Dressage Would you pay €600k for a 3 year old gelding?

[Cortez]

I think she was talking in relation to my post as in meant that it’s unlikely the horse will be allowed a year to mature out if they want it to be GP by 8!

Ah right - apologies YCBM, and you, I misunderstood.

 

[ycbm]

Deleted, unnecessary now.

 

[only_me]

I mean, I’d love to ride a young horse like him but I wouldn’t be able to ride one side of him.

I could take him hacking but suspect as soon as he trotted I’d be off into the hedge with that movement

 

[Cortez]

I feel as though the intensity of training required to be adequately strong to school and compete (although not necessarily competitive as you say) at GP at 8yo would render any dressage bred horse unsound before long (and most others, but dressage horses who are often hyper mobile, have huge movement etc), and would certainly cut their career short to quite an extent. The huge turnover of horses in the dressage world seems to support my opinion; unusual it is not, but perhaps things would be better if it were.

There's a huge turnover in all top level horse sport, and much higher in things like racing. I used to work in dressage at this level and can't say I can agree with you - there's a LOT of stuff wrong with competitive dressage, but over work is not something I've seen.

 

[shortstuff99]

There are certain Olympic dressage riders in NL who have overworked multiple horses that haven't lasted long under their training regimes bar the odd 1 or 2 that make it...

But as I mention above this horse is at the Werndl yard so should have better riding/training then most.

 

[Leandy]

No I wouldn't but that is a super horse. Of course he is not worked like that all the time at 3. I'd expect the purchaser to give him some rest and growing time now, then bring him back when he is 4.