H&H Article: Thoroughbreds just as good as other breeds in 5* Eventing

Paulick Report picked up on it:
https://paulickreport.com/horse-care-category/study-bias-against-thoroughbreds-in-upper-level-eventing-is-unfounded

3 Likes

Honestly I feel like everyone pretty much knew this already but :woman_shrugging:

Phelps is my fave TB atm, I was happy to see him back in competition last weekend!

8 Likes

Thanks @Janet I wasn’t aware of that change (working abroad at that time) but makes a very interesting comparison.

1 Like

To clarify, that was USEF wording. I don’t know if/when FEI changed anything.

That is definitely part of it. When Team GB got quite good at dressage everyone else had to as well.

The other thing no-one has discussed is the level of fitness and the way people conditioned and fed when they did the old long format with the steeplechase and R&T. Riders simply had less ability to really sit down and ride strongly forward off the leg with confidence the horse would stay with them than they do now. And that’s how you get good marks. Good dressage still mattered “back in the day”. Charisma, a horse that was successful at M dressage before Todd ever got him, was pretty unbeatable and a huge part of that was his very good dressage.

3 Likes