Here's another thing I don't think most people realize. The horses who do this love it! The horses who make it to the upper level LOVE their job. A lot of horses are workaholic and enjoy the mental and physical challenge. A HUGE part of training is keeping it fun for the horses.
Another is a lot of the youngsters you're seeing the riders are trying to show them with their best paces and not necessarily going correctly or how they'd move in a training program but how they may develop to move.
I think the first one you posted (on the second post) looks like a very talented horse with a lot of go and VERY green. I wouldn't fault the rider. The rider looks like he's just trying to steer and kind of manage all that momentum. The horses with the huge paces are hard to organize and manage, especially when they're that green.
The 2nd one, I don't see anything that would make me think he'd be ruined but I think he'd be a totally different horse in a different situation. I think he has plenty of ability for 3rd-4th level and maybe beyond but he'd need to be developed differently. Honestly he's a better mover than Nip Tuck was as a youngster. I honestly think he has a good work ethic and good amount of try but doesn't know to go forward. The horses like this have to be taught sharp reactions. For example Frankie started quite dull because she didn't understand what forward was and as she's gone on has become more forward and sharper and sharper off the aids. You have to train the reactions. I think this horse is a lot nicer than what is being shown. Look at the quality of his canter or what his canter would be if he were ridden in a rhythm. When I ride Frankie for example, I have to think in my head and body 1, 2, 3 or she can't maintain a rhythm and that's quite normal with babies. Riding these youngsters is TOUGH, I wouldn't fault this rider too much. She may just not be good at developing youngsters? I think she just needs a better trainer or better direction. He has all the qualities I'd look for in a prospect. He looks like his trot could develop into something quite impressive.
As for more common horses I'm going to show Dante because he's a quarab, very downhill with a swan neck. His full brother was a world western pleasure horse. He was very hard to ride and develop. Teaching him contact and improving the canter took a good year to get his hind end stronger. But really pay attention to his stifles as he moves. It is not something I really paid attention to before but because of how straight he is in his stifle and even though an FEI international rider said he could do PSG easily, I honestly don't think he could have stayed sound.
I'm showing personal video because I know these horses personally and have been a part of their development and can give comparisons of stages in training, as well as show more average but nice horses but not international quality horses.
Also note all of these horses were/are FEI prospects. Another reason I show these is because when you look at the world's best, I think it's easy to lose perspective or have unrealistic ideas of what developing horses is like or what judging you horses for potential is like. This is a bit for leveling and also because you're not seeing sales videos or horses where I'm riding them to show potential but as part of training what goes into it.
He was also one of the bounciest horses I've ever ridden. I rode an 18.2h horse who wasn't even close to as bouncy as Dante. I say that so you look at the back movement, when I watch this video I can tell how bouncy he was. He literally felt like every stride he was shooting you straight up into the rafters. He taught me a heck of a lot because he was VERY sensitive, very picky and tricky to develop and ride. I had a girl ride him who was showing 3rd level, coudn't ride him. He moved like a pluggy qh (he was smooth because he wasn't through) with his neck split literally in the center. He was a "skills" ride, took a lot of tact and sometimes there were days when no matter what it just was going to be miserable, so I'd just get off and put him away. When he tried and wanted to do it, this was probably my favorite horse I have ever ridden. He was SO cool. He felt like a VERY fancy, impressive horse. He was just under 16h but he felt like piaffe/passage would be easy for him. He was VERY intelligent, very forward, very confident and had SO much power. He felt incredible to ride.
3-4 months later. I was a bit unfocussed and he was being exceptionally tricky that night. He only kicked the wall a few times lol. We were bareback because none of the saddles fit him. I rode in a saddle at the show because honestly he was HOT like if we were outside of the arena and he wasn't in a step shoulder in he would jump side ways and bolt. He could be very hot to ride, like a fire breathing dragon in winter.
just an example of a mild temper tantrum and why I wont buy another half arab. Days where he just wasnt all that ridable. I had to ride himin a pad because he's rear and buck until I hit the ground if I tried to canter him without it. His canter was very uncomfortable for a long time. lol I also broke my hand on him but it was a young horse mistake, didn't fall off just didn't put my outside leg on in time over a "scary" jump and he shot side ways, my hand somehow curled under his neck and snapped.
He didn't make it as a dressage horse and went on to being a hunter-jumper. He loves to jump and was very good. You could put kids on him or basically anyone as long as they'd just sit there, point and shoot and let him do the work.
Or Raphael and Arabian cross which a few people know how we started. I couldn't tell him to go forward. He is very hard to ride but we've come a LONG way in term of his willingness and attitude. He's a horse that you have to be sharp to correct but quick to reward and praise. If he's being a jerk, you have to tell him off but anytime he does the right thing you have to shower him with praise. I always ride this horses with cookies in my pocket, it really helps. you CANNOT make this horse do anything. He has to want to do it, he had been bullied and cornered. So getting him to work with me and not respond in a radically defensive way, took a while. He's confident in me and has become a very good horse.
vs here's how he moves on a lunge line
Horses also go through different periods of what they move like as they grow
For example Dev has MASSIVE paces and we were working on developing collection and teaching him how to use his hind end and come from behind, so we went through some awkward portions. Keep in mind this horse has an ewe neck which I think you can tell. The clinician is a BHSI level instructor who worked as a trainer for Christopher Bartle. Basically the purpose of this lesson was to teach Dev better technique in using himself.
This horse is also laterally very stiff and he does have an ewe neck with a long back, short neck. And I think it's good to see horses and have a realistic perception of training stages. And listen to things the clinician says. He is a wealth of knowledge.
spiral circles, he does get behind but he has to learn to come around his body and come through. This was a very difficult horse to ride. It took a lot to get him to take the contact out. Now he's good but it took a lot to develop the strength over his topline well enough so he could carry himself, be through, sit behind and not come behind. Certain conformation faults create different training issues that have to be addressed. We needed to go through this stage so he would learn to be through, how to bend, how to bring his hocks underneathe and carry himself. At this point he wasn't strong enough and you can tell he's not strong. He was a 4yr old at the time.
I also address this because this is a training issue a lot of people dont' address because God forbid the horse will go through a phase of getting behind but then they don't have a horse who ever bend properly, has junk laterals, and is never really through because they won't address an important detail.
Not riding wise exciting but good information
My mare (Dev's sister, same dam, different sires). This also has good information on it. This horse has an excellent temperament, is very intelligent and has an excellent work ethic. In this video note she was broke maybe 3 months. This is my girl, she fits me very well. She's very smart, she has a reserved personality, isn't super confident so she turns to me a lot for reassurance but in me she gains confidence and self assurance. She's also exceptionally brave which impresses me, if I ask her to do something she'll try even if she's nervous or scared. She won't do it for someone else but she will for me. She has a lot of try, so often times it's show her and be quick to reward and praise.
And personal preference is definitely depends on the rider and what they like riding.
I prefer something hot but reasonable. I don't enjoy riding horses with such a high anxiety temperament that you can't reason with them. I was breaking a mare who had such a high anxiety temperament that we kinda gave up on trying to break her. If she has a panic attack she will climb on top of you and has no sense, I literally had to hit her across the face as hard as I could to get her to snap out of it because otherwise she would have killed or broke me because she'd get so caught up in her fear she wasn't paying attention to anybody. Horses like that worry me and I don't like working with them because you never know when they're just going to lose it. They're not reliable and you can't really fix that. I also don't like riding horses that are bullies to their rider or who needs someone who constantly has to put them in line. I like to work with a horse and encourage them, I don't like riding something that isn't internally motivated or have any natural desire to please. If I have to motivate a horse throughout a ride, it's not fun for me. If they arent happy, it's not fun for me. I want them to gain confidence and security and trust at each step in training and if that isn't happening then that's when I move on.
My horse is not "hot" but she is learning to be sharp and reactive. Her and her brother both if they're ridden dull will ride dull but if you ride them sharp or like they're hot that's how they'll ride. It just depends on what you expect from them.
Or here's another youngster. He's VERY sensitive, very forward thinking and I think most people would describe him as "hot" but without the anxiety, tension component. He's a good one to show too because he's very laterally flexible which makes straightness difficult for him, he also tends to pull himself on his forehand, rather than sit which is easily fixable with development but he's a good one to show a different type. He's little, only 15.3h but has a HUGE ego. He thinks very highly of himself but extremely intelligent, hard working and just wonderful to work with.
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=KqUnLBA4Izg
part of the canter issue is he wasn't strong enough behind and the other is he was quite green and didn't have enough of half halt established. His canter is much improved but it took a bit to get him strong enough and that's normal. It also took me getting a lot stronger and developing a better seat and hand. It's not easy and I think it can be easy to look at the youngsters ridden and think it's a walk threw the park when it's not. I get off of almost every one of these horses literally panting and shaking because it takes so much out of me.
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=Gl2AoDyr4Fg
I also have no issues with 3yr old being ridden but I think it needs to be appropriate work and them not be worked to death with plenty of time off and going out on hacks and having light sessions. My coming 4yr old we started at 3 1/2 and she's had quite a bit of time off.
Also some information with clinician. Not exciting but a discussion