do draft crosses show qualities that might make them good dressage horses?

The horse in the video I posted is competing succesfully at GP level - he is half Clydesdale.

I have a shire/tb that often scores 7 and 8 on gaits and is usually noted for good submission. I think that it depends alot on confirmation though

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I guess it depends on what you're crossing. Mine are Frisian/Saddlebred crosses and while I don't compete them I know of people who do successfully compete with these crosses.

I've been told I should have my filly trained for show, because of her trot, but having know interest in showing I rather focus on what I enjoy. My mare has a nice trot too, but doesn't move into it as smoothly on the lunge (to compare them equally) as the filly does. Had a girl telling me something about their (I know I'll get this wrong) -diagonal foot placement or movement?- be so good and that I should have them trained for Dressage. Oh well, there's no shortage of horses that can do that :)) so I'll just stick with what I like doing.

But back to your question. Yes, you can find crosses that can be show horses. Specially if you cross horses where both breeds are used for showing (like with my Frisian and Saddlebred). You'll also find the many of them will work well for your height. My mare is finished at 16.1+, but my filly is 16.3 and will finish out at about 17.2 (a nice height for someone who's taller than most).

There are people who breed certain crosses for showing.

This horse has now been asked to attend the Sydney CDI - so Yes definitely a draft cross can do dressage. He is half Clydesdale!

Just an FYI... CDIs do not (in general) invite competitors individually. The Sydney CDI is a 3*, meaning that the organizers have to invite a certain number of NFs (National Federations), and then competitors from those countries apply to their NFs with results from national and international level shows inside their home country and if the NF approves them, they may enter the CDI outside their home country...

Anyone getting individually "intived" to a CDI will not be getting "invited" as a competitor, but rather as an exibitor.... so to say this is proof that X horse does really great at dressage is like saying Madonna is a really great football player because she was invited to play at the half time show at the superbowl...

As I said previously, drafts can make decent lower level mounts, however, it takes an extraordinary horse and the right trainer to do the upper levels. Even if you can get the horse up there in training, it is not likely that with correct work (ie not just doing tricks) that the horse will stay sound. Drafts are built for pulling, not collection. Doing dressage, correctly, with them is like putting a square peg in a round hole.

Quoting the owner of the horse
"Righto Peeps. Time to be serious here. Have had an invitation to attend Sydney CDI in May. Need to put my name forward by next Saturday. I am going to need some serious financial support to even contemplate this. Mother is strapped for cash over the indoor. We would both appreciate some serious fundraising ideas here....."

I'm afraid anebel - you are a dressage snob! The one thing about a draft is it has the back end like a bus! They can and do collect very well, the initial move off for a draft with a heavy load is pushing - from the hind end not pulling.

If you have a horse with good conformation and action - my Clydesdale has a fabulous shoulder and length of neck, and moves as straight as a die! Yoou can with the right trainer produce a GP level horse

Add a good trainer who takes their time the horse will be able to do most if not all the movements required.

Consider the horses from 'The Spanish Riding School' the stallions are used for high school work and the mares pull carriages!

As we are seeing with Totilas - the trainer/rider helps make the horse - his current rider is obviously newhere near the caliber of Edward Gal and the work produced sadly shows this.

Sydney CDI

The official website says nothing about rider invitations, and the CDIs which I have helped run have never individually invited riders. I am still skeptical.

Also, considering the owner is in NZ and the show is in AUS, the flights over there would be expensive, regardless of if the horse is going as a competitor or as an exibitor. The show would NOT pay expenses for exibitors to fly over from NZ. So the post from the owner is moot. I have never heard of an CDI or an NF inviting competitors to a CDI3*.

ETA - I don't know why you are so adament about draft horses being built to do dressage!?! They have been bred for thousands of years to PULL not PUSH. Why all of a sudden magically would they be able to do the complete opposite of what thousands of years of breeding has developed?? It's not being a dressage snob, it's using the right tools for the job. It is unfair for a horse not built for a sport to make it perform and be uncomfortable and become lamed because it is not built for said sport. You wouldn't buy a smart car to pull a horse trailer, you wouldn't use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail and you wouldn't expect a horse built for pulling to be able to perform a high level of collection.
There are plenty of horses with huge hind ends that are rubbish at dressage. It's not about the size, it's about the angles, proportions and carrying power. I don't know if you subscribe to Dressage Today, but in the most recent magazine there is a "Physics of Collection" article which I highly suggest you read. Biomechanically, pulling strength does not equal carrying power and the ability to shift the pelvis under which is required for collection.

Anabel - draft horse PUSH to start a load not pull!

Again, highly suggest you whip out a pen and paper and do some basic FBDs and mechanics calculations. Biomechanically there is a huge difference between where the center of gravitiy of the horse is when pulling a load versus carrying his own weight in a collected manner.

https://www.circsource.com/store/Sub...rceCode=I8EBCN

Highly suggest you read the article too.