Please tell me the best breeds of horses.How does one find out which horses are best and tips to keep in mind?

Question

Please tell me the best breeds of horses.How does one find out which horses are best and tips to keep in mind?

Answer 1

I would urge you to set aside the notion of purchasing an expensive registered breed for a short time and maybe check out some of the grade horses in need of rescue at livestock auctions. If you have a breed type in mind or a breed type preference, breed-specific genes will most often make identification of the dominant breed type easy to spot in a grade horse. I don't place much value on "papers" and I am not one who will turn my nose up at a grade horse when buying an able horse for the task it's going to be trained for. One of my best buys, my daughter's barrel horse, is a quarter horse mix 2-year-old bay grade mare with every bit of the dominant physical characteristics of a fine quarter horse. I snatched it out an auction in Linwood, Kansas for $550, a bid too pricey for the slaughter buyers, and within 2 years of conditioning and training my daughter was clocking mid-16s with the horse in the standard barrel arena. That is not too shabby for a mixed warmblood competing against some of those pricey registered breed horses. I would urge you to consider rescuing an unwanted horse from auction before purchasing a pricey purebred. And if you are anywhere within an easy drive to Kansas City, a good place to rescue a good horse is at Campbells Sale Barn in Linwood, Kansas.

Answer 2

Which horse is best is the horse that is best suited to you, one of the best horses I ever owned threw my best friend six times the first four times she rode him.  She didn't want him so I tried him and we got along wonderfully, I bought him and spent the next 13 years with him.  He was a grade, a mixed breed that she bought from the slaughter pen at an auction.  I AM NOT telling you to go to the nearest auction and buy a horse from the slaughter pen, this is risky unless you know what you are doing, it worked out well for me, but often horses are there for a reason.  To find a breed or type best suited to you find a local riding instructor and take lessons, ride their different horses and find one you love then ask the instructor's help finding a similar horse.  If you have a specific style of riding in mind try going to a show that features the style and classes you would like to enter, then do some research, ask about the horses competing.  What breed, how old, how is it to ride, what are some quirks of the breed, etc.  Always try several horses before you decide on one.  And keep in mind for a first time horse owner, it can get expensive, shoeing, vet, dentist, tack, board, training, feeding.  It might be easier to try leasing or even half leasing a horse instead, this will give you an idea of horse ownership without actually owning a horse, and is often the next step of horse people after they initially start taking lessons.  I leased horses for years before I bought my first.  They were wonderful animals and each taught me something new and gave me a little more preperation for owning a horse, including breed as a limiting factor.  If you focus on one breed of horse you miss a million other amazing horses that exist in the world, i've ridden a lot of thoroughbreds, but I love feisty little morgan horses and the best trained horse I ever rode was a quarter horse named 'Unbro the Midget'.  But the horses I get along with best are the mixed breed grade ponies around 14 hh that my short frame allows me to ride even as an adult.  My advice, don't look for breed, look for the perfect horse for you.

Answer 3

When buying/selecting a horse breed should be one of the last things you take into account.  

The most important things to look for are temperament, ability, age (young horses need experienced riders to train them) and size (no good buying a 14.2 pony if you are 6ft 3!).

As a rule of thumb pure-bred horses are more expensive than mixed breeds, so this is another factor to consider.

You should look at each horse as an indivdual.  Yes certain breeds have some characterisitics, but each horse is different.  

I've known Thoroughbreds (a supposedly flighty, nervous breed) that are so chilled out that small children can handle them and I've known Shires (the gentle giant, normally very laid back) that are very nervous and hard to handle.

No one breed is superior to others: Arabs are good for endurance, Thoroughbreds for racing and eventing, etc.  It is all down to the job you want the horse to do.

If you are looking for a horse to buy I would recommend that you take an experienced person, perhaps your instructor, along with you to look at horses, as they will know what is best for you.