Warmbloods on trails

[Appsolute]

My appaloosa x TB is 16.3 (most swear she is 17H - I only have a weight tape to measure, so maybe she is). Granted, not a “warmblood” -but a tall big bodied horse.

The majority of the riding I do is trail riding. From fire roads to single track, steep and narrow, lots of hills - she does great!

Biggest draw back - I have to duck more under trees etc - they just aren’t pruned to as high as I am up there! No problem though, I just tuck down. I have been known to get my head a wither height and squeeze under branches.

As for getting off and on, there is usually a hillside, rock etc that I can use to my advantage - if not, I lower my stirrup a hole and haul my butt up there.

Saturday we found this big bull lose - had fun herding him back to where he belonged - up and down embankments, squeezing between trees and plowing through brush. I forgot “cow ponies” are usually a big smaller - but I feel I can take my “big” horse, anywhere the littles can go.

Denny Emmerson talks about distance riding their horses - including warmbloods on his FB page. WBs should be able to do 15 miles when fit.

[KateKat]

I used to lease a 17h TB for trail riding. He was awesome! Biggest issue was definitely getting through some of the tighter spaces.

I know the owner was trying to do some endurance riding with him, although I don’t think they ever did any races. Unfortunately the horse was put down due to colic before they could.

[GotMyPony]

This is not endurance but a friend was a three-time grand champion of the Western Carolina Hunter Pace series with her Hanoverian mare, about 16’3. The WCHP series runs Sept thru May each year, 15 to 20 events, 8 to 12 miles each.

She rode in the Field Hunter division, meant to approximate foxhunting speed, rather than the slower trail riding division. In it she competed with foxhunters (including TBs, draft Xs and WBs), as well as many Arabs, QHs, even mules. So WBs can definitely do trail at speed and be handy at the same time. Of course she tried not to have to get off if she could avoid it.

[Spartacus]

Not sure if you are thinking anything other than moseying around, but my former Eq horse (17 hh of big-bodied love) is my best trail horse. He is positively bombproof—we’re talking bulldozer, cherry-picker, packs of bicyclists bombproof—and hasn’t worn a saddle in 2 years. Super comfy bareback. He’s 22 and was shown a ton, so we only go out for an hour and a half—the terrain around where we are is rolling hills and some flat areas—but he really enjoys it. His feet have become hard as a rock, and he is barefoot.

I highly recommend it

[Christa_P]

My primary criteria for a horse that tall is that they are trained to allow the use of anything as a mounting block.

[OveroHunter]

I had a 17 hand Swedish Warmblood / Hanoverian cross gelding (registered American Warmblood). I threw my western saddle up on his back and took him trail riding a bunch… Even taught him to neck rein! We called him the Western Warmblood.

He’s a great H/J horse and a fabulous mover. His kid shows him in equitation on the east coast now, but he’ll always be my Western Warmblood :lol:

[Draftmare]

Biggest issue I ever had with riding a friend’s big 17 hand draft cross was that on one particular trail ride we were riding in a “canyon” type area with some trees that had fallen across the top of it. Everybody else was able to duck down under the trees while I had to dismount, walk the horse under them, then mount back up. Mounting back up on a 17 hand horse from the ground is not my idea of a good time! Having to do it multiple times during one ride was especially not fun.

[silverdog]

I have often rec’d the comment that my Trakehner/TB cross would make a good endurance horse. He is tall but not a big horse and has plenty of get up and go but is not hot. His feet would not hold up though but I think he could manage a 25 LD and be competitive. He needs to get a bit fitter though. I have a friend that did 50milers on her WB mare. She did not fit anyone’s criteria for endurance but she managed just fine.

[Guilherme]

If you apply the rule of “horses for courses” you would come to the conclusion that normal “trail riding” is perfectly suited to larger horses. Just be prepared to deal with “tight places” but those really are a problem only from time to time.

The Prussian cavalry developed the Warmblood as a military horse. They were expected to go anywhere they needed to go.

As for endurance, they would not be a first choice for anyone who wanted to win. If the goal is just to participate, maybe they might work out.

G.

[kcmel]

My friend won a 25 mile ride, and was best conditioned horse, on her Hanoverian. She is little though–probably about 15.3.

[tbchick84]

I ride my 16.2 TB on the trails. My biggest problem by far is low branches. I always joke that all trails are trimmed for QH’s. I’m always ducking. I swear my horse has started to duck too to give me more room.