Nothing was more beloved to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, after women, than horses.
أخبرني أحمد بن حفص قال حدثني أبي قال حدثني إبراهيم بن طهمان عن سعيد بن أبي عروبة عن قتادة
لم يكن شيء أحب إلى رسول الله ﷺ بعد النساء من الخيل
[Its chain is daif]. It is also found in Al-Kubra, hadith 4404. Saeed bin Abu Aruba was mentioned previously, hadith 1086, and Qatada was mentioned previously, hadith 34, both narrating with "an" without specifying direct hearing.