Buying a well bred horse to enjoy as a RC allrounder

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Ranyhyn

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After a discussion with friends last night.

Do you think there is anything wrong with buying a well bred animal, just to enjoy as a RC allrounder? Do you think its a "waste", or that the horse will inevitably be too good to just have fun on etc?

Or do you think that a horse is a horse and has no idea of its breeding and even if bred in the purple can enjoy a quiet life as a happy RC allrounder?

Thoughts!
 
You can buy whatever horse you want to do whatever you want with IMO. I don't know of any horse who stands in it's field and pines for what he/she could have been! lol. Hmm, maybe we should ask a horse communicator to ask the horse whether it feels it should be doing something more?!

To me though breeding means nothing, a horse can be fantastically well bred but it doesn't mean it's necessarily going to be any good. The same can be said for a horse on unknown breeding that could be fantastic! A horse is a horse, if you like it and it does what you enjoy doing then who cares.
 
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Kitsune said:
After a discussion with friends last night.

Do you think there is anything wrong with buying a well bred animal, just to enjoy as a RC allrounder? Do you think its a "waste", or that the horse will inevitably be too good to just have fun on etc?

Or do you think that a horse is a horse and has no idea of its breeding and even if bred in the purple can enjoy a quiet life as a happy RC allrounder?

Thoughts!
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Thumper was exquisitly bred, and bought just for that purpose.

Nothing wrong with it at all.
 
Kitsune said:
After a discussion with friends last night.

Do you think there is anything wrong with buying a well bred animal, just to enjoy as a RC allrounder? Do you think its a "waste", or that the horse will inevitably be too good to just have fun on etc?

Or do you think that a horse is a horse and has no idea of its breeding and even if bred in the purple can enjoy a quiet life as a happy RC allrounder?

Thoughts!
Click to expand...


I do pay attention to breeding but for me, its more to do with what certain lines tend to produce so Animo is known to produce top rate showjumpers but is quirky so perhaps not best choice for an amateur. Another point to consider is that top breeding does not always mean top performing animals. I have in the past owned the full (TB) brother to one of the then top NH horses in the country, Barton's Bank. Harry was the next foal and whilst a lovely easy going horse in every way, didn't have 1/8th of his famous brothers talent!
 
Kitsune said:
After a discussion with friends last night.

Do you think there is anything wrong with buying a well bred animal, just to enjoy as a RC allrounder? Do you think its a "waste", or that the horse will inevitably be too good to just have fun on etc?

Or do you think that a horse is a horse and has no idea of its breeding and even if bred in the purple can enjoy a quiet life as a happy RC allrounder?

Thoughts!
Click to expand...

In my humble opinion, you should always buy the best horse that you can afford in your budget. The fact that it is well bred is neither here nor there, but a bonus if it fits all the other requirements.
When your goals are to be a RC competitor, the spare scope/ability a horse will have over that level only ensures safer and more enjoyable experience. It is very tiring and difficult to constantly compete a horse at the very edge of its abilities, but if, for example it can pop round a 1.30 course, your enjoyment of a 90 cm course will be easier to achieve, and safer as it will be more capable of getting to the other side/out of trouble should you make a mistake.
 
Well my daughter's horse is quite well-bred and is basically a PC/RC all-rounder, but I can assure you he doesn't lead a quiet life at all! He hunts, showjumps, cross-countries, dressages, does rallies, camps etc. and is always kept busy!

However, I suppose that it is possible that some horses who have been bred and produced specifically for high-end competition might not have the easy adaptable temperament that the average RC competitor might ideally seek out, but then that is probably true of a lot of horses of indeterminate breeding as well!
 
TGM said:
However, I suppose that it is possible that some horses who have been bred and produced specifically for high-end competition might not have the easy adaptable temperament that the average RC competitor might ideally seek out, but then that is probably true of a lot of horses of indeterminate breeding as well!
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this
 
There's nothing wrong with it. My friend has a horse she was on track to sell for over £20K for dressage because she felt he was being wasted, but she couldn't do it. She kept him and mostly just hacks. :D

Saying that, generally speaking, we are a bit over-run with continental warmbloods (if that's what you mean by well bred), many of which are problematic in un-competitive homes, when many people could be having fun with your old fashioned native x TBs and such like.
 
Would like to add that Buffy my mare is well bred (on her fathers side anyway), Dutch import.
Has been bred from, evented to 1m30 in Holland, Dressage to Elementary. Sharp to ride though. Apparently I am the only one allowed to ride the silly mug!
However, temperment wise she is fantastic. Does what I want, fits the bill. Bit quirky but for the next year or two she will not be doing anymore then RC dressage :) She could go alot further with a better rider but she is MINE!! :D
 
Luci07 said:
I do pay attention to breeding but for me, its more to do with what certain lines tend to produce so Animo is known to produce top rate showjumpers but is quirky so perhaps not best choice for an amateur. Another point to consider is that top breeding does not always mean top performing animals. I have in the past owned the full (TB) brother to one of the then top NH horses in the country, Barton's Bank. Harry was the next foal and whilst a lovely easy going horse in every way, didn't have 1/8th of his famous brothers talent!
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^^^this absolutely^^^^

Some lines are known to be quirky and to buy one to do RC does not give the horse enough mental stimulation and they can often find other more amusing (to them) ways to keep their mind occupied.
 
I have a Nijinski granddaughter who's been out jumping huge classes and is now teaching me at 90cm.

I have a rather fancy pink papered show horse and I've only entered one showing class in my life - not on him.

I've had a 2* eventer who whilst he was with us never jumped more than 2' (but did do gymkhana games at PC camp).

None of them seem to think they should be doing anything else (well, the big mare thinks she should be allowed to go XC more often - and faster!). Horses have no ambition:D
 
I think that buying a well bred horse is fine as long as you're aware of what the typical traits that some sires throw offspring with very typical traits, and to make sure that the horse is suitable for you regardless of breeding.
 
Ok what about this horse, it was the one in question

Ronaldo/Rubinstein/Rosenkavalier/Ramino/Cassandra Sire side - Hamlet/Nimmerdor/Lucky Boy dam's side.

I have no idea on breeding, but this was a horse that was picked out as an example of what said on the advert "well bred"...
 
Well bred doesn't necessarily mean well schooled!

My horse is very well bred (sire's stud fee IRO E70,000) our first RC outing we came last in a prelim test!

I mean admitidly he was bred as a racehorse so why he should be any good at stressage is by the by but he is well bred (on both sides :D)
 
Dolly is very well bred on her dad's side and I bought her to do RC stuff with. The fact that she had an injury a year after I bought her and since then has never really been fit enough to do anything more than happy hacking with doesn't matter. She's happy, I'm happy and at the end of the day she doesn't know that she was bred to go top level eventing.
 
Kitsune said:
Ok what about this horse, it was the one in question

Ronaldo/Rubinstein/Rosenkavalier/Ramino/Cassandra Sire side - Hamlet/Nimmerdor/Lucky Boy dam's side.

I have no idea on breeding, but this was a horse that was picked out as an example of what said on the advert "well bred"...
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Yeah, well, so it's well bred :) I like the Lucky Boy in there ;)
No experience of Ronaldo as such, but further down (or is it up?) the pedigree there is nothing to worry about at all...
The question would be - is it suitable in other respects? I presume you are not buying an unbacked 3 yo or younger, so can go, try and evaluate its general temperament, rideability and attitude?
 
I've always thought this was interesting....

My gelding was out of a 'bog standard' mare as the breeder put it (think she was tbxwelsh). Said she wanted to breed something smaller for herself to just enjoy riding. (She ended up selling him as a youngster though because she didn't have the time to bring on anymore for herself-to me :D) Anyway, what I'm getting at, is that although my gelding was out of this considered 'bog standard' mare and the rest of the stock she breeds are out of competition mares (and all have the same sire) apparently my gelding had by far the best movement and paces and she couldn't believe it. His action is breath-taking.

So the others all had top bloodlines, yet he was the best moving horse she'd bred. So the breeder then bred from the same mare and sire, and the foal was 'pretty average.'

So like others have said, it shows that good bloodlines don't always get you a top horse.
 
It's a good debate! :)

Oh Im not going to see it, well above my means, but I was interested for debates sake - if a horse with good lines fell into my price bracket, would I be stupid to consider it?
 
I don't think the breeding matters at all to be honest, it depends much more for me on the individual horse.

However if the question is more "buying a talented competition horse to use as a RC allrounder" then I don't think there is anything wrong with it, but it depends on whether the horse is suitable for the job really.

For example I know lots of talented competition bred horses that wouldn't really be suitable as RC allrounders because they don't have the temperament - too sharp or quirky - bred for top performance rather than rideability. More than capable of doing the job, but not necessarily much fun to do it on.

So I'd say there is nothing wrong with buying a really quality horse to do lower level stuff, but only if the horse has the right attitude. No point buying a super smart horse with all the scope in the world if you can't enjoy it.
 
Go see it, totally depends on the horse. As an example, I have 2 half sisters (same dam). One would be happy doing whatever was asked of her without fuss. The other, much more a professionals horse, would prefer the routine of a pro yard & regular work.

End of the day if the horse is happy doing what you want, & you are enjoying it, what's the issue?
 
Kitsune said:
It's a good debate! :)

Oh Im not going to see it, well above my means, but I was interested for debates sake - if a horse with good lines fell into my price bracket, would I be stupid to consider it?
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If a well bred horse did fall into your price bracket, and your general requirements, I would advise to go and see it.
There is another dimension to this debate - we all harp on about indiscriminate breeding, cr@p being produced etc. Well, we all can do something about it - put our money where our mouth is and buy well bred, registered horses from known, reputable sources.
If my aim was to breed a RC allrounder, I would still want to use good quality breeding stock, only my choice of particular traits in that breeding stock would be geared up more towards temperament, laid back nature and adaptability than it would if I wanted to breed a pro horse :)

As an aside, Mabel has some of the best Irish bloodlines in her pedigree... ho hum, she's lovely, but talented is not the word I would necessarily use to describe her. ;)
 
Don't see any problem with it, the temperament and suitability for the job is the most important!

I went to see a mare by Baloubet de Rouet to SJ at the same time I went to see my mare (also SJ bred, but less commercial) and she would have been perfect alrounder as she was so chilled.... so horses for courses!!
 
My mare is so called well bred and for a particular job in mind. Her sire was pouchka who was known to throw talented showjumpers, but with a twist:eek:.Someone on here said they wouldn't have another even if it was delivered in a gold plated trailer:o

I bought her in ignorance when she became a burnt out a a 7 yr old, with lots of miles on her clock.

She is very quirky she likes her routine, lots of attention and is a very good doer that's cheap to keep.

Having said that, she's a push button ride whose safe and loves her hacking which is what matters to me. She teaches me something new every day and even stops when I fall off!!!:D:D

Wouldn't swap her.
 
As hobby breeders, most of our well bred horses end up as RC horses - national and international horses are the rarity. I have 3 exquisitly bred horses and breed from 2. My gelding RC competes at 60cm level but I know (and am frequently told) he could go advanced BE. When I asked him if he wanted to do 1m 20, gallop for miles etc he said he'd rather stay in the field with his mates and help his poor mummy with her 60 cms. Reckon it depends on the horse though
 
Interesting, I own horses for pleasure and do some very small scale breeding but mine is breed specific, they are not top competition horses, they are however very well bred, my mare would be more than capable of quite high level stressage but all we do is hack out. I don't think for a second that she sit's there thinking that she's wasted - as long as she has a field and her mates she is happy and if she is happy then so am I.

I think though that some of the horses that have been specifically bred for a particular job have not necessarily been bred for temperament and *some* may therefore not be suited to certain lifestyles.

Horses for courses though - if a horse is happy doing what you want to do with it then it doesn't really matter how well bred.
 
Breeding is in the eye of the beholder!!!

A well bred horse doesn't mean they will have the parents talent or attribute...whatever that talent or attribute was.

A horse doesn't stand in a stable wishing they were out jumping 1.30 tracks or whilst on a hack thinking they should be doing a dressage test instead...regardless of breeding.

As long as you buy a horse that is up to the job you are asking him to do then that's the only time breeding should come into question.
 
My view is a horse is what you make it (ok so the breed and type plays a big part) but I think if you have that extra time and money to invest in a horses training be it well bred or not, so long as its the right breed and type for the job (with a good confirmation) then both will go far in the right hands.

People who breed well bred horses for top end competition use sell to those who have plenty of money (obviously) and won't hang about in giving the best start to that hores life through out it's training, it the way the roundabout goes, prize money turns into breeding money and vice verca.

Now if I was a breeder of top lines (wishful thinking;)) then I'd rather sell my youngstock to people who are going to compete at the level they are bred for, otherise what would be the point, business is business.

But seen as I'm not the above then personally I don't see anything wrong with it because I'm the sort of person who thinks so long as a horse has good home and enjoys what the rider wants to do then all is well and good, if you want to splash out on a well bred animal then do, I'd rather see good examples of breed/quality horses at local level to be honest.
 
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