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LWR Horse Breeds
We have found over
the years that certain breeds of horses seem to make the best "dude"
horses. Partially because of their physical attributes but mainly due
to their willing disposition. Horses that are gentle, kind natured and
of a "willing" temperament will take you where you want to
go with dedication and little resistance. This is why we have chosen
Quarter Horses, Paints and Appaloosas as our herd foundation.
The
American Quarter Horse has been known for years as the bread
and butter of working ranches. There is no other breed that can outdo
them in dependability and versatility. They excel in every thing from
quick and agile cutting horses to hearty companions in the mountains
or on the range.
Paints
or The American Paint Horse are basically "painted"
Quarter Horses. Paint horses either look like dark horses with patches
of white or white horses with patches of color. Paints are very popular
from the show ring to ranch work because they posses all of the basic
characteristics of the Quarter Horse wrapped up in a strikingly flashy
package.
However, not all horses that show these color patterns are Paints, only those that are of paint/quarter horse background and registered as such. Other horses that may be colored the same are of any breed from Arabians to Tennessee Walkers including mixed breed horses are called “pintos”. There is a Pinto Horse Association which registers these horses based on color and genealogy. All Paints are eligible to be double registered as Pintos as they meet the guidelines of the registry whereas only a percentage of pintos are actually Paints and are registered as such.
Appaloosa
is the breed that the Nez Pierce Indian tribe brought to the limelight.
Known for their courage and stamina these mounts were fearless yet reliable
companions that were counted on for hunting and depended upon in battle.
Not necessarily the quickest study but once trained in any discipline
they strong competitors. They are also known to be on of the best mountain
and pack horses around making them very popular pleasure and trail horses.
Appaloosas can be best characterized by their speckled coats, striped hooves and mottled skin around the eyes and lip. However, not all Appaloosas will necessarily show all of these markings but must meet a minimum requirement for the registry.
We also have several horses in our herd that are mixed with these great breeds including some majestic Arabian and awesome Draft crosses. See some of our wintering horses on the Laughing Water RanchCam - the only western dude ranch webcam showing you the action down in the corrals.
See our Horse Colors page for more information about naming the colors of our horses.
Our
children's program is specifically set up for safe children - horse
interaction. They will learn about the nature of horses, horse care,
and receive riding instruction
that is geared for children.
You'll
feel safer on your horse than on most city highways. While we won't
let you take your horse home with you, we'll reserve a horse for your
next visit. See our horse
picture page to meet some of our horses, or see if they're hanging
around the feeders on our real-time dude ranch webcam - we call it the
Laughing Water RanchCam.
