Yall, I’m not bagging on DHH as a whole. They’re gorgeous.
What a lot of them ARENT is amateur friendly. If that’s part of the goals and objectives in the breeding direction of the subject of this thread, then yeah - I’m going to question the choice.
I STRONGLY disagree with that too. Have you had any personal experience with them to justify that comment ? I have and have found them very tractable.
I have had experience with a handful of no-name “from some amish auction” types. Very clearly DHH, but I couldn’t tell you the breeding.
They were not what I would call amateur friendly. And if the nicer ones have the “snort and blow” (I didn’t know the terminology, thanks for educating me), that might be the LAST thing your average middle aged amateur wants.
I also have experience with ex show horse saddlebreds, and I have started a few that were never going to make it in the show ring. Not a single one would I call amateur/beginner friendly.
This is my dhh Nugget! He is by Famous V a 3x Renovo cup winner and out of a Patjin mare! He does dressage, they can be really spicy but if you like it it’s really fun!
This is my experience, as well as it can be hard to get them actually over their back instead of strung out in front and behind (they’re not the only breed prone to that, though)
Conflating beginner friendly and amateur friendly isn’t very useful.
I think of most adult amateurs as fairly skilled riders in their discipline of choice, usually with decades of riding experience. Often a returning rider with a decade or two gap.
The difference between an ammie and a pro usually boils down to the pro being a bit more fearless, a bit more effective in problem situations, and having way more experience on different horses, relative to their own clients.
But that doesn’t make the average ammie a beginner. And many ammies are better overall riders than some low level pros.
Honestly very few horses are truly beginner friendly. Mine is not, for a number of reasons. I wouldn’t go looking for beginner friendly myself at this point, I know it is unlikely to correlate with the performance I would want if I was shopping.
I am not familiar with SB or harness horses, but I know a few Arabs and 100% they boing around with flagged tail at any excuse, but never hurt the handler. if my Paint mare got that excited you’d be risking 6 weeks in a soft cast.
I guess mine’s been the exception, he has had a really easy time getting over his back and is really good at pretty much everything we ask of him! He also came from a really good breeder and went to a lot of conformation shows when he was younger so I believe that helps a lot.
He’s gorgeous! My guess is this is what Kate is trying to breed for, unfortunately, hers fall short of this mark.
Yeah it’s so cool when they’re sporty! Even Ali Brock (she rides a lot of horses at my barn) has commented that he has an amazing canter!
He is quite handsome.
Nugget is lovely with very nice conformation. Nugget is also a great example of how many horses within a breed do not have the extreme characteristics certain breeds can be known for. People tend to judge an entire breed by a few horses they have met and tend to think because a handful behaved or were conformed a certain way, they will all be that way. I chalk it up to inexperience.
And my experience with middle aged adult amateurs is of those who chronically buy too much horse and then can’t ride them. One sideways step and the owner is quaking in their boots.
I think TTHW thread proves there’s lots and lots of these types of adult amateurs out there. That’s who I’m thinking of. Not the rarity that trained their horse from backing through 4th.
LOVE that jump! Wow!
Whether or not this is true as a whole, Kate Shearer is then breeding that to a notoriously difficult, quirky, annd wholly Amateur unfriendly showjumper (Baloubet). I can speak to personal experience that that cross sounds like an absolute nightmare.
I can’t speak for you, but my definition of not amateur friendly doesn’t only mean dangerous. My mare is not dangerous, but she is quirky and hard to ride. Not beginner or even advanced beginner friendly.
I think the entire consensus of this thread is, Kate Shearer is not breeding amateur friendly animals (or healthy animals), no matter what the breed is. The market for what she is breeding is non-existent (selling subpar built and cared for horses at a premium), and that is a shame when you’re bringing animals into this world.
If a horse is nice, the horse is nice. The chestnut DHH upthread is a LOVELY jumper. I’d purchase that in a heartbeat.
I’ve referenced her a lot, but my SF mare (tbxfrench trotted) literally fell on her a*s this morning while I was warming up. The way she is built (shoulder heavy) makes it realllly hard as a rider to get her on her hind end.
Couple that with hot and forward, makes for a difficult ride. Luckily we back off at the big jumps, which helps our cause.
Agreed
KS is way too much of a ignorant, full blown narcissist to ever see it. Those poor animals. 
I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but sometimes “forward” horses (caveat: that are not flat out crazy) are really easier amateur rides as they require less pro-active rides (little leg needed --just point and steer - well I exaggerate some!)
I have a DHH/Morgan gelding. He is Jonker x Manno.
If you looked up adult ammy on google maps, there would be a pin dropped at my house. Sure he can be a little snorty and a bit of a worrier but he’s also a forward ride and that is one of the things that makes him so safe. He’d crawl inside your pocket if he could and Horse God certainly didn’t forget to hit him with the Personality Stick when he was made. In fact, at his recent vet appt, she said, “he is FULLY staffed in the personality department, that’s for sure” and “MY MAN would you please walk in a straight line and stop trying to snuggle?” We are dressage-ing and I’ve had him since he was 4. He’s my pride and joy.
I respectfully disagree. I think they require a much more sophisticated ride. You need soft hands and a true independent leg to hand connection. Of course it depends on the level.
I ride about 5 horses a day, and not always the same horses. We have horses raising from a QH to a DHH, but mostly GP level (current and retired) showjumpers (WB).
Of course every single horse is different, but that’s just my experience and especially having owned the hot type and the lazy kick ride. But I’m sure many of you have too!
I’d agree with you but I know how many middle aged people ride hot and snorty ASBs and can’t really ride. They just have a great trainer who builds their confidence and slowly steps them up to spicy.
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