Geenuine all rounder

[Squeak]

Marketing
I think a lot of people think they want a dressage horse but what they actually want is a nice horse that will do a decent elementary/medium 3 times a year with a bit of practise and hack out when the weather is nice which is very much not a dressage competition horse same goes for all disciplines.

Completely agree!

 

[humblepie]

I really want to produce an ‘all rounder’. But I’m struggling due to my lack of skill. I bought unbroken and had professionally backed and ridden away at a lovely small schooling yard. Kept him there for a yr and half even though it was an hr s drive for me. They basically just hacked him for that time. Then I brought him to my yard and paid my instructor to ride once a week, hacked him myself and had one short lesson on him. He’s five and a bit now. During the summer I sent him to a very reputable dressage rider to bring on a bit.

I’m finding I’m a bit stuck. He’s fab to hack. Hacked him in heavy traffic last week. He was unflappable. He’s a complete sweetie on ground and in stable. Seems to genuinely enjoy human company.

My instructor (who is amazing) says I should now start thinking about tiny “projects”. She suggested a really low level dressage comp doing a walk trot test. I know I need to get him out there. But I feel like such a fraud. My riding is abysmal. Now, my instructor disagrees… but I’m pretty sure she’s telling fibs. And I did take him to a clinic about six months ago, and he literally ran around with his head in the air calling, with me looking like a complete numpty on his back.

This is all completely on me. He is FANTASTIC. Sometimes I fantasise about selling him and seeing him do all the things I dream about with a more accomplished rider. But I couldn’t sell him. He’s only ever known kindness and respect. It would come as a complete shock to him to know that humans can be cruel. I could not bear the idea of him falling into wrong hands.

Sounds early days. Do you have a riding club near by. Going to clinics really helped my ex racehorse get used to going out in a supportive environment. Don’t feel pressure that you should be doing x or y.

 

[Alibear]

I'm four years into building my own one, and with 30+ years of owning horses, it's been eye-opening to realise just how much time and effort it takes to create a go-anywhere, do-anything horse. That's with me starting with about the best youngster you could for such a project.
If I'd kept a spreadsheet, it would be way more than the one mentioned in the thread. Even if I dropped the livery/tack/keep costs off of it, the costs of the camps, clinics and lessons are getting towards £20k. OK, someone more skilled could cut that down, but it's the exposure to all the weird and wonderful things humans do which enables them to become all-rounders.
I'm coming up on 800 rides with Amber. They vary from 5 minutes after groundwork through to 3-hour hacks, but if you add in tacking up, etc. and average an hour of my time per ride at £12.50 per hour, that's £10,000 before you think about anything else.
After all that, there's really no way I'd consider selling Amber.

@YoLaTango I felt the same, but please be kind to yourself. You absolutely can do it; taking them out when they're not perfect is what the producers have to do as well, and it happens to us all. I promise every one will be sympathetic and it's so rewarding as they improve.

 

[humblepie]

I think I’ve probably been lucky because whilst mine have all been very good in the discipline that I’ve wanted to compete and been all around nice horses. They hack in company and alone in traffic and countryside, competed showing high level, do a nice dressage test, one of them evened the other one hasn’t jumped because I don’t jump nowadays. They are both x-race horses. If I go back further previous horse with 7/8 thoroughbred and he was a pretty much do anything he showed jumped up to a decent level dressage locally showed affiliated and hacked well although that did take some doing as I don’t think he hacked out as young horse and didn’t understand the concept. Current horse did again take a while to understand hacking as well but most of the all round things are what I’d expect any horses to do.