Between a morgan, appaloosa, and an arabian. Which breed is best in hilly/mountain country on a ranch?
Answers:
In my opinion i would have to say appy, but they all would be fine in a hilly area.
It's not just the breed, it's the individual horse. There is a lot of variety within breeds. Speaking generally, I would choose an appaloosa for this.
If I were you, I would go with the Morgan or Appaloosa.
Arabians are breathtaking horses, but they are physcotic if not professionally trained, and even after that they are delicate, but they are excellent endurance horses.
An Appaloosa is a hardy breed, but are designed for shows such as pleasure. They are good ranch mounts, and have a natural sweet nature.
A Morgan is a fine, yet Hardy Breed. They work on ranches and i have seen a majority doing Western Contesting events here. They can pull massive loads, are smooth, but can be a bit jumpy. They can take hills, but aren't(in my exp) as good of a Endurance horse as Arabians.
Hope I helped!
It really depends on the individual horse. But my personal decision would have to either be an Arabian or Morgan. Arabs were bred for endurance and for the steep sand dunes. Morgans also have great stamina and have very powerful hindquarters which would make them great for hills and mountain country.
appaloosa. arab's are good for straight, flat endurance. morgan's are show horses. appy's are good trail/mountain horses becuase they're so sweet dispositioned and they love trail riding.
I would go with the appy, but it would depend on how it was built. I would avoid the Arab. They are a bit hot and fragile. The appy is built more like a QH (to me anyhow).
i would either go with a arabian or a morgan because appalossa are not good horses not all them but most of them
In my opinion, the appy. But any of those would do well.
The Arabian has been breed to the point there big bones and there big lungs are now gone. Last one I had had (papered up the butt) had such small bones he was not good for such trails/work.
I also had a Morgan and worked with show Morgans. All in all this would make a fine horse for this. A couple were more "dainty" then some others, but in generally speeking...
Appaloosa's I no a breeder of foundation Appies, these are a little more crazy I feel with the roman nose (I have always been told to stay away from any horse who has a roman nose!). Not all of these have this and they do make a good mountain horse in generally speaking. Matters which one.
Anyhoo depends on the horse in question..and I am no expert , just my opinions.
All horse breeds are good for these areas. rather than focus on the breed, focus on the horse and which one of several particular horses you are looking at is better suited conformationally for this work.
They all would like to be ridden in hilly stuff, but then it all depends on the horse itself, when it gets down to it.
Arabians arebuilt for endurance. Appys are strong equines, and Morgans generally are built to work, and bred to love it.
What about a Morab- a cross between the Morgan and Arabian ? They would make the best trail/endurance horse around, and they are strong enough to handle the hills and the rough country you ride through with no problem. I had a Morab gelding when I was a teenager, and they are a lot of fun to ride and work with. I'm not wild about Appys- they tend to be spooky and silly when trail ridden- and I once had one throw me for no reason on the trail and take off, so I'm not crazy about them. But a Morab would be fun.
i think it depends not just on the breed, but on the individual horse as well. out of the breeds you listed, i only personally know arabs, but i can tell you that while one may be delicate boned and "small lunged", another will be sturdy, heavier boned and capable of traveling long and over rough terrain.
also arabians are NOT "phycotic if not professionally trained", no more than any other horse. i can tell that that poster does not personally know arabs. yes they are high-spirited, intelligent, witty, and sometimes spooky, but can be handled just as well as any other horse. how do i know? i raise and train my own, including rescues and unbroke youngsters. they are no more difficult than any other, and they learn much faster as well, and i am definantly no "professional trainer".
the appaloosa is a very hardy breed, they have very hard hooves. they are probably the most versatile of the the 3 breeds that you listed. they derive from the nez pierce horse, so they have been used in the back country and hills for thier entire excistence. they are very sure footed and they are not flighty. i dont personally know much about arabs and morgans because i am into the stock breeds. any of them should do fine. but over all you are more likely to find an appy that would excel at that then the latter.
Morgan, best temperment out of that group.
What are you going to be doing with the horse? Just trail riding, or working cattle (or other livestock)? How big/heavy is the rider going to be? Is the location hot, cold, wet, or dry? How experienced is the rider?
My knee-jerk reflex, without knowing anything beyond what you put in your question, would be to pick the Appie. While the Appaloosa color pattern has been around for centuries, the modern horse we call the appaloosa originated with the Nez Perce Indians in hilly, mountainous areas. Appies are sensible horses, not too "hot," tend to have very good hooves and feet, and are decent cattle-working horses.
Morgans, at least the Morgans I'm familiar with, tend more towards a physique like a Saddlebred. I know this isn't the way they were originally bred, but most purebred Morgans that I know of are bred primarily to be show horses, not working horses. This is not to say that you couldn't use a good Morgan with the somewhat stocky original Morgan physique; but from what I've seen, you might have some trouble finding one that isn't show-bred. FWIW, I think the Morgan is going to cost you more than either the Appie or the Arab.
Arabs can be a good choice for ranch work, but they are definitely as a breed "hotter" than Appies or Morgans, and a lot of them lack the size and bone that you'd like to see on a horse that's expected to carry a full-sized man in a Western saddle all day. As a rule, the bigger the Arab is, the more it's going to cost.
As others here have observed, when it comes down to actually choosing a horse, the individual is more important than the breed. I'll go one further and say that if you limit yourself to purebreds of any breed, you're potentially cutting yourself off from some fine horses. I think what you want to do is define the use you would like to put the horse to, and then specify factors like size, and then look for a horse of any breed that meets your needs. The best horse for your purposes may not be a purebred at all, but a crossbred of some kind.
Good luck.
Arabian. They are often used for endurance races in which that is the terrain. They also have the muscle type that keeps them going for a long ways when other horses will tire faster and stop. Whoever says that Arabs are psychotic if not professionally trained is dead wrong. I have an arab that I got when he was 6 months old and I was 10. I trained him myself, he was the first horse I had ever had or been around. He is not in any way psychotic. He is a wonderful horse. Appy's generally can be crabby and very stubborn. Morgans also can be testy at times, along with arabs. But that goes along with any horse. I do believe that Morgans also fall into the category of a "hot blood" also.
the horse encyclopedia... it gives you info on every breed...
i would go with a morgan or an appaloosa but it depends on the individual horse 2
arabs are very good in endurance which requires hill and mountain work. they have a lot of strength and are great to ride. i have two myself and they handle hills great. i suppose appaloosas would be good too but i dont have much experience with them. i have never really seen many morgans doing a lot of trail rides and stuff so i dont think they would be the greatest for hills. quarter horses would be very good cause they are used on ranches in many areas and are good in the mountains. out of the three you mentioned though i would say arabians.
a morgan or appaloosa. I'd prefer morgan.
It really depends on their personality and training more than breed but arabs tend to be more high strung, morgans are pretty reliable, but i think an appaloosa would be the best because they are reliable and very steady
I personally don't like any of those breeds, but some people love them. Apps are my least favorite, but they would probably do pretty well. If you are going to be working cows, definitely go with an app, as that is more likely to have some cow sense. Morgans and Arabs won't have a clue. I don't like apps attitudes at all though. I have met quite a few of them, and have only met one that had a decent attitude. The rest were stubborn and ill tempered. If you want something that is going to really want to go all day long and that is sure footed, go with a Morgan. We have one in our lesson program, and she's a good horse. She can be a little hyper sometimes, but she has endless energy and generally a really good attitude. Like someone else said it depends on the horse. Arabs are fantastic endurance horses and do well in less than perfect terrain, but they are hyper and can be really spooky. I think your best bet is a Morgan, as (in my experience) they have more energy and are more willing than an app, but aren't as nuts as an Arab.
Good Luck!
a morgan
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The people that said it all depends on the horse has the best answer. Another thing that yo failed to include was: What are you going to be using the horse for?
I am going to go with the Morgan. A true Morgan is a strong breed capable of doing its share and with a good temperment. This is an outstanding breed.
I would have to say a Morgan 1st and Arabian 2ND. A Morgan will be a nice ride and smooth but a Arabian will go and go and go and will hold up to the mountain riding. But the Morgan can do it all and be a nice ride.
I agree w/"wenchgirl04", give me an arabian.
Two words: Tevis Cup!
I would say an appaloosa, as arabians and morgans are generally smaller, more frail horses. Appaloosa's are the hardier of the three.
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