'I could go out tomorrow and buy a Novice level dressage horse for £6000 if I wanted.' Discuss

[eggs]

I agree with the poster above. My old trainer also used to say that any horse should be capable of schooling to medium level.

To be honest a novice test isn't exactly difficult just a bit of walk, trot and canter with a bash at some medium strides. The difference though as others has said is whether the horse can amble round an unaffiliated test or go out and score 70% + at BD and move competitively up the levels.

 

[Leandy]

Any horse that is rideable should be capable of a novice dressage test. It doesn't mean it has talent though, nor that it will get a good mark. So yes I could easily buy one for £6000 but it won't be a young Valegro.

 

[Snowfilly]

To be honest, anything that isn’t chronically broken ought to be able to get round a novice test with a bit of schooling. Counter canter aside, there’s nothing in there that a riding club horse should find at all difficult. A few strides of medium and some smaller half circles aren’t exactly taxing.

I was always taught that any horse without dodgy legs or bad conformation should be able to get to Medium. So yes, I’d expect to be able to pick one up for less than 6k and bring it up the levels.