The toughest, nimblest little horse of recent memory was a funny little Arabian mare my friend out in MT loaned me for pack trips. I could throw her away and trust her on the most treacherous trails.
Of my own? Probably DH’s little SSH. He’s the best at watching for ant hills and holes.
Mine was a cobby grade pinto. Incredible horse. We bought him from a rental string that had him living in utter squalor. He had a very hard mouth and was a cribber but he was bold, sensible, unflappable, and surefooted. He would go through or over anything and was an incredible trail horse and lower level eventer for me when I was a preteen. He died when I was 22.
[QUOTE=tabula rashah;6221684]
All of my Morgans have been exceptional trail horses- sure footed, sturdy, bold and can go all day.[/QUOTE]
And her old Tennessee Walker is my favorite trail horse ever lol- he’s turned into a machine. He does it when i think it.
My daughter’s morgan is about as awesome as they come too.
Quarter Horses! - my 2 favourite horses in the world are QHs, and they were/are the most fantastic trail horses in the world. The horse I grew up with I’d take out on my own all the time, he’d jump anything in our way, when I fell off, even if it was in the middle of a huge field, he’d stand and wait for me to get back on. Nothing phased him, I don’t think I saw him spook once.
Aztec is a ranch horse, and taught my dad how to ride again :-D. I led and brought up the rear with him, neither phased him. Terrain didn’t bother him, moody Arabs didn’t annoy him, and he has the best personality of any horse I’ve known, though can be obnoxious as h*ll on the ground. He has the easiest gaits in the world to ride. Ugh, miss him sooo much.
Purebred Clydesdale.
She was smart and paid attention, and wouldn’t step into bog. I trail rode her alone, and even with her new filly at side for a little while. Even when she was horribly green, we had a good time out on trails.
No worries about jumping obstacles, she generally just plowed through anything loose, or went around. When other horses had to fight heading upstream at a river crossing, my mare could just plant her feet against the current…and usually stopped for a big drink in the middle.
She was the QUEEN of “pacing herself” and never rushed on the way out or on the way back. Tempo like a metronome. Loosen her girth at lunch stops, and her eyes would close for a solid power nap, she knew to rest when the opportunity was given. Good doer too, she never turned her nose up at “strange” water or the cubes I feed away from home.
Her feet were made to travel in a furrow, so no mountain trail was too narrow…the worst problem was going through narrow trees!
While she had earned her name “Spooky”…she was a very steady worker. Also never worried about wildlife riding her…any dogs that rushed her, I have no doubt in my mind, she’d have killed as soon as they were in hoof’s reach. Dogs that were respectful and part of the group were safe around her though.
After spending last year training up my warmblood for his first two LD rides…I really wished I had my old girl back sometimes. That plodding, constant pace might not be exciting, but trying to contain “exciting” day in and day out can be its own sort of trial. She was such an honest worker…and smooth gaits to boot.
He is a Standardbred x Foxtrotter cross. He can work all day and has never spooked at anything. He’s such a nice trail horse!
My new Arab x QH cross may end up being just as good though. He’s a coming 5 year old and he’s just a brave little guy. I have ridden him in the fields alone and he doesn’t see it as a problem. He also does great on rides with others and is very sure footed. His old owners apparently used him to pack out an elk this past fall and they said he did it like a pro.
American Saddlebred!
Mom’s Peruvian Paso! He wasn’t the fastest but he was fantastic for trail riding. We did LOTS of trail riding all over the bayous here and went in and out of traffic on a regular basis. Big boy (He was a solid 16hh not a dinky 14hh) would go for days! He was voice commanded too which came in handy for the newbies. Looked like an Andalusian with all his flash but steady steady steady. Second favorite would be the mustang. She had the smoothest trot and the hardest feet! She went barefoot 100% of the time despite spending lots of time on concrete. Another one we voice trained and she was delightful despite her plain bay wrapping. We trail rode most of the show horses too but ugh those halter horses are not comfortable to ride and the western pleasure horses were not comfy. Most uncomfortable though had to be dad’s cow mare. She was just so gogogogogogo it was horrible! That and you really had to bring your A game to stay on her, she was just cat quick and athletic.
My fabulous Arab, Tio! I bought him at age 5, and the first time I rode him at home, I thought, “This is the horse I want to ride for the next 20 years.”
Safe at any gait, adventuresome, always looking for the next trail, I had some rides on that horse that were the stuff of dreams, and he was my perfect partner for the dance. If he’d been human, I would have married him.
Every horse gets compared with Tio, which isn’t fair to the new critter,
A 15 hand Appaloosa who had a little TB and a little saddlebred in his background.
Amazing horse, could go all day, no spook went over through under ANY THING you pointed him at. Helped round up cows, slid down steep embankments, crossed rivers, galloped through pastures, walked down busy down towns, not to mention patiently waited outside the grocery store as we bought our lunch 
And in addition to trails, he evented to prelim, did pony club, and “retired” from eventing, becoming a A circuit sm. children’s hunter. Awesome all round horse - what appies are all about.
And he did it all barefoot without boots!
While I love my Arab, my award for best all-around trail horse goes to the dearly departed old man in my signature. 1/2 Trakehner, 3/8 Canadian Hackney, 1/8 Clydesdale, built like a tank and absolutely bomb proof. Would go out alone or in a group, first or last, and even with a dog right on his heels. Toted babies around, walking on eggshells for fear of dislodging them.
We used to ride out with my mom on her Trakehner, who had a nasty spin-and-bolt in him. When that happened, the old man would plant himself broadside across the trail, of his own volition, and let that horse smash right into him to keep him from galloping off into the sunset.
my mom’s walking horse was my favorite. From the time he was three years old, he was brave as could be; cars nor deer nor steep grades scared him and the ride was always smooth. Plenty of speed if I wanted it. He even swam!
QHs. I’ve been lucky enough to have had 2 excellent trail horses! My first horse was a registered QH. Sweetest boy ever. 30 years and several horses later my current grade QH is the best trail horse in the barn. He’s the one to go out with and teach youngsters how to trail. Good alone or with a group. And very brave.
Mares!
My best was a QH X, mare named Vandy.
She was also my Barrel Horse and great at that too.
She was unflappable, could run her at a full gallop on an open stretch and stop when I asked her. There was never second guessing her.
My current trail horse in my POA mare. She too is a great trail horse, will go through anything, water, etc.
I’d say my best horses were mares…
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