Judge the horse in front of you, not the mix, even if you’re buying a foal.
There are LOTS of really nice WB x QH (and Paint) horses because the owner chose their stock horse carefully (mare OR stallion). There are LOTS of QHs and Paints who might as well be full TB they have so much blood in them. And there are LOTS of halter-bred stock horses who shouldn’t have been produced to start with, let along procreate, because they are not suitable for work, at all
There are LOTS of reining- and cutting-bred horses who, brought up in a Dressage world, could be fairly upper level in the quality or their movement, though they likely won’t do much at the upper levels because they don’t have the flash and giant movement that’s incorrectly rewarded today.
Count me as another that has ridden and taken care of some lovely QHxWBs. Both parents matter, not just the QH. I suspect those that have seen poor examples of a WBx didn’t start with a quality WB. A good quality WB crossed with a good quality QH, both with complementary conformation/type, will produce a solid lower level horse that all things considered, most wouldn’t realize wasn’t purpose bred.
there are lots of Hunter-bred WBs, and lots of Hunter-bred QHs. Many of the HUS over fences horses (the QHs and Paints) could do pretty well at reasonably high levels of Hunters if they were in that sort of training program, as most of those aren’t the downhill HUS under saddle horses
but there are lots who aren’t, you have to know your blood lines, just like you need to know the Hunter WB lines vs the Jumpers vs the Dressage horses.
they can (and do) reproduce all they want, but they just can’t produce registered offspring or, at best, offspring can get a COP (certificate of pedigree), depending on which parent has which papers even if there’s no registration, let alone breeding approval
To some degree, yes, but also, how prepotent for type is either the sire or dam? And, how similar in type are the parents? I’ve seen a lot of QHs who could easily pass for a WB or TB.
this might depend on the area. And it definitely depends on the draft breed. Lighter riding type Percherons, and Clydesdales, x QH or TB especially, can make excellent field hunters, who are definitely not plow type.
there are lots of those, yes, and in the recent years (1-2 decades even?) the PMU farms have procured really nice QH stallions to use on the draft mares, and the resulting foals are often quite lovely.
Need pics. Is your mare registered anywhere, or even approved for breeding? Not that it matters here, really, the foal is likely eligible for at least COP papers.
You need to know more about the QH than “nice minded” and “more level build than some QH’s”
Does he have any foals out of mares like yours? Either WB mares, or QH mares build like your maer? That matters a lot too, in a situation like this.
The potential IS there for a nice ammy horse with solid, correct build and movement. But if the QH is a bit downhill, and passes that on even to level mares, it’s a hard NO for me
One of the nicest horses I ever worked with - fantastic mind (truly a babysitter), high quality gaits, sound build and a disposition that went with his gorgeous looks was a QH x Trakehner. His barn name was Squid and his talent was CDIs but as a dressage horse he could also shine. Not all warmbloods are equal and considering what they bring to the cross of a very athletic, balanced, well coupled QH (ranch bred) is just as important especially for an amateur on a shoe-string budget. Let’s just say that while it’s not a cross I would seek to do, if you breed like to like and know what it is you are really trying to bring to the table, there just might be a useful horse in the mix. Breeding is a gamble no matter what but first and foremost is disposition and trainability. Squid was a saint.
I know much more about QHs than WBs, and will just say that roping horses have to be athletic, brave, intelligent, strong, even-tempered critters. They have to have speed and sense and be able to sit down hard to stop a calf. To do all of this and do it well, they have to be very sound, which means they usually have been bred for soundness along with trainability.
Whether these attributes from the stallion will show up in offspring from being crossed on your mare is a gamble, of course. But I would say that as long as the mare is nice (mind, body, and soul), it shouldn’t hurt anything to breed her to a good roping stallion. Especially if what you want is a good all-around horse that you can do a lot of different things with. Honestly, in the horse world there is more market for a good-minded, physically sound, “all-arounder” that can go camping on the weekend, push cows, jump a small course, and hold its own in some dressage schooling shows than there is for a “purpose-bred” horse that is really only designed to do one thing super well and can’t step out of that arena. At least that’s my experience. All I ever hear is people who just want something “safe anfd fun” to do whatever with. The roping stallion would probably be good at producing such offspring, but it’s going to depend largely on the mare. If she’s not a “safe and fun” kinda gal, it might be better not to breed her. If she is…then go for it!
Yes there is a market for that kind of horse. But is the market at a price point that you won’t lose a lot of money if you want to sell? If you keep it until it is going under saddle at a point where an amateur can take it out and enjoy it, can you sell it for enough money to take care of all the expenses to get it to that point. What do the horses by this stallion sell for? Foals? Under saddle? out of mares that are NOT well bred reining mares? There is nothing wrong with selling a horse for a loss if this is what you want to do. But you need to have this information before you decide to breed. Especially since you are not breeding like to like and you don’t know if it will be suitable for you. And even if you are breeding like to like you never have a hundred percent guaranty of what you are going to get.
Given the OP’s posts, I was mentioning marketability because I figured she’d want to be ensured the horse could wind up in a good home should something happen to her. She said she plans on the foal being a “keeper” and that she does “low-level everything” and needs a “quiet mind” given her amount of time to ride and the kinds of things she likes to do. A fancier purpose-bred stallion might result in a baby that could bring more profit (or not), but it might also result in a horse that isn’t suited to the OP’s needs.
Ironically… My IDSH is half QH. Her sire is ID and KWPN, and her dam is AQHA. While her dam is a leggy mare who did decently up the levels in eventing, my mare is a pudge and will do the joggy jog and lopey lope with a low headset if you let her, even though she doesn’t look particularly QH-y. Because her sire is approved with IDHSNA, she has enough Irish blood to qualify her for more than a COP and she’s eligible for inspection herself (which we’re doing this year).
A keeper to retire with? Trail rides? Farmyard pet?
Have you bred before? Know the ropes, the risks, have the money to gamble? Mares do die in labor. Foals too.
If you have a lovely WB breed her to another lovely WB. Create something of value not risk and chance. Or the money spent on a lovely young horse purchase if you want the raise your own experience.
Is this mare a single horse at home? what facilities/care do you have for a foal? How good are your local vets? The mare is maiden? How old?
If she wants a low level horse and a quiet mind, by all means buy one. Buy what you want to ride. This kind of horse is not a rare commodity and there a lot of them that are reasonably priced. If you buy - you can ride them and try them out and see if your personalities mesh. If you breed you will have to wait years until it is under saddle and there is no guaranty that the desired characteristics from each parent will be present in the offspring. I see dozens of them go through the local auction for less than 10k. Now some of them may be lame or mentally checked out, but not all of them. Lots look well trained and have many life experiences. If they are not palomino or buckskin they do not sell for a lot of money.
That’s the thing, isn’t it. It’s not just the characteristics of the individual sire or dam. It’s the DNA from their parents and their parents and their parents.
Additionally, what the OP sees for temperament in this stallion may be more age and training and maintenance related than an inherited trait.
Irish SH are rare as hens teeth in my area, the only one I have known was a saint in personality but clunky. TBH that. may have been due in part to his rider.
I almost bought a tb mare with that in mind, someone scooped me. lol
Well, 3x I have rolled the dice and bought a horse and found I had bought mostly baggage. lol
No similar types, if I proceed my mare would be the first wb he would cover. I have seen some crosses on TB mares, they are 3yr olds, not down hill at all.
