Question for the HHO Dressage Divas

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severnmiles

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Just a quick question...why is it dressage riders don't ever consider Arabs?

These people have proved that purebreds can reach the top:
http://www1.kossack.com/EN/pages/TKS-horses-sport.asp

And with stallions that move like below surely they can hold their own?

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I used to ride a lovely arab at Dressage we won loads at unaf Prelim/Novice including a championship and £50 (wow!). He would have easily gone up the levels but at only 14.2 I felt I was a bit tall for him really (he wasn't mine). He was sold to do dressage but sadly the new owners didn't continue to develope him which was a shame.

Here he is:

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Good question.

I had an arab chestnut mare which at 14.1hh i unfortuately outgrew, however her flat work was fantastic. The one common problem i recieved in tests (one which i still recieve with my arabx) is that because she was so short in the back she could become tense. Also some people prefer the size of continental horses over the rather smaller arab. They can carry alot of weight though.

evenag114
 
Because I think they can be difficult to get working "correctly" due to conformation encouragng a tight back. They are also nooriously difficult to engage in canter, so I have been told!!
 
Oh yes definitely! Where I brought g from had a crabbat arab who she did everything with, including event, and he did a lovely test. TBH you dont see arabs alot in any of the disciplines" other than endurance......
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I really dont like arabs for dressage. For me their back end is all wrong and thats the most important bit. I prefer something a bit chunkier and stronger.
 
The girl who bought Relli had a pure bred who went straight in at Novice BE.

I think personally they don't get a chance to prove themselves because they're not many peoples 'cup of tea'. If I was looking for an eventer I wouldn't look at purebred arabs regardless of whether they could do the job or not - its a discrimination thing I think.
 
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I really dont like arabs for dressage. For me their back end is all wrong and thats the most important bit. I prefer something a bit chunkier and stronger.

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But regardless of personal preference do you think they could do the job?
 
I used to do it with my Arab but she was difficult to work in an outline.

Their natural way of going doesn't make them easy, put it this way am looking for a small dressage horse at the moment to take over from Willsy but it definitely won't be an Arab!
 
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I really dont like arabs for dressage. For me their back end is all wrong and thats the most important bit. I prefer something a bit chunkier and stronger.

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But regardless of personal preference do you think they could do the job?

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No, their tail is set on too high which means the pelvis is in the wrong place. This makes it extremly difficult fo them to bring their hind legs under and take weight back.
 
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No, their tail is set on too high which means the pelvis is in the wrong place. This makes it extremly difficult fo them to bring their hind legs under and take weight back.

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Seeing as the Kossack stud has three proven at PSG I have to disagree, for me the proof is in the pudding.
 
im really really sorry to say this, but arabs do nothng for me at all, they just aren't my type - plus with my long legs id look bl00dy stupid on one!!

I guess each person is different in the breed they like - im sure Bloss and Archie aren't everyones cup-of-tea either.
 
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im really really sorry to say this, but arabs do nothng for me at all, they just aren't my type - plus with my long legs id look bl00dy stupid on one!!

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I'd pay money to see that though...your feet would skim the floor
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I really dislike the look of Arabs being ridden at all TBH - I think in hand some look stunning.

But as severnmiles says the proof is in the pudding so although I dislike the look im not saying they cant do dressage because obviusly they can!!
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They are too small for me - but I like part breds. I would love someone good to champion them a bit more and prove they can be useful at both dressage and jumping. I might not want one for myself to compete but I'd like to see more do well. Now if I had land of my own and money wasn't an object I might be tempted to see what I could do with one.....might have to go on a diet though
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I knew one that was schooled to PSG, and competed with quite a lot of success here to Elementary or Medium, however even though he could do the higher movements I guess he might not have got the marks if they had tried. His registered name is Faruk if anyone wants to have a look for him. He was a really chunky type for an arab though. I really like arab crosses, but then I had a very good 14hh who must have been mostly arab, and Deco has a fair bit in her!
 
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I really dislike the look of Arabs being ridden at all TBH - I think in hand some look stunning.

But as severnmiles says the proof is in the pudding so although I dislike the look im not saying they cant do dressage because obviusly they can!!
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I quite agree with you Holly, I don't like seeing them ridden but love seeing them shown in-hand!

Just was a thought as I know Susan George (in H&H last week) wants to see them in sport...
 
Not sure how they'd be recieved from a judge's POV because Arabs really are a love/hate thing.

The Spanish horses haven't exactly been welcomed with open arms either, so would be interesting to see how an Arab did in BD tests. Think they are appearing more in all sports though especially after the success that WFP has had on Tamarillo who's part arab isn't he?
 
Tamarillo is atleast half arab. Not sure of the exact percentage.

Yes you're right, I didn't know the spanish horses hadn't been very well received, its surprising really, I wouldn't buy a Spanish horse but they're still nice to watch!
 
two of my instructors ride them in BD comps, one at prelim, one at elementary.

When the one who's now at elementary first started out, they found that a lot of judges were just so anti the paces, the movement etc and it was shown on their sheets. Almost an immediate "well I dont like them so I wont give them the marks they deserve".

It shouldn't happen but it does, and think that's what would happen with people who were competing arabs. You'd be ok if you got a judge who likes arabs, but get someone who's very much pro big chunky WBs and you're stuffed really
 
quite alot actually his mother melita was part bred as was his polish sire whose name has just escaped me.
and as for me, i have no problems with arabs really they are a fantastic cross but i do not find them easy to truly engage i believe it is because they have that naturally proud carriage which make it difficult for them to strech and work over back into rein. i am sure plenty of peeps have no such troubles though and i think a polish arab made it to the olympic dressage recently.
 
Sadly in dressage there can be an attitude that only a warmblood can do the job. My boy is half Arab and doing really well, but often feel that he is not highly marked as he is only 15hh and doesn't not have the flashy dare I say carriage horse type movement. He is very accurate and correct in all three paces and Carol Hogg once asked me at an under 21's do 'what sort of Iberian' is he!
Full blood Arabs can be difficult to get into the outline the judges want to see but surely they should take into account conformation and type, obviously some don't or my half bred would get better marks.
As for trends towards big movement and the rise in Friesiens being imported for dressage, why don't those people buy Welsh Cobs, they have similar movement and are British but that is whole new thread on its own!
 
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Sadly in dressage there can be an attitude that only a warmblood can do the job.

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Sorry, but that is rubbish. If a horse is going correctly and performing the movements well, it could be a shire or a shetland...doesn't matter.

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Full blood Arabs can be difficult to get into the outline the judges want to see but surely they should take into account conformation and type, obviously some don't or my half bred would get better marks.

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Dressage judging is not about taking in to account a horses confirmation - judges are looking at way of going, accurate training and performance of the movements. Allowances for type/age/height are not made.
 
I would like to how good their results really were. The info on the website is a little vague. To say a horse won 44 classes and 'reached' PSG means nothing. It could have won 44 not very good classes and competed PSG with poor scores.
PSG is a long way fron the top!!

When they talk of the horses winning championships etc it seems they are referring to showing classes on the whole.

I'm not saying they or any other Arabs can't do dressage just that I would like to see more info on exactly what type/level of competition they've actually done.

There was a well known GP Arab some years ago. I think it was called Golden Wings but can't remember who rode it. Must have been around the early 70's
 
I agree Jlav

Also there will always be the odd exception, and if anyone wanted to advertise/ raise awareness of a particular breed, with enough work etc, they could probably train most breeds to GP.
The reason they arent popular is because they are difficult to get there, and there are lots of breeds that have a natural way of going that makes the work easy for them.

I think if soeone has a passion for a particular breed and wants to take them to the top, then good on them! Its not for me though! (Although I would be tempted to try it with Oz a 3 y/o Fresian we have in to sell)

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