We train endurance horses and raise
Straight Russian Arabians. I never considered a NSH (or half Arab/some
saddlebred), but then we happened to buy one that was FABULOUS! My
daughter won the 1/2 Reg 8 AHA endurance ride with her last year. This
mare was so wonderful we decided to get some more! At the moment we have
five, and they are all built quite differently, but they do have several things
in common:
The saddlebred/Arab cross has several
things we have found to be wonderful, including very fast walks, trotting like
the wind, smooth slow canters, and NO SPOOKS! They are truely FUN TO
RIDE! They also are very friendly.
Some are fine boned, some big
boned. I have not found crooked legs to be characteristic at all.
Some are very smart, some are rather ditzy. Some are high headed, some are
very hunter type. We have one that looks like a gorgeous TB, one that
looks like a purebred Arab, one that looks half draft, one that looks like an
appendix QH. They do tend to have longer backs than a purebred Arab.
A saddlebred breeder told me that is characteristic of the breed, and it is
never a problem, and I have found that they never have back problems, even with
heavyweights.
We just got back from the CO horse park
challenge where I was reserve AHA champion by beating my daughter in a
trotting race to the finish. Both of us were on Saddlebred/Arab
crosses. I thought we'd have a slower time pulsing in on the cross,
but we have come into the vet check with no waiting at all in our last three
rides; passing several people. But the placing is not the point...I think
we finished the ride in 8 hours...the point is we HAD A BLAST on those
horses!
I believe there were 9 half arabians in
the AHA part of the ride. There was a pinto behind us that might have had
saddlebred in him as well. I do not know about first place; maybe
she will write in and tell us what her horse was. There are quite a few
saddlebred crosses in endurance.
As for sweepstakes, right now they
combine the 1/2 Arab and purebred into a top five, so 1/2 arabs often have quite
a disadvantage. I do not know about the first place 1/2 arab in this ride,
but as reserve champ, we did not get into the sweeps $, nor would my daughter
have last year as champ. I am hoping we can work on this by persuading AHA
to award prize $$ in both divisions.
Oh, sorry, I'm off on another subject
for another time...
If you would like to see photos of
several different NSH crosses, check out our
webpage... Louise
