Can TB's or TBx make nice dressage horses?

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SAL66

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We are having a heated debate at my yard about the above as to the likely hood of a Tb making a nice dressage horse.

I recently bought a TB x Connie, more TB thrown than anything and he's just 5 and we have issues to sort but he has 3 nice paces, never raced or been into contact with a racing yard.I didn't set out to buy this type of horse , originally wanted a flashy warmblood for dressage.

I tried out a few and just didn't connect with them, the TB I sat on and felt the click!. People on the yard have surprisingly looked down their noses at me because they think I've made a mistake with this type of horse, I just have kept looking for this wonderful warmblood.

My instructer came to see him with me and said he could be really nice, but be prepared for a lot of work, we have started lessons and he is trying so very hard for me and things are progressing well.He jumps like a stag and shows no fear over fillers etc.

I am never wanting to compete at a really high level, time and money constraints, but would like to perhaps do a medium test on him. The vet when he was vetted said he was extremely well put together and to go for it.

So what do you all think, are we all wrapped up in the idea of warmbloods and the likes for dressage, or can my TBx really do me proud and raise his two hooves to the snobs on the yard!
 
errr...YES

my horse think tb with some id & maybe some con. competing Bd elem , gets 7's for paces on the basis that they are correct & rhymic despite not being big/flashy
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Oh yes oh yes!
Yes Tb's maybe don't have the natural frame and paces that is so often seen in warmbloods but look at 3 day eventers?
Thay do reasonably complicated dressage tests and they all look pretty smart doing it.
Yes you can face a lot more work, TB's don't sometimes have the natural muscular strength of the warmbloods but with schooling and training can become fantastic and expressive movers.
You should just go for it - give TB's a chance to shine and they will! Brighter than any other!
 
OMG people who say this annoy me sooo much my tb has competed up to medium dressage and done county level side saddle(and won many championships) and i know alot of people who do really well with theres to, so just ignore them and prove them wrong lol
 
Well my TB ex racer is fantastic - has a wonderful extended trot, a beautiful well balanced canter, can pirouette in walk and canter and looks like a proper dressage horse. My instructor rides at PSG on a welsh section D as well as her own warmblood. She thinks my TB would compete to a high level as he is totally trainable with fantastic paces. it all depends on the animal, its paces and it's trainability as well as your ability. I have seen a shire compteting at medium and B x should not.
 
Hate this attitude towards TB's - Oscar has the most stunning paces once you get him going - a beautiful elevated trot etc. He can also extend and collect with ease which alot of any breed struggle with.

Unfortunately due to WB's being seen as the be all and end all these ridiculous and uneducated assumptions are made.

PS - ask them to look up who won the dressage phase at badminton x
 
Ha haaa sorry that is funny, of course they can make excellent dressage horses, TB's are not abnormal, they do have four legs just like any other breed.

Take no notice if you like the horse, it moves correctly, has the right attitude for dressage and you feel with the correct schooling and hard work and sheer determination then you go for it!

Any breed of horse (perhaps the odd exception) can do dressage to a certain level and certainly TB's! they definitely have all the right equipment.
 
My TB is a big long 17.3hh boy but he collects like a dream and to be honest quite enjoys prancing around in the school showing off.
What TB doesn't enjoy an admiring audience?
 
Of course they can - A dressage judge told me that up to GP level it doesn't matter how they're designed, up till then it is all training and flexibility.

And if the horse has the right attitude and nice paces there's nothing stopping you.
 
I have a TB x ID that competed at Advanced and trained PSG at home, I have recently bought a Anglo for dressage which will take a while with his schooling but has great paces so I am expecting great things of him. My trainer whom is Grand Prix has a full TB that competes at PSG also!! Oh and by the way, I sold my Hannovarian that I imported from Germany to buy my Anglo as although the Hanno had fantastic paces it was so bl**dy quirky you couldn't get a decent test out of it if it decided it was on one of those days!! My Anglo is one of the most genuine tempered horses I have sat on and now he has gained a few pounds too many from the lush grass I keep being asked if he is a WB!!
 
My Connie tb x competed to medium advanced before I had her on loan age 14, her owner replaced her with a full tb x racer who went on to PSG, only ever had issues on grass arenas asking for any kind of extension!

In fact Chris has taken 4 horses to PSG, and she strongly believes its more to do with the amount of effort you put in than what the horse looks like as long as you put the work in there is no reason why any horse cant go to medium?
 
Thanks guys.

Amymay- with comments like that I wouldn't class them as friends more like aquaintances.

To me he is stunningly beautiful has a super temperment ( so far) and eats the ground up when he moves, once he has muscled and learnt self balance we need to work on collection.

Yep we'll show them i'm sure next year when we ready to go.
 
i would beg to say that the thoroughbred is THE MOST versitile of breeds.. they can trun there hand at most things includeing drassge, eventing, driving, hacking and western.

I dislike this attitude towards TB and people who look down there noses at a TB have seriously got there heads up ther asses. Lets be honest.. every warmblood has a TB influence..

TB are both loose and supple, show nice paces and can collect and extend.

Lou x
 
my ex boss's 2 dressage horses are both TB x. 1 was going to be heading off for america to be used for a rider in the para olympic dressage team (long story as to why he didn't go, but wasn't to do with the horse's talent)
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Of course they can...look at Dutch Gold - 3/4 TB, I believe.
And the other point is that 'warmbloods' are largely Tb - as the warmblood stud societies accept Tb stallions into their stud book - for example the late Accondy.
So many Hannoverians will be more Tb than you think....
S
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[ QUOTE ]
What do your friends think most of the horses eventing are - donkeys??

Good grief.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ha haa, woahhhh tread very carefully, we may have some donkey owners that...may also dabble in dressage and could be highly offended
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before we know it, there be a photo up in the next five minutes of someone's donkey doing some funky dressage manoova's....and a huge helping of humble pie.

just covering all eventualities lol!

but no, I aint seen no Ee Orr's galloping round Badders before
 
I think I'm out of touch. I wasn't aware that people looked down on TBs! There was a Little Tiger at Badders this year, but don't remember a Little Donkey.
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Mt friend recently sold her TB x connie. He was a dressage horse doing affiliated elementary and was doing bloody well at it.

So in short, yes, I think they can make nice dressage horses!
 
QR, to OP...My 6yo bog pony has never got below a 7 for his paces and has had the comment "would do very well in pure dr" on 3tests now
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So any type can do well without being flacshy warmbloods! Your horse sounds lovely
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Moonfleet and Ensign are prob the best examples off top of head - both raced. and I would say are hot on their game for dressage!
My TB is working elementry at home - occasionally have a friend who likes to "ponce" about on him at comps in the winter at BD - Ive done novice on him and was placed and won too!
I often find watching them in the field if the "float" then yes theyve nice paces - just not all TBs have the patience to be fiddled with in the arena....
 
[ QUOTE ]
What do your friends think most of the horses eventing are - donkeys??

Good grief.

[/ QUOTE ]

Amymay, you do make me laugh! I must admit to thinking the same but couldn't find words to express it - once again your no nonsense style has saved me the trouble
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LOL
 
My TB is trained up to elementry and has more amazing paces than some of these warmbloods. Some TB are plonkers but get one that is well behaved and they are like gold dust. I am biased but my tb has done it all and now im learning of him! He is not easy i wont say that but Im a converted lover of TB
 
hum...
[ QUOTE ]
Some TB are plonkers

[/ QUOTE ]

some warmbloods are plonkas..

some shires are plonkas

some welsh cobs are plonkers..

LOL

Lou

PS..TB for some reason have got a reputation which aplies to a small minority of them.
 
I have a 7/8 TB and we have qualified for the regionals every winter/summer since we went affiliated and also been placed.

They have fabulous natural paces...not elevated like a lot of WB's but really lose and free. A very reknown judge at a BD camp said she loved the TB movement.

They area also really sharp so learn incredibly quickly....my horse only started dressage at 10 and three years later can pull off a 66% elementary score.

Biggest problem is tension....but in the right hands that can be turned into expression.
 
Well I have just had my lesson and he is coming on so well, I feel so pleased.

We are asking him to do new things which he tries to take in his stride, never throws a strop and my trainer is very impressed with his trainable and calm approach.
So much so that I was offered his full brother yesterday who is still in Ireland and my instructer is very interested in him for herself if he's half as good as my lad.

when we was asking him to canter on a small circle a ruddy great big peacock landed on the school arena fence and he only had a slight wobble as he passed it as this peacock had decided to give a traffic cone the benefit of his plummage and they seem to rattle as they do this- strange bird.

I am so pleased with him , I know we'll have days were it doesn't go right, but as my trainer rightly said today, on days like that just rememeber today.

She competes at psg level and to get praise from her you really have to earn it, so to those liveries who look down at your nose about my common TB- BRING IT ON !
 
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