Taking this blog from the $900 Facebook Pony. Let's build me a perfect horse.
I'm going to go with a warmblood/thoroughbred cross. Ideally it would have the lofty movement and pretty gaits of a warmblood with the athleticism and try of a TB. I've worked with a lot of thoroughbreds and thoroughbred crosses and I just love their work ethic and personalities. I'm also drawn to a more "all around" type horse and I think a cross of this nature is perfect for that.
Obviously I want a horse capable of going all the way up to Grand Prix in dressage. It doesn't have to be international quality, but it would be awesome to earn all of my medals. If it's a perfect horse, why wouldn't it be able to do Grand Prix? But the perfect horse can't just get away with being wonderfully talented in dressage. I want a horse who can school tempis on Friday and hop in the trailer for a trail ride on Saturday. Maybe the next weekend I take him to a hunter pace. I am a human who wants to be able to 'play' with my horse while working on my dressage goals. Lots of dressage talent with a sense of humor to take all the other stuff I'd throw at him.
I used to say that I wanted a really red chestnut with lots of chrome, but I'm easier to please these days. I just want a color that can have a lot of shine with a little chrome. He could be bay, brown, or chestnut. I think black gets sun bleached too easily and dapple grays fade with age. I'm not a huge fan of colorful horses either. Size could be anywhere from 15.2hh to 16.3hh; I'm short and I don't need something huge that I can't get my leg around. Overall type would be somewhat compact, balanced, and athletic. I like them a bit on the leggier side, but with solid bone that will equate to the horse never being lame (obviously). Imagine a heavier event horse or a light dressage horse and that'll paint a good picture for you.
Good ground manners are a must. I want a horse that Steven could take care of if needed. The horse should enjoy lots of turnout but have no stall vices when stalling is necessary. Should enjoy being with people and come to the gate. Should have no problems traveling alone or with company and be able to tie to the trailer (with hay and water) for several hours with zero issues.
I can't decide whether I want a 3 or 4 year-old with only very basic training. I'd enjoy bringing him along myself and being able to really watch him grow and develop. But I also realize that for all of the above ground manners to be possible he'd probably have to be closer to 5-7 and have traveled some showing 1st/2nd level. Either would be a ton of fun. As long as I get to bring him up the levels myself and have plenty of time to enjoy experimenting with other disciplines as well. I doubt I'd want a real baby because I totally appreciate being able to jump on and know that there are at least the basics of not bucking, go forward, stop, etc.
I think I've referred to this unicorn as a he or him enough times that you all can gather I want a gelding. I'm not prejudiced against mares by any means, but Mort can't go out with mares so I might as well make my fake horse get along well with my real one.
It's fun to imagine what the "perfect horse" would be. It's also fun to see other people's being wildly different. I also think that if we all were honest, most of us wouldn't trade our horses in for a "perfect horse" even if we were given the opportunity. I know I'm a sap for taking an imperfect horse and improving him to be the best that we can be together.
Let's see how Mort stacks up.
Breed: Full TB and not super lofty
Activities: Probably peter out around the mid/upper levels. Can totally take him trail riding, but anything jumping or too rough and tumble is out with his front legs.
Size/type: Good, shiny color with a little chome. Leggy. Too long of a back and full TB takes away from the dressage-hybrid of my dreams. 16hh
Manners: Travels well and ties to the trailer fairly well. Not terrible ground manners but could be better. Friendly but doesn't enjoy grooming. No stall vices. Does well in turnout as long as it's not buggy.
Age/Training: He's 8 and showing 1st, schooling 2nd. I got him at 6 with the basic basics from New Vocations.
Sex: Gelding who sometimes thinks he is a stud
So Mort isn't the perfect horse, but he's a lot of fun and I enjoy him. He is also real, which counts for most of it. I think his ground manners have improved a lot and will continue to do so. I fully believe that Steven could feed/groom/lead him if needed, but I wouldn't trust him (yet) if he were clipping/vaccinating/dealing with something scary. His confirmation isn't perfect but he is athletic with a good canter. And again, he's real.
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