Is it fair to your horse.....

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MizElz

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....to ask them to stop doing the job they were bred for, and ask them to do something completely different?

For example, if you had a horse with perfect jumping lines, bred to jump at a competitive level, which blatantly adores jumping, do you think it is fair to suddenly give up jumping (because of a rider problem, not because the horse has any issues), and ask it to do something such as dressage or endurance, even if it does not find the new discipline as easy or as natural? Would you keep the horse in this situation, or would you sell it on to someone who will continue to do the job it has always known and loved?

I know what I would do - and have done - but I'm interested to know what everyone thinks!
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Look up Lenski - he is ridden by Amy Stovold. He was bred to jump...thats what his owner wanted him to do, owever once Amy started to ride him jumping went out of the window! ...x
 
well see when i have been looking for a horse i have seen loads of lovely horses but they are all potential stars of the future but as i don't want to do competeing or anything i don't even enquire about them.i feel that horses should be able to do what they are bred or are happy doing to reveal their true potential. so always look for the scuffy ponies that are only good for hacking an a bit of fun lol
 
sallypops - thats a very good point, and is really what I am getting at. If I were to look for a horse now, I'd be looking for something completely different to what I was looking for seven years ago - she was bought for me to show jump, and we did so successfully for four years or so. But even though I have lost my nerve jumping, the fact is, I wouldnt consider changing her for the world! And she seems happy in what she is doing now, so that's all that really matters to me! Even so, it seems sad to deprive her of a jump every now and again...but I just cant do it
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OUr ponies were bred to show, all did very well as babies, now they compete FEI driving. They seem to love it, and are ranked within the top 10 pony teams in the world. Would we take them back to showinf just because there bloodlines say they should show, I don't think so.
 
Totally agree Weezy
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We have a horse on our yard who was a chapmion 4 yo in Spain SJer, totally bred for the job but he wasn't really into it; Got older and now is Dressage horse with the life of reily; to see him now its amazing to look at his jumping pics
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as long as the horse is enjoying whatever it's doing, i don't think it matters that it was or wasn't bred for it.
a friend had a v. nice dressage-bred gelding come into his yard from Germany. after a few days, friend (v. v. good dr rider, but was eventing at the time) got bored and decided to have a pop on it. the horse had never left the ground before, but loved to jump. friend sold it very quickly to a top SJ mate of his, and it went to Grand Prix.
tbh if the horse is a true athlete, i think it can do most jobs.
re: your original question, i spent years eventing a mare who couldn't do dressage at all (chronic atlas/axis injury, prob from being foaled, so she absolutely couldn't flex at the poll), but as she loved her jumping, and it's what i wanted to do (she wasn't careful enough for top-level sj), we just got on with it, endured the dressage and had tons of fun xc. we were always playing catch-up, but i didn't mind too much as she was such a phenomenal xc horse.
 
I dont think it matters what they're actually BRED for because say one has excellent SJ lines, there's nothing saying that those horses couldn't have naturally excelled at dressage, its simply the career path they were made to follow.

But TBH if the horse is actually out jumping and really "adores" it, then Im not sure if Id change that. If he does find a different disipline hard and I really thought his heart was with the other disipline then TBH Id probably sell him if it wasn't what I wanted to do. One of mine hated jumping, he was naturally very good at it - really scopey etc. but his heart just wasn't in it. I battled for 3 years with it but in the end realised it wasn't for him. He was sold to a hacking home which he absolutely adores
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I think they key with any horse is to find them something they LIKE to do.
 
I have an ex hurdler, bred to race (well obviously!) that I'm currently reschooling-I certainly shan't be entering any races!!
 
Mine was bred to carry stags off mountains - but owing to a serious shortage of decent deer and mountains in our local area she is having to do different things, in fact I think she might be distictly unimpressed at the whole deer/mountains concept
 
I don't actually think horses know what they are bred for!
As long as they are happy they won't mind - even if they are a talented show jumper, they won't mind if they never jump again so long as they have food, company, water and are warm enough!
 
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I don't actually think horses know what they are bred for!
As long as they are happy they won't mind - even if they are a talented show jumper, they won't mind if they never jump again so long as they have food, company, water and are warm enough!

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Unless they've read their pedigrees, obviously.
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