Why don't more pure arabs make it to top level dressage????

[jessamess]

tbh I think most of it is down to fashion over here...

My boy is a 16hh pure bred Egyptian/russian bred arab, who was a big success in the inhand ring then came to me as a 6 year old stallion done absolutely nothing just broken ect... I have had him 2 year and it amazes me how intelligent he is I ride lots of other horses of friends ect and no horse will ever come close to the feeling of riding him...
the was he just floats across the ground with no real effort, and then when he goes and puts some effort in I do just think wow...
And it's special how nimble they are, yes he will happily float round a dressage arena or round the show ring... but then let him loose on a 1m xc course and he FLIESSS literally....

I took to his (and mine) first ever dressage comp, and I thought I would throw us in at the deep end at an elementary hahah well he did his stuff, along with some mistakes for the navigator hahah and we won... with ''fantastic presence'' on the sheet

He is very movable also, I am very tall (5ft8/9) but have very long legs every one says ''sell the arabs bring in the big dressage horses'' but why on earth would I want to do that when an arab is every thing I could ever want and more, they are incredibly hardy and have the most wonderful personalities and presence, dispite some of them lacking in the height department... every one every one notices the arab at the show, with their tails held high and their ears pricked... you'll never miss one...

Best of all give them your heart and they will give you theirs, and they will do ANYTHING for you, anything...

I think people do underestimate them

If you don't know my boy here he is, I hope next year to dressage him seriously...

http://www.youtube.com/user/jessxandxherxarabian?feature=mhum

LOVE LOVE LOVE HIMMMMM <3

 

[Orangehorse]

As someone posted in another thread, "dressage competition" really means "Warmblood Horses doing dressage competition" not so much a test of training.

Henry Wynmalen (not sure of spelling) who wrote "Equitation" and one of the first modern books of dressage rode an Arab stallion who features in that book, also pictures of them hunting. (I think Henry Wynmalen was the local riding instructor for the Pullen-Thompson girls who wrote all those books, although they found him rather austere.)

If you look at pictures of the early imported Arabs they were quite chunky, and very attractive horses, and you will often find Arab blood not very far back in the breeding of lots of very successful eventers and show jumpers). An Arab held the high jumping record at one time.

The can be trained as well as any other horse, so long as you remember that their natural head carriage is "up" so they need a slightly different technique. But put an Arab next to a Warmblood and although they might be perfectly trained to do everything, they wouldn't have the same action or power and since it is a bit of a beauty contest as well as a training contest, I don't think the Arable would get too far among the Grand Prix horses.