What breed of horse would be best as a hobby horse?

I am moving to 3.5 acre property and am planning to get 2 horses one for me and one for my brother. We have experience riding and taking care of horses. I am also looking for below 5 000 ( but do not mind going a bit over 5 000). I like Appaloosas, Arabians, Paints, and all kinds of horses taller than 14HH. The breed must also be good around dogs seeing as we have 2. What breed would be best for us?

arabians

I have an Appy Thoroughbred X and he's a great horse! A little energetic and you can really tell he's got Thoroughbred in him at times, but he's excellent! He was $ 3,000 because he can't show off the property. But he can jump 5 feet and move really nicely and he's 15. I would recommend something like that, not a pure Thoroughbred, but something crossed like a Quarter Horse Thorughbred X. My sister has a Standardbred who used to race as a pacer and he can jump 3 feet and moves super nice. His personnality is great! If you don't mind some right lead stiffness or pacing, then he's perfect. I would say anything really, so long as it's not too hot-blooded like a pure Arab or Thoroughbred.

I say you get a quarter horse (or two) because they are easy to find and are good hobby horses. I got a quarter horse for 1500 and she is trained and awesome, but before you buy one you might want to ride it and have you vet come out and check it over. If you get a grade horse,they are even cheaper because they are not purebred, but if it is just for a hobby horse, it will be just fine. Quarter horses are usually good around dogs and other animals so I don't think that will be much of a problem. Hope this helped!

It depends on what you are looking for. Do you want them to be suitible for children? Trail horses? Jumpers etc....I personally like Appaloosas, but not every horse is the same.Arabians can be hard to handle, the breed has a very charactaristic atitude. ; )Quarter horses are really nice well rounded horses too.

It's more of a personal preference. Any breed of horse works if you click with him/her. You have a pretty good list already started! Make sure to check out the horse before purchasing him/her to see if she/he does what/need him/her to do. Also have your brother ride the horse that you're looking at for him so that he can determine if the horse is the one. Try and find more than one horse to look at so that you have a back up horse to look at if one doesn't work out. Another thing to consider is what you would want to do with that horse. Do you want to do some gaming? Or western/english pleasure? Competing? Or just a horse to have around to ride? If you want a horse for a specific reason (like gaming or pleasure), then you'll want to look for a horse that has some background with that and has been trained (or at least started) to do that. Just about any breed can be used for any discipline of riding. If you plan on doing some major competing-like within the associations-then you'll want a horse that fits the certain association that you want to ride through (for example, for the AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association), QH (Quarter Horses) are the only breed allowed to compete within the shows). Horses that are shown at this level can be a little more on the expensive side, but you'll find one! I've had very good luck with QHs. They have nice temperaments and are very docile. And they're good movers! I also love TW (Tennessee Walking Horses). If you're looking for a good trail horse, than I'd recommend a TW because they're amazingly smooth! Plus they also have a good temperament. Paints are also good! They're docile and fun to ride. Plus they're beautiful!No matter what breed you choose, you'll find the right horse!

3.5 acres is not enough ground to keep two horses on. Assuming that this also covers the house and yard you would only have 3 acres and that, if you put up a barn and storage for food would cut the grazing down to under 3 acres. You say that you have experience riding - anyone who has sat on a horse and it moved can say that they have experience riding, it is not just the riding but a lot of experience is needed in the care of the horse.Anyone who comes onto Y/A asking what breed would be best for them in my never humble opinion, is not ready for a horse.With all breeds there are good and bad in temperaments, conformation and ability. You do not want a specific breed you want a sensible easy horse that will do what you require of it.

you do know this: http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/ma/marbel-hobby-horse.jpg is a hobby horse, right?if you mean pleasure horse, all of those breeds make good pleasure horses. it all boils down to the horse itself in the end. don't limit yourself to a certain breed. yes, there are breed generalizations, but not all horses of a certain breed are alike. i wouldn't say ignore the breed, but don't look too much into it. look for temperament, conformation, how good they are at your discipline, health, etc.oh, and just to let you know, if you're keeping 2 horses on 3.5 acres, you'll probably be buying hay.

....I can't wait for the thumbs down - quit wasting peoples time when they give you answers then just delete you question...You don't have enough acres for two horses, you don't need to blow 5000 for a hobby horse and so you are not experienced riders or owners when you need to go online and ask this indane question....

It is not the breed yous should be concerned about it would be their age who and how they have been handled and what their disposition is. You can get good dispositions and bad ones in any breed.You should always go and see the horses and ride them first. When you have an appointment get there early so you can see them caught, haltered, led , saddled and bridled and ridden by the owner before you ride them. Be cautious of the horse if he has been saddled and already warmed up when you get there! He may be hard to catch hard to bridle and saddle, might be cinchy or a pull backer.

1. 3.5 acres is not enough to keep two horses on. 2. For 5,000 dollars, you could get a decent show horse. "Hobby horse" or trail horse, whatever you mean, go for about $500-1500 these days.3. Breed has hardly anything to do with how they'll be around dogs.PLEASE get some actual experience before buying horses. Take some riding lessons and horse care classes They are not pets like dogs or cats.

its not so much about the breed as it is about the horse's personality. a young arab would probably not be the best choice for a first horse, as they can be high strung, but you might be able to find a calm, mellow one. just find horses that are labeled as "bomb proof,""easy keepers," and "great for kids or young riders." those horses are best for a first horse as they can be teachers, instead of a horse that needs teaching. you want a horse that you can make mistakes with, but not have any bad consequences. all horses are different, and you can't classify a breed as being good with dogs, kids, etc. this is a really common question, and the answer is always the same: its about the horse's personality, not the breed. look on horse ads in your area and find horses that are good for first-time horse owners.oh, and btw, the term "hobby horse" is usually used to talk about a plush horse head on a stick, its a toy for kids to pretend ride on... ;)-- EDIT --everyone keeps saying 3.5 acres is not enough to keep two horses on... yes it is. the rule of thumb is generally one acre per horse (for pasture space) so your horses will be fine. then you'll have another 1.5 acres to put a tack shed and riding space. it will be a little small, but if thats the best you can do, then you'll be fine. horses are tougher than that. just make sure you exercise them regularly.

People. Stop saying 3.5 acres is not enough for two horses. I have seen boarding stables that have 25 horses on 7- acres. The thing is, is that you want to have an adequate turnout to keep the horses happy. Provide the most acreage you can for turnout and turnout every single day. Keeping a horse in it's stall all the time or in a tiny paddock will cause the horse to acquire bad habits. It isn't about the breed like most people say. It is the training, temperament, and experience that the horses have. You would probably do best with horses that are a little older. 7-12 years old. You don't want a green horse, you want one that is trained. You need to ride the horses before you buy them, and make sure you ask for vet records if the seller has them available. You also need to make sure you buy a horse that has been updated on coggins, shots, deworming, trimming, and floating the teeth because horses that aren't taken care of properly could have a problem(s) that could cost a ton of money to fix in the future or after you buy the horse. In your case you would probably be best off with a trained trail horse. You could probably find 2 great trail horses for a total of $2000-5000. The only other question then is what type of riding do you do? Do you ride Western or English? It does matter with some horses! Some horses that have been ridden in English saddles since they were trained may not like the heavy Western saddles on them. I've seen it with my own eyes. But, you can easily find horses that can do both. I would suggest searching Equine.com, DreamHorse.com, and AgDirect.com for specific searches. You want to find experienced/calm trail horses with easy going temperments. . ... oh and one more piece of advice... Don't buy the first horse you look at. Look at a bunch of horses and compare before you buy. Good Luck and I hope this helped you out a little.

I definitely recommend a Morgan! I've had two, and they are just the most calm (yet responsive) horses. You can do what you want with them, and I'd say they're pretty easy keepers. Mine were both just pleasure horses also. Good luck, and I hope you choose Morgans!