Chiming in since I have a 2 1/2 year old E II filly
I bred my Prelim eventing mare (by Art Deco/TB), and got pretty much a carbon copy of E II. True black, cute pony head, LOVELY long and beautifully arched neck–from birth (I think this is what he generally throws, from all the research I’ve done and offspring I’ve seen, though Ranch Adobe may have had a different experience), lovely long lines of the body (her back is looooong, oy! and I don’t think this came from her mom, possibly from a great-great grandparent ), and flat, huntery movement. She has a fantastic walk, he really improved on that in my mare–a nice trot–and a lovely, balanced canter, though I wouldn’t call it “uphill.” I wasn’t breeding for a dressage horse, however (the plan is that she will be my LL event horse, since that’s all my elderly/effed up back will be able to handle.) She may want to do the hunters, though that’s my “backup discipline.” (She’s not been through a jumping chute, but when I’ve seen her jump “accidentally”, she has snapped her knees and folded her hocks, not much bascule, though this has been over tiny stuff; she jumped out of her pasture over a 4 1/2 foot gate when she was 4 months old, so I think she has plenty of scope.)
Temperamentally, she is more sensible than her mother (who is a reactive spook), but still a little wary until she has gotten used to things and unless she trusts the handler. She HATES water, and can be stubborn about things she doesn’t like, she doesn’t like to be forced, but responds well to correction and “gets over herself” with calm, consistent and positive handling. I think some of the opinions are her dam (and the Art Deco) coming out, though–not E2. She is wicked smart, very social and sweet and curious. There is another filly by E2 who is owned by an acquaintance nearby; they are pretty similar, though that filly looks WAY more “pony like.” They will both be smallish horses, though neither of their dams were big; however, I think the fillies by E2 tend to be smaller. This other filly also has nice gaits, flat huntery movement with a little suspension, and is curious, smart, and bold–as well as very pretty to look at. She can be a bit “rude” unless you put her in her place, but is not mean Another nice neck, though not as long as my filly’s.
IF you are looking for a smallish, smart, brave, curious, elegant and “pretty headed” horse with huntery gaits, I think this is what he pretty reliably throws; though I have seen some bigger offspring (most of whom are chestnuts!)
E 1 has a greater number of successful hunter offspring, IIRC, though he also has more offspring, period! I think his get tend to be a bit bigger than E2’s. Both are now only available frozen, but from what I gather the frozen is excellent. I was initially going to go with E1, but with my older maiden mare I was concerned that she wouldn’t conceive with frozen; I was right, and she was difficult to settle even with the fresh, which was excellent quality. Thank goodness for Edgar and his fantastic customer service! Both E boys throw sensitive, smart, beautiful horses with good huntery movement, athletic, scopey, tidy jumping form, and lovely conformation. The brain is there, though–so they are not robots or deadheads, and benefit from fair treatment and clear boundaries. I adore my filly, FWIW!
Good luck