I would love to hear from everyone their opinion on what makes a great show horse.
I'm talking about the horse itself. Aside from the obvious great training and almost perfect conformation for a particular breed and/or discipline. What is it in the horse himself that defines one from a mediocre, good, or great show horse.
What kind of horse does it take to be great?
Of course them liking what they do would go a long ways but what is it that makes them really good at it? Do you think that them liking what they do is a good amount of making them a great show horse?
All I know is that your little Saphiro baby, Novia, is gonna be a terrible show horse. She is ideally suited to be a backyard horse and friend to a Haflinger. I can help.
By show horse as a Brit I understand that to mean rail classes and the US equivalent of UK working hunter classes - not dressage or show jumping.
For me a show horse has to be as good as they can get in terms of breed type or suitability for the class - so that's conformation and movement
They have to 'scream' look at me but they also have to combine that with perfect manners because a stunning horse won't win if its leaping and spooking all over the place and refusing to stand still in the line up
I'm not really talking about any discipline in particular, just the horse itself for whatever discipline that might be. I think what I'm asking is, what sort of personality and/or temperament would one look for in a hopeful great show horse? What makes a great one stand out from the rest?
I'm thinking that a horse that is bold, curious, smart, has spark (not crazy) and really enjoys hanging with people would be a start to a great show horse. I think that spark is really important.
@jgnmoose I think you're right. If a horse is really enjoying what he is doing then that spark comes out. If he's miserable in what he does, he will have a dullness to him or a lot of loud protest.
I think also that the horse has to like what they do and have the mental capacity to strive to overachieve. they also have to have the physical ability to perform the tasks very well, not just well but very well.
I have found that dominant horses often make the top show horses, show them what to do and they go out and get the job done and their confidence really shows them to advantage.
Of course good training is essential and the horse should listen to his rider and not take matters into their own hands (hoofs?) but be able to make quick decisions when necessary to get themselves and their rider out of a dicey situation.
There are times when you should trust your horse, there are times when you shouldn't trust your horse and there are times when you have to trust your horse.
A good show horse has the training, mind and build for what it does. A Great show horse loves it's job.
As far as how to tell whether or not one will be great, well you just never know until you try.
I bought a qh mare as a yearling. From the time she was trained under saddle she was used mainly for beginners and kiddie rides. She was calm, unflappable and preferred walk/trot although if you asked she'd canter or even run. In her teen years she saw cattle up close and personal for the first time. She went through 2 strands of hot wire to run out in the herd and start cutting them, without a rider. I missed her calling by a mile. LOL
A great show horse has to have a good mind and be bred for the event(s) it is asked to do
For instance, there are family lines identified , that have excelled in various disciplines, just like proven running blood in a racehorse
Thus, talking stock horse, if you wish to compete in upper level reining, the horse should have proven reining blood, ditto tot he same principle for working cowhorse, cutting, western pl, etc
A good trainer can bring out the full potential of that horse, but he can't make a mediocre horse into a great one
Far as liking his job, that is intimately tied into training also, and not just the horse. It is why good training programs ride those horses out, give them different jobs to do, and don't just drill that horse over and over again on movements he has to do in the show ring
It is called preventing a horse from becoming show sour
Personality is big for me. Honestly, I'd hate to ride a well conformed and well trained horse that I just don't click with. Period. Also work ethic. Somewhat for the job, for example, my TB has been cow sorting and HATED it. Got the idea, did the job, but was uninterested and pretty bored the whole time. They also need work ethic for their human. This goes along the same lines as "clicking" with your horse. If the horse strives to please, and loves to get praised or rubbed on, that makes what you do so much more fun. Instead of "yep. got it. shush now, i'm doing it." you get more of an upbeat "This way? Yes ma'am! Oh, over here now? At a canter you say? Can do."
I think a great show horse is one that enjoys what they do. You can just 'see' that they love their job/enjoy it. One that for example, jumps happily, is graceful, etc. It's really all about the disposition & attitude. Confidence & joyfulness. Hard to explain, but you can just TELL when a horse enjoys what they do.
For example, yesterday I was at the MD Horse Expo. One of the horses were jumping, & I could just tell they really really enjoyed it. So smooth & graceful, like they were jumping 'happily' if that makes sense.
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