[FlyinSoLow]

I think expensive warmbloods are only dangorous (and plain stupid) because they pretty much live in stalls, then arenas all their life and are so pampered.

This is soo true.

I ride my horses out in the world... so they are way relaxed most places.

Also, I have no idea if this is true or not, but many dressage rider's I met (and I must admit its not a lot) are 'Its Dressage or NOTHING!' lol where I like to do as many things as possible with one horse. :lol:

And, again, I wasnt bashing warmbloods (and I LOVE Thoroughbreds, they always seem to me the right amount of 'hot' and athletic ability for many arenas), I was just saying from what I noticed the little qhs tend to be a bit more quite. I love all horses the same, as the individuals they are!

 

[roro]

hehehe i have a TB/Warmblood, and everyone thinks shess a QH, haha even tho she has a hanoverians body. I think expensive warmbloods are only dangorous (and plain stupid) because they pretty much live in stalls, then arenas all their life and are so pampered.

why dont they want him doing dressage???? :-( i think every horse improves from dressage, it would only make him more balanced and together so that he could do even better at other disciplnes!! well i hope they change their minds! keep us posted!

I happen to own an expensive Warmblood and he isn't dangerous or stupid. I do see your point, yet I think it has to do with the owner more than the rider. The kind of rider who is only focused on winning will likely buy an expensive and athletic WB for all the wrong reasons. These types of horses need a lot of mental stimulation to be calm and happy, this is part of what makes them such great competitors as they learn very quickly. However, when a high-stress rider gets on a horse that is designed to perform with a quick mind, things can go awry quickly. If this same rider got on an older, say, trail QH, chances are the QH would start to act stressed and 'hotter' after a while. This effect is only exaggerated when they are on a horse bred for high performance as these horses are designed to be sensitive to the rider and have an active mind. Another big mistake I see in these competition riders is they over horse themselves. If you are riding 2nd level, you do NOT need a GP import unless you are planning to get to GP and with the help of a GP trainer. The mindset of a GP WB will do much better if it is with a 4th level-GP rider that is able to keep the horse active and challenged- a basic rule of compatibility. With my horse, I go the extra mile that winning-focused riders think of as strange: I fill plastic balls with treats and put them in his stall, I do trails, I do poles, I do extra turn out, I do hand grazing etc and I keep my rides and work sessions varied. Because I do this, he is calm and accepts me as the leader without any doubt. If I didn't do this, he would get boredom stress. This is not meant as an attack on anyone who shows, as I do shows myself. This is an 'attack' on riders who only focus on winning at a show rather than the horse they are on. It makes me sad when I see wonderful, talented, and well-bred horses go to waste and get boredom stress when their rider only wants to keep them going in a circle in the arena and then plop them into a trailer to go to a show.

 

[sullylvr]

i totally agree with roro, it all depends on what the owner chooses to do to help the horse not get stressed out or bored. i also learned a patience on my wb that no other horse could have taught me. on a different note, i wouldnt doubt for a second that qh could learn dressage. I actually rode and showed a qh for a while and we ended up doing really well in our test. the only things i would reccomend you work on are getting your pony to bend. i always had the worst time trying to get him to stop turning so flat and sharp. and his canter is not the most beautiful.. but he was so willing and eager to please. his freewalk was his forte, he would put his nose on the ground as soon as i asked him. i would definately go for it!

 

[ridergirl23]

sorry if i sounded like i was attacking anybody! i really wasnt,i am at a dressage boarding stable and i have seen so many nice horses go to waste because the owners keep them crazy. haha i have nothing against WB i hae a half WB myself, its just most of the crazy horses ive met have been expensive, talented, pampered horses (which are usually WB) that dont even get to be a horse. i do everything with my half WB and i have been teaching my aunties WB to walk over tarps, and be ridden while i hold umbrellas and stuff. sorry if i came off like i was just attacking WB's, i do love them, but those have just been the most common horses that i have seen being crazy, haha exactly like you guys said, because they have pampering dressage strict owners

 

[Jane Savoie]

QH for dressage

I realize I'm pretty late to the party, but I just wanted to add my 2 cents for what it's worth. I've helped train a lot of wonderful QH's for dressage.

Any horse with 3 regular gaits should be able to do Second Level which is just the beginning of modest collection. Many can comfortably go to higher levels. Many years ago, we had an awesome guy who could do everything in the Grand Prix!