QH x WB Cross

[Ibehorsepoor]

Well I tend to like rock the apple cart…
Here goes. We did breed basically that… minus the conformation… lol. My daughter has a lovely appaloose that she showed for years… qualified her for the world shows. The mare receivied her OMB (Outstanding Member of Breed) award at 4. This mare showed in Halter, suitabity for Dressage, showmanship trail, western pleasure, hunter under saddle, reining hunter hack and jumping… Points in all events… plus has gone roping, cattle penning and barrel racing… Any to make my long story even longer… my daughter has always preferred english so after this mare cleaned house every where they went… she started her jumping… then eventing… then right up to Third level Dressage. Everyone who saw her thought she was warmblood. (she is a dapple grey). Obviously she is a true athlete, and a willing partner as they did it from my daughter being 13 and up. With such a horse… (yes, you do want to perpetuate that mind and willingness, and overall ability… I do anyway). We bred her Riverman (hol), and low and behold she had an amazing colt.

The funniest part of this ever so long story… We had three foals that year… two out of Warmblood mares with strong pedigrees, all three by good strong sires…, And when anybody knows that there is a half stock horse out there… he is never the one selected… He is incredible… Did we luck out… Absolutely… but a great mare to a great stallion… is stacking the odds, no matter what the pedigree says.

This particular colt is fancy mover, correctly built and smart with natural curiosity. I absolutely would do it again. But my mare is not Short, Stocky or downhill.

And as far as temperament… When my grand kids are learning… you bet… It will be on a very forgiving quarter horse type… from there… they can move up to a WB x Stock horse… …

[Ibehorsepoor]

One thing I do need to point out on my mare… is when you go back her pedigree 11 of the back 16 are TB’s. So in essence she is almost 3/4 TB herself…

[ToTheNines]

I am asking this with complete sincereity…it is just that I wonder why people would rather breed than buy. I promise I am not toying with you, but why do you want to breed rather than buy?

Just FYI, I have a quarter horse that I show in the hunters. He does very welll, so I certainly have nothing against quarter horses!

[sid]

Have not read all the replies…just the OP’s question.

I probably would not do that. There is no reliable idea of what you might get.

That said, a lovely Appendix mare was bred to my Hanoverian stallion years ago (his first breeding season).

The mare was a very accomplished h/j competitor and looked more TB than QH.

The resulting filly was outstanding, praised at her GOV inspection, etc. Very elegant and has gone on to do great things competitively.

However, that was a TB/QH cross mare. I don’t think I’d cross to a straight QH. Could get a muscle-bound, shorter legged, non-ground covering offspring.

But that’s just me. I’d stay on the safer side and buy what you want, or breed a QH/TB x (appendix). That would be safer for the long term use and ability of the resulting foal. One sees many of that cross in the h/j world.

Genetics is a funny thing. Sometimes with the best in mind you just cannot predict what you will get, so better to play safe. Sort of like what Forrest Gump says, adapted for breeding. “Breeding your mare is like a box of chocloates…you never know what you’re going to get inside”.:lol:

[camohn]

[QUOTE=ToTheNines;6899487]
I am asking this with complete sincereity…it is just that I wonder why people would rather breed than buy. I promise I am not toying with you, but why do you want to breed rather than buy?

Just FYI, I have a quarter horse that I show in the hunters. He does very welll, so I certainly have nothing against quarter horses![/QUOTE]

for most of us it is a labor of love that we are lucky we break even on. A few of the bigger breeding farms actually manage to make a living at it. And in the end…SOMEONE has to breed those horses for someone else to buy!

FWIW here is the WB/Paint x foal we just had born this am. Dam is a Hannoverian/TBx and sire is a Paint/TBx…so all in all this foal is 25% WB, 63% TB and 12% “stock horse”. He is a beefy boy!
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j276/camohn03/Horse%20Pics/Casper1_zps25ab3ad2.jpg

[columbus]

Irish Draught

In the Irish Draught Horse Society North America there is no inspection for the non Irish Draught portion of the cross so an Irish Draught QH could be registered as an Irish Draught Sport Horse. We have even had one pass as an approved RIDSH stallion though they shortly there after purchased a RID stallion and gelded him. The inspectors have liked them very much though the QH mares they have been produced from have been mostly sport horse type QHs. I have seen several IDSH from stock bred mares by the stallion Hangon Johnny and Johnny is pretty prepotent for an up hill sport horse with sport horse movement. There does seem to be a quieter temperament in the stock horse crosses but Irish Draughts have a similar temperament as well. Johnny died a couple years ago and we have a different RID stallion but we don’t have offspring till this year to know if he crosses as well on the stock bred mares as Johnny did. He is also very up hill but a less dramatic mover. They make a good useful sport horse, easy to start, uncomplicated, with a better foot and a more uphill frame. It is too soon to know if they will be sounder than a basic QH which I would hope for and they should be solid lower to mid level all purpose partners based on temperament and conformation and the movement we are seeing. The stock mares I have seen used on the ID stallions have been good correct horses, built level not down hill and occasionally up hill if the mares had more TB in their pedigree, they were true movers but rarely very free in their shoulders but good carrying ability behind, less elastic, their neck bases were lower though usually very clean. The offspring all improved in the cross with more uphill sport type and more elasticity in their movement and especially their shoulder. The crossbreds pass their vettings well and sell consistently based in their own merits. They will make good family type horses with much more ability in the english sports than the majority of QHs…from one farm they were being shipped from Montana to Virginia as 4 and 5 yos and selling well as show hunters, field hunters and eventers. They jump very well and in good form…as I said very uncomplicated. PatO

[columbus]

As to why most of the crosses done where I am are to bring color to Friesian crosses…Appy and Paint mares…they have proven to produce nice foals with or without color and now are also used on the ID stallions. They are nice correct useful horses and people are comfortable with them like they are with the stock horses. They are calmer and not bred to be reactive. It is interesting to see them turned loose in sport horse inspections. They don’t show off very well…not because they lack movement but because they don’t hot up and show off…they stop and stare at the knuckle head stomping around with the whip…you would probably be surprised to hear there are people out there who want that exactly, especially if they are from the stock horse world originally. They NEED better movement, more freedom in the shoulder and more lateral flexibility, and they need a more up hill build to do well in dressage and to jump. They are not looking out of QH to find more sensitivity or silliness and reactivity but to find better build and movement for sport. PatO

[sid]

In the end it is about “form and function” and IMO and experience that should be the #1 goal in breeding.

Doesn’t always happen for sure, but to me that is the goal that should be paramount with every breeding decision, unless someone is breeding for themself for emotional reasons and intends to keep the resulting foal for life if this maxim is ignored.

[Donatella]

[QUOTE=columbus;6901491]
As to why most of the crosses done where I am are to bring color to Friesian crosses…Appy and Paint mares…[/QUOTE]

It is frowned on to cross Friesians with Appy or Paint. If you want color it is recommended to use pinto warmbloods or knabstruppers. Appy or Paint is “backyard” to cross to a Friesian.

[Rambler]

Thanks everyone for all the great replies. I have thought long and hard about this. I love this mare and she is certainly breeding quality, but probably within her breed. I decided to sell and she was immediately purchased by a mother/daughter and will be staying in barn, so I am pleased with that. Now to find a sound sane 3ft horse…