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Topic: About the Trakehner (Read 5121 times)
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MISSMADDIE
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I love Trakehners!
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Hello Everyone
I'm new to the board and wasn't quite sure where to post this, so I thought here would be best.
Anyhow I'am currently looking at a young horse who happens to be full Trakehner, she is amazing. My last horse happened to be a Han. and I really haven't been around many Trakehners. My question is how do you find them to be (considering every horse is different no matter what breed) all in all what are some PRO'S and CON'S of the breed.  Looking forward to learning more.
Thanks everyone
Maddie
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Beckie
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Maddie,
The biggest difference between a trakehner and other breeds in general is their intelligence. They are often smart in an almost analytical way. And they remember everything!! Both good and bad. This can be a pro if you like working with smart horses and a con if you prefer the less intuitive type of horse.
I personally love my trakehners and find many other breeds dull and boring. My life's adage is I cannot tolerate "dumb" in either my men or my horses!! Everything else I may not be able to choose......  
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acottongim
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There is a CON?  Sorry, had to say it (weird since of humor today).
Actually, I have always found them to very intelligent horses (usually more intelligent than their riders/owners LOL), that are very "sensitive" and by that I mean that they will not tolerate someone demanding that they do something, but if you ask them they will give you the world. They generally have very nice gaits (as in comfortable to sit/ride) and are usually athletic suckers! Those are just the highlights. Some people will say that they are "hot" but I disagree with that. To me a "hot" horse is one that will spook/bolt easily and is very "fast" in their reactions. A TK might be quick to react, but they aren't generally spooky horses (although some lines are more prone to being spooky and more "pro" type rides vs an "ami ride" if that makes sense). Most of the ones that I have been on/around are very brave horses. But that senstivity and intelligence will make some riders/trainers label them as hot. (shrugs shoulders)
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MISSMADDIE
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Thank you both for answering . =)
I had told a "friend" of mine that I had found a prospect which happens to be a Trakehner and the only thing she said was how terrible they are and so on so on...etc.  It was nice to hear from people that actually own and know about the breed.
Thanks everyone
Maddie
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acottongim
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Eh... don't listen to them! They just don't know anything. LOL! I actually took my 3 year old stud out and about last year a lot and would have people do double takes that 1) he was a stallion and 2) he was a TK because he is so brave and laid back!
They just have a "rep" that is slowly going away - besides there are MANY TKs that are "hidden" (do you know how many Hanno, Oldenburg, etc are actually half of more TK?!  )
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MISSMADDIE
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LOL
Actually I didn't realize how much of an influence Trakehners were on the other warmbloods until I started reading the history of the Trakehners. It was really interesting. I also read a good article on this forum (I think in the breeding section) about the history of the TK.
Maddie
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Eileen
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Hi, Maddie,
In addition to the posts above, a couple of other things I have found -- the Trakehner likes to have a job -- some in fact need a job. If handled properly, most trakehners are in fact eager to please, try very hard to understand and learn what you are asking, most are quite people oriented and seek out human company and frequently make good "family" horses -- although a few can be almost one person horses--but the few "one person" types I have seen do seem to transfer that to a new owner when the time comes.
As you said, there are pros and cons to any breed and good ones and bad ones in any breed. My trainer had only seen a bad Tk or two and had heard the same things your friend is telling you. She was appalled to learn I had Tks when we met. Our oldest baby is now a coming 5 year old, quite tall and very athletic and at first she said she would not ride him/help train him, etc ( she is quite small, getting to be a little older, and has some problems with her hands and knees). She relented last year and helped start him. She is now absolutely in love with him and says he is the best and easiest horse she has ever trained, ridden, etc. and now wants to show him for us. She says you always feel safe on him, never have the feeling he is going to buck or try anything. She also feels he is the most comfortable horse she has ever ridden. She says that if she were 10 years younger you would have to pry him from her cold dead hands to get him away from her. --- And she has warmbloods of her own of other breeds.
Good luck with your decision and if you like the mare, I would not hesitate just because she is a Tk.
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MISSMADDIE
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Thanks Eileen for the link, the site is very interesting.
My friend made me worry for a second there, but everyone here has pretty much helped me understand the TK nature.I'm very interested now in getting to know a little more about the breed. There haven been many AMAZING TK horses out there, so really it can't be that bad lol.
Maddie
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AMcGrady
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I have to say, I have a young Anglo Trakehner gelding who will be 4 in April. He is young and he has his good days and his no-so-good days, but the not-so-good days are "baby" days, I do not think it is a reflection on his breed, more a reflection on his age. I will tell you that, even on his not-so-good days, his work ethic is AWESOME. When he is not-so-good, it is because his attention span is a little short, so I have to change things up a bit, but, it is evident that he wants to please, he wants to work and he WANTS TO BE GOOD, he just does not want to be bored. He's quick to learn, VERY quick, somedays I wonder if he is smarter than I.  He's laid back, many people are surprised to find out how young he is, he's VERY sweet and LOVES attention and is VERY curious/nosey.
I believe that once he is mature, mentally, that his not-so-good days will be few and far between. I will also add that he was SUPER SIMPLE to back and start under saddle. He's very kind and accepting. I feel so lucky that he was my first youngster to bring along, I delivered him the day he was boarn and he has been very good to me since the day he was born. I love that boy!
This was him this past November:
This is him at 24 hours old:
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Amy McGrady
*Cute as a Bugsear (Bugs), 1986 TB mare ~ Isella x Annie Somebody
*Pippen (Frodo), 2003 Anglo Trakehner gelding ~ Paramoure x Cute as a Bugsear
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Deb
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I have 3 Anglo-Trakehners. The older one does come from a line that tends to be a bit spooky but, if this makes any sense, I really trust her not to do anything stupid. My TB that I lost in Sept was not spooky and was actually a little quieter but I did NOT trust her not to do anything stupid. Interestingly, I once had someone ask me if she (Anglo-Trak) was a Quarter Horse. When I said Trakehner, she said she was too quiet to be a Trakehner.
I'm just starting my coming 4 yo now and I think I'm going to also be able to trust her to not do stupid things. I've never felt threatened by any baby stuff she's done. I think she's going to have a great head on her shoulders.
My coming 3 yo I don't know yet. I do know that my neighbor has told me she's the "nosiest colt" he's ever seen. She's very bold and people orientated.
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MISSMADDIE
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I'm starting to wonder if people mistake "crazy" for just being young or fresh (when they dont get turned out one day and they are full of themselves the next)!! I had my last horse who was Hanno at a young age (he was 3) and people used to call him "crazy" but to me he was just young or being fresh. Always rideable though. IMO a "crazy" horse falls under the word "rouge".
I suppose everyone has their own "imo's"!!! 
Do you ladies find that people who tend to be more of a nervous rider tend to say TK's are crazy?? I'm wondering if that's why my friend only blabbed negative things out on the breed (with no real expereince with the breed actually)!!
Hope to hear back from you all
p/s AMcGrady your boy is beautiful!!!
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fuzzy
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The gal who has been riding my gelding while I can't insists he's too sensible and honest to be Arab/Trak. But she likes him anyhow, and has kept him from regressing in his education.
I love the sensitivity, jealousy, and smarts that many Traks have, but they certainly aren't for everybody. Due to injuries, I really don't need or want the size anymore, but I'm not giving up the gaits or the minds they have - hence the interest in the Arab cross.
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MISSMADDIE
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Lol
Does anyone have a personal story of how TK's can be jealous??!!? I'm just curious to understand them.
Thanks for everyone's help and kindness
Maddie
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acottongim
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Of how people are jealous of the breed, or how the horse is jealous?
I will tell you that I am slowly chaning people's minds around here about the breed. They have seen me with Preston, and now with the others and realise that they aren't all that "crazy".
I 'broke" Preston, and on his 19th time under saddle we rode him at a Dressage show in a materialle class. He warmed up with mares, geldings, and other stallions. A mare (that was being rambunctious) came within inches of running into him. He was ALL business (has been that way everytime you stick a saddle on him - down to work) and didn't flick an ear wrong. We went into the ring, he handled himself like a pro in the ring with the other boys (not all of which were being good) except that he didn't want to pick up right lead canter - he did, but with much persuasion. He ended up getting 2nd place with almost a 70% from PETER HANSEN! (very tough judge), the next day (ride number 20) he won the class under Janie Malone (another tough judge). Peter was shocked to learn he was so green. He is just a pro - oh, and on day #2 we did not lunge him at all, just got on him and schooled for a few mins. A few weeks later (still less than 30 days under him) he went and did Intro A and B - we got the 2nd highest scores for the WHOLE day and he never put a foot wrong - even when a girl lost control of her horse on the other side of the fence when we were at "K" and she was RIGHT in front of us. The only reason he got "dinged" was for not being consistent, and stuff like that - which for less than 30 days is not bad. The judge, Jan Gille, is beyond impressed with him. Did I mention that he is still a stallion? here is a link to his 8th ride (and 2nd one at my place) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRlTEVw9Tcw
Every one that I have rode has had this type of temperament undersaddle. I have ridden lots of breeds and lots of horses, and within each breed there are horses that I dislike, or some that I am flat out scared of (they will spook, they will hurt someone, they will .... fill in the blank). I have YET to work around or ride a TK that I don't trust and like.
Yes, I think that people misuse their terms... like "spooky" - usually they are just more "alert" or "crazy" "hot" etc... and yes, I have noticed that those that say these things are generally people that are not as good of riders, or more "insecure" around horses, etc (and sometimes I think that they are jealous - we have a breed that is not only beautiful, but also easy to ride, easy gaits, and great temperament... what more can you ask for?) Just my long winded two cents and I'll get off my soapbox!
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MISSMADDIE
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Acottongim your boy is too cute, and very impressive for being so young. lol, with my last horse we were just trying to get the trot and walk down before it went of into a bucking bronco session everyday for a month.(he was a hanno)
maddie
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acottongim
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He still has not offered to buck or take off with me. He even had about 2 months off - he went from the week prior to the Convention until New Year's weekend with NO riding (due to my breaking my toe, ill health, and weather/work) or any type of work at all. I lunged him for about 5 mins and hopped on him... perfect. Now that I have said that of course he'll prove me wrong when I ride him later today LOL!
And, I swear that I'm not 'bragging" on him (although I am too LOL) this is typical for the TKs that I have always rode - in Germany and here. I just haven't rode or started any that weren't easy. I have rode some that bucked or whatever, it is just that they love to work and they love to please thier owners. Preston isn't ATYPICAL, he is TYPICAL. (and thanks for the compliment on him!)
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Lucky Mistake
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About them being "spooky" or "hot" - they are very alert, but they are also sensible. My first horse, an Arab, was of the "See you later, Charlie" type if anything set him off. I often referred to him as my "dressage spookmaster." Not the Traks. My first Trak, my grand old schoolmaster by Pregelstrand, may she rest in peace, wasn't above PRETENDING to be spooky at times, but those times were invariably when my attention was wandering a bit. She insisted on her rider being as focused as she was, and if I got running on two tracks a bit (I tend to multitask at everything), she would find a leaf or something to jump at, just to give me a reminder. But it was a reminder. It wasn't really a spook.
I well remember one lesson with that same mare. Halfway through our lesson in the indoor, a cloudburst hit. Under the metal roof, it was deafening. The trainer had to come up to the stirrup and yell at me for either of us to hear. Unbelievable noise. In the middle of this, the lesson went on, and Chrissy never flicked an ear. I was just reminding myself that her focus would be equivalent to mine, and we were fine. My problem right leg, though, a bit stiff from an old injury, wasn't wanting to relax and get in position, so the trainer suggested that I drop the stirrups. There in the middle of this unbelievable noise, I dropped the stirrups and crossed them over the pommel, and we continued the lesson, including stirrupless canter work. It helped my position, and we finished a good lesson.
I remember thinking on the way home that on no other horse or breed of my acquaintance would I have calmly dropped the stirrups in the middle of that noise assault and just continued with the lesson like nothing was going on. But my "spooky" Trak was as good as gold - just as long as I stayed focused myself. She was the horse who converted me to this breed.
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"Then we began to ride. My soul smoothed itself out, a long-cramped scroll freshening and fluttering in the wind." Robert Browning
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Eileen
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I do have stories of how they can be jealous. We have only youngsters here and they are usually worked in a specific order. I usually work the older gelding, the second gelding and then the 2 year old filly(she only gets ground work and maybe a little "lunging" in the round pen). Each horse watches the horses ahead of him and cannot wait for his turn. They may whinny and walk the fence/gate a little until their turn. After they have had their turn, they just go on out to the pasture and pay no attention to whomever is being worked.
On two separate occasions, the filly has gotten overly anxious for her turn and as I was putting the boys up, she jumped the gate and came running up to the barn for her turn. She is not dangerous or crazy, she just can't wait any longer for her turn. They do love to work and to please you.
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fuzzy
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My gelding hates to see me with another horse. So, on those rare days that he doesn't come when I call, I simply fuss over a horse he does not like, and he comes right to me to run off the other horse. And I was shocked when he allowed a new person to ride him after just brushing him and lunging him a bit. He's typically very resistant to new people, and had previously had a major tantrum over the idea of someone other than me riding him.
His father, and and two of that stallion's sisters that I knew were also possessive of their favorite people.
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SteveSamples
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I've enjoyed reading everyone's testimonials about their TKs. Now we just need to get out to those Horse Expos and shows and fairs and get our story out. I know that the association has looked at ways to promote the breed, and nothing beats an excited owner, with a little promo material, to win new fans.
I think one of the things that surprises me is that even with consistent infusion of TB & Arab blood the breed has remained distinct in their character (work ethic, intelligence, etc). Maybe because they are one of the oldest breeds in Europe. I confess that one of their appeals for me is that they do have the influence of those breeds (QHs, for example, do not have the Arab influence). I'm not a great pure Arab fan, but recognize their breeding influence in other breeds, and also wonder if some of the TK intelligence may not be in large part to the Arab. I've read this same sort of discussion on the COTH forum, only Arabs were the bad guys. Some people just won't touch them.
Another observation is that you can't "make" a TK do what you want him to do. I think that holds true for the Arab as well, but aren't the German riders more demanding than others in general? I guess I'm saying they're mostly a German breed and the Germans have done great with them, but they don't seem to be complementary personalities.
BTW, I haven't been on the Form for a while. I want to let you know that I've moved my mare Copper into town to a great place for her to run & play with a gelding, 4 donkies, & a cow. She's looking great and when she foals that Tycoon baby this spring there's gonna be some heads turning.
Blessings,
Steve Samples +
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MISSMADDIE
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Hey everyone
I enjoyed everybody's stories so much, they had me laughing so hard. It's nice to hear a totally different side to the breed. TK's have got me hooked. It's also nice to know that their are people still out there that actually LOVE their horses and it isn't all about winning. At my last barn which was a big show barn you didn't find many people (if at all) that actually cared about their "babies". I also love the fact here that most people beleive in waiting to start training seriously. I have seen so many wonderful horses with endless potential get ruined by pounding them into the ground before they have even developed. Would love to hear more stories.....
Maddie
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acottongim
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Here is a jealousy story for you. I have an aged gelding, Buck. He is by Insteruf and out of a QH mare (not that you would ever guess it by looking at him though). He was one of Insterruf's first foal crops when he came to the States, and he'll be 23 in April.
GRAND old guy. He has "been there done that" 100% sound still (with no supplements/injections) and LOVES to jump. But he is one of those types that doesn't really like affection. I always say he is like a British (older) gentleman. He wants you to be around him, but don't touch him - if he wants to be touched, he'll touch you. He is all business and loves to work - he'll go into a decline if he doesn't have a "job" to do (and that job now is tending to babies - he is the best babysitter ever). He rules the farm, he is king.
I saw him once in a paddock with my mare Cory and another gelding. Cory and Verdict were "fighting" with each other. Buck couldn't tolerate the noise anymore and the nonsense so he seperated them. He never laid a hoof or tooth on either horse, but he snaked his neck around and gave them the evil eye. each horse went into a "corner" of the paddock and Buck stood in the middle eating his grass. If either one of them so much as breathed towards the other one, Buck would give them that eye again and snake his neck out. He had them in "time out" for about 45 mins.
But back to jealousy... he thinks that I am his human. When Preston came home and I started riding him, I pretty much retired Buck from riding duties. Well it came the day that Lori and I wanted to try Preston out with another horse in the ring with him. The only horse that I have that is rideable besides Preston is either an 11.3 hh pony mare (NOT) or Buck. I chose Buck as I wanted the "easier" ride (as if LOL). Preston was a breeze, didn't flick an ear wrong, Buck let me know that he was displeased for being "put on the shelf" by bucking, kicking, etc. To top it off, Lori and I were riding side by side on the buckle chatting at the end of the ride. Everything was fine, neither horse cared, and we were about 3 feet apart from each other. All of a sudden Buck lunged at Preston to bite him on the neck! Preston slung his head away and kept on at the same pace, I pulled Buck up and no one was hurt. Buck didn't do anything else, but I honestly believe that he was trying to get back at Preston for takiing his rider/person away from him (in his eyes). When I ride Preston he will stand by the fence and watch us the whole time.
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MISSMADDIE
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ACOTTONGIM Too funny He actually seperated the other horses that were getting into it. I don't think I have ever hear stories like these about other warmblood types or at least not as many stories.
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