What exactly is a sports horse?

I used to think TB x ID but then my friend got a connie x tb x sumit else, imported from Ireland and it was just registered with the sports horse society, therefore making him a sports horse?
 
cptrayes said:
It's a made up marketing term to allow the British and Irish to compete against people selling warmbloods.. just like warmbloods, there is no one type.
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It's not a made up British term. It refers to a horse registered with one of the member studbooks of the WBFSH, originally designed to oversee production of horses for the FEI/Olympic disciplines (pre the introductio of Reining). All these books breed to phenotype rather than genotype, as distinguished from 'breed' books like Welsh, Haflinger etc that use a limited gene pool to produce very specific types, not with upper level sport in mind.
 
xgemmax said:
Irish sports horse is meant to be Irish draft x throughbred!
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From their site:
The main composite breeds of the Irish Sport Horse are the Irish Draught and the Thoroughbred. Varying proportions of these breeds result in the production of Irish Sport Horses. In recent years there has also been an infusion of Continental Warmblood breeds into the Irish Sport Horse.

The Irish Draught and Thoroughbred has proven to be a very successful cross and gives the Irish Sport Horse its unique and much sought after characteristics of strength, intelligence, athleticism, versatility and, above all, a wonderful temperament. Irish Sport Horses have travelled all over the world and are found competing successfully at the highest level in every equestrian discipline.

The Irish Sport Horse should be a functionally correct model of balanced proportions that is conducive to successful performance at international level in FEI disciplines. The horse should move correctly, be light-footed, balanced and supple with good self-carriage and impulsion from the hindquarters. The horse should have a good temperament, be rideable, intelligent and willing to perform. Irish Sport Horses should have courage, be careful when jumping with good technique and scope.
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It doesn't sound all that complicated. I know lots of people use "sport horse" to describe anything bigger than a Shetland Pony but just 'cause people use words wrong doesn't mean they're right. :)
 
Tiddlypom said:
An athletic competition horse of known or unknown breeding?
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This would be my definition of my boy . . . sold to me as a Polish warmblood . . . and although he is most definitely Polish, I think he's more "Heinz 57" than that so I refer to him as a sport horse . . . I can see TB, Trakehner, Anglo Arab and possibly some Konik in there . . . he's a proper mongrel . . . and I have no idea who is dam or sire are . . . but he's athletic and suitable for eventing, SJ, etc.,

P
 
So basically we can call anything a sports horse. Can my Arab be an Egyptian sports horse please :-D
 
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PolarSkye said:
This would be my definition of my boy . . . sold to me as a Polish warmblood . . . and although he is most definitely Polish, I think he's more "Heinz 57" than that so I refer to him as a sport horse . . . I can see TB, Trakehner, Anglo Arab and possibly some Konik in there . . . he's a proper mongrel . . . and I have no idea who is dam or sire are . . . but he's athletic and suitable for eventing, SJ, etc.,

P
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All of which are component breeds of the modern sport type. Phenotype not genotype.
 
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