[QUOTE=Iolanthe;8854383]
All very cute. But…my only problem with the GV types in the U.S. is they are Ridiculously overpriced (besides being just not my type). I have traveled in the UK, and were I into that type of horse, I I could fly there buy a nice green cob well-started and ship it home for less than what breeders of Magikal GV breeders here are asking for weanling/yearlings.
I would also note that most of the pictured horses are succeeding at the schooling show level, and the ones successful at higher levels and recognised shows appear to be mostly Welsh Cobs or full sized cobs , not the cute hairy beasties being marketed here in the U.S. as GVs.
ThAt being said there is a pretty successful GV in California doing, I believe, PSG, but that one appears to be the exception, not the rule.[/QUOTE]
Well, you could say the same thing of Warmbloods - there are plenty of mediocre WBs that are overpriced here in the US. I’m always surprised when people think it is perfectly reasonable to pay $15k for a middle aged, kind-of-first level WB that has no talent or ambition, but think that is a ridiculously high price for anything else?
They aren’t my breed of choice, but I see a lot of people very happy with them. And I agree, most of them won’t go above 2nd level, but that mare in California you refer to is showing I-1 now. And there is another one somewhere in the Mid-West that has gone PSG, and another one doing 3rd level. I don’t know all that many MORE Welsh Cobs that are showing above 2nd level - ExVet’s horses, one in California, and of course, Cardi. I think a big part of that is most people who have the ability to take a horse to the FEI levels are more committed to the “Warmblood”.
And again, the marketing machine - how many of us know several riders that are overhorsed - their trainer helps them find a fancy WB, and then the trainer does all the riding - and once a month, the owner goes out to a show and hangs on for the ride? I wish more trainers would recognize the value of the non-WB - some of them are quite capable. The joy of the Gypsy - they tend to be VERY tolerant - unlike the Welsh, the Gypsy will deal with mixed signals, timid riders, conflicting go-whoa, they have their place in the riding world (and even in the dressage world).
I also know people who have showed Morgans to the FEI levels, Arabs and Arab Crosses, and of course, Friesian crosses - not everyone needs a Warmblood! And these smaller, more sensible horses can be a much more suitable mount for many of us…
