In September 2021 we bought a neglected mare, we were told by the owner that she was mixed breed with Lipizzaner, we had no idea how much she has in her. The first trainer that saw her said she has a lot of Lipizzaner in her and that it is likely only one of her parents was mixed with another breed. The second trainer said that she looks nothing like a Lipizzaner but he couldn’t say what she might be apart from the fact that she has an Arabian head so she must have some Arab in her bloodline. She’s about 15.2, Any thoughts ?
My Noodle had a pretty plain head for a (registered) Arab. But not even Noodle had such a long face.
Sheilah
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To determine if a horse has Arab blood I look at the tail. If the horse carries its tail out and up some there is a good possibility of recent Arabian blood.
Could she have a QH cross in there? Many QHs have really deep jowls and many have decent throatlatches. Her deep jowls might be why the person thinks there might be Arab in her ancestry.
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I see zero Arab blood in this head. I’d want to see her stood up for conformation and moving video to even guess. I have seen several Lippazaners and a couple Lippi/TB cross. They are pretty rare. My first question is if there’s any plausible connection to Lippizanners in her known provenance. Did seller explain? Otherwise I see a draft cross.
Lippazaners would give her ability to collect and sit plus a lofty trot. Does she have that naturally?
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She could be almost anything. There are outliers in almost every breed. If I were going to guess based solely on that picture I’d guess draft cross or maybe Irish Sport Horse cross but I wouldn’t discard QH or Lipizzaner/ Andalusian etc. completely as possibilities. She doesn’t look to me like she has Arab close up in her pedigree.
Given her background as well as the picture, a draft cross of some type seems most likely.
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If you are in the Intermountain West, I’d say quite possibly Andy/QH cross. There are quite a few of them around.
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I don’t see Arab in that head at all unless she looks really different in a summer coat. The short thick neck makes me think draft cross. I think if you posted some standing conformation photos people could give more accurate guesses. You could also consider sending a hair sample in (Texas A&M?) for genetics but I think that’s more way back ancestry than modern breeds. Some registries keep DNA records and can test for a small fee (Morgan for example, but I see no Morgan in this photo).
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I would guess draft cross of some sort. That’s a pretty draft-y looking head. But like others have said, she could be anything. And frankly, who cares so long as she is nice and willing and does what you want.
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That was my thought, too. They call that cross Aztecas, don’t they? There was a lovely one at a barn I used to board at in Parker, CO.
My first thought was some Connemara in there. Yes, they really can be 15.2! So don’t discount some pony breed. Plus the grey.
I don’t see any Lipizzan really, their heads tend to be convex.
Who knows? But fun to think on.
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Yes, Aztecas. I was thinking that, but she does seem a little heftier. Possibly Andalusian crossed on a QH/Draft mare? A few years ago I went to see a 1/2 Andy, 1/4 paint, 1/4 Perch gelding and he was about this build. He was such a lovely guy, I still wish I’d been able to buy him! My mares are stabled next to a QH/Perch cross mare and she is a fair bit thicker than OP’s horse, but 1/4 draft seems quite plausible.
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The Azteca registry is pretty strict. The QH parent can only have up to 25% TB blood.
My mare’s (Andalusian/QH) dam was 37.5% so no Azteca registry for her (like I care). Just weird little requirements.
My mare is pretty refined compared to this mare but each individual is going to be unique.
Susan
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There’s Aztexa registry and then there are unregistered Iberian crosses all over the place. Iberian adds a balance and handiness that’s very unique and if this horse shows real talent at liberty then Iberian blood is a strong possibility.
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Lippizaners have that tucked down muzzle. They have pretty long noses and their mouth part, the last three or four inches above their nostrils turns down… It’s not a roman nose, it’s more like a parrot’s beak.
You can DNA test; some people have gotten really good results (knowing the horses breeding and getting almost spot on results) and others have gotten hilariously wrong ones.
But in my case, (I have several horses of dubious breeding) I call them North American Warmbloods 
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That looks like a quarter horse to me, nothing remarkable saying Arab at all, especially her head.
I’d bet the farm that there is zero Lipp in there.
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You guys are ALL WRONG. She is a gray one! 
In all seriousness OP. If you can, post a conformation photo, that would help a great deal. Its a gray horse, against the snow and a white fenceline.
People like your trainers tend to see what they want to see too. I hear it all the time with my pittie cross dog. If the viewer likes Danes, they see part Great Dane, if the viewer loves boxers, they see boxer same with horses I feel.
But I love this game and I am leaning towards a draft cross and QH. And it really doesn’t matter as long as you love her and she is safe and fun!
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Percheron / TB is my vote
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Draft cross, specifically Percheron because of the gray (no feathers so Shire/Clyde is out). I’d love to see a conformation photo, but nothing suggests Lipizzaner to me there in that photo. That neck and the big ears suggests draft.
With crosses, the old saying: ‘if you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras’ comes to mind; that is to say, the more common answer is likely the correct one!
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btw…and i KNOW you didn’t ask…
but the ground looks well worn in that groove and i would not lunge my horse in a small circle in the mud.
