Pro BE riders...their 'type' of horse

[Bubblegum]

Kit279 posted in Kerillis post that WFP rides a certain 'type' of horse....
I always knew that certain types of horse are suited to certain types of rider, obviously...we all feel it with our own horses. But I am curious now to know just how far Pro riders take this.... can anyone enlighten me?

 

[LEC]

The ones Mary King gets on best with are all big and similar in frame. Strong xc and just take you which is why her xc has probably developed this way.

Mark Todd looks fab on anything!

WFP is incredibly fussy - he used to loathe Machiato. Mac was for sale for a while. WFP ran him at Luhmuhlen despite the ground being hard and it was his fast clear that pulled him up for the win. Lots of horses pass through his hands and never go to really top success. Mr Dumbledore is a classic as his Sjing lets him down despite success at 3* WFP got rid of him.

I always wonder about Ruth Edge - why are all her horses so casual? They all leave a leg xc and are not terribly good sjers. Is this a coincedence as all very different types?

 

[kit279]

A good example was that article in H&H a few weeks back where Lucinda Green rode Mark Todd's grey horse, Gandalf, and didn't really get on with him at all! I think she prefers sharper, more forward going horses, whereas Gandalf looked a bit lazy and like he needed to be really kicked on! I guess it depends whether you like to have to tell the horse what to do or just sit quietly and let the horse do its own thing.

 

[kerilli]

i'm not sure i'd totally agree about WFP having a 'type', at the lect/demo of his i went to a few months ago he rode 3 totally different types, one a mare.
i think he's not tolerant if they're not workable-with and triers and talented, but i can see his point - if you have a yard of 20, and owners queuing up to put horses with you, you can afford to be fussy about what you spend your time on!
e.g. there was a horse at Vere's last time I went which WFP had sent back as it just would not settle in the dr even though it was a v good jumper (by Western Promise iirc) and i'd have loved it if i could have afforded it, i wouldn't care about it being a nightmare on the flat!

 

[highbound]

I think with the exception of Mary King (who has probably the best owner in the sport), WFP who has rightly the pick of any horse , the majority of pro's end up riding anything that gets sent to them.

This may sometimes give the impression that the the very elite are further ahead than the others , than they actually are.

 

[teapot]

Think Pippa Funnell always seemed to go for the same stamp of a horse - Cornerman, Primmore's Pride and Ensign could all tick the same boxes.

Perhaps it's just a personal thing as I'd imagine everyone on here who events has their own preferred type so to speak.

 

[SmartieBean]

When i see a horse i either like it or i don't but i am always prepared to look past aesthetics and look for potential, i know what i like and wouldn't stop until i found it! When pro riders have horses like this i suppose they do this becuase to be honest they only want the horses that will reach top level which is most peoples dreams. To get to the top they need to have a sucessful partnership between horse and rider. Each rider knows in themselves which kind of horses they get on best with so are more likely to pick the ones that ride well for them

I know quite a few pro-riders who have looked past horses as 3/4 year olds when they have been offered and turned them down yet here they are now competing at 3/4* on the same horse say 10 years later. They don't always get it right but i think they give it a good shot