Rollin
Well-Known Member
Orangehorse - so many people are 'over-horsed' by their warm bloods. Big strong horses with more and more TB. Our natives are much more suited to riding club riders. I have a Highland too.
The French have also developed the Henson as a breed. Lives out, around 14.2-15 hh, sturdy, easily carry adults, yet nice temperament. Bred on the Somme and the mares and youngstock live out on the seaside marshes in the summer months. A really nice, useful type purpose bred.
I think it is a shame that the New Forest is not more popular, I think they are far more people friendly than the ubiquitous welsh cob. Connemara ponies are great competition animals, but many adults would think that even the larger natives = Highland, Dales, New Forest - are too small, but they probably aren't. I would far rather have a Highland or Dales than a coloured cob.
Warmbloods have taken over as they have been deliberately purpose bred for sports. There hasn't been an equivalent breeding policy for family/leisure type ponies in the UK as I suppose there simply isn't any money in it.
The only "family type" horse I can think of as opposed to a competition animal is a Morgan, which is an American breed of course.
Were you at PUK SO1 I think we saw you?
Perhaps I should clarify I do mean athletic in movement (I did say move rather than leaping/escapee abilities ), but they were also notably lacking in the open workers compared to other breeds though I do know a few BSJAing in general it is not their forte unless european bred where they seem to have sportified them a bit. There was a particularly leggy stallion about last weekend who looked like a smart sports pony stood up but really had very little stride to speak of. They are good<script id="gpt-impl-0.08051968456565284" src="https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/gpt/pubads_impl_112.js"></script> at what they do but it depends what you want them for. My friend had a fab one who as comparative youngster stalwartly ignored my welsh being a tit while they did pairs dressage , he was solid as but medium trot was a struggle.
I should mention I have hunted with a fair few, it was nice sharing a meet with the New Forest as I wasn't the only adult on a pony
He is only 13.3 so not huge at all!
Hes lovely! Perfect example of why more people should have natives
He was lovely, you did fab and he was super well behaved and definitely in lovely condition. Rara's sister picked him out as her fav as soon as you came in . I'm not a showing bod generally so it was an educational weekend . I was partly watching because I will be looking to get another at some point (F is 24 and semi retired now) and was trying to see which direction I might go in - given that not having a welshie is very hard for me to consider currently! Frankly the welshies doing the workers were ermm very welsh even those with a good prior record to the point that I thought if I wanted a consistent jumper I might want to look elsewhere . But that depends if I want to jump or not.
I agree re. the continental versions moving away from the traditional forester, same with welshies and other natives they have had though. As you say essentially the purpose of many including foresters is to be able to live in the rough and it definitely moves away from that. Personally I think there is probably room for both options so long as the numbers in each don't get too small if that makes sense and each has it's place. Our local knackerman used to go and buy up from the sales and throw them in a field for sale to anyone who wants them, friend has had about 10 in that time and only 2 were tricky even as unhandled 4 year olds, everything else was easy to start. One of them I was sat on within a week of breaking when the local caravan park started a firework display, he only moved about 2 strides. He went on to be a fab pony club pony and the girl still owns him 15 odd years down the line, we used to see her a lot at 2'9ish hunter trials and ODE but he always struggled with the time because he didn't really cover the ground. So I am definitely not a downer about them, but 'athletic' does always depend what you are comparing to and owning a welshie and your best mate having a TB definitely highlights that when you go up the gallops!
This is an old photo of Frank and his forester best mate doing what natives do best post pairs dressage . restocking
& Laurie T, my apologies, I lost my manners amongst my enthusiasm. Welcome to the Forum.
What we see on TV and in films does not really help the native breeds: usually the characters sit on a handsome, tall and shiny horse, your typical warmblood. If we are not shown how much fun can be had with a pony or how graceful they can look, the thought of owning one will not even cross our minds. I reckon that kind of promotion could go far in promoting the native breeds.
Other native breeds that are not rare stand out more, e.g. Haflingers for their distinct palomino colour, Icelandics for their special gaits.
have to agree with supsup to a degree here, before I ended up with a sec D by accident, I'd never have considered a pure bred native for sport.... I happen to have ended up with a particularly athletic one but they are few and far between in my discipline, at the higher levels.
the vast majority of riders never reach nor want to reach the higher levels. Natives fulfil the remit of family ponies, riding club horses and low maintenance all rounders that can try their hand to most things.
but the british natives have been taken by the foreigners and performance tested! not long a go a pure welsh cob stallion was champion junior show jumper of europe! and i have seen many, many natives and their crosses performing across europe.
be interesting to see how millie`s welsh goes on in the future.