New eventing horse

[Haha123]

Hi if you were looking for an event horse to take you to novice and that’s gone to novice would you buy one that has an incredible jump but is getting regular 40+ dressage’s if you already knew the horse and regularly ride it and love it? Ian looking to go to pony club champs youth champs ect would this stop me from being on teams?

 

[ihatework]

With 40’s dressage then you aren’t going to be top of the leaderboard, but if the horse is a reliable, quick double clear type then you should get a lot of experience and not without a shot of lower placings.

So I certainly wouldn’t rule it out provided it’s currently being ridden by a rider of a similar age/experience level.

If it’s being competed by an older experienced (semi)-pro then I’d think very carefully about it, as in, I prob wouldn’t buy unless you are 200% sure the horse isn’t going to fall apart in a different type of home

 

[paddi22]

why is the horse getting bad dressage scores? does it have a bad rider? does it not have the temperament for dressage? has it physical issues that stop it doing the moves?

I retrain rescues to do eventing and lots would have started with horrific dressage, but with training you can get to an average level with anything I think.

 

[Haha123]

With 40’s dressage then you aren’t going to be top of the leaderboard, but if the horse is a reliable, quick double clear type then you should get a lot of experience and not without a shot of lower placings.

So I certainly wouldn’t rule it out provided it’s currently being ridden by a rider of a similar age/experience level.

If it’s being competed by an older experienced (semi)-pro then I’d think very carefully about it, as in, I prob wouldn’t buy unless you are 200% sure the horse isn’t going to fall apart in a different type of home

Yes the horse was competed by a 5 star eventer but did not have a good enough dressage so was sold to a 15 year old girl the horse is an easy school master very reliable just not the best dressage

 

[Haha123]

why is the horse getting bad dressage scores? does it have a bad rider? does it not have the temperament for dressage? has it physical issues that stop it doing the moves?

I retrain rescues to do eventing and lots would have started with horrific dressage, but with training you can get to an average level with anything I think.

The horse was previously owned by a 4 star eventer who was doing a wonderful job with her but still not getting the best dressage just because she is a jumping mare nothing wrong but yes she is a reliable double clear schoolmaster who will give me loads of experience up to novice

 

[ihatework]

I think this is where you need to follow the advice of your regular trainer, there are so many nuances that people that don’t know you or the horse cannot assess.

I’m happy to do some digging for you if you PM me name of horse, but it will only be pointers if questions to ask (which I’m sure your trainer could be doing!)

 

[Haha123]

why is the horse getting bad dressage scores? does it have a bad rider? does it not have the temperament for dressage? has it physical issues that stop it doing the moves?

I retrain rescues to do eventing and lots would have started with horrific dressage, but with training you can get to an average level with anything I think.

Yes I totally agree by getting to know her more we could produce some decent respectable scores

 

[TGM]

If it has been competed for some time by a good "semi-pro" and it has not got good dressage scores then you do wonder how much it can improve. It would be interesting to look at the record of the "semi-pro" and see if they achieve good dressage scores on other horses. As others have suggested, a horse who persistently gets 40 plus dressage scores with a good rider might have physical issues. That apart, even if the dressage cannot be improved a huge amount, if it is Pony Club teams you are more interested in (rather than individual glory) then a horse who can consistently get double clears at the higher levels can often be a valuable asset.

 

[splashgirl45]

many event riders dont like the dressage phase and dont seem to spend as much time on dressage lessons as they do on c/c and sj training...it may be that the horse gets too excited when on a showground and cant concentrate on the dressage. if you are buying something to event having the 2 jumping sections good and the dressage the weak link is preferable to one of the jumping sections having problems. if she is a good schoolmaster for the jumping i would think she would be worth buying as long as she isnt a huge price, if you do buy her invest in some lessons with a dressage trainer and not a general trainer. good luck and we would like pics if you do get her

 

[Haha123]

Yes thank you for your replies very helpful!! I am thinking we could have dressage lessons will a dressage specific instructor and get some respectable scores. I think she’ll give me loads of experience as well as teaching me as she is so reliable

 

[splashgirl45]

even though you know the horse, please get her vetted before purchase, it wont guarantee you a sound horse forever but if she has done a fair bit of competing its worth getting her checked out so you know what you are starting with..

 

[Haha123]

even though you know the horse, please get her vetted before purchase, it wont guarantee you a sound horse forever but if she has done a fair bit of competing its worth getting her checked out so you know what you are starting with..

Of course I would always get a horse vetted! She was 5 star vetted last year but of course I would still get one don’t worry

 

[TheMule]

My first horse blew up in almost every test he did and consistently scored in the 40s (and often much worse!) but he was the absolute horse of a lifetime- he took me as a very novice 15yr old rider coming off a pony that struggled at 90cm to Novice very quickly and then on up to old 2* level eventing. I never cracked the dressage but we had a huge amount of fun. He would never have got near a proper team but he was frequently the best in my pony club.