Just Wondering

I

Isty

At the Start
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Messages
186
Location
Scotland. Nr Hamilton
Just wondered what you horsey and of course. if the non horsey people can input, thats great.

Ok here goes, as some of you know, I've had a long history with all types of horses, I've broken, schooled, re-schooled the impossible :D (supposedly impossible), taught (people are far harder to teach than horses) and been dumped, hospitalised .....erm well loads.

As much as I love the thoroughbred and have had pictures on my wall since I was five, of the current days racehorses, still do if I'm honest although they now have frames and cost a bloody cite(sp) more. The big shock horror is my all time love will always be an Arab, not for racing but for intelligence and manageability. Every horse i've ever fallen in love with has been Arab and yes they can be mental but usually because (and I've rescued a couple) people cant cope with a horse that thinks and boy do they think, its like having a brilliant teenager with attitude. The one problem is that most pure breds or even good part breds are 14.2 although I managed to breed a 15 hh who was my angel, people will hate this but he was huge white face, four white socks, flaxen mane and tail (yes flashy) dressage king. Unfortunately he died at 7 with cancer but was doing intermediate with ease even then.

Ok my question Anglo Arabs, I really cant think of a better mix but to be honest I've not heard very good things about this mix, to my mind I cant think of a better blend, guts, height, athleticity (thoroughbred), beauty, grace, intelligence, stamina (Arab)

Just thinking if I'm ever in a position again to obtain a horse this would possibly be my ideal.

Your thoughts... Thanks


(yeah I know I'm gonna get slated bout the arab thing) :P :P
 
You're not wrong!!!! :P :lol: :lol:

I love a "thinker" but arabs are not for me. Having raced the little bastids for enough years I've had more than enough of them. They're sneaky, moody little gits with no neck! I had a lovely mare though who was built like a TB - she was a complete bitch and a lot of people hated her as she'd kick out but boy was she talented and was a great (if difficult) ride. Unfortunately when I went into racing proper she was ruined by the people I used to ride for who campaigned her over the wrong trip/ground and too often - you name it!

Mind you I trained a lovely chestnut arab mare - she was a typical arab (but honest rather than sneaky) and a typical chestnut mare in that she lived entirely on her nerves, ran up light very easily, took nothing to get fit. She was great - Richard Pitman stopped to admire her one day as she used to jog and dance about everywhere, used to ride her very short and let her dance about underneath me! Lovely mare, unfortunately couldn't afford to keep her at the time so only had her a season.
 
I've had half dozen rides arab racing and I can't say I enjoyed it much - they seem to go the same speed over every trip!
Having said that, regards having a good all-rounder I think Anglo-arabs are a pretty good mix, they can certainly compete in most disciplines. In my experience they seem to be a bit more hardy than the t.b and perhaps a little less temperamental than the arab! :)
 
The ones I met when I was nursing all seemed to be pretty good - Im not an Arab fan, though we had some stunners on our books - there are a lot of breeders in the area we covered, and I was lucky enouh to be involved with some of the top arabs in the south.
They are a bit too ditsy for my liking - most of them live on their nerves too much - but when you cross them with a TB, they are pretty nice equines.

All time favourite for me are still Haflingers and Fells though!!!

Hope you manage to get one Isty!!
 
I think you need to consider the strain of Arabian - they're not all the same. The Monaghey (various transliterations - also spelled Monaghi, etc.) strain favoured by the Kingdom of Jordan for police work is a nice bright bay, usually with white markings, tractable and loyal. The Jellaby strain, favoured much in Bahrain, is mostly a flea-bitten grey, tall, plain, and showing more Barb tendencies and therefore producing a taller, rangier frame. Not so buzzy, good weight carrier, etc. The more tendency to the Barb or North African strain, the fewer the fizzbombs, in general. I've owned two and ridden loads and have found them safe, comfortable and fun conveyances, especially good with young children. If badly treated, they can become sour and try to deck you, but then, what wouldn't, given the chance?
 
Originally posted by Epona@Nov 4 2006, 11:41 PM
I've had half dozen rides arab racing and I can't say I enjoyed it much - they seem to go the same speed over every trip!
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You're not wrong Epona - and that speed is slow!!! :lol:

It used to make me laugh though, the things I used to hear/be told when picking up spare rides. I picked up a spare on a mare at Larkhill one day and was told by about 4 different people that I was mad to take the ride as it was a lunatic, had no steering and pulled like a train (one of the people who told me that was a girl who had ridden it previously in a race and had ridden it at home, when it carted her off the gallops!!!) Apparently they nicknamed her "The Bull" at home due to her alleged tendencies. She was an absolute christian; the steering was fine, she was an easy ride and she wasn't even strong, nevermind pulling like a train. I was riding 3 lots of chasers out a day at the time mind so a tiny arab was chicken feed!
 
Why do horsey people all wear funny clothes?
eek.gif
 
It's probably because wearing a short skirt and high heels is just that bit uncomfortable, HT. And that's just the blokes...
 
It's a thought that often crosses my mind when I'm at the races. I can imagine these people getting up in the morning and saying to themselves, "Right, I'm going racing. I must wear stuff that I'd never be seen dead wearing in the High Street."

It's just one big Halloween party, innit?
 
Surely one of the reasons Arabs are so much slower when racing is because they carry so much more weight!!!

I was involved the a Crabbet bred stallion called Saker for several seasons and a more genuine, likeable horse you'd be hard put to find. I bought a Polish bred mare called Vizchka to breed to him and she foaled a very decent filly. Saker won at Towcester and we used to use Philip Hobbs' gallops.

Tell you what, Isty, Jon and me will lease you REACH THE WIND for you to breed a good 'un ! She's a fabulous looking mare and I reckon you could end up with something rather nice!!
 
It's a long time ago, Dom but that would be about right. He was still standing at stud in Sussex a couple of years ago but I'm not sure he's still there. Must be in his early twenties, because he was about Giles' age if memory serves me right! Lovely grey horse - he was unusually a good show animal too - won the National Junior Male Champion at their main Show!
 
Maybe it wasn't him then, he'd have been about 17 then! The name definitely rings a bell and sounds very familiar although that could be as a sire rather than a racehorse.
 
The nicest Arabs Ive met are all Polish - for looks and temperament. I like my horses a bit on the chunky side ( like my men!!) adn these fit the bill.

Still not a big fan of them though Id have an Arab over a Welsie anyday. ( :unsure: am I an equine racist??!!! )
 
Yes, Doris (Reach the Wind) is a good strong (but not overbuilt or heavy) mare with tremendous conformation and soundness, lovely, lovely temperament and a brill Mum. She could definitely produce another foal or two given the fact she's so fit and sound.
 
Now that would be a cracking foal, Doris I'm sure would do us all proud, my preference would be a stallion along Crabbet lines. :D

Oh if only I could win the lottery, I would be biting both your hands off.
 
Originally posted by krizon@Nov 6 2006, 06:52 PM
Yes, Doris (Reach the Wind) is a good strong (but not overbuilt or heavy) mare with tremendous conformation and soundness, lovely, lovely temperament and a brill Mum. She could definitely produce another foal or two given the fact she's so fit and sound.
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As some on here can testify, one of the nicest ponies you'd ever wish to know would be my Spicey - now 22 years of age and teaching her fourth child, she's a 12.2 Arab x Welsh Section B. Bought as a 4yp for my complete beginner son who was then five, a more stupid purchase on paper you'd be hard put to find (she also had sweet-itch....). However, having seen her ridden past tractors and over a small set of jumps, she just looked genuine so I paid £750 for her (inc her saddle!) and so she's proved ever since.

She's nicely narrow eough to be really comfortable for children, always loves going out - never has to be pushed on - is clever enough to know whether she has an experienced kid on board that needs to be taught a thing or two or if it's a nervous novice and she acts accordingly. She's never bitten, kicked or done anything dodgy and, in return, wherever she's been she's had families who have looked after her beautifully.

Currently the adored pony of an 11yo, I dread the day when she starts to fail but hoipefully, that's a way off yet - she looks about 14 if she's a day.

So my experience with Arabs to date, while very limited, has been nothing but good!
 
Songsheet your definately not wrong, Arabs to my mind are slated much to much, as with dogs and kids its the handling... and yes they need thinking about, only because they have a brain and use it... Having any animal that thinks is a challenge, how many times has some commentator or pundit said this horse thinks too much!!!!! (meaning not a good thing, think Deanos et al...
If you can and luckily I have,, they make the best all-rounders going. The only down side I would say is maybe size.
 
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