Thoughts on this 3yro horse please?

[millitiger]

what does everyone think of this horse as potential eventer? rising 3, already about 17hh and just started long reining around the fields to build up some strength before autumn backing.

by Primitive Proposal, out of Criminal Law mare, half brother to Advanced eventer who is also a huge horse!

i would love to do some BYEH classes but just don't think he would be strong enough next year and still has so much growing to do!

all CC welcome (no downright insults please though!)
sorry it is so big and sorry you can't see his lower limbs- i'm not covering anything dodgy though!

 

[Cliqmo]

Lovely looking chap although still lots of growing into himself to go

 

[Divasmum]

Nice stamp and very good bloodlines. Will still grow though.

 

[christine48]

Very nice type, lovely front. He will grow more though, I'd only wonder if he will be too big and substantial for eventing.

 

[scotsmare]

Flipping heck he's huge

Think he's still got a fair bit of growing to do though

Fab breeding in any case

 

[meardsall_millie]

So this is the one with similar breeding to Poppy?!

Crikey he's huge, way bigger than her (but the same colour!). Like him though - lovely stamp - I wonder if he'll be as sharp as she is?

 

[kerilli]

lovely sort of horse. looks a gorgeous sort.
tbh though i don't think i'd buy a huge youngster to event... having done it once. really big horses can be a nightmare in a 20x40 arena, they make it feel like 15 x 30 for starters! they can be difficult to organise through fiddly combinations too, and that seems to be the way the sport is going.
also, eventing is so hard on them, and if they are huge, it is so much more weight on their limbs, so much more wear and tear etc. the smaller/average ones are more likely to stand up to it imho, although there are obv exceptions.
i can only think of about 4 huge eventers ever that got to top class...
but, if you are aiming to have a phenomenal looking imposing horse for lower level stuff, he'd definitely tick all the right boxes for me.

 

[Baydale]

I really like him, but then I would, wouldn't I?

Agree with everything kerilli says about the cons of big horses, but if he turns out to be not quite what you want to event then he'll always make a lovely gentleman's hunter (that's what I threaten HH with, all the time

). Biko and McKinlaigh are two big top-level horses I can think of.

Mine qualified for the BYEH finals as a 4 and 5yo, so if they tick all the right boxes for that particular judge on that day you'll do well. fwiw mine was much less mature at that age.

 

[lannerch]

I have a huge eventer too, similar type breeding louella bred lord david s x gandolph mare x tb mare, he is finer build though however 17.2 in height.

Since I have had him I have been noticing how many 17hh and plus eventers there are reaching advance.

You will have to take things slower only at 6 is mine now strong enough and balanced enough to event, and it is true that the dressage is more difficult as the arena seems so small.
I do not necessarily think you are disadvantaged at the combinations though with a big horse yes they do have to learn to shorten and they do have to be athletic, but if they can adapt this can be a bonus.

I was told by my friends when I bought my chap as an unbroken 3yo (from louella ) he was too big for eventing, now I am going about proving them wrong! So far so good.

 

[millitiger]

thank you for all of the nice comments- every who sees him first goes "God he's huge!" then a few seconds later say "he's really classy isn't he?"

he only wears a 6'3ft rug atm though so not *that* big... i have been practising trotting him up though and if he trots normally i can't keep up at all so he is now jogging for me instead!

i didn't go out to buy a huge horse- i bought him as a weanling and he was the ugliest foal i have ever seen but he moved beautifully and thats why he came home.

i can already see how hard the dressage will be as when i have loose schooled him he is down the long side of the arena in 3 trot strides or 2 canter strides BUT he is nicely balanced and gets himself around the corners well.

here is a pic of him as a foal to compare, have you ever seen an uglier foal?