TB's or WB's for eventing?

I like TB's but a good warmblood can go all the way mine made advanced. If I want to be critical she hasn't got the gallop of a TB but some do. If you like the stamp and temperment go for it.
 
I am also a TB fan but a little bit of WB does normally help for the movement in the dressage and the jump for the show jumping. Yes, you can get WBs that move/jump badly but as a rule there is a reason why they are becoming more popular.
 
In my experience, WB's can be stuffy and ungenuine. TB's are much more forward-thinking and generous, especially when crossed with a native/ID. I'm sure that is a generalisation though..............
 
I am also a TB fan. Hes my 2nd ever horse, stright from 14.2 CobX to 16.2 IrishTB. Best secong hose I could have asked for! (: I also Event him PC at the mo but he has BE'd. They have the pace and mine is fab at Dressage, get excellent marks! so they have a huge amount going for them (: But if it is what you want then go for a WB!!! X
 
Mabel98 said:
In my experience, WB's can be stuffy and ungenuine. TB's are much more forward-thinking and generous, especially when crossed with a native/ID. I'm sure that is a generalisation though..............
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Considering quite a few jump around Badminton/go to the Olympics these days, I think that's a bit harsh. ;)

It is down to the individual horse, of course. That said, there are some lines that seem to produce more "event-type" horses than others, especially when they carry a higher percentage of sport-type TB blood. If I was going to make a gross generalisation ;) , I'd pay particular attention to whether or not the horse looks like it could gallop, although that can be taught up to a point. I'd also want to look at jumping style, as I do believe that some of the best jumping lines don't produce the ideal safe form/outlook for xc and some of the dressage lines are notable for NOT producing good jumpers. But again, it's the horse standing in front of you that counts.
 
If the WB ticks all the boxes for you then I wouldn't rule it out, there are plenty of WB's at the top levels
 
I really loathe this whole warmblood debate. IDxTB is a WARMBLOOD and if it has a Irish Sporthorse passport technically that would also make it a european warmblood!! A good horse is a good horse no matter what colour/breeding/size or looks.
 
LEC said:
I really loathe this whole warmblood debate. IDxTB is a WARMBLOOD and if it has a Irish Sporthorse passport technically that would also make it a european warmblood!! A good horse is a good horse no matter what colour/breeding/size or looks.
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I agree - everyone seems to want an ISH but the fact is they are warmbloods (and particularly in recent years as they have been using European blood to 'improve the Irish Sports Horse'. I went over to Ireland a couple of years ago looking for young horses with a friend and almost everything we were shown had some foreign blood. Maybe we were looking in the wrong places!! I've always loved TB's but recently have acquired a Lithuanian warmblood - he has a lot of TB in him yet is less stressy than my other (TB) horses. Is forward going at competitions but can be a bit stuffy to school, and when you try to teach him something new will do the whole 'I can't do it' routine and may spit the dummy out a bit, but once he gets it he's fine. Do think I have the best of both worlds with this one as he seems to be quite talented at all phases. When I first tried him I didn't think he would make the time XC as was too collected in the canter but it turned out the previous owner rode him in a 3 ring gag which he definetely didn't need. As I was used to my previous TB pulling like a train he didn't feel remotely strong so put him in a snaffle - once he figured out I would allow him to go forward he has had no problem - in fact have had to keep brake on at a few early events as would have definetely picked up too fast time penalties. Never thought I would end up with a WB but it is definetely the individual horse and not the breed that is important.
 
I think a full TB has a much better chance than a full WB making it to advanced, and especialy to CCI** + just because of the stamina, but Warmblood types are getting more and more prominant now since they got rid or roads and tracks and steeplechase.

TB...
Faster/more stamina
Cheeper as a youngster, and especialy the ex racehorses if your prepaired to put the work in.
More likely to suffer injuries though
Probably less expressive paces and less adept to sj although there are exceptions.

WB...
Better paces and tend to be more scopey
expensive


So i think something that is 50% or more TB will have the stamina to get to the top, and most of the top horses have a good mix of something more wb like too.
 
LEC said:
I really loathe this whole warmblood debate. IDxTB is a WARMBLOOD and if it has a Irish Sporthorse passport technically that would also make it a european warmblood!! A good horse is a good horse no matter what colour/breeding/size or looks.
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yes, exactly!

also, TBs can range from small bloodweed types for the flat, to huge rangy NH types, let alone the ENORMOUS range of temperaments. Many are sweet and easy, others seem to have nitroglycerine flowing through their veins...
ditto WBs, impossible to generalise. It's like saying that all brunettes are stupendously intelligent and all blondes are dumb.

the biggest difference is that most TBs are pretty natural gallopers, having been bred for generations to go fast etc, and most WBs have been bred to come up off the ground, on the flat and over fences.

If you like the horse, and IF it will jump a little ditch without a qualm (some WBs can be ridiculously, heartbreakingly ditchy), and if it has a decent sort of a gallop, go for it.

big generalisation time, but imho (ymmv and all that) WBs tend to be much spookier than TB and IDxTB types.
 
LEC said:
A good horse is a good horse no matter what colour/breeding/size or looks.
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I totally agree with this and although you need some sort of search criteria to start with, if something "outside the box" comes along, it can be good to keep an open mind and if it seems to do what you want it to do then that's great.

I always said I wanted a gelding, 16.2+ and coloured/grey (def not "boring" bay! :p ), have ended up with a mare, 15.2, "boring" bay but wouldn't swap her for the world! ;)

My own preference would be to look for something with a lot of TB in it, but apparently a lot of WBs do have high % TB in them if you know about breeding lines etc (I don't! :o ) so don't be fooled by a "name".
 
a vote for the tb from me!!

but i do agree that if a horse is capable and ticks all the right boxes it doesnt matter what it is!!!

(lover of tb's prob cos i am proud owner of 1) :)
 
I totally agree with LEC and others echoing her sentiments - there was a post about welsh cobs doing Novice (maybe intermediate) a few weeks ago! It just depends on the horse!

I have had both TB and WB. Both of which I would consider horses of a lifetime.

My TBxID who I've had since I was 13. He was Mr Dependable schoolmaster and the sort of horse you can give a smack to say "get on with it and stop mucking around" and he would listen and stop being a monkey without freaking out. Gave me more confidence than any other horse and hugely independent, doesn't want fuss and cuddles just to get on and do his job and be left alone to be a horse the rest of the time. He would always be placed and I daresay he could have gone novice easily and prob intermediate, maybe even advanced if that's what I'd wanted at the time.

TBx retired some years ago and I recently got a screwed up warmblood project who was free as that was all I could afford. He is the nicest friendliest horse I have ever known. He loves fuss and cuddles and is just lovely and perfectly mannered. But very sensitive. Gets beside himself if you give him a smack so I rarely do. With a lot of patience he has also gone from zero to hero in 2 years in my mind. From being unable to walk a straight line without being a total lunatic we are now thinking about when we will do our first novice. If he had been in the right hands from being a baby I think he could have gone all if not most of the way!

2 totally different horses, one WB one TB - equally wonderful to me!!

If you're looking to buy I would look at both. If you find one you gel with that's the one no matter what breed!
 
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Many thanks for all your replies. Having been a diehard TB person, & having seen some less than average TB's, the nice ones all going quicker than we could get round too, we have gone totally against our checklist & have fallen for a divine WBxTB mare - much bigger than we wanted, but she is GORGEOUS. If she passes the vet, she will be ours this weekend (so excited......)
 
Echo Lec, I've heard of WBs moving to Ireland to re-register with ISH passports so they can "tick that box" for some buyers.... Bonkers :o.

I guess my "add" would be not to discount a WB because it doesn't immediately look like an eventer. I took a guess on a (very solid looking) KWPN in Spring who had only SJ'd -- very worried that she wouldn't gallop - fast forward a few PNs and she's really starting to surprise me. Lots of hardening up, more fast work than you might usually do at that level to change her muscle range & conditioning, but yesterday AM I actually thought there was a gallop in there somewhere.... :D.
 
I have had both TB out of very very good bloodlines and my curreent hore is a WB. Both very genuine horses xc and always looked after me, honest showjumpers however tb was a better mover in dressage. Personally i would say they are both brilliant eventers.
 
Also while I am the most biased person against horses (I will not buy for me long term black, coloured or grey horses), I am totally open about breeding as the horses I like are well put together, move well and jump. In fact last year I was admiring a horse and found out it was Welsh Cob x TB - it looked like a KWPN and moved and jumped like one.
 
i think there are some equally good wb as there are tb's, some wb's can be stuffy, some tb can be sharp and untrainable in the brain dept, its all sterotypes and there is always experiences on both sides in terms of pros and cons.!! The only thing i can say from my experience with youngsters ive had tb/id/wb and 7/8th tb, both have awesome temp and eager to work with fantastic work ethic, the only diffence, that i really have picked up on, is if the tb/id/wb is at the end of a course and feeling 'it' there is no extra in the tank and that is it!!! The tb on the other hand will always seem to have that bit extra for you when you really need it and the time is easier to get!!
 
Just to clear up on the Irish breeding front as I am a big fan of the "traditionial" ISH. Yes the well known mix of ID x TB is technically a warmblood BUT please do not mix up the ISH who can - legimately - trace their lines back to horses like Clover Hill etc with TB such as Ghareeb in their lines and the horses that were mixed with some less proven european warmblood sires. Yes, they will both have ISH on their passport but there is a massive difference. So much so, that unless you know where you are getting your horse from, there are a lot of King of Diamond/Clover Hill lines wanabees as these sell.!

As for WB v TB - lower levels its not really relevant. Top levels you need a good dose of blood to make the time but a lot of the modern warmbloods will have a high dose of TB in their lines which makes the whole question irrelevant. As an example, Accondy (straight TB out of Sadlers wells) was the only TB stallion in the UK who was licensed to stand by the British Hanovarian society - and his stock would have been branded as Hanovarian.
 
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