well enough for me to have fun and do good in local shows. I can also put young kids on here and she be a lazy bum of a horse. So if you are just wanting a horse to be able to do all those things but not be the best then yes you probably could find one. But I agree with the other two posters. Also I agreewith two fishies, a Quarab might be better then just a QH. The ones I have been on are great.
Being more heavily muscled, QHs just don’t tend to recover as quickly in endurance - that might be just a limiting factor in terms of where you place, or it might end up being a health risk. You could consider doing distance riding like Competitive Trail Rides (CTRs) instead of endurance. CTRs aren’t races - you have a minimum/maximum window to compete in - and the pace tends to be slower for everyone. But you can still do great rides of 20ish miles per day (or longer) and often can choose from 1 and 2 day events. Check and see whether the North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC) has events in your area.
My QH is a cow bred, stocky, old fashioned type guy. He and I do well and routinely win or place high in CTR’s (minimum of 25 miles in a certain time, but not a fastest wins goal). Even though he is heavy muscled we pulse down as fast as the arabs unless the temps are high. We have also done several LD endurance races. (25 mi and 35 mi) and often win in our division.
I agree with the others though, choose your favorite discipline, choose a horse geared towards that, and QH’s being the all arounder’s that they usually are will most likely do quite well in anything else you wish to try 
I have no experience with endurance so I won’t comment but as far as Cow/ranch work, reining and gaming- like everyone else mentioned the level you want to compete at will be a factor along with the price tag. I realize that the breeding of the QH has become specialized but I like to believe the QH is still versatile.
In my opinion cow work and barrel racing is actually a good cross over. I know a pile of girls who use their ranch/rope/cow horses to run barrels. Positioning, rating, stopping and turning a cow is similar to running barrels. A good portion of cow horse/ cutting rejects turn into barrel horses. Around here in bigger country people cross the running horses on the cow horses to make horses that can handle the big country, do ranch work then take them to town to jackpot rope and barrel race on.
I have a friend that runs a horse in PRCA/WPRA rodeos that also is a heck of cow horse and ranch horse. The horse also won Top Hand recently at a reata roping.
What you want is a tall order, but I don’t see why it’s not possible at the lower levels. I did 25 mile endurance rides on my 15.3 QH and he was a consistent top ten in the SE/MW area. I had to be careful in super hot and humid weather, but spring and fall rides were never a problem. He probably could have done some slow 50’s, but I never got around to trying it. He was halter and pleasure bred, but looked like a cookie cutter hunter/wp horse. Muscular, but not like some of the cow bred types, and he had a huge flat kneed trot.
Just remember that with QH/Arab crosses, you won’t have as many showing options as far as breed shows go.
Thanks all for the great input and you all mentioned what I was kind of thinking… I really don’t care if I am the best at any of the events at this time I just want to experience all of them:) I have been so focused for so many years on one event and have had such bad luck in finding the right horse that I really just want a kind horse with a try hard attitude that is up for the job at hand everyday. I want a solid citizen that is super versital and fun to take to local shows…At this point in my life I am not going to be a world beater but I do want to go out and learn something new and have a lot of fun… .I would love to be competitive at the lower levels though and when I talk endurance for me to finish is to win… I just want time out on the trail with my horse and although I may not do Tevis I would love to do a 25 and maybe a 50 on a cool day:) I was thinking of the breed shows as well which is why I was thinking of a full QH… Thanks again!
You can also help yourself for looking for a more slightly built QH. Mine is one - he’s double registered AQHA and APHA and has more of an appendix look than a QH look (but no TB for many generations).
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3723/11588669593_b86dcbe61b_c.jpg
He was bred as a reiner, and is pretty good at it, but could also do well at barrels, roping, trail challenges, or low key endurance (he can go forever and cools down quickly). That said, he’s a crappy cow horse / cutter as he’s really not cowy at all - I’m sure he could be taught as he’s wicked smart, but his gut reaction to the flag/cows is “meh”.
Hey UrbanHennery your guy is beautiful… Funny that he doesn’t like cows although I guess not all of them are going to. I’ve been looking at the ranch type rather then the pleasure or halter type. It seems they cover the ground a bit easier and are a little lighter muscled… I hope I am correct in that thought:) I am looking at ranch horse breeders for the simple reason that I can see a lot of horses in one spot.
Yes, I think it’s possible, if you’re looking to compete at a “fun” level vs. the highest levels.
I actually own the horse you’re describing. I compete him in reining/cow events, dressage and competitive trail riding at the regional level, and he can and does win at all of it. The CTR’s are limited distance, like 15 miles per day…I don’t know if we would be able to manage endurance, but that’s mostly because he’s not a great drinker on the trail. So I think a muscled horse that was a good drinker, adequately conditioned would be fine doing a 30-50 miler (assuming you were not competing to win).
I’d say look for a ranch-bred horse, I suspect they would fit your bill exactly (here are a list of Ranching Heritage breeders at AQHA’s website, might be one in your area to call? http://aqha.com/Ranching/Ranching-Heritage/Find-Ranching-Heritage-Breeders.aspx). You want one bred to work cows (it’s too hard to train that instinct) and ranch horses are also bred to cover ground, be sound and even-tempered.
My gelding is 15hh, 1,200 lbs, and is cutting bred (his sire/dam are sired by hall of fame stallions). He’s now 14, sound (knock on wood!) and is the kind of horse many people dream about. I can cut a cow, piaffe/passage, trot 15 miles down the trail, and put your non-horsey grandma on him for pony rides
Hey Kelo…Yep your horse sounds like exactly what I am looking for… I am not looking to win at endurance just to finish:) I looked at the website and boy there are a lot of nice farms. I am in contact with one of them and may head out to Montana in May:) I would love to see a picture of your guy! Thanks again for all the great info… I am very excited!
Here is my previous QH/Morgan mare:
Showing systems are something to keep in mind. Colorful horses will increase your options. The mare above was eligible for color registration as is my purebred QH:
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s281/2fishstudios/Cameo/pretty-trot.jpg
She’s registered AQHA and foundation, plus she’s eligible for palomino shows, PtHA, and Quarter Pony. At 14.1, she’s a touch less versatile than a 15-16hh horse. I swear I went shopping for something bigger…
She wasn’t exactly what I thought I wanted, but what sold me on her was personalty. She’s affectionate (for a Doc Bar), smart, and pliable. She’s a pleaser and is very focused on her person, which makes it easy to throw new stuff at her.
Two Fishies your mares are beautiful and the little QH/Morgan looks like a bunch of fun, of course I love buckskins:) I so hope I find my perfect partner!!! How old is your palomino? I am looking for that horse that is a pleaser as well!!! Thanks for the pictures they are great!
[QUOTE=Marney;7519489]
Two Fishies your mares are beautiful and the little QH/Morgan looks like a bunch of fun, of course I love buckskins:) I so hope I find my perfect partner!!! How old is your palomino? I am looking for that horse that is a pleaser as well!!! Thanks for the pictures they are great![/QUOTE]
The palomino just turned 8, but she’s mentally closer to 3. The previous owners put her out to pasture until she was 6 hoping she would grow big enough for ranch work. Luckily, I like late slow starts on my horses so this was a bonus for me, where is would be a drawback for serious showers.
Even though she’s only a little bit Skipper W bred, she looks and acts like all the linebred Skipper W’s I’ve known. I only bought this horse in December, but I’d have her cloned. Give me a whole herd of horses like this and I’ll be happy forever. :winkgrin: She’s not the personality for everybody–she’s not big on strangers and she’s reactive to high strung and nervous people. It’s worth noting I also have border collies and her personality is pretty comparable.
Here’s her full pedigree. A mixed bag of various cutting lines. She’s cowy for sure, but she’d rather chase cans than cattle:
Most would not do well endurance but the other can easily be done with one horse. Of course that is not upper levels of competition but at the local level and maybe state depending on where you are, yes.
