Talented but difficult - or mediocre but dependable?

moneypit1

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Which sort of horse would you prefer to own? I have a very talented DWB who will either win outright with great style or refuse the first fence
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My friend has a steady horse who always gets in the middle places but rarely wins. I can go home on a massive high or so peed off that I have wasted my entry money and loked a right twat to boot!
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So what would you prefer (apart from a very talented horse that is dependable of course!
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I,ve got the talented and difficult who replaced my Mr Dependable and I would rather have my Mr Dependable back anyday ( Who unfortunately is over the rainbow bridge ) :-(
 
I have a talented but difficult now since my pally pony retired from comps. I can honestly say she has improved my riding 300% but I do realise how very good my pony was especially when it come to going to a new venue etc. Wouldn't swap either of then for the world and she is getting much more dependable the more we do (still rather turbo charged ) which makes it all seem worthwile and something to always develop.
 
I would prefer talented but difficult as long as the horse isn't extremely dangerous. Theres always time to work on a difficult horse to get it to work properly at a higher level whereas a mediocre horse will never go that far.

Right now I have a mediocre horse thats sometimes difficult LOL sometimes she thinks she's a rodeo pony but it's OK because we don't compete.
 
I have a dependable horse, but I wouldn't say he is either mediocre or a dull ride! OK so we prob won't ever get to the olympics (not many will
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) but he is more than capable of 1.20 plus is sane in the head, without being a total push button ride. He would prob go Nov/Int horse trials, although I am far too chicken
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My friend's horse is talented, but watching her feel upset after he chucks her off twice before the first fence BE100 and various others, plus the money - must be £1000 this season on entry alone to BE - and yet never do well as the horse always seems to throw all his toys out at some point in the day is just heartbreaking. I wouldn't swap mine for anything
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I guess you would only look at horses that you were wanting to compete at a certain level so he would never be mediocre to you. I would always prefer something that was consistent rather than something that was an 4rse most of the time. Up until sunday I had a beautiful cob that was always there or thereabouts in top classes (hoys/rihs) but never got a first. My friend has got the most true to like sec d who should win regularly, however he is a typical d and after a week at summer champs mine was placed in all his classes and my friends didnt get in the top 4. I would say that was a massive waste of money for her. Whereas I was thrilled to bits with Taf
 

Personally I would want talented and dependable, which is perfectly do-able. Just because a horse is talented doesn't mean it HAS to be quirky.
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A certain horse I once had taught me that all the talent in the world is worth F- all if it doesn't want to work.
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I guess you would only look at horses that you were wanting to compete at a certain level so he would never be mediocre to you.

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Not really, I bought him as a four year old who was pretty average but a nice person, the fact that he likes jumping is a bonus!!! When I tried him he went over the fences with more of an attitude of just getting over them (and I mean only just!)as they were obstacles in his way, none of the huge over jumping that some do.

If he was uber-talented but wasn't nice to be around, I wouldn't still have him, for the level I do mostly, and the amount of time I spend doing it, personality to me is more important
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They have to be REALLY talented to be very difficult. Pro's rides have to be a step up in class from average horses. I have a horse who is a very difficult ride and while ability-wise she could have been an amateur's dream come true, she never had the potential to get to the top. She has feet injuries now to add to her failings and she's taught me never to waste time or money on a weird, dangerous horse ever again, however talented they could be, or however lovely their temperament.
 
Quite happy to put up with talented and quirky - our mare can be really obstinate at home, but goes into 'show mode' and is great to ride when away.
I think you learn to manage their quirks - for instance if you start the lorry up it is impossible to get travelling boots on our mare and she runs around lashing out in excitement. (She loads and travels really well so it's not fear!) We now have a routine of getting the boots on and either loading her before starting the lorry or if that's not possible taking her off for a quiet graze with her travelling gear on while the lorry is manoeuvred into a position where we can load.
 
Sounds like my lad - bought him as 4yr old cos he had the most amazing temp & attitude - he's more than capable of jumping anything I'll ever be brave enough to tackle and can put in a nice dressage test (unfortunately it's me that lets the side down!!!!!)
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Sounds like my lad - bought him as 4yr old cos he had the most amazing temp & attitude - he's more than capable of jumping anything I'll ever be brave enough to tackle and can put in a nice dressage test (unfortunately it's me that lets the side down!!!!!)
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Ha! Thats exactly like me and mine!! He would do well without me as a rider!
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Dependable for me- both my old cob ( RIP) and my new boy are fairly even although never dull or boring
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. I dont have time for difficult as I work siily hours and want a nag to come home and enjoy not worry whether we are going to come back in 1 piece. There are people who like either and people who like both so its personal choice tbh.

Good luck if you enjoy a challenge and dont feel bad if you have a staedy neddy either!!!
 
Since I'm a reasonable riding club level rider, there is little point in me having a very tanlented but difficult horse. Its not my idea of fun. However, I do like to be in with a chance when I compete, so I wouldn't choose either.

My current horse is talented at the level I ride (could probably do more with a more ambitious rider), regularly gets placed and is consistent in his work. That'll do for me!
 
I have the mediocre Mr dependable type for 95% of the time and I love him. The safest horse I've ever hacked no traffic bothers him, he doesn't spook, The only time i've come off him out hacking is when he tripped at flat out gallop and I had no hope of staying on! He also works nicely at home, is forward going without being silly and happy to learn new things.

Unfortunately 5% of the the time he is mediocre and quirky and that 5% is at competitions! He is very nappy and loses all focus on his job as he's always trying to get back to his friends. He's fine indoors (once I've got him in!) and we're often placed, but outdoors is a nightmare! It's not his fault bless him, he's just very insecure and is genuinely worried when he's on his own but can see other horse galloping about.

So I'd say that as long as you have what you want for the majority of the time then you can compromise on the rest of it. Competitions are not that important to me, I do them for fun not to win so I can put up with the problems, but I could not put up with one who's bad to hack as that what I do most of.
 
I'm with mayflower on this one - think it's perfectly reasonable to have a talented and dependable horse myself!

I wouldn't put up with an ultra difficult horse as, as an amateur rider I don't have the time to put up with it and my horses have to be able to be hacked out as well as compete to what ever level I want to compete at and at whatever discipline.

I have a very naturally talented SJing pony except his brain can't cope with his talent basically and it's frustrating, upsetting and takes away all the fun of competing when you don't know each time you go out what that horse is going to do - ie is he/she in a good mood or a bad mood?!

Nah, it's not worth the upset. There are plenty of talented AND dependable horses out there but they are certainly not all boring, push button rides!
 
I've just retired Mr Talented And Dependable (certainly not push-button) and am now trying to find the right buttons for Mr Talented But Difficult - and I know which I prefer! I think the next horse, whenever it comes along, will have to be dependable first of all - and talented would be nice but not essential.
 
I'm lucky in that at the level I ride at, Murphy is both talented and dependable. He'll jump anything I point him at, and is fast enough to beat most horses at his level, but he is also 100% to do anything to, and is safe enough for small children to ride around on at shows. That said, if I had to choose I would go for talented but difficult over mediocre and dependable. My SJ pony was super talented but severely lacking in brain cells. More often than not if I didn't win a class it was because she had dumnped me, but I liked having a pony that wasn't just push button, and she taught me so much. Before Murph I loaned a horse that was reasonably talented, but there was always something to beat us, and completely dependable. TBH, I was bored senseless on her, after years riding a nutcase, i wanted something with a bit of spark and she just didn't have that. While Murph is knowhere near as lively as my SJ pony, he has that bit of life to him that makes things interesting!
 
Talented but difficult, because I would train him to become more dependable! That said, the talent would have to be worth the difficulty! I would be worried about an inconsistent horse not going sometimes because thats really a form of napping and can lead to not going ever as it has a tendency to get worse.
 
Dependable every day of the week for me, a nice horse that I can ride and take out to comps and know we'll be safe.
Unfortunatley I can never afford them so have to buy quirky and train them to be dependable but its getting harder and harder to do.
 
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