I think as riders we all have types. Do you agree? I prefer horses between 15.2 h - 16h that are short coupled and ride very uphill. Like horses, we each have our own body conformation so it is important to find the right feel for the way you like to ride. I can ride a taller horse if the horse is built in a particular way that fits me. I really struggle to ride a horse with a long neck or a horse with a downhill balance. I think it is my short legs and arms that just make that particular type of horse tough for me to ride well.
Does a horses breeding really tell you about it's rideability/temperament? I am sure there are horses that prove the theory wrong but I think that bloodlines absolutely can determine temperament and rideability. There are a lot of people who HATE storm cat offspring but I have personally never had a bad one and I have had horses of several of Storm Cat offspring- Exploit, Tale of the Cat, Stormy Atlantic, Forest Wildcat, Roaring Fever and I am sure there are others. I will say they are athletic types and perhaps not for everyone but they suit me so I guess I don't ever shy away from buying Storm Cat offspring.
I wrote a blog about my experiences with the horses that I have had by Sky Mesa in this blog post that I wrote for the Thoroughbred Makeover Project- http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/2013-trainers/jessica-morthole/482-do-bloodlines-matter I haven't kept track of Governor Jack who was the entry from Midatlantic Horse Rescue but last I heard he was doing fantastic. I get updates on the horses that I retrained, Katzimo, and he is doing wonderful with his new owner Kathy. They went down to Aiken over the winter and he got rave reviews. Very ammy friendly horse with a great brain. Elusive Sky is still boarded with me and is doing great. He just went to a clinic with Sally Cousins a few weeks ago and she thought he was a true upper level event horse in the making. They all seemed like the had the same conformation, rode the same way and just overall wanted to do the job.
I currently have two horses that are sired by Fast Ferdie in my barn. I really don't know much about this sire and google doesn't turn up a lot. When I post horses on my facebook page sometimes I get some feedback in regards to sires and someone said they had a lovely horse by Fast Ferdie. Here is Fast Ferdie's breeding- http://www.pedigreequery.com/fast+ferdie
I have Hebe's Pride- http://www.pedigreequery.com/hebes+pride and Ferdie's Got It- http://www.pedigreequery.com/ferdies+got+it and they have similiar breeding on the bottom side as well if you look closely. If you stand these horses side by side they look very much alike. Herbie is a bit bigger around 16.2 and Ferdie at 16.1 but both have a lovely sloping shoulder, great hip, uphill neck and just a great overall balance. They have the "look" of a big time type of horse. Smart, athletic, beautiful eye and just overall really good to look at. They ride uphill and soft in the bridle. They learn fast and are hard workers. They are talented but also very rideable making them suitable for most riders. They are both 6yrs which lends some wordly experience under their belt. Both are remarkably sound after their race careers which makes me think Fast Ferdie must be durable. I also really love their personality. They both love people and are just happy go lucky types who are easy to have in the barn.
I personally love horses with A.P. Indy bloodlines. They seem to fit my type really well. I also love the Cox Ridge, Holy Bull, Distorted Humor, Private Account, Langfuhr, Salutely, El Prado and Yes It's True. These have just been sires that I have had extremely good success with in terms of offspring.