What's your definition of a "competition horse"?

A horse which is currently competing (and not tail end Charlie every time out) at affiliated level in affiliated or unaffiliated events or which has the clear, not imaginary, potential to compete at that level after suitable training by a competent trainer.

If the horse is currently just a happier hacker and not for sale, I probably wouldn't call it a competition horse. But put up for sale, I would.

Why the question?
 
Tricky!

I suppose a horse whose primary purpose is competition.

Subtly different to a horse that is primarily used for leisure, which may incorporate competitions.
 
A horse that is kept for the main purpose of competition. Or if a youngster, bred with the aim of competition and progressing towards that way at the (roughly) usual rate for the age would mean it was a potential competition horse. A 6yo not yet competed but schooling medium and bred as a dressage horse is a potential competition horse, a 10yo heinz 57 that can do a prelim every few months not so much. Pretty interchangeable with sports horse but a competition horse could be a show horse where as a sports horse (with the exception of the sports horse classes which I'm not sure anyone has as their long term goal for the horse!) would be for a sport, generally but not always FEI disciplines.
Clear? perfectly so :D
 
ycbm said:
A horse which is currently competing (and not tail end Charlie every time out) at affiliated level in affiliated or unaffiliated events or which has the clear, not imaginary, potential to compete at that level after suitable training by a competent trainer.

If the horse is currently just a happier hacker and not for sale, I probably wouldn't call it a competition horse. But put up for sale, I would.

Why the question?
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Following on from a previous thread. I am an average joe RC sort of rider but I do buy competition horses as long as they have the right temperament for a rider like me and I am neither brave nor particularly competent. I buy them a bit older than most would like (11 rising 12) and I don't pay silly money but I don't buy cheap horses either, I like a bit of quality They must hack out nicely, be good in traffic and have nice manners. I just wonder how often these type of horses are overlooked by riders like me because they have a good competition record, have perhaps been ridden by a professional or are seen as too old? I think there's an assumption, which I think is wrong, that horses bred for competition or who have been competed successfully have difficult temperaments. Perhaps some do, but many who do well are just really nice horses with a good attitude. They don't fall off trees though!!
 
My horse Harvey is an out and out competition horse he’s bred for the job he has a really great jump he’s trainable and loves to jump .
I have not competed him buts he’s just still in foxhunter level .
But all you have all you have to do is look over his door and he’s a competition horse it’s just his stamp .
 
oldie48 said:
Following on from a previous thread. I am an average joe RC sort of rider but I do buy competition horses as long as they have the right temperament for a rider like me and I am neither brave nor particularly competent. I buy them a bit older than most would like (11 rising 12) and I don't pay silly money but I don't buy cheap horses either, I like a bit of quality They must hack out nicely, be good in traffic and have nice manners. I just wonder how often these type of horses are overlooked by riders like me because they have a good competition record, have perhaps been ridden by a professional or are seen as too old? I think there's an assumption, which I think is wrong, that horses bred for competition or who have been competed successfully have difficult temperaments. Perhaps some do, but many who do well are just really nice horses with a good attitude. They don't fall off trees though!!
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You're spot on, I think. It's possible to pick up these slightly older competition horses who aren't quite going to go right to the top, so are sold to the amateur market where they are really, really capable. Your mare is a cracker, I've watched your video.

I go the other way, age wise, and buy them very young and untried and rely on my eye to tell me if it's a good'un. So although my current two have so far done nothing between them, I would call them both competition horses because their potential to be one is so obvious.
 
oldie48 said:
Following on from a previous thread. I am an average joe RC sort of rider but I do buy competition horses as long as they have the right temperament for a rider like me and I am neither brave nor particularly competent. I buy them a bit older than most would like (11 rising 12) and I don't pay silly money but I don't buy cheap horses either, I like a bit of quality They must hack out nicely, be good in traffic and have nice manners. I just wonder how often these type of horses are overlooked by riders like me because they have a good competition record, have perhaps been ridden by a professional or are seen as too old? I think there's an assumption, which I think is wrong, that horses bred for competition or who have been competed successfully have difficult temperaments. Perhaps some do, but many who do well are just really nice horses with a good attitude. They don't fall off trees though!!
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My slightly tongue in cheek reply to the OP was going to be a horse that would only compete and was too neurotic to do normal happy hacker stuff! I wanted what you describe, my previous horse was one (though was younger than you describe) and spent most of its time decking me. (And younger better riders than me, it wasn’t just me being a numpty rider! 😂 )
 
I call a competition horse "high octane" as the petrol would be, as in has potential for being able to perform.

This would generally mean athletic (not always a bonus for a more novice rider) and sparky enough to stay interested when the going gets tough. It does not necessarily mean the horse is actually competing, nor that it is a difficult horse.

I used to have competition horses. My latest horse is a shade down from that, as in half ID and a bit more relaxed. She could be more a competition stamp if she were produced that way, but I am intending to produce her to be more a good RC type, albeit that she will be doing lower levels at BE, BS and BD.

Some horses are out and out competition stamps, as my last horse Jay was. He could skip round a Foxhunter without much bother, and had little tolerance for pilot error. He had plenty of spark to keep him going. He remained a competition horse even when he retired. He was observant of the human/horse relationship.

In general terms I think most well put together and well schooled horses can hack round a BE Novice or Newcomers even if they are not winners. A Competition horse would have ability to go higher. Mostly the ability to fling yourself over large fences means the horse has a bit of devil may care, but I have ridden a Grand Prix SJ horse who was the most laid back horse to hack or school, and a Grand Prix dressage horse who was also very laid back to school, even with pilot error. They were the exceptions IMO though. They remained Competition Horses despite being so laid back as they had the potential to perform.

I guess it means something different to everyone.
 
A horse that is kept for the purpose of competition. I’d call mine a competition horse but really he’s a “need a job” horse whether that’s competing or hunting or beach rides he wouldn’t care, but he has a super busy brain that wouldn’t be satisfied with just schooling and hacking at home. But he’s certainly not a happy hack and would get difficult very quickly if he didn’t have a “purpose”.
 
Michen said:
A horse that is kept for the purpose of competition. I’d call mine a competition horse but really he’s a “need a job” horse whether that’s competing or hunting or beach rides he wouldn’t care, but he has a super busy brain that wouldn’t be satisfied with just schooling and hacking at home. But he’s certainly not a happy hack and would get difficult very quickly if he didn’t have a “purpose”.
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I think of a competition horse as a 'needs a job' horse, too.
They're great in the right environment, like Michen's, but disastrous if taken on by a rider who just wants to bimble around.
 
Tiddlypom said:
They're great in the right environment, like Michen's, but disastrous if taken on by a rider who just wants to bimble around.
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I'm not sure that's true? Many of them can be bimbled about quite happily. It's clear, for a recent example, that Valegro can be ridden by a tiny eleven year old, but is most definitely a competition horse. I've had flat racers which bimbled happily as hackers, one of which, by Law Society, had won a group one race (I think that's what it's called, £40,000 prize money in 1995, so a big race). Not all competition horses are 'needs a job' horses.
 
I would say Amber is a competition horse. She is bred from top quality competition horses and she has oodles of ability. But she is very laid back and easy to ride so if anyone wanted to happy hack with her she'd be perfect for that job too. And you can leave her in the field for a week or 2 and then carry on as if you'd never stopped.

I would also say Max is a competition pony - but he does need a job and could only really be sold to a competing home I think. He was bought to be a PC all rounder but turned out to be a bit more 'high octane' than that.
 
mle22 said:
It’s a horse that is competitive, whatever level you compete at. A horse that wins rosettes
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I’d certainly disagree with that.

Bluey the cob who goes out hacking and fun rides, but because he is a decent chap, has a tic toc rhythm and tucks his nose in when asked will often win the prelim at local RC would fit your description.

Yet the 4* event horse who has an average dressage, a couple of poles and Xc penalties, so rarely if ever gets a ribbon, doesn’t fit the description.

The more I have thought about it, it really is just a horse whose primary purpose is to compete. It doesn’t have to necessarily be top level or even particularly good at its job!
 
ihatework said:
I’d certainly disagree with that.

Bluey the cob who goes out hacking and fun rides, but because he is a decent chap, has a tic toc rhythm and tucks his nose in when asked will often win the prelim at local RC would fit your description.

Yet the 4* event horse who has an average dressage, a couple of poles and Xc penalties, so rarely if ever gets a ribbon, doesn’t fit the description.

The more I have thought about it, it really is just a horse whose primary purpose is to compete. It doesn’t have to necessarily be top level or even particularly good at its job!
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I think I'd agree :)

I have competition horses. of the current two, one is useless at anything else and the other is not yet competitive. but that's what they are for, so that's what they must be!
 
I'd understand it as a horse which has been bred for competition, but I think it's a bit of a debatable concept. It would be more useful to describe it as whatever it is - a warmblood, a TB, whatever - as so many competition types don't necessarily compete, and so many non-competition bred horses do compete (some even at high levels - like welshies in dressage etc). It's the sort of term that could be used in different senses (i.e. to describe a horse which isn't bred for competition, but has a degree of athleticism and a very competitive owner, or a very busy attitude suited to competing), so it's just asking for confusion from differing definitions. Much like "novice" rider and "needs confident rider" and all the other things of which people discuss the possible definitions.
 
I have a ‘competition ‘ horse under the definition of being bred for it, yet talented as he is he’s useless, as he doesn’t have the brain for it. I also have a horse that isn’t bred for it yet competes and wins regularly. No use in having a competition horse if you’re not competitive on it! IMO
 
I bought a horse primarily to compete... so I consider her a competition horse. She made a good start last year and will carry on this year, hopefully progressing fairly quickly.

My other one looks more like a competition horse- she looks like a little show jumper type, got a good bit of blood in her, conformation much better than my other one... but she has PSD and arthritis won’t be competing, so I can’t really call her a competition horse. She looks nice in the field though!
 
It is interesting that some people’s perception of a competition horse includes horses that haven’t actually competed.

I thought it was more of a literal description ie the horse has competed rather than one that simply looks like it could or should.

I suppose in my mind, I would not call a Hunter a hunter unless it had been ridden to hounds, even if it was obviously a hunter stamp of a horse.

I think given the descriptions given above, I would tread with caution as I would assume that there was a completion record lurking somewhere.
 
What about a hunter which has never hunted but competes in hunter showing classes?

(I presume that happens sometimes? I don't show!)

Or a hunter in the states - that's a hunter too...

(I think we need to tread carefully with terminology generally actually - best not to assume anything these days!)
 
This is really interesting. Prior to reading this I would have marketed ours (if I were to sell him, which I don’t ever plan to!) as a first competition type.

He’s not going to dizzy heights obviously but if you want to start out competing and do well on someone who knows their job, is completely sensible and drama free, gives you a lovely day out and competitive enough to come home with a rosette every time, then he is happy to do that week in week out at prelim/novice level/ 80cm jumping.

Maybe I was wrong but I thought that was what you would be looking for if you’d not competed before and we’re just starting out- sensible, consistent and competitive at RC level. He is competing at that level several times per month, has a traceable record of doing so, therefore logically I would have said he was a low level/first competition horse.
 
So long as it isn't a POTENTIAL competition horse, I would say that it is a horse of any description that is fit and well and taking part regularly in competitions and doing reasonably well. I would also expect that it might be a slightly more difficult ride, or at least spirited and more forward going.
 
Julia0803 said:
This is really interesting. Prior to reading this I would have marketed ours (if I were to sell him, which I don’t ever plan to!) as a first competition type.

He’s not going to dizzy heights obviously but if you want to start out competing and do well on someone who knows their job, is completely sensible and drama free, gives you a lovely day out and competitive enough to come home with a rosette every time, then he is happy to do that week in week out at prelim/novice level/ 80cm jumping.

Maybe I was wrong but I thought that was what you would be looking for if you’d not competed before and we’re just starting out- sensible, consistent and competitive at RC level. He is competing at that level several times per month, has a traceable record of doing so, therefore logically I would have said he was a low level/first competition horse.
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I don't see why this thread would change the fact you'd call yours a competition horse if he's actively competing and pretty good at it?
 
For me a competition horse is one that is out competing regularly and doing well at a decent level in the chosen discipline so has a bit of an edge over other horses who are competing but maybe not often in the ribbons who I may not necessarily term a competition horse but rather a horse who has competed to such and such a level.

Then there are sub categories I suppose you could call them; potential competition horses, low level competition horses, ex-comp horses, comp schoolmasters, novice comp horses etc

So, as with anything else with horses, terminology is not always consistently understood / applied by everyone and if you are reading something in an advert it is very much open to interpretation.
 
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