What are imported warmbloods like?

MeganMarie

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Hey,

So i’ve been wondering for those who have had experiences with both british bred warmbloods and imported warmbloods (holland/germany) etc. Did you find their characteristics different to eachother? I read somewhere that people think imported ones are more spooky, crazy, ‘pyscho’ hahaha :D How true do you think this is?

I’m currently looking around for a new horse (showjumper) as had to retire our current boy. I recently saw (someone we know) selling a 5yo warmblood (imported from Holland), although i’m not specifically looking for an “imported” horse, I was just curious as to what people think of the imported ones, as some think they’re really good, others don’t - again I know each horse is an individual. How are they treated abroad? Are they handled really young etc.?

Any experiences? :) thanks
 

Littlebear

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I really don’t think the fact they’ve come from abroad makes any difference, some horses are just spookier than others and warm blood is a very general, loads of other things to consider than the fact they have come from abroad.
Perhaps if there was one you liked if you knew the specific stud and breeding you might get a more specific answer, but even then I know lots of siblings from the same studs that have completely different natures!
 

Red-1

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I guess the question is similar to "What are French people like?" as in, there is a lot of variety and difference.

Some will be beautiful, but will come with a higher £ tag. Some are awful, imported as they are not selling in their home country.

A lot of temperament will be to do with how they were raised. A lot of Irish horses are out in all weathers in large groups, a lot of continental ones are more indoor horses. Not all in either case, every producer will do it differently.

I always just look at the horse in front of me, sometimes even chestnut mares and as cool as any other horse (JOKE - I have no anti chestnut mare thing going on here!!!).
 

Four Seasons

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Think it depends on the individual character of the horse and also how it was raised. A lot of warmblood stables in Holland throw them in a field from foal till 3 years old, break them within a month and sell them on quickly. Those are the spookier horses, haven't seen much and are very much green as can be. Some of these can be very, very sweet though, but most are a litte spooked and nervous. I bought my black mare 2 years ago from a dealing stable in Holland, she was very nervous. Literally thrown into the field after being weaned together with some others. It took me a year to assure her in everything, but now she does everything according to the book. So if you like to have a bit of work, definitely import haha.
 

Sussexbythesea

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My BWB was imported from Belgium by a dealer when he was 10. He’s a bit spooky, wasn’t great hacking initially and has had his naughty moments but other than that he’s pretty uncomplicated. Had him 13 years this year. I traced his breeder and he was a home bred that his mother and he used to ride. I think they breed a few but not on a big scale.
 

hopscotch bandit

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Friends had an imported WB. Not had spooky problems as such, she got him from a dealer who specializes in this kind of thing. You have to be careful if you want to register BS or BD as they will take the age of the horse into account and slap on an amount of points i.e a 7yr old import has 230BD points for example or would be expected to jump Newcomers as they slap on so many winnings automatically and its up to you to prove otherwise.She had to fax two or three FEI numbers abroad to get proof horse hadn't won money in BS or equivalent before BS would except horse as Grade C. Also if you have an imported horse I think BD have you undertake a ridden assessment which costs around £100 from memory. This was way back in 2005/2006 so things may have changed since then. Just something to bear in mind.
 

EventingMum

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I had a German-bred Hanoverian who had a foal in Holland when she was 4 before coming to the UK. She was a bit shut down (the only way I can describe it) personality wise - it took a while for her personality to develop and she seemed very introverted for quite a while. Her manners were good and she was no problem when ridden - she won her first event (BE intro) at five which was also her first time in a dressage arena and first full xc course, not many horses would do that! The British bred warmbloods I have had have all been a bit more spooky than her but I suspect that was because of other factors.

My only comment would be that there are probably more larger commercial studs on the continent so horses aren't always treated as individuals compared with those who are bred on small scale operations or by individuals where they get more individual attention and fussing which will make a difference to their interaction with people.
 

Blixen Vixen

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In terms of the continent I don’t think it’s about horses being handled young so much as the type of upbringing they get. With land there at a premium horses spend a lot more time in barns. If you compare that for instance with Irish horses who grow up on farms, many of them out all year round as youngsters then it’s totally different. In that environment they are allowed to be horses, they grow up on varied terrain often with a small herd. It’s a much better foundation in life for a horse than being stood in a barn.

At one of the Goresbridge Go for Gold sales I got chatting to a continental buyer who said that was the reason he had come there to buy. That continental horses are increasingly barn reared which is far from ideal while Irish horses are not and are better adjusted for it.
 

MouseInLux

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I had a German-bred Hanoverian who had a foal in Holland when she was 4 before coming to the UK. She was a bit shut down (the only way I can describe it) personality wise - it took a while for her personality to develop and she seemed very introverted for quite a while. Her manners were good and she was no problem when ridden - she won her first event (BE intro) at five which was also her first time in a dressage arena and first full xc course, not many horses would do that! The British bred warmbloods I have had have all been a bit more spooky than her but I suspect that was because of other factors.

My only comment would be that there are probably more larger commercial studs on the continent so horses aren't always treated as individuals compared with those who are bred on small scale operations or by individuals where they get more individual attention and fussing which will make a difference to their interaction with people.
Living on the continent I can agree with a lot of this. I bought a mare a few months ago, she’s spent the first 5-6 years of her life in a big program, breeding then producing. She has no clue about being a Horse and needed one person and a nice friend to figure things out. BUT we have a breeding program where I keep my horses. These horses live out until broken and still live out a lot after that. They get individual care and love.
 
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