Lusitanos or Andalusions for Competitions ?

I have a Luso x who's fantastic. Doing well BSJA and BE right now, so I think they make really nice allrounders - especially when crossed with a TB.

I would love a pure Luso and hopefully some day I will have one. I just love their temperament and attitude to work, its totally different to anything else!

Take it you breed / sell them then?!
 
Im somewhat torn on this. I love the Iberian breeds; they have a presence and intelligence, imo, that is very unique. They're also lovely to work with (although I know a lot of people who despise them).

The competitive side of me (dressage) is where i start to hit issues. Many of them dish and have quite a choppy movement. They don't have the extravagent paces of the warmbloods that are often required of higher level dressage horses. I have a friend who was absolutly intent on having a luso until she went and saw them moving and working on the flat, in the flesh and she then changed her mind and swung right back round to the flashier movements of the warmbloods.

The part of me that dislikes what competitive dressage is becoming (and that loves the classical roots) then wants to stick two fingers up and argue that it should be about the correctness of the work and not the extravagence of the paces.

Soooo, if i was absolutely honest? For serious, higher level dressage competition, no.... I probably wouldn't have one... Im more inclined to the warmbloods for this purpose. To bring on for my own pleasure then yes, I'd be very tempted.

(This is only from a dressage point of view though!)
 
I do agree with you Tierra unfortunately! Not that I do dressage (unless for eventing) but I DO think judges prefer the poncey horses rather than Iberians who classically have a higher front leg action etc. My boy, although only 1/2 Luso does have the high leg action and I do find we get not amazing dressage scores, occassionally we will do well, other days we dont at all. Even when the horse is very consistent, I think its just down to the judge. They always put in comments at the end like "very athletic active horse" - isnt that a good thing? I think my boy is TOO active for it and personally doubt he'd ever do well properly no matter how well he was trained.

However they can be used for more than just dressage which I wish they were! They havent really broken onto other circuits much yet, I guess because they are bred for dressage. But they CAN jump really well, look at Novihelero (sp?!) who was jumped at the top level by one of the Whitakers. I cant say Ive heard of any eventing though. I think a lot of them are too chunky for it, thats why a part bred with something lighter is probably better, that was you get the build better for the job yet (hopefully) retain the fabulous temperament.

I like braking from the norm and dont like to have what everyone else has. I hate warmbloods and personally doubt Ill ever have another one again.

Im shocked to hear some people despise them! Why?! How can anyone hate such an amazingly beautiful breed who has the best temperaments out there.
 
For a little while now i have had both Luso's and PRE for schooling and training. On the whole i have had warmbloods and have ridden them internationally in dressage.
I have had two PRE stallions for the past 18 months and the 'journey with these two 'boys ' has been an intersesting one. The older stallion was very 'broken' when i got him, all the tricks but had lost the ability to trot properly, so perleese before people start giving 'warmblood' riders a hard time this 'classically' trained horse was knackered, no muscle over his topline lacking in suppleness and genrally incorrect. All dressage is about classical training principles and has nothing to do with the type or breed you are sat on.
True training the PRE and Luso's has made me think from a slightly different angle but it has been a very interesting journey. I have developed my riding a lot because of working with this type of horse. There have been frusrations , for sure along the way , but that is not the fault of 'competition dressage. Activity has nothing to do with speed. Iberians find it difficult to 'open their steps in a relaxed rythmical way, two of the very basics of dressage. My aim when working these horses has been to get these horses to totally 'let go'.
The Vega bred Luso's; for example, are still working horses and this inate tension is used in their work with cattle, it does not make it correct or classical. I appreciate what nature gave this type of horse but dressage is more holistic than simply working a horse in the one way that it wants. Short tighter muscles need tact and care to allow them to stretch and develope a more open relaxed way of going. That to me is where clasical principles come in.
The type of horse that you ride makes you think and achieve these principles from different routes but all to one goal.
The breeding of the warmblood makes achieving these goals a little easier but they would not be so good at working cattle!!!
Dressage is about training and all the basis is the same regardless of end goal this goes for ALL horses in ALL disiplines. Dressage only ensbles a horses to remain happy and healthy to do his work and i have got huge pleasure from taking a broken horse and giving him back a joy for his work .
As a consequence ALL my horses are very successful in competition.
Iberians therefore are more than capable of doing well , especially at the lower levels, it us the riders that need a more thoughtful approach. Until i rode the horses i ride now i was a little bit lazy as the warmbloods i had did a lot of it for me, especially the timing of the use of aids. The Iberians have taught me patience and more precision in my work.
No horse deserves to be 'despised' maybe all it has done is explore our own weakness and it is us that is at fault.
 
I have to agree with partoow , I have learnt so much from my Luso. Particularly patience, but also to really think about my riding and understand the subtleness of your riding. When I first hacked him out we would start going sideways as I wasn't sitting exactly square!

I'm very lucky with him as he loves to extend and does it well, which is not normally true of the Iberians. So hopefully this wll help in the future with my dressage scores. From what I've seen though, it does seem that they don't do so well at dressage as the WBs.

That's not put me off though buying one for Dressage. I am hooked to the Iberians and would never have anything else now.
 
I agree with Lusolover and Partoow..... I am lucky enough to have a highly schooled warmblood (its the rider that lets it down) and I also have lessons on classically trained PRE's, who all extend etc etc......

But the difference in riding them is amazing....... its really made me think about my riding, my position etc etc....

I've also seen a few PRE's locally competing and there has never been any bias between those and warmbloods in a dressage arena
 
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