A fabulous article

[LEC]

Sometimes we forget about the core essentials and this reminded me very effectively.

Its called Looking the Part Vs Living the Part

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/looking-part

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

superb article

"Most people don’t need a $35,000 horse. They need a $1,000 horse and $34,000 in lessons.” I second that! I have never spent more than $2,400 on a horse, and I have never left the start box wishing I was on someone else's more expensive ride.

So many of the kids I see giving up on their dreams are misdirected in their thinking. It isn’t how fancy your trailer is, it is how well you ride what is sitting on it."

personally, i far more admire the person with the cheap as chips horse getting 60-65% when everyone said they wouldnt get it round a ring, than the person with the £50K horse getting 75% and bathing in their glory.
Its personal choice of course and given the opportunity id love a big bucks 2yo with mega breeding and knees waving round its ears to produce, but my god id be embarassed if it ever got sub 60 lol! how embarassing to boast of definately getting 70%+ and then regularly pull in low scores (through no fault of the horse).

this is of course coming from someone who likes a naughty,cheap, under dog!!!!!!

 

[Emma S]

Thanks for sharing some very good reading.. I know a few people that could learn a thing or 2 from that!

 

[nikkimariet]

Made for very good lunchtime reading, thank you LEC

Disregarding what a person and their horse look like, the results alone show how successful their training is. You can ride a £1 horse as well or badly as a £100k horse.

Nothing irritates me more than too little training and too much wishful thinking.

 

[RCP Equestrian]

Amen! Need to pin a copy of this on every horse owners door very good article, thank you for posting!

 

[AmiRobertson]

Really enjoyed reading that thank you!

 

[foxy1]

Brilliant article, thanks for posting.

 

[Leg_end]

Great article... Although I'd like to have both.. Looking pretty and riding effectively

 

[humblepie]

Reminds me of a saying from about 40 years ago which I wouldn't put on an open forum but along the lines of it is what comes out of the lorry not what the lorry cost.

That said, lessons obviously important but do know plenty of people who have lesson after lesson with the aim of competing but never really do it. There is a happy medium

 

[Spendtoomuch]

What a brilliant article! A lot of truth in there, sometimes very easy to get carried away with the products available, I know I can but have this year trying to focus on me and my horses way of going and what I can do to improve us both. Luckily have a fab trainer and progress is being made but I doubt she could tell you what colour saddlecloth my horse was wearing when she last saw us but she can tell you what had changed in both of us since last year and what we need to work on.

 

[PapaFrita]

Very interesting, thank you
As the owner of an OTTB, I can honestly say, hand on heart, that the fact that she's not expected to do well as a SJer takes a massive amount of pressure off me. I'd stress myself into the ground if by some miracle I procured a fabulously well-bred, expensive, WELL-TRAINED horse, and couldn't get a tune out of it...
With PF I can just go out and enjoy myself, and enjoy it a little bit more when we do well

 

[TarrSteps]

superb article

"Most people don’t need a $35,000 horse. They need a $1,000 horse and $34,000 in lessons.” I second that! I have never spent more than $2,400 on a horse, and I have never left the start box wishing I was on someone else's more expensive ride.

So many of the kids I see giving up on their dreams are misdirected in their thinking. It isn’t how fancy your trailer is, it is how well you ride what is sitting on it."

personally, i far more admire the person with the cheap as chips horse getting 60-65% when everyone said they wouldnt get it round a ring, than the person with the £50K horse getting 75% and bathing in their glory.
Its personal choice of course and given the opportunity id love a big bucks 2yo with mega breeding and knees waving round its ears to produce, but my god id be embarassed if it ever got sub 60 lol! how embarassing to boast of definately getting 70%+ and then regularly pull in low scores (through no fault of the horse).

this is of course coming from someone who likes a naughty,cheap, under dog!!!!!!

I'm not singling you out and I agree with both the article and your position (which you are ably supporting with your own horses) but I do think nothing in life is so black and white.

See, I have a lot of respect for anyone who has achieved their goals and worked hard to better themselves and their horses. Many of the people I know who are lucky enough to have very expensive horses have also been diligent about getting the best care for them, the best training, the best equipment etc. and worked very hard indeed. Do we really think Carl Hester doesn't work hard because he has top of the line raw material?

I'm afraid I don't know too many people who have made it to the Olympics on horses that cost them a grand, however hard they have worked. It has happened - I know someone who did 4* and Teams on a horse they bought off the track as a 3 year old for her to do Pony Club on - but it is rare in this day and age and I certainly don't think less of some of the world's best horsemen because they choose to ride horses bred and born to the task.


I think the article is excellent and should be required reading, and I know people are not disputing the above but I always find it's a bit easy to just rubbish people because they DO have money. Why is okay to think less of people because of their turn of fortune, whatever way around it goes? I take great issue with people who think they should buy a horse for megabucks and the nothing else matters. But I would also say I have issues with people who buy a nice competent horse that just happens to be inexpensive and then, when they don't accomplish what they want, they blame the pig for not singing.

I would agree without question on the training subject though. And I think that PS is a good example of how far you can get with the right application AND the right instruction.

 

[TarrSteps]

I'd also add that working student positions in North America are traditionally unpaid and usually require the student to pay costs on top. Some really committed people get it done by working outside the industry as well - restaurant or bar work is a common choice - but anyone in that position is already, relatively speaking, lucky. That said, it's pretty feudal, and most don't stick it, but I think it's disingenuous to pretend riding isn't very expensive.

 

[Countrychic]

I do like the article but I think that it is a bit black and White as tarrsteps said.
Yes you don't need all of the matchy matchy pretty things (and I don't have them as it's not my thing) but an expensive saddle Does often make a difference and if you have 100 bits to try you will be more likely to find the bit that your horse goes that little bit better in. A lot of the things the pro's use do help them or their horses and I don't think you can blame people for taking them on board and applying them to their own stables. We've sacrificed everything so that we can equipt our horses with the best tools to help them do their job with success. I spend my time researching riding but also spend it researching feed and equipment. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that in my opinion lessons are vital but so are a whole load of other things that also cost money.

With regards to horses, in general a cheap horse that's not been bred for the job probably will be harder for an amateur to get to a good level on. We don't pay vast amounts of money for our horses (usually around 6 for 4yr olds) but they are bred for the job I want them to do. Yes I could by a racehorse for 500 and try and turn it in to a SJ'er but I want to give myself a fighting chance so I spend what money I have (and sometimes a bit more!!) on a horse that looks like it will the find the job I want to do easy. Am I embarrassed if my well bred zangersheide has 8 faults in a newc? TBH no I'm not. If you put a pro on she'd probably cruise round a 1.40 but I'm enjoying producing her at a pace that suits me and making my mistakes and learning from them. If other people judge me for having what is clearly a good mare and still making stupid mistakes in the ring I really don't care. When we jump our first 1.30 it will be worth it. Chances are if I'd bought a horse that wasn't naturally a SJ'er we wouldn't reach that height as I'm probably not good enough to help a horse that didn't find the job so easy.

 

[madhector]

I'd also add that working student positions in North America are traditionally unpaid and usually require the student to pay costs on top. Some really committed people get it done by working outside the industry as well - restaurant or bar work is a common choice - but anyone in that position is already, relatively speaking, lucky. That said, it's pretty feudal, and most don't stick it, but I think it's disingenuous to pretend riding isn't very expensive.

It's not a lot different here

 

[Ferdinase514]

....I have to remember to log MH out before I post. Duh.

The link to the article has broken so cant read it

I am nototriously tight with money but I do think that spending on the right things helps. However, agree strongly that it is all about the right training.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

I'm not singling you out and I agree with both the article and your position (which you are ably supporting with your own horses) but I do think nothing in life is so black and white.

See, I have a lot of respect for anyone who has achieved their goals and worked hard to better themselves and their horses. Many of the people I know who are lucky enough to have very expensive horses have also been diligent about getting the best care for them, the best training, the best equipment etc. and worked very hard indeed. Do we really think Carl Hester doesn't work hard because he has top of the line raw material?

I'm afraid I don't know too many people who have made it to the Olympics on horses that cost them a grand, however hard they have worked. It has happened - I know someone who did 4* and Teams on a horse they bought off the track as a 3 year old for her to do Pony Club on - but it is rare in this day and age and I certainly don't think less of some of the world's best horsemen because they choose to ride horses bred and born to the task.


I think the article is excellent and should be required reading, and I know people are not disputing the above but I always find it's a bit easy to just rubbish people because they DO have money. Why is okay to think less of people because of their turn of fortune, whatever way around it goes? I take great issue with people who think they should buy a horse for megabucks and the nothing else matters. But I would also say I have issues with people who buy a nice competent horse that just happens to be inexpensive and then, when they don't accomplish what they want, they blame the pig for not singing.

I would agree without question on the training subject though. And I think that PS is a good example of how far you can get with the right application AND the right instruction.

i think i probably wasnt very clear first time around-as you say, anyone who works hard deserves respect, but what gets my goat is people who DO have the means to spend a lot..............and expect that to be it, DONT put the work in but expect the initial investment to carry them through...............or the people that have moderate success but absolutely wallow in it without giving any credit to the horse etc etc, or even worse those that have a lovely horse and dont give it the best care and then moan about the injury or illness that comes out of laziness or being slapdash etc .

i guess to get to the top you need the money and the correct attitude. Having only the latter will get you further than only the former!!!!!!!

 

[kerilli]

I agree with Countrychic. Having had both (a phenomenally talented albeit difficult horse, who I bought for literally 1/2 her price - which was the top of my budget - because she had sarcoids and it was my lucky day, I guess) and less talented horses, I know which one I'd rather be sitting on! Putting all the time, training, effort and money into a horse which does not have the scope or power to go as far as your ambitions... that is heartbreaking. Been there, done it. (Got to 2*, had very obviously reached that horse's ceiling, fortunately found out without pushing too far.) The talented horse who cruised round a 3* as if it was a Novice... yes please, I'd like another like her and would go to the ends of the earth to find one! I think that if you have the money then spending a chunk of it on bred-for-the-job talented horseflesh as long as you can ride it (which is a whole other subject, of course!) makes sense.
I think the article is great, don't get me wrong. Much better to spend £40 on a lesson than £40 on yet another pretty Anky pad to add to your towering collection in every colour of the rainbow. Ditto another pair of beautiful breeches to complement today's coffee and pistachio ensemble etc etc...
But, some expensive things really do benefit the horses. Would I love a sea spa for my horses, to help keep their legs in tip-top condition? Gosh yes, please, but what are they, £30k? FMBs rugs - absolutely, top of the list. Routine tendon scans, a thermal camera to have on the yard for early pinpointing of possible problem areas (approx £8k for the quality required, eeek!), etc etc.
And of course, lots more training. If I had the money the first thing I'd do is zoom over to Germany for a few months with my trainer. And then go and do the same with a SJer (SJmummy, if she'd have me!)
I could easily spend tens of thousands more, but it wouldn't be on pretty-pretties (I daren't say matchy-matchy because this is NOT aimed at anyone in particular, obviously!)
And if I had that money, and my horses benefitted, I wouldn't give two hoots what anyone said about how I chose to spend it!

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

i do completely agree with you K, and think the *money better spent* issue applies to training/shows too-if you can only afford one then training should win out every time, esp if things are not going to plan.

same re pretty/matchy-money shouldnt be spent on frivolous items IN FAVOUR of good quality training and horsey health care................if you can afford both, to the standard you want, then frivolous is fine (coming from the queen of frivolous, but id never buy another ANKY pad if i thought i needed a lesson,or i had a vets bill en route and could only afford one or the other )

 

[Pasha]

My trainer did notice my matching Anky set in my last lesson and said how much she rates them, especially for sweaty horses She is a List 3 Judge

But joking aside, I agree and training (after of course feeding and caring for my horse) always comes first before looking pretty