l am looking for a good husband horse for my 6'2'' tall husband. l currently have a Thoroughbred that l lucked out on as he has excellent feet which is not typical for the breed. The QHs in my area have been excessively bred with Thoroughbreds which - in my opinion - has ruined the breed. l would like to get a horse that has good enough feet to go barefoot and only need to be trimmed. Something that is level-headed and sane and preferably wo not eat me out of the barn!

Note: l do understand that each horse is an individual based on their training and life experience, l would just like a few breeds to start with!
l live in New England so something that wo not need a bazillion blankets would be nice too. :)

Shoot - where are you at? l have a 17.1 TB gelding, barefoot, completely husband proof ,that l would be happy to give to a good home..

However, l would have to recommend a paint - you might have to look a bit to find a really big one, but they do exist. Sturdy, usually sane, good feet, and most are easy keepers.

heres a nice example - http://dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1336786&share_this=Y

l would suggest a quarter horse/arab cross
they have the get up & go attitude of an arab but the quietness of a quarter horse
my friends mom used to breed arabs & for the most part (aside for a couple clubbed feet) all the horses have amazingly strong feet
even trail riding they probably wouldnt need shoes if the trails we ride on werent so rocky
ya go with a quarter horse/arab
they r usually pretty quiet, although there r the few that r crazy & dont get the quarter horse personality

Many German warmbloods fit that bill. You can often find one that is reasonable priced when they r on the older side. They might need a little support of Cosequin, but not a big deal in a ''husband horse'' as we call them around here.

A draft or draft cross might not be that tall, but they r so deep in the barrel that hubby is legs wo not hang down too far. Most drafts r relatively easy keepers. Our Belgium gets 3 flakes grass hay twice a day, & a 3# coffee can of Strategy twice a day, & he holds his considerable weight well. Many of our TBs eat more than he does.

Both of these breeds generally will have good feet.

l agree with u on the QHs- l cant believe that u can breed an AQHA reg mare with a jockey club registered stallion, & get a AQHA registered foal. We used to call those appendixes.

Anyways, why do not u try a draft cross? They r usually taller & easy keepers. l have a full draft mare, & unless l am riding her very hard, she eats just as much as any normal horse (and less than our TB). Especially if the dam was a draft, u usually get good levelheadedness, trainability, & forgiveness.

Also make sure u ride the horse- some drafts (and draft crosses) refuse to canter no matter how much u get after them or physically cannot. There is also a stereotype that they r uncomfortable to ride. It is the same as with any breed- some have better suspension than others. My draft mare, loves to gallop, & is suspended ( l have shown her dressage)

As for barefooted- all of our horses are, no matter what the breed. We only shoed 1 horse, & that is because he had navicular.

Try a draft or a draft cross. They are extremely easy keepers, very hearty, can go barefoot easily, have strong hooves, are big, and feel like your on a couch when you're riding. Do not have to worry about blankets either! l highly recommend them!

l would say you could find a really good QH like that or a draft/draft cross. QH are rally good horses and are most comonly known and owned and draft/draft cross (like a Belgian or a belgain/QH) are really nice horses too.

quarter horse ! or draft/clydesdale
or a standard bred!

The old fashioned American Saddle bred. A good bloodline to look for is Stonewall. Perfect feet, big bones. l trained 3 day eventing never needed shoes. Also the older blood lines look more like warm bloods. He was about 16.0 hands even.

Anglo Arab is a good breed as well, Arab quarter. The arab gives them agility & intellect. Quarter horse keeps them easy keepers & sure footed but u need to make sure of the bloodlines as well when it comes to quarter horses. In the last 20 years quarter horses have been staying the same size in the body but bred with tiny little legs & feet, 1000lb animal on tea cup size hooves will create problems in the future.

The more expensive warm-bloods r going to have good feet typically. Mainly because people breed them for a high impact sport (Eventing, Dressage, Hunter jumper). But that is just a generalization.

Honestly it all depends on the horse. There is not a specific breed that is sure footed & easy keepers. Do ur research & just look around.

Appaloosa (typically bred with the quarter horse though)
Cleveland Bay
Hanoverian
Holstein er
Morgan
Morab
National Show Horse
Mustang
Paso Fino
Pinto(not typically bred to quarter horses due to the fact that it would make them a paint)
Tennessee Walking Horse

Hope this helps

Quarter Horse would have been my suggestion, but maybe a Morgan would work.or an Icelandic or Draft horse if you want something that could carry the weight...Or wait.A Dutch Warmblood would be great.beautiful big horses check them out

Er. Dunno. Our barefoot, 16HH, sane horses with good feet r a Trakehner & a Paint. They have gorgeous strong hooves. The Paint is a definite easy keeper, had to take her off the round bale because she was starting to resemble it. And her feet were gorgeous even before she got regular trimming -- definitely the best feet in our little flock.

But our ''gentleman is hunter our go-anywhere, do-anything husband-horse, is our 16.2H QH whose only TB blood is Three Bars. But l can not say he is got good feet, he is a bit small-hoofed for his 1300lb size, but he does go barefoot except when we cushion his feet in Marquis boots.

Our best barefoot, easy keeper, sweetheart & level headed horse is also a QH, but only 15H. She is also my husband is horse & she is a stocky thing, & when he rides her it does not look wrong. That is the size the cowboys ride, & they're not usually shrimps. 16H is a magical price-boosting point, if u can accept 15.x u will have a lot better luck -- u will be able to look at the best hooves of all, the arabs & arab crosses!

l am not sure why u r worried about the TB having ruined the QH breed. If u like TBs, & u like QHs, then think of it like a cross & do not worry about the integrity of the breed? The Paint horse is still actively crossing in QH & TB & the result can often be very good. That is where it all comes down to the individual horse, as u already stated.

Barefoot is also a something to do with the terrain ur horses r on, as l understand it. It is easier for me to get away with it, even for my tenderfooted QH there, when they live their lives on prairie pastures & beautiful arena footings. The vast majority of horses here go without shoes unless they need them for therapeutic (navicular) or performance (sliding plates). Otherwise, all the TBs, warmbloods, Paints, etc., go barefoot. It is harder in California, they tell me. l do not know what New England is like.

Blankets. Pfft. l am in Saskatchewan where -40 is a reality & all my horses r naked except the Trakehner, but he is 26. All the TBs, QHs, Paints, most of the warmbloods, drafts, etc., r all out there running naked in the snow & doing just fine.

Quarter horse, draft horse, or even a warmblood
could be good.

One of the best horses for having good feet & being hearty in cold temperatures is the Rocky Mountain Horse. They have very good dispositions, & even though they r a little smaller than what u r looking for (you can find one in the 15.1 to 15.3 range) they r VERY strong & can easily carry ur 6'2 husband.

You may also want to try a draft cross, or perhaps a light draft like the Halflinger (just sold one for a client that as a STRONG 15.2 hands & could pull a house over if u asked him to, AND was her husband is ''husband horse''). They r very level headed, sweet, easy going & have good feet.

Mustang crosses can also be very nice horses; very sure footed, strong & hearty. Not sure how easy they r to come by in ur area though.

Of course, my first thought would be a good QH, but if the ones in ur area r not what u r looking for l guess that would not be a good choice.

Adopt a mustang, one of the larger size ones that has a good bit of draft horse ancestry. S/he will have been barefoot all her/his life, making due with whatever forage could be found, and out in all kinds of weather.

No need to break one, in the style of the old time cowboys. With gentle training they make dependable mounts.

A mule might also be a good choice.

Draft crosses generally have good feet, height, and substance as well as kind and forgiving natures.