a breed apart ... apps and standardbreds

[RedScubaD@aol.com]

I am new to this list, and new to the entire sport of endurance.  I'm going 
to go to my first endurance ride ... to watch.  
I have read all of the posts regarding Arabians, apps and other horses with 
keen interest.  I will admit, I, myself have always thought Arabians to be 
"hot headed" until I went to a Ron McLaughlin clinic.  There, the horse of 
choice seemed to be Arabs.  Sure enough, there was one who caught my 
attention, a hot headed little gal who constantly had her fronts in the air 
and her rider not in control.  However, after putting on correct equipment (a 
d-ring snaffle vs the hackamore she was using), and showing the owner a few 
different "techniques" the "hot headed" mare turned into an easy to ride 
horse almost immediately.  I also had learned that Arabians are given the 
stereotype of being high strung because they are hypersensitive.  Which is 
not always bad, at least, not for a rider who is cognitive of his riding 
habits and his/her cues to the horse.  
My own horse is a Standardbred.  My love!  She still tries me from time to 
time, and I've found that ONLY professional riders (and myself, though I'm a 
far cry from a pro) can ride her.  I believe she is, like the Arabian, 
hypersensitive, and can tell if the rider is worthy to be on her back.  Now, 
I LOVE my Standardbred, and would never give her up for anything ... in fact, 
I'm glad that they were mentioned in the "breed topics" because in the most 
recent Horse Illustrated Magazine, they highlight the Standardbred as a 
wonderful riding horse, apart from their racing/driving careers.  Quoting an 
excerpt, "But it's the breed's legendary stamina that is giving endurance 
riders another breed besides Arabians to boast about."  I don't think my 
Tokala (not registered) never had a racing career, so she never learned, or 
was taught that long trot, though she does trot faster than any normal horse 
I've been on, that's for sure!  Makes for a bit of a bumpy ride!  Her canter 
is as smooth as glass though, and she NEVER gets tired, even after a long day 
on the trail.  Of course, she's barely pushing 8 years old, but I still think 
she's an awesome horse.  That's why I want to give her (and myself) a go at 
this sport.
As far as appaloosas go, I was recently given a 27 year old appy mare, who 
is, in my opinion, worth her weight in gold.  She nickers when anybody is 
around, but she does have a bit of a stubborn streak.  She would never try to 
HURT anybody, in fact, I feel safe letting my young (6 years old) cousin ride 
her by herself.  The only flaw in "Freckles" is that she walks back to the 
barn despite all the attempts at the youngster to pull on the reins.  
However, they've learned to kick her and MAKE her go, and she does ... when 
she knows they mean it!  It's really quite comical to watch a 25 pound kid 
MAKE a 900 pound horse walk away from a barn that you can tell she doesn't 
want to leave.  Maybe it's her age that makes her so wonderful, but I 
wouldn't trade my appy for anything.
Now if I could just sell my Hanoverian mix I'd be happy.  I can't keep three 
horses, and as awesome a horse as he is (I can sing his praises too), I have 
to give one up.
Now, I hope to be at the Jennings Boogie, at least as a bystander.  I am not 
confident yet in my health or my horses ability to stay sane on the trail.  
Tokala has a habit of bucking at the canter, because she gets so excited.  
Kinda gets hard on a gal's butt.  :-)

Happy riding,
Stephanie
Jax, FL