What breed do you prefer for eventing?

Lead the Way will be pure TB as I am pretty sure he was bred for racing. Supreme Leader would not have allowed to be bred to anything but Wetherbys TBs as he was an out and out racing sire so natural covering only and a very good one so they can take their pick.
 
Eothain said:
People "In the know" about Eventing have told me several times that certain Continental breeds aren't cut out for Eventing because with the increased use of trick fences like bounces and the like, Continental horses with loads of jump can all too often explode in to the air and mess up the short distances they have to deal with etc. Great for the Dressage and Showjumping, a pain in the neck cross country.
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Sorry, I know you are entitled to your opinion, but that is absolute rubbish!!
 
I've spent 25 years breeding horses and what we breed today has evolved from discarding any traits we didn't want.
The mares were mostly TB with some ID and we tried using Dutch (too clumbsy) French (fabulous competitive horses but very very difficult when young) TB (too flimsy) ID too heavy in many cases and not fast enough.
We then tried a local Belgian x TB who's dam had been round Badminton twice and had mostly Tb but also some anglo arab in his pedigree.
By using him on the TB x ID mares we had bred we found something nimble, not hot, trainable, talented and they look pretty good too.
I suppose he's a mongrel!
My point being a good horse is never a particular breed, more a combination of soundness, trainability, talent and temperament.
As yet the best one has probably reached the level of Hartpury's Intermediate course so that may be her limit, though she's done three effortless clears so probably not.
How many people on HH have the ability to go past Intermediate or even want to?
Looking back through our breeding the irish side appears to have had an awful lot of TB sneaked into the pure ID, but nothing would induce me to leave that part out, the irish seem more forgiving as horses than many others, and many riders benefit from that.
Provided you have a decent horse to start with that's half the battle, but add in the capability of the rider, the stable management, the necessary preparation etc and it can change the whole career of a decent horse..
I don't think our stock will win Badminton but mongrels they may be, but they will do well in anything asked of them and hopefully stay sound, so I'd forget breed and look at everything else!
 
There used to be loads of anglo-arabs. They would do anything, and were successful showing as well. Where have they gone? I read a letter in H+H about Arab breeders creating 'useless' horses as they are so inbred and have awful conformation. When I was little (I mean really little, under 8) I used to ride 15hh Arab. She was a bit scatty but very safe obvs!
She had quite good confo but doesn't look like the Arabs you see in the showing section of H+H or at county shows. I think the breed is being spoiled and given a bad name.

BTW My horse is 11/16th TB, 1/16th ID and 1/4 WB. If he had a brain as well he would be perfect :D
I have been told an event horse should be 1/16th ID, but as people are saying, I think its the brain not the breed that counts!
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eothain

People "In the know" about Eventing have told me several times that certain Continental breeds aren't cut out for Eventing because with the increased use of trick fences like bounces and the like, Continental horses with loads of jump can all too often explode in to the air and mess up the short distances they have to deal with etc. Great for the Dressage and Showjumping, a pain in the neck cross country.
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icestationzebra said:
Sorry, I know you are entitled to your opinion, but that is absolute rubbish!!
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I *think*, and this is how I interpreted it, Eothian is talking about the "extremes" in the continental stud books. A lot of them are bred to have HUGE jumps, and/or huge paces, which as a result will struggle more XC than something a little bit more economical and pony like in it's jump... all of the continental horses you see eventing have a lot of TB blood in them, so are relatively nimble and not HUGE jumpers, but still have plenty of jump. Something like Peppermill would be a prime example for one of the fantastic jumpers who i doubt would ever cope with an eventing track... but thats because through breeding he has been bred to have a huge careful jump specifically for Sjing :)
 
I love ISH horses, always have, even when they were TBxIDs! I like the frame of them - narrow TB types are not my cup of tea - but thats my taste.. I like a 50/50 mix, or up to 75%TB. My latest youngster is from a long line of TBxID, but his grandsire is cavalier royale, a holstien, which gives him a much longer stride that will make life much easier than it is for my straight ISHs. He feels much more of a horse than the others (which have a pony like quality that I love) with more talent, but is not as giving. I really like the mix.
 
Preferably, something with welsh pony in there somewhere, and some TB in there too - I've had several welshies and their alert and excitable attitude makes me love them, as well as their big powerful bottom! Something with a bit of pony in there is always good too :)

Although you may want to have 1/4 welsh, 3/4TB as Tam is quite heavy although half and half, and probs won't make intermediate time. Welshies also have lovely rhythmical trots which gains you loads of marks in the dressage, even when you're sure the test was rubbish!

That said I now have a 1/4 Hanoverian 1/4 Dutch WB and 1/2 TB 4yo who is put together perfectly for the job, and has the most sweet, positive attitude to work :)
 
dominobrown said:
There used to be loads of anglo-arabs. They would do anything, and were successful showing as well. Where have they gone? I read a letter in H+H about Arab breeders creating 'useless' horses as they are so inbred and have awful conformation. When I was little (I mean really little, under 8) I used to ride 15hh Arab. She was a bit scatty but very safe obvs!
She had quite good confo but doesn't look like the Arabs you see in the showing section of H+H or at county shows. I think the breed is being spoiled and given a bad name.

BTW My horse is 11/16th TB, 1/16th ID and 1/4 WB. If he had a brain as well he would be perfect :D
I have been told an event horse should be 1/16th ID, but as people are saying, I think its the brain not the breed that counts!
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The "old type" are still there - just out of fashion for the in-hand ring and off doing their ridden / performance thing round the corner without too many photos being taken or printed. The last year or so it just begins to feel like people have remembered them and are looking for them again so the smaller breeders who have cut right back on unfashionable pure breds, anglos and partbreds may raise their heads back above the parapet.

And actually I agree entirely with Henry Horn - it is the horse in front of you that really counts. I was always told to breed the best to the best and hope for the best.
 
Interestingly in Mark Todd's article he is now going down the warmblood route having previously preferred TBs. Has the short format changed the way the professionals are now thinking? Are the dressage and SJ phases now more influential, favouring the WB's? A lot more of the pro's seem to be going down the WB route. and a lot of modern WBs have a large proportion of TB in them.
The 8 and 9 yr old class at Blenheim had a lot of continental bred horses in it. There were a few by Dutch SJ stallions. Landvision is by a WB. This season Mark Todd accquired Campino by Contendro from Germany for a reputed 6 figure sum, he thinks a lot of that horse too.
 
i don't think you can beat a good tb, as long as it has decent feet!
i love IDxTB crosses, either 7/8 or 15/16ths. The ones I've had were exceptionally good, genuine, generous horses. if i had a blank chequebook now for a few eventers, that's where i'd look.
the wbs and wb x ones i've had have been less easy tbh.
 
icestationzebra said:
Sorry, I know you are entitled to your opinion, but that is absolute rubbish!!
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Settle down, I was only telling you what I've been told by a World Games medallist, European Medallist and breeder of a horse representing Ireland at this year's WEG. Interestingly, this man not only bred the horse, but also bred the horse's rider!!!

It's not my opinion at all
 
Lol I event an old fashionned Arab! He would never win any prizes in hand showing but has a heart of gold and does his very best. Sadly being 14.2 and not exceptionally scopey I won't ever ask him to go above intro. He is very good in the dressage phase tho and easily makes times - a comfortable xc canter brings him in just under optimum for BE80 and 90.
Youngster has a bit of everything going on in his breeding, he is Scottish sport horse and has grandparents who are KWPN, TB and ISH. I think he should be fine at lower levels, which is all I want to do. He does have a massive jump so can almost see point made earlier about jumping TOO big, but then his mum is ISH (by captain clover who is one of clover hill's sons out of a TB mare) and she also has an enormous pop in her! So not sure I can blame the KWPN half entirely!
When OH's mare was injured I had dreams of breeding my ideal eventer out of her - she was ISH, a king of diamonds mare, and I wanted to put her to an Arab or an anglo. But money was a bit tight at the time so we could really justify it.
 
Golden_Match_II said:
Preferably, something with welsh pony in there somewhere, and some TB in there too - I've had several welshies and their alert and excitable attitude makes me love them, as well as their big powerful bottom! Something with a bit of pony in there is always good too :)

Although you may want to have 1/4 welsh, 3/4TB as Tam is quite heavy although half and half, and probs won't make intermediate time. Welshies also have lovely rhythmical trots which gains you loads of marks in the dressage, even when you're sure the test was rubbish!
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Umm funny that,my 2 welsh D's have had good trot marks for rhythm in their tests,shame their canters arn't as good! Maybe when i one day cross my mare to a TB i'll end up with a nice eventer. The big powerful bum is def being used by my young gelding at the mo,jumping anything requires a 3ft 6 clearance!!!!! Very nearly get jumped off!!
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