I’m on the hunt for a reasonably priced dressage prospect and came across this filly. I like her temperament and movement, but am worried that she’s a tad downhill. She’s by George Clooney out of a Shire sport horse mare. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWHu-mqJh60
I’m also considering a GRP (I’m petite) and came across this prospect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaYcjxc20ew&ab_channel=Winecountrysportponies
She looks like a butt high baby. What do her parents look like?
She looks much more like her sire. These videos are not very recent and young horses change a lot.
Honest opinion: first one is a random cross out of a mutt mare. Sorry, but that is the case.
Second is from a reputable American breeder of GRPs.
The two aren’t really comparable.
What are your goals?
Imo, the filly is not a good prospect for dressage.
None of her gaits suggest that she has the movement or scope that judges want to see in a dressage horse
The second pony moves slightly better, but I would pass on this one also.
But it depends on your goals.
If you want to be competitive at higher levels then you need the gaits.
Now, if your goals are not so aspirational, and you dont plan to move up past a certain level or simply want the pleasure of schooling dressage then that is a different story.
There is no way to know from videos the temperament of these prospects.
I like the second one slightly better for movement but that alone isnt really enough.
You’ll have to interact with each one and decide whether it has the temperament and personality you’d want to work with.
What are your goals? Lower level partner? Upper level prospect?
The filly is extremely ordinary, and doesn’t show any stand-out gait. The cross does not inspire confidence.
The pony is a better mover, has a nice hind leg, but the presentation makes it hard to judge him well. Of the two, he is clearly a better prospect.
You really hedge your bets when you don’t start mixing disparate breeds.
Also, remember that the single most important thing is temperament. There are ways to get a sense of this on video, but not on these videos.
the filly is close hocked. May change when she matures and hips widen, but probably will always be narrow back there.
Do you want a big horse or a small horse? Because that is my first question looking at those two…
That filly is not going to be small! A note on Shires, IMO of all the drafts they are the most athletic along the lines of riding horses, and the hottest of the drafts. ‘Gentle Giants’ does not equal ‘more whoa than go’. She is close behind, which I would expect from the Shire influence, which is not the same as cow hocked. I wish they had some still conformation shots. I also wish I knew what the other half on the dam was…it looks more like Quarter horse than Thoroughbred, which would make me nervous, since with the following cross to a warmblood, that is a lot of very different genetics.
Thanks all! I agree with all the comments and understand the confusion about the very different horses- I find that within my budget I end up with a lot of random options rather than those that follow a specific set of criteria. I’m looking for something that I can hopefully get to the ULs, but am an AA on a limited budget so am mostly looking for trainability and good enough gaits to not directly hinder their ability to get to at least 3rd or 4th and score reasonably well.
Here is the full ad for the GRP: https://www.winecountrysportponies.com/golden-legacy
He is Golden West NRW/Rubignon/Rampal
Personally, I like the filly slightly more than the pony.
I am not super comfortable picking apart someone’s sales horse on a public forum.
The video of the filly is a year old. I wouldn’t make any decision based on it.
True, but I can’t get any more recent video for a period of time because of their snowy climate.
Nonetheless, of what is presented here I would still choose the filly. I did google some additional info on her but again, not comfortable criticizing the sales horse of someone who didn’t ask for it in a public forum.
I will say, OP, for the price range and age I think you’re looking at you would probably have several nice registered prospects to choose from if you can connect with WB breeders in your general region.
Thanks, I appreciate that perspective since most others have said the opposite. And to be clear - I think these are both nice horses and my intention was not for either to be dissected in a public forum, my intention was just to hear different perspectives. And people clearly have those based on this thread. We hear about all of the classic assessment tools and strategies for young horses, but sometimes it’s nice to receive insight from others - outside of trainers, etc.
I’m definitely in tune with local breeders but we don’t have a significant number of them and I live in an affluent region, so prices tend to be out of my budget right away.
My suggestion would be to find a horse in another discipline and already at least 3 years old so that you can really assess how the fully formed horse moves and more importantly how that horse accepts training.
The trainability and temperament will probably determine what makes a horse that gets up there more than anything else. Correct gaits can be improved enough but if the horse is difficult or unreliable in the ring then it doesn’t matter how fancy it is.
I have seen that filly’s sale video in the past and I loved her. She’s really cute and moves nicely. She may not be for the Olympics but she looks like a fun and capable partner.
I actually liked the filly. But got side tracked on Shires 
my personal interest!
I prefer the GRP. As a baby, in a tiny round pen, his walk is quite good. I’ve been told that the walk is the hardest gait to fix/improve. While his trot isn’t “fancy” or “flashy” he has good suspension and decent engagement behind.
Plus, the couple of GRPs I’ve known have been fabulous, solid, workmanlike individuals. If you are petite and fit on a large pony, why not?
he looked like a pretty sluggish sort of horse to me. I know some people appreciate that in a horse, not my cuppa though.
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