What to look for - potential eventer

N

nato

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 February 2015
Messages
959
Visit site
Can anyone share a list of 'must-haves' or what to look for when viewing a horse with the plan to event? My ambitions don't go beyond jumping 1.10m and my passion is Dressage so I don't want a great jumper or a fast horse that will compensate for only OK Dressage scores. I know I want a brave horse that is careful, adjustable, relatively forgiving and has a trainable personality - the rest I can do myself. (Am I asking too much already? ;) )

Conformation, temperament, paces, rideability, etc - looking for as much info as possible!

Also any questions you would ask the seller that will help me decide if the horse is right for me?

I have a very experienced coach coming with me but they are primarily a showjumper - excellent on the flat and a great eye for a good horse with years of experience but just wanted to know if there's anything specific to Eventing or Dressage I should be looking for?
 
depends if you are looking for something with the t-shirt, slightly older horse, with some mileage or you are looking for a young horse and a blank canvas.

Last year i was looking for the former, but it turned out i didn't really have the budget for something straight forward that had already been and done a bit, so i started looking for youngsters. Top of my list was personality and temperament I wanted something that i wanted to work with every day, that was a nice person but that also wanted to do the work. Forward and responsive was the second thing you havent got much if you dont have either of these things. Third was jump and paces; but only as far as does it want to leave the floor, are the paces straight and sound.

That was about it really, we bought the first youngster we looked at and shes been brilliant and is looking very promising!
 
Most important for me is they need to be clever. Even if they're green, I want them to want to help me. Things go wrong, so I want to feel confident the horse will do its best to get us out of trouble if the need should arise.
 
absolutely agree with poster above - clever and with an attitude where they enjoy working and work with you. Must actually enjoy jumping as well.
 
Michen said:
Did you decide to send your loan horse back? Good luck with the search
Click to expand...

Hi Michen, yes I did :( very difficult decision and after much soul-searching (and tears, on my end!), both my coach and I agreed that it was not fair on either me or her to ask her to try to achieve my ambitions. We have been trying to move her up but she seems to be hitting her limit. She still has so much go left in her at her current level, and a desire to really keep going at that level too, so have decided to help the owners find a new home for her where she can give lots of confidence and fun to someone looking to do something at or below what she's currently doing. At least then I can help to secure a good future for her by finding a good home.

To everyone else who replied, thank you. My current budget would afford me a 'been there done that' horse under the age of 10 that has no competitive record. So a horse that's done bits and bobs unaffiliated in all three disciplines (e.g. riding club) but hasn't competed much affiliated, but could turn a hoof to it with no issue. I'm currently lining up 6-10 year olds that have either done unaffiliated eventing, or have done a bit of everything but no real record as such, or need lots of work on the flat as that's my stronger suit.

I'm not excluding young horses but with work commitments I prefer the idea of something that knows what it's supposed to do when you put a jump in front of it, and the rest is just improving and tweaking. I am happy with something that has done lower levels and bringing it up through the levels myself, which is what I am looking at within my budget.

Is there anything specific I should be looking for conformation-wise?
 
FlyingCircus said:
Most important for me is they need to be clever. Even if they're green, I want them to want to help me. Things go wrong, so I want to feel confident the horse will do its best to get us out of trouble if the need should arise.
Click to expand...

This is at the top.of the list...I font event but my sister loves xc and wants to event some day and this is what we have found needed in the horses to do the job.

Also horses that listen, respond to a slight correct without just tanking off thinking they know best.

Horses that love to help and want to work with you not against you.

A nice ground eating canter stride without much effort.
 
I like mine bold. They don't have to be Murphy Himself levels of crazy brave, and I don't mind if they take a look at something, but they need to have that fundamental willingness to give new things a go if you ask them.
 
If you are good at dressage then I'd look at a horse that has done a seasons hunting, preferably in Ireland. Around me there is a lot of wire in the hunts, so they have to be careful enough to clear and clever enough to judge the fence/get themselves safely over mud :)
Braveness is expected :p

Eg.
https://www.donedeal.co.uk/horses-for-sale/16-2-gelding-by-grange-bouncer/11428291 (I like this one a lot!)

https://www.donedeal.co.uk/horses-for-sale/event-sj-hunt/11915011?sv=true

https://www.donedeal.co.uk/horses-for-sale/dream-all-rounder-irish-draught/11913436 (heads a bit common but seems to tick all your boxes!)


https://www.donedeal.co.uk/horses-for-sale/grey-gelding/11907419?sv=true (Quite like the look of this one too!)

https://www.donedeal.co.uk/horses-for-sale/6yr-161hh-grey-gelding-hunter-alrounder/11910616 (This one looks fun!)
 
I just like them to be forward thinking with a really nice willing temperament. Ride-wise, quick thinking is good too for staying safe XC and I prefer them quite sharp and off the leg as they then generally react quicker. IMO though the most important thing isn't ability but temperament, can have the most talented horse in the world but if its attitude stinks it'll go nowhere.
 
only_me said:
If you are good at dressage then I'd look at a horse that has done a seasons hunting, preferably in Ireland. Around me there is a lot of wire in the hunts, so they have to be careful enough to clear and clever enough to judge the fence/get themselves safely over mud :)
Braveness is expected :p

Eg.
https://www.donedeal.co.uk/horses-for-sale/16-2-gelding-by-grange-bouncer/11428291 (I like this one a lot!)

https://www.donedeal.co.uk/horses-for-sale/event-sj-hunt/11915011?sv=true

https://www.donedeal.co.uk/horses-for-sale/dream-all-rounder-irish-draught/11913436 (heads a bit common but seems to tick all your boxes!)


https://www.donedeal.co.uk/horses-for-sale/grey-gelding/11907419?sv=true (Quite like the look of this one too!)

https://www.donedeal.co.uk/horses-for-sale/6yr-161hh-grey-gelding-hunter-alrounder/11910616 (This one looks fun!)
Click to expand...

Do you by any chance like greys? :) My current horse is a grey and I feel like it would have to be a bloody superstar to make me buy one :D

I do quite like the first one though - he's local to me too (I'm in Ireland) so I will get in touch about him!
 
For a an eventer the thing I rate most over anything else is temperament. They must be brave and have a willing attitude towards scary things outside their comfort zone. They must be forward thinking. I have watched a friend struggle with a horse of hers who wasn't brave at all, she almost got hurt on many occasions because he just didn't have the drive to be an eventer (think landing on the middle of a jump on more than one occasion).

Next I look at conformation, it doesn't have to be perfect but I prefer shorter coupled horses with a big engine and a flatter (not majorly scopey) jump. Must have nice clean legs, short cannons are better than long. In saying that though, there are plenty of oddly built horses around competing successfully because they have the drive to event.
 
Straight movers with good backs and correct in type .
They must have that want to get round the next corner feeling when you ride them .
I don't like horses that carry their heads low to a fence or when cantering out and about they are harder to ride and wear their forelegs more .
They need to be sharp and athletic particularly with their shoulders and forelegs
The dressage is much easier with horses with naturally still mouths .
 
A horse that is bold and has been tried over coloured and fixed fences. I have bought a youngster who was a superb jumper but never ever liked XC. Think of it as akin to petrol running out as we approached a fixed rustic fence. A good test we always use was when trying a horse, once it had jumped a fence a couple of times with me, stick a coat over the fence pole. A horse that ignores it and keeps jumping is going to be bold, one that has a hissy fit is not for me. Enjoy your hunt!
 
The most important thing is for the horse to enjoy what its doing so aim to buy one who like you like eventing but loves dressage. A large majority of horses can jump 1.10m so you don't have to worry too much about that but for a top dressage horse you want to look for a horse with a willing and calm temperament with a good conformation and strong back legs and quarters.
 
I would say something that is brave and jumps fences with enthusiasm and cleanly. Be it xc or SJ. I prefer the smaller type, with large expressive gates. I bought one three years ago who had got to novice level with a very tatty record at BE, but an amazing SJ record. After three years of getting used to each other we are now contending 3 star, so really I think a lot of it depends on how well you gel with the horse and how much trust you share in the end, oh and they absolutely have to love their job.
 
Thanks everyone. Super helpful. I think it's going to be easy for me to see the paces I want for Dressage, easy for my coach to see the jump , but the one we'll collectively fall down on is the XC. Its that bravery you're all talking about, and the brain! I plan to take any horse I like away to school xc and try it to see how it goes. I don't think that's unreasonable to ask is it?

This may sound like a really stupid question. But how do you judge a horse's 'smarts'? This brain, cleverness, willingness to work and trainability, from a couple of rides?
 
I'm finding, having moved up from grassroots to novice/intermediate, is that although a good dressage is a bonus, many horses are not clean enough SJers, and don't make the time XC. A big moving horse quite often takes a long time in the air over a fence, and time penalties can be very costly.
My first criteria is a quick front leg, and both of them. Won't even consider a "dangler" as sooner or later, they are going to hit a fence hard. I knew someone years ago who had got a horse to Intermediate. She told me he always hit one fence hard on the XC. Sure enough, he completely buried her, and she spent 6 months in hospital with a shattered pelvis. Lesson learnt from that one.
 
cundlegreen said:
I'm finding, having moved up from grassroots to novice/intermediate, is that although a good dressage is a bonus, many horses are not clean enough SJers, and don't make the time XC. A big moving horse quite often takes a long time in the air over a fence, and time penalties can be very costly.
My first criteria is a quick front leg, and both of them. Won't even consider a "dangler" as sooner or later, they are going to hit a fence hard. I knew someone years ago who had got a horse to Intermediate. She told me he always hit one fence hard on the XC. Sure enough, he completely buried her, and she spent 6 months in hospital with a shattered pelvis. Lesson learnt from that one.
Click to expand...

Agree with this, they must be clean in front, you couldn't pay me to take a dangler XC! Its a dangerous enough sport as it is, without stacking the odds against you in the first place!
 
nato said:
Thanks everyone. Super helpful. I think it's going to be easy for me to see the paces I want for Dressage, easy for my coach to see the jump , but the one we'll collectively fall down on is the XC. Its that bravery you're all talking about, and the brain! I plan to take any horse I like away to school xc and try it to see how it goes. I don't think that's unreasonable to ask is it?

This may sound like a really stupid question. But how do you judge a horse's 'smarts'? This brain, cleverness, willingness to work and trainability, from a couple of rides?
Click to expand...

I think the only problem like you said will be the eye you need to see a clever, quick horse. For example, if you took my intermediate horse xc schooling he would be really excited (a bit of a k**b actually) but when it came to the fence he snaps up quickly whatever it is, he just makes it difficult to approach the fence because he is so eager. But he is clever because whatever stride he is on he will make it.

I guess you can tell how brave a horse is by how much they are with you at a fence, if you have to push them on to a simple trakhener for example something is saying to me it's not a brave horse, it's ok to look but they have to go over. A brave horse would take you through water, jump ditches and accuracy questions without too much goading from you as a rider.
 
I wouldn't get too hung up on the conformation front. Obviously avoid major problems but it isnt the be all and end all. My mare is a gypsy cob x who competes very successfully at novice and should have gone intermediate (I wont take her up another level as, although she can jump like a stag, she wont make the time and I don't want to loose my amateur status as I have a youngster I want to aim at grassroots).
When I first got her people thought I was stupid for getting her for eventing because of how she looked but she has proved them all wrong!
She is very smart (sometimes to smart), has the infamous fifth leg and is as brave as they come. She will jump anything, it doesn't matter the size of the jump, the angle, what speed I approach at or the ground because she just loves her job and I know that she wont stop or run out unless there is something seriously wrong.
I test smartness by setting up various grids and seeing how they work their way through it without any guidance from me apart from keeping my leg on, same goes for skinnies or angled fences.
 
nato said:
Thanks everyone. Super helpful. I think it's going to be easy for me to see the paces I want for Dressage, easy for my coach to see the jump , but the one we'll collectively fall down on is the XC. Its that bravery you're all talking about, and the brain! I plan to take any horse I like away to school xc and try it to see how it goes. I don't think that's unreasonable to ask is it?

This may sound like a really stupid question. But how do you judge a horse's 'smarts'? This brain, cleverness, willingness to work and trainability, from a couple of rides?
Click to expand...

You'll be on a different horse and he'll have a different rider and you'll be taking him/her XC. One of you is bound to mess up at one point. That's fine, it's what happens during and after that matters. Here are some examples:

- You fudge up the striding, does the horse get you out of trouble by going long/chipping in another stride? If yes, good, you have a horse that takes the reins when it needs to. If it stops/runs out, then depending how badly you fudged up, I'd argue it wasn't likely to help you out when you need.
- The horse/you mess up and you have a refusal/knock a fence...you carry on, how does the horse react? Is it more careful afterwards, but still forwards and eager? Or does it suck back and you have to drag it around the rest of the course? Obviously the learning from mistake and being more careful option is preferable!
- The horse sees a long 3 strides and you see a shorter 4. Can you bring him back to what YOU want? Or is he just doing what he thinks is best the entire time?
- You approach a jump at a dodgy angle, what is the horses reaction? Does it just do what it can with what you've given it...or does it put in a stop?

I think it's REALLY important though to remember that just because a horse THINKS it can get you out of trouble, doesn't mean it necessarily is actually helping. Something that will jump from all distances/angles/etc is great if it has the brains about it to know it will make the jump. I'd rather have one put in a stop when I mess up badly than try and jump something from an unjumpable angle/stride and get us both into some real bother!

In terms of willingness, that should be easy to assess by how they feel to ride. Are they pulling your arms out (too eager), have a hold and waiting on direction (good!) or are you pony club kicking them around the course (not good!).

Trainability can be assessed by the horse's reaction to when it does something wrong. Does it just continue to do whatever it was doing the same way as before? Or does it seek out a different way to answer your question. Does it get arsey when it doesn't understand what you want? Or does it just carry on giving different answers until it finds the right one?
 
nato said:
This may sound like a really stupid question. But how do you judge a horse's 'smarts'? This brain, cleverness, willingness to work and trainability, from a couple of rides?
Click to expand...

I bought a sports horse to low level event and he was bought out of the field and he'd only been hunted and never schooled, but i just insticntively knew he'd be good. When i asked him for some lateral moves when i tried him first, he hadn't a breeze what i was asking, but he still listened and tried to understand what i was asking and do it, and he picked it up quickly. He didn't get stressed or annoyed or shut down - he tuned in to me and tried to work out what i wanted, and I thought that was a lovely attitude. With the jumping, he just felt like he enjoyed it and xc it just felt like if i fell off he'd jump around the course for fun! I think a lot of that is his personality, he's the boss in the field and is a very self confident, serious horse. I've had horses on paper that SHOULD have been better than him and found it easier than him, but the fact he enjoys the work makes him much more successful than them.

I'd definitely try and any horse xc before I buy it for eventing. You'd want to feel that the horse WANTS to jump the fence, confident across ditches and water and is neat in front.
 
I think my experience of buying a horse to event last year came down to one question: is he a 'yes man'? Is his default reaction to say yes, rather than question things, back off, worry or try to take control? Not just under saddle (albeit that's where it mattered the most) but will he move over when I walk in the stable, pick his feet up, walk where I tell him to? Then under saddle - is he sharp to react to aids, does he see a jump and think 'yes', does he want to please me - whether that's by working into the contact I'm asking him to, or by shortening/lengthening? That's not to say I want something who can't think for himself - quite the opposite. If I put him on a duff stride, I want his answer to be yes, and him be able to sort out the mistake.
Life is easier with a yes man. They want to work with you, and they want to work - and if I'm aiming something at solid fences, I want him to be pretty damn sure he's going to get both of us over them!

And when it all goes t1ts up, and you've got a fit 6 year old on 6 months of box rest, is he likely to still do what he's told and be a pleasant horse to be around?! Guess how my season is going :(
 
Wow - you guys are a super knowledgeable bunch of people. And this all really helps. I'm going to try one tonight (wish me luck!) just to see if I like it or not, will just be a case of flat and a few jumps to get a feel. The plan will be to take any horse I like away and see what they're like away from home, especially XC and hacking alone is an absolute must as I hack on my own all the time.

I am going to print off every bit of advice you've given me and keep it in mind - in particular the getting me out of trouble, quick in front, and listens to what I'm asking. I'm excited to start my search but won't compromise on my list of must haves, I'm paying good money so want to get the right one!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top