What are your top two favorite breeds for dressage and/or eventing and why?
Warmblood - dressage
Thoroughbred or TB/WB x - eventing
Because they’re purpose-bred for sport.
The work is intrinsically hard, why make it harder with a horse bred for other purposes?
Now, this assumes you’re talking about being competitive at the upper levels.
For lower level fun, any sound and sane horse will do.
[QUOTE=Dressagelvr;7487455]
Warmblood - dressage
Thoroughbred or TB/WB x - eventing
Because they’re purpose-bred for sport.
The work is intrinsically hard, why make it harder with a horse bred for other purposes? [/QUOTE]
That makes sense, although there are other breeds develope for the same purposes… What kind of Warmblood do you prefer? There are quite a few of them. Haha
I shop by bloodlines, generally in the Oldenburg (GOV or German Verband) and Hanoverian registries.
Irish Draught x
Interestingly Carl Hester was commenting about short cannons being found to be desirable in dressage horses. Short cannons are part of the ID breed standard.
Sophie at her inspection
https://plus.google.com/photos/103406099668134314917/albums/5462609142849098097?banner=pwa
Please don’t call her a warmblood though even though she is supposed to be 1/4 Trak. Traditional Irish breeders don’t care for the continentals.
Thoroughbred, for anything, every time. Just for their heart and try and cute little beady eyes.
Plus they’re really really cheap. :o They give people like me, who can’t afford a warmblood or a trainer, a chance to be competitive.
Here is my little man. Failed racer, would you believe.
Sophie is wonderful! What’s her lineage? We have a lovely connie x ID, unfortunately I don’t know who his parents are. Or even if they were actually a connemara and an irish draught. But he’s awesome so I have to assume it was something quite decent. He looks like a pure irish draught apart from his colouring.
I have a Registered Irish Sporthorse too but he looks nothing like one, despite being half RID. Most people guess arab or anglo arab :lol:
TB is I my heart - does anybody remember the time when TB’s were the expensive horses (pre Warmbloods)?
Hanoverian / Oldenburg GOV / KWPN - my warmbloods preferences
But more recently I’m reconsidering Andalusians.
At this point I want the ability to do the collected work with soundness good feet and legs. More importantly temperament.
My first dressage horse, a schoolmaster, is a TB. I love him, EXCEPT for the need to do so much sitting trot. His was GAWD AWFUL. At 24, he’s not ridden now.
I am currently riding an Oldenburg, but the other day had a chance to ride a PSG level Lusitano. I may be seriously in love.
My TB was calm and brave with a “go” button. My WB is calm and brave and would prefer to eat and stand around. Her go button is manufactured and always a challenge.
The Lusitano - calm, obedient, with a go button. And comfortable gaits.
[QUOTE=Pipkin;7487540]
Sophie is wonderful! What’s her lineage? We have a lovely connie x ID, unfortunately I don’t know who his parents are. Or even if they were actually a connemara and an irish draught. But he’s awesome so I have to assume it was something quite decent. He looks like a pure irish draught apart from his colouring.
I have a Registered Irish Sporthorse too but he looks nothing like one, despite being half RID. Most people guess arab or anglo arab :lol:[/QUOTE]
Sophie is by Touch of the Blues out of Beeza who was supposedly Conn/Trak (Falke)
IMHO she is awesome! I tried to track Beeza’s lineage but came up with nothing. She produced at least 5 IDSH’s and she and her parents should get credit for them. Penmerryl was one of the first ID breeders in the US and the owner told me he felt she was his best sport horse producer.
In the pictures her handler is Tony Phillips of Belltower stud now in the UK
While a good warmblood is hard to beat, at my diminutive 5’± I’ve converted to sport ponies. I have two GRPs now. I love them!
Athletic as the warmbloods, with the go of a sports car. Even better: they fit my size without sacrificing gait quality.
Welsh cob and morgan the all-rounders that can suit an ammy with realistic ambitions 
I am partial to the lighter warmbloods (with a bit more thoroughbred blood). I have seen a lot of hanoverians I like (and some tanks too), the oldeburgs are nice as well. I like the tb blood for more heart/stamina but the warmbloods are purpose bread for it and in my experience tend to have better feet than the tbs these days.
my jumper bead warmblood cross (pedigree):
confo a year and a half ago at 5
Mr Fancy
his canter (which the first time I rode him, made the decision on me wanting to buy him, I <3 his canter)
On the other hand, I really like the tb connemara crosses as well (and the tb irish crosses in general) for the same reason, but our tb connemara actually has some pretty bad feet, hopefully our filly will not follow in his footsteps.
Foxtrot, Yes I have been riding since the days when everyone was on a TB. The majority of the horses I have owned have been TB’s with the exception of two apps. I currently have two TB’s. One is 20yo and started her showing as a hunter. Now that both of us are older, we dabble. (trail riding, low level dressage and CT’s, team penning, hunter pace, fox hunting)This year we have joined a group and trying to do some musical quadrille. My young mare is 7( got her in Nov). She is not quite as good a mover as my older mare, but adequate, so I think she will fall right into the dabbling program as well. Carolprudm, I love Ken from Penmerryl. We frequently go stay at the farm. They don’t breed anymore, but I love to look at all the pictures they have of their horses. Sophie is beuatiful!
Hard to pick just one. My top 4: 
- Friesian (most willing and eager to please horses I have ever worked with, and not hard on the eyes either)
- Morgan (eager to please like the Friesians, with more energy and smarts) :winkgrin:
- Trakehner (I just think they have it all - beauty, brains, and ability)
- Warmblood (preferably KWPN or Hanoverian - not so much for their brains, but for their beauty and ability).
Some other of my favourites are: Welsh Ponies and Cobs, Arabians, and Lusitanos and Andalusians (although I have never ridden either one… yet). I also worked with an Irish Draught mare that I rather liked once.
If I was still eventing, I would choose a WB/ TB cross. The WB stallion would be a jumper or eventer himself to add to the movement and scope of the TB. TB are awesome, and have had them all my life, but are becoming difficult to keep up with the WB or WB crosses as the sport has developed into a technical one.
For dressage, I love Hanoverian blood. I am an ammy who wants to do my own training and be competitive and my mare allows me that. My older horse is awesome and is a Lusitano TB cross. He has the best temperment hands down. He is always ready to work, and has been game for every single equestrian sport out there before we ended in dressage. I have had many a BNT say they wish that had a barn full of him. He has learned the FEI with me learning too. I think there are so many breeds that are good for dressage. You have to decide what type you like to ride, and look individually. I personally love exvet’s Cobs, and would ride those any day of the week. I rode a super cool Morgan once. I just don’t like heavy and lazy. That said you can train one that has that natural inclination to be that way to be light and forward. I guess I’ve come full circle in saying any horse with a decent temperment and 3 good gaits can be a fun and successful mount.
Half arabian bred for dressage (like a good polish horse). Arab x WB, X TB, or paint.
(ideally) Nice set pelvis, short back. Naturally more uphill carriage. Naturally supple and willing. Smart, like to work. Easy to keep in front of leg. Form a team with their owner. easy to ride, not usually too big.
Many can make very good jumpers, be quick on their feet, and think about what they are doing.
So much depends on what you want to do with your horse. Me, I’m a Smurf and will always be one, so I really don’t care about FEI quality gaits. I want a horse that can do a lot of different things reasonably well, has a good brain, and is fun to ride. I’m short, so I don’t want a huge horse.
I got all of that with my Morgan mare Feronia, so much so that I just bought another Morgan, a 2014 filly this time. If all goes as planned (a big if) the filly will be coming along as a riding horse around the time the mare needs to be retired.
The dressage trainer I’m working with right now told me yesterday that of the horses she currently rides, Feronia is by far the most fun. Not always easy, but fun. When I’m showing, it’s more likely than not that I will get a comment from the judge about how well-suited my horse and me are… One went so far as to say, “I wish all those ladies struggling with big hot WBs would just go get themselves a sensible Morgan like yours.”
No eventing for me:eek: A good crash and burn many years ago got rid of that desire…
For dressage, while I love the athleticism of the WB, I am not as in love w/ their mindset (and they seem less sturdy), so I agree with Ysabel - I love the brain of the Friesian. My favorite riding horses are Friesian/WB crosses - they tend to get a lot of that wonderful baroque mind, but with some additional athleticism and more bone and foot which seems to lead to a sturdier horse.
I think there are great (and not so great) horses in every breed, so a big part of it is finding the right horse (not the right breed).
Also agree with a few posters - if you want a great “all arounder” with a gung ho attitude, Morgans are wonderful little athletes.
I am not gunning for the Olympics, older adult rider with my share of middle-aged aches and pains - so what I look for may be much different then what Steffan Peters looks for
