What breed does my mare look most like?

I never said she wasn’t one, but chances are she is a mix of different breeds and probably has a bigger percent in her. Also, why are saddlebreds one of the most hated breeds? Everyone I met talks about how ugly and horribly bred they are.

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Because people hate working with horses that are smarter and think faster than they do.

Fantastic breed and I adore mine.

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My young horse toed out significantly. When I consulted my farrier about it at his first visit he was unconcerned and said it would disappear once he filled out and that is exactly what happened.

The only thing is he was a yearling, not a 3 year old. Are you certain of her age? She is unnaturally narrow and I doubt she has any QH in her. Other breeds like ASB I have no idea.

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I can’t be 100% certian on her age because many a time horses can loose their teeth faster which make them appear older. The first picture I posted on her stance made her look more toed out than she really is, because of the footing. She actually isn’t that bad and the farrier said she would probably fill out more in her chest area fixing most of it.

Your vet should be able to tell and she looks young to me but that may be because she looks so undeveloped.

The Gaited part has been covered but think you are confusing ASB with TWH. TWH drop their back ends to facilitate the running walk and are built to do that. ASBs typically are level or slightly rounded like many other breeds, they don’t need to drop and reach way up and under for their gaits.

Dont know where you are getting the “ people hate ASBs” generalization. Most people have never had and/or worked with or around them, there are not that many of them compared to TBs or QH. Not aware anybody on here has dissed ASBs despite them not being popular in the HJ ring, they aren’t the norm because, again, not that many of them. They are built and bred to do other jobs but some individuals can be quite good at jumping around low courses and most of them are very well tempered and easy to work with.

OP, open your mind here. You asked what we thought we saw. There is no judgement involved with seeing some characteristics and adding that what types are traditionally popular in the deep south. They are good horses.

Those who answered offered life experience backed opinions on what she might be, not shed row gossip or internet knowledge based on some poor example and jack a*s “trainers”.

If you want to be successful with auction finds, the more you know about various breeds, the more you can guess what they might be capable of and better horse you can make them. Even if there is ASB in the mix, embrace that and work with it.

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Never said I was offended or anything, I only asked why people hate them so much on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, ect. I just wanted to know, it was a question out of curiosity. I don’t care if she is pure saddlebred or has some in her, others have pointed out to me that she doesnt have all the qualities of one, that’s why I didn’t think she had much in her. And to talk about the gaited stuff, I’ve seen gaited saddlebreds, and I’m not mixing them up with twhs, as I’ve had one myself. I came on here to ask what she looked like most because I may get a dna test on her and I want to see if they are actually accurate, given I’ve seen some videos about how a lot aren’t.

OK, I don’t know why strangers on the internet hate ASBs. Thats the last place to go looking for experience backed information from experienced horsemen.

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I should’ve worded it better, I wasn’t looking for information on those apps, I just saw a lot of people hating on saddlebreds there.

A lot of people mistake saddleseat Saddlebreds for big lick Walkers and hate the discipline. Either that or they’ve never met any or just the wrong one.

I’m not a huge fan for a horse for myself, and I’ve met some lovely ones, but my last riding horse was a Standardbred, so the right horse isn’t always your preferred breed (I’m a QH person myself).

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That checks out. There are a lot, i mean a LOT, of stupid people on social media. And they tend to shout the loudest… :joy:

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Saddlebreds are the best kept secret in Horsedom.

They (generally, all horses are individuals) have good minds, willing attitudes and athletic builds.

IMO, much of the problem with the perception of the breed has been that over the years, the breed registry has not promoted them as the “Can Do It” horse, and only promoted and had awards for Saddleseat shows, so many people in the world think that’s all that they can do. The extreme action in Saddleseat is what turns off many and causes the confusion with Walkers.

It has only in the last few years that the breed even noticed and awarded sport horse disciplines. I’m still waiting for them to ban the stupid tail set cr@p.

If your horse turns out to be ASB, don’t mourn. Be happy. You’ll probably have a nice horse on your hands.

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The first horses I rode in lessons as a kid were Saddlebreds, so I still have a fondness for the breed. One of my trail riding friends owns a Saddlebred and it’s a fantastic horse for long rides over rocky and uneven terrain. Plus, Saddlebreds with the right temperament can make fun jumpers.

If Saddlebreds are widely spurned on places like Tik Tok and Instagram, well, I suppose consider the source. :wink:

By the way, I’ve seen plenty of 2 and 3-year-old registered QHs and Paints that were narrow like this, especially the ones bred more for huntseat classes (so leaner, taller, leggier) or those that just had a bad start, nutritionally, as babies.

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My first QH was built a lot like this. I swear he had a hollow leg or two, we couldn’t get any extra meat on him until he stopped growing up at about 5. Then he started looking more like a QH.

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Actually, I consider being spurned on Tik Tok and Instagram more like an endorsement. :wink:

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For realsies? I had no idea. To be fair, they aren’t exactly thick on the ground in my neck of the woods (NW) and discipline (formerly eventing, now combined driving), so I know very little about them. Always just assumed saddlebred = gaited. I think the closest I’ve gotten to a saddlebred is some dude 20 years ago eventing a saddlebred bred draft x and the Arab people with National Show Horses.

For realsies! :grin:
They are not a naturally gaited breed, the 2 extra gaits (slow gait & rack) are man-made and trained in. There are certain lines that produce foals that are born with a tendency to slip into a more lateral gait here and there, but as a general rule, the “gaited” part needs to be trained in, and many can’t do it at all. This is why there are soooooo many rejects pulling carts or teaching Academy lessons. Very, very few make it to the 5-gaited classes at shows.

PS - Saddlebreds ROCK at Eventing and Combined Driving!! :heart_eyes:

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I don’t think I recall ever seeing a 5-gaited ASB class around here, though I’ve watched enough 3-gaited classes over the years. Almost all the fairs around here have classes for them, just not the 5-gaited.

This chonky boi is also very much a saddlebred. Not gaited nor flat crouped.

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And my other ASB who is much more typey and long-necked but still not flat crouped. Saddlebreds come in so many different shapes and sizes. Some are light boned, others heavy. Some have flatter croups, others not so much.

The three they all seem to have in common though is a longer than average neck, Gumby-ness and athleticism, and a penchant for being way smarter and more personable than the average equine.

I love my QHs, TBs and Paints too but the ASBs are a bit different!

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