Warmbloods and XC

[coffeeandabagel]

Friend of mine has commented that maybe a warmblood isnt the best choice for an eventer - she says there is doubt about whether they think fast enough for XC.

Given that I am only ever going to do upto BE100 (if that) do I need to worry?

 

[dieseldog]

No, you can get slow thinking TBs and Einsteen WBs - you just need to take each horse on its merits. I think most top eventers are now WBs. And a WB is just a TB cross, ISH is a WB by any other name.

 

[cptrayes]

Given that one won the World Equestrian Games, or was it the Olympics, eventing a couple of years ago, I doubt it

The four WBs I've owned have been too quick thinking, not to slow!!

 

[coffeeandabagel]

Given that one won the World Equestrian Games eventing a couple of years ago, I doubt it

LOL - no worries then!!

 

[Vodkagirly]

Judge the horse in front of you not the breed. Some maybe slow a lot will be fast.

 

[EventingMum]

For a while many people thought this but modern warmbloods are very different from those of yesteryear and tend to have quite a bit of tb in them. With the loss of long format 3 day events which favoured tradition tb types the warmbloods are hugely popular now and often have flashier movement for the dressage. At BE100 level many different types and breeds are successful - a well schooled, honest horse that jumps will usually do the job.

 

[Arniebear]

My guy is a showjumping bred warmblood and i plan to event him, last yr he was placed in pretty much every ODE i did, granted it was unaffiliated but i didn't feel he struggled with the time, where we picked up time faults was obvious like he dithered in the water or i took a long route and let him have a look (he's only 5 so wasn't pushing him) when he his back in work from his tendon injury i still plan to event him! yes he isn't the fastest horse but there's no reason he cant comfortably come inside the time, sometimes you may have to be clever and take shortest routes if possible but other than that as long as the fitness isn't an issue you should be fine! Im aiming for BE100's and maybe a novice with him eventually but i'll see how he goes re his legs tbh!

 

[FireFly29]

I have a sj bred WB, she looks more like a TB than a WB and is pretty quick and holds her fitness well.
She's not necessarily always the bravest, but I think that's more down to greeness as she's still young and not had that many outings, more than because she's a WB.
I'm sure Sarah-Jane on here had a WB who she competed at 3*?

 

[oldie48]

Many of the top eventers have WB in them, Ricardo Z, the top living sire of event horses is by a hanovarian stallion. Up to BE100 they don't need great speed to make the time, there are lots of cobs, ponies and part natives making it. We did find, however, than it can take a bit more time to get some WBs fit and they don't always keep their fitness as easily as a TB, but that's something you can deal with.

 

[Oscar]

Kibah Tic Toc won Gold in Barcelona in 1992, he was Hann x TB

Most modern WBs have a good %TB blood now so do well eventing, and seeing as the big courses are more technical with less galloping and no more road & tracks etc I think most jumping line WB's would be good, depends if you are considering to be a good amateur or have aspirations for team selection!

 

[coffeeandabagel]

I will only ever be an enthusiastic amateur and am going to see a lovely looking WB tomorrow. Will hope for riding club teams and local unaffiliated hunter trials /ODEs with the odd BE on a ticket. What would you be happy to hear a just 4yr old has done - thats the other issue I am worried about. Him having done too much too young. He has jumped an arena XC course at 1m and is just 4. Has done a couple of lower SJ rounds and a couple of dressage tests. Having had a 7 yr old ISH with bad arthritis in SI joints I really dont want another set of problems with new horse!

 

[Sarah_Jane]

Yes my girl in pics below was successful to advanced level although she lacked a bit of gallop my current warmblood has plenty of gallop so as others have said don't worry.

 

[Quadro]

I event a full westphalien so far up to be100 and hopefully novice. He is fab xc and is dressage bred so i would go for it!
Q

 

[Oscar]

I will only ever be an enthusiastic amateur and am going to see a lovely looking WB tomorrow. Will hope for riding club teams and local unaffiliated hunter trials /ODEs with the odd BE on a ticket. What would you be happy to hear a just 4yr old has done - thats the other issue I am worried about. Him having done too much too young. He has jumped an arena XC course at 1m and is just 4. Has done a couple of lower SJ rounds and a couple of dressage tests. Having had a 7 yr old ISH with bad arthritis in SI joints I really dont want another set of problems with new horse!

That's a tricky one as most sellers either sell Un-backed or they back them & get thm out & about seeing life etc. if the horse has low mileage some buyers are put off so they are damned if they do, damned if they don't. Also it would depend if it has been started by a pro with a good reputation, a good pro can get a horse further quicker. Or do you buy un backed and do it all yourself at your own pace?

 

[kassieg]

My old boss' warmblood made it to 4* as 10 year old
bloody talented & definitely fast enough was by far the easiest when cantering etc everything just seemed so easy to him

 

[khalswitz]

I had a chat with Bettina Hoy and Beanie Sturgis about this at Blair last year. They said that you see a difference in hilly courses like Blair, where the TBs just cruise in gear up the hills, but the heavier warmbloods will be slower on the slopes. Bettina had a Wb while Beanie had a TB, and Beanie was giving her horse more time on the flat, whilst Bettina shortened her early minute markers to give herself time on the hills.

Both finished top ten though, so and went clear in the time XC, so it's just management.

 

[maccachic]

This has an interesting chart: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2013/01/06/thoroughbreds-dominate-us-eventing-leaderboard/#axzz2wFzkNQpy it is old couldn't find the most recent one.

Id just find the right horse could be any breed. There is a ex gran prix SJ over here who has turned hoof and is now a gran prix dr horse and he is a clyde

 

[only_me]

I never understood the idea that tb's cruise up hills by going up a gear until I felt it - Billy is 3/4 tb and powers up hills as though they weren't there, such a lovely feeling as he just attacks them and powers up!

But as others have said, it is all dependant on the horse in front of you not the breed

 

[tinap]

I have a sj bred WB, she looks more like a TB than a WB and is pretty quick and holds her fitness well.
She's not necessarily always the bravest, but I think that's more down to greeness as she's still young and not had that many outings, more than because she's a WB.

Sounds exactly like the daughters! Shes fast enough to be inside times if only those scary brown things weren't in the way

 

[FireFly29]

Sounds exactly like the daughters! Shes fast enough to be inside times if only those scary brown things weren't in the way

Ha ha! Yes mine is a little bit like that!
She's certainly fast enough to be comfortably inside the time as long as we don't get stops!
Just need to work on getting her to focus more sometimes instead of staring at the fence judges, convinced that they are evil and out to get her! Lol!

 

[TableDancer]

FWIW I think if you look at OP's question she is querying warmbloods' thinking speed not their travelling speed?!

I think it is a legitimate question as I have certainly had some WBs who, however athletic their bodies, have been a bit "ponderous" in their thought-processes. I don't think I've ever had a TB that way inclined, although I daresay they exist, and IME Irish horses tend to be very quick-thinking, sometimes arguably too quick-thinking!

However, I agree with those who say judge the horse in front of you not what is in its passport, and I have equally had some very intelligent WBs who were constantly a step ahead of me I also think that even the slower ones can be trained for XC, it's just that you have to spend time explaining the question to them when you introduce each new challenge, and give them a chance to find the answer. Once they understand, they are rock solid and can be fab XC