What is the friendliest horse breed?

Horseriding is one of the most exciting activities for outdoor enthusiasts. However, it pays to know the friendliest horse breed out there. If you are a first-time rider, you should know that you cannot choose a horse based on its pedigree. Understanding the core temperament of the breed and the training can help you enjoy a smooth riding experience.

American Quarter Horse, Arabian Horse, Thoroughbred Horse, American Paint Horse, Morgan Horse, Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse, and Missouri Fox Trotter Horse are among the calmest and the friendliest horse breeds in the world right now. These horses have a smooth gait and an even temperament that allows you to enjoy an excellent horseriding experience.

What Are the Friendliest Horse Breeds?

Horseriding has been around since humankind first learned how to tame and domesticate wild animals for personal use. These loyal animals have been used as war horses and for carriages. However, there are several horse breeds that come with more desirable attributes and traits than others. The friendliest horse breeds are:

American Quarter Horse

Arabian Horse

Thoroughbred Horse

American Paint Horse

Morgan Horse

Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse

Missouri Fox Trotter Horse

Clydesdale

What Makes American Quarter Horse the Calmest Horse Breed?

American Quarter Horses are quitter popular among English and Western riders and are known for their calm personality and even temperament. These horses serve as an excellent choice for first-time riders and are known to be among the friendliest horse breeds.

American Quarter Horse

While these horses are known for their temperament, they can also be energetic and spirited when the time is right. These horses also have a smooth human-like gait that can help novice riders during the training period.

American Quarter Horses can grow up to 64 inches in height and can weigh around 1,100 pounds during maturity. These horses are also quite beautiful and have a finely chiseled head with a wider than usual forehead as compared to other horses. These are medium-boned horses that are yet another amazing attribute for novice riders.

How Are Arabian Horses in Terms of Personality?

Arabian Horses are known to among the most loyal horses in the world. However, Arabian horses are also friendly in nature and perfect for novice horse riders. While it is true that Arabian horses were initially trained to be hot-headed war animals with immense speed and a powerful gait, these animals are known to be quiet and friendly without any explicit war training.

Arabian horses offer unparalleled strength, endurance, and stamina, and can run for hours without getting tired. Moreover, since this breed is known to be a quiet one, these do not get startled in adverse or spooky conditions, and serve as a perfect choice for first-time horse riders.

Gelding Arabian horses are considered to be among the perfect horses for first-time riders. This breed can grow up to 64 inches in height and can weigh around 1,000 pounds upon reaching maturity. This is why these horses were preferred during wars due to their agility and flexibility.

Arabian horses also have powerful hindquarters and a compact body that makes them suitable for riders of any height. The wedge-shaped head, along with sloping shoulders, gives them a beautiful look.

Are Thoroughbred Horses Calm and Friendly?

Thoroughbred Horses

While Thoroughbred horses are trained for racing competitions, these can be some of the friendliest horse breeds known to man. These are known for their unmatched stamina and speed but are also known for their trustworthiness, gentle personalities, and friendly behavior.

These horses also serve as an excellent choice for amateur horse riders and can be trained according to the rider’s personality as well. Therefore, if the riders want their horse to have friendly attributes, a Thoroughbred horse can become a perfect companion.

This breed can grow as high as 68 inches and weight as much as 1,300 pounds as adults. Moreover, a Thoroughbred horse has a deep chest and a lean body that is perfect for speed, stamina, and racing.

Is American Paint Horse a Friendly Breed?

American Paint horses share a common lineage with American Quarter horses and are considered to be cousin horses. These also share similar personality attributes and can act as quiet and friendly options for first-time riders.

American Paint Horse

This breed is known for an easygoing temperament and is treated as a social animal without any hot-headed attributes in their blood. What’s even better about this breed is that these horses can quickly develop an unbreakable bond with their rider that can last a lifetime. Loyalty runs in their blood, and so does calm-headed personality. These are also quite easy to train as these horses show a remarkable intellectual level compared to other breeds.

They can grow as tall as 64 inches and gain as much as 1,200 pounds upon reaching maturity. A muscular body paired with strong hindquarters makes them perfect for riding in any terrain.

Is Morgan Horse the Friendliest Breed in The World?

Yes. Morgan horses are known to be the friendliest horses in the world. These horses possess endearing personalities and come with an eagerness to please the caretakers with a friendly attitude. These horses will follow the caretaker everywhere, and can even come into the house if you allow them.

Morgan Horse

These are excellent for both first-timers and experienced riders as they can quickly adapt to the rider’s personality. These horses are known to develop a bond with their riders in a unique way and will stay with you until their death.

What’s even better is that these horses do not have too many health issues and can easily be taken care of in any facility and environment. These can grow as tall as 60 inches and gain as much as 1,100 pounds during their adult lives. Morgan horses also have expressive eyes, small ears, and an eagerness to please their caretakers in any way possible. The crested neck is a distinctive feature that sets them apart from the other breeds.

How Friendly Are Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horses?

kentucky Mountain Saddle Horses

With a four-beat hoof movement, the Kentucky Mountain Saddle horses offer a smoother ride and an excellent gait to the riders. You will not even feel like you are moving against the wind as these horses belong to a gaited breed. Combine this smooth riding experience with a gentle temperament, and you will find that Kentucky Mountain Saddle horses are among the friendliest horse breeds in the world.

These horses are as tall as 64 inches, and can also weigh around 1,100 pounds. These horses have a muscular body with well-sloped shoulders that help move against wind resistance with ease. A deep chest and an arched neck offers a touch of elegance to the overall profile of a Kentucky Mountain Saddle horse and set them apart from the other breeds.

Are Missouri Fox Trotter Horses Friendly?

If you are looking for a comfortable riding experience with a gaited breed, the Missouri Fox Trotter horse breed is perfect for you. These horses are trained to have a smoother gait and is perfect for those with joint problems. Moreover, these horses are naturally quiet and friendly and do not showcase any hot-headed attributes during the riding experience.

 Missouri Fox Trotter Horses

The term Fox Trotter refers to their special gait known as a “fox trot.” These horses keep their head down and tail up during the ride, and always keep one foot in contact with the ground to eliminate any jerks or jumps during the ride.

Missouri Fox Trotter horses have a gentle disposition and are quite excellent for families or for social events. Their height can reach up to 64 inches during their lifetime, and these horses can gain up to 1,200 pounds. These animals have straight facial profiles and pointy ears along with sloped shoulders for a perfect gaited ride.

Are Clydesdale Horses Gentle? How Friendly Are These Horses?

Clydesdale Horses

Clydesdale horses possess a unique quiet demeanor that is excellent for learners and first-time riders. These horses are calm, steady, and do not get startled easily. Moreover, this breed is known to be quite forgiving towards the riders and can be patient with novice riders.

However, with a maximum height of 72 inches, these can come off as daunting animals for some riders. The saddle size and the mounting experience can pose as a difficult situation for some riders. These horses can also be quite heavy, as they can gain up to 2,000 pounds during their lifetime.

What Do We Have to Say?

Horses are among the most loyal companions for human beings, and these majestic beasts have been by our side for thousands of years now. Since these are living beings, the different breeds have different personality profiles. Some are known to be hot-headed and serve as war horses, while the breeds mentioned above are perfect for novice riders as these have a gentle and friendly demeanor.

From American Quarter horses to Clydesdale horses, all of these breeds have a calm personality and offer a smoother riding experience for the riders than other breeds.