Is it wrong of me to just want to be a good all rounder and not specialise

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hackedoff

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I read a thread on the breeds bit about Cleveland Bays, saying that people dont want a good allrounder nowadays as every one seems to specialise in this, that or the other.

This go me thinking, when my old boy was alive I did long distance with him till a rta and then did showing and tried to do dressage. But I always thought of myself as an endurance rider and vowed to get the perfect long distance arab, pref a bay gelding, to follow on from him. I went as far as discussing buying one with a breeder but decided not to go ahead at the time.

Old boy sadly was pts in August and me being me I went out and bought a jet black Fell pony mare! Joking apart I had been subscribing th Native Pony mag for about 5 years and really am keen on natives.

I have been going around in circles though thinking well Id like to do endurance so maybe I should specialise and I should get her fit for upto 50 mile rides but then again I like dressage so maybe school her up and concentrate on that, and I like showing but cant get her 50's fit and have the shape needed for a show fell.

So my question is would it be wrong just to enjoy my pony and do a bit of everything and loads of hacking as this seems quite a rare aspiration nowadays?
 
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Of course it's not wrong you do what you enjoy with your horse that's your horses job anyone who makes you think that's wrong is not really a freind.
Horses that are all rounders are very special I respect a lot.
 
Of course it wouldn't be wrong. Lots of people do a bit of everything. A lot of pc/rc members do a bit of everything.. Go for it! Just buy an honest, sensible type and have a go.
 
Buy the horse/pony you want & do what you want with them. You don't need to specialise, you can do a bit of everything, it's for you to decide & for you to enjoy doing whatever you want with your horse.

My daughter specialises in show jumping (Newcomers & Foxhunter) but she still likes to hack out, do the occasional dressage test & next week is doing some arena eventing. It breaks the monotony for the horse & keeps him fresh & also releaves the pressure on daughter.

Basically it's your horse so you decide what you want to do. Don't be pressured by anyone to do what you don't want to. :)
 
Its not wrong at all. What you do with your horse or pony is entirely up to you whether thats competing, happily hacking about, or just having them for the company. It really doesnt matter.

Just having them is enjoyable enough :D
 
Nowt wrong with that at all. Virtually everyone in our local RC does a bit of everything, and there's even a trophy for the best allrounder (whoever got the most points in all the offered disciplines- showing, SJ, dressage, XC and eventing). I loved doing it all at a low level on my old boy, and had absolutely no desire to stick to one thing at all!
 
Maybe I'm showing my age a bit here - when I was being taught to bring on horses they were all at least asked to do a 'bit of everything', schooled to have a good way of going, hacked to see the world, a bit of jumping to at least figure out what they need to do etc etc etc. They could have a main job, but why should that preclude anything else?
 
A good allrounder is my specific aim with Roo. I want him to have a go at everything once he's grown up and be good at it!

However the 'GOOD' part can be hard to achieve. That's where things like cobs and natives fall down as they're rarely talented at more than on thing (they just don't have the athletic scope compared to say a warmbloods or ISH).

It's why a truly good allrounder is so hard to buy/expensive.

My little cob is an allrounder but I sadly wouldn't say he was 'good' at it. He is excellent to hack but is just 'ok' at jumping and dressage (75cm classes and prelim are his limit without putting in disproportionate amount od effort schooling). He's well behaved to hunt but I wouldn't class him as a 'good' Hunter as he's not great at jumping the huge things. He shows well but not great at it (finds it very boring!). He does everything sensibly. and safely and will have a go at everything but he's just too heavy, short legged and cobby to be truly good at everything.
 
I love a good allrounder. That's what i'm looking for (and failing to find). I like to be mediocre at everything rather than focus on one thing and probably be a bit crap at that!
 
No not at all. You should do what makes you happy. I do lot's of different things with my TB, having dabbled in everything he is probably best at eventing as he is consistent in all three phases and v brave XC but that doesn't stop me from doing dressage, showjumping, riding club, hacking. He will never make a top pure showjumper or dressage horse as he doesn't have the right breeding but he does make a top allrounder for me :).
I don't really care if people sneer at the fact I rarely jump a course above 1m or have no desires to go beyond Novice at dressage, i'd rather have a versatile horse that is as brave over a ditch as he is safe going past a tractor as that is what makes ME happy :).
 
Gosh I hope not because being a good allrounder is exactly what i want and aim to be, I've got a gorgeous grey gentleman who does fit the allrounder tag perfectly for me:D
 
Cortez said:
Wrong? Not at all. Expecting to be GOOD at everything is another thing entirely.
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I want Roo to be good at everything! Although it depends on what you count as 'good'. I see doing a decent Novice test as being 'good at dressage', jumping well round a 1.10m course as 'good at jumping' and confident round a 2'9 course country course as 'good at XC' (or basically the ability to hold your own in a BE100). Plus sensible to hack, well behaved to hunt and not out of place in an Open WH class. Covers pretty all eventualities.

None of the above are exceptionally rare or at top level competition but it's amazing how many horses can't do all those.
 
Whilst I know many people who do specialise, myself, my partner and most of our 'good' friends only do a bit of what we want rather than specialising. We enjoy the variety and have no desire for the need to excel. Easy going us lot!!:D
 
ps No reason why he shouldn't do endurance and show. A good friend of ours does middle distance endurance with her 'showing' Dales, and the little welsh x that I used to ride did well at county level showing at the same time as going hunting and doing advanced endurance (he won the WPCS performance part bred award one year). His owner always used to say that he was a 'jack of all trades, master of some'. A fit horse shouldn't be marked down in the show ring......
 
I do a bit of everything with mine. He's a highland, so never going to be competitive at AM dressage or get round a 1.10m sj, but he'll get round a course at 90 well enough or an xc of 85 (well he would if I would!), competes at novice dr, plays horseball every now and then and does pretty well at TREC. He's had some local showing success but I'm too tight to affiliate :D Hoping to do some endurance this year too. Which isn't too bad given that he's still only 6 :o No reason not to have a go at everything and enjoy yourself - especially with a nice native!
 
hackedoff said:
So my question is would it be wrong just to enjoy my pony and do a bit of everything and loads of hacking as this seems quite a rare aspiration nowadays?
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No of course it's not wrong. In reality that's what most people do, although they might not tell you that.

It makes me laugh the way some people describe their 'competition record', which in reality is a few clear round jumping classes, one or two w&t tests, a handy-pony class and plenty of hacking. Not that there is anything wrong with what they are doing, just the way they describe it.

The part of your thread title that I really like, is that you want to be a GOOD allrounder - that's a great aspiration.
 
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thank you all for your comments. jftd and kalibear you seem to be doing just what I plan with my girl. nice to read that so many other people have similarity aspirations . I will add that my definition of good at something is a pony who will have a try and hope fully get the occasional place.

Esther, your knowledge of long distance is better than mine, but I have a trim fell and have been told she needs to be much bigger (fat) to show, which doesn't help with heat dispersal...plus I fear being sucked into it again
 
Go and have fun with her.

I've been so many more places, had a go at so many more things and much more fun with my short fat easy cob than many people I know with stunningly beautiful and extremely talented warmbooody horses who are a bit 'quirky'
 
hackedoff said:
I read a thread on the breeds bit about Cleveland Bays, saying that people dont want a good allrounder nowadays as every one seems to specialise in this, that or the other.

This go me thinking, when my old boy was alive I did long distance with him till a rta and then did showing and tried to do dressage. But I always thought of myself as an endurance rider and vowed to get the perfect long distance arab, pref a bay gelding, to follow on from him. I went as far as discussing buying one with a breeder but decided not to go ahead at the time.

Old boy sadly was pts in August and me being me I went out and bought a jet black Fell pony mare! Joking apart I had been subscribing th Native Pony mag for about 5 years and really am keen on natives.

I have been going around in circles though thinking well Id like to do endurance so maybe I should specialise and I should get her fit for upto 50 mile rides but then again I like dressage so maybe school her up and concentrate on that, and I like showing but cant get her 50's fit and have the shape needed for a show fell.

So my question is would it be wrong just to enjoy my pony and do a bit of everything and loads of hacking as this seems quite a rare aspiration nowadays?
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Heavens, no. Why ever should it be wrong to enjoy your horse? Do whatever you and your pony like doing and have fun and if anyone turns up their noses at what you do or don't do with your pony just laugh at them.
 
hackedoff said:
...but I have a trim fell and have been told she needs to be much bigger (fat) to show...
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It *shouldn't* be the case. You know that, I know that, we all get increasingly frustrated with fat ponies in the show ring..... Orrie looked fab when he was showing - pure muscle in all the right places and that was from the work he did. Maybe look at the M&M workers - they tend to appreciate a healthy, fit looking horse.

plus I fear being sucked into it again
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Mwahahahahaaaaa...... You know it's there, under the surface, in your blood..... Seriously though, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. It doesn't have to take over your life - it is perfectly possible to just do a few rides as and when ;)
 
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