And if you are having the discussion about event horses making the transition to the equitation ring, who was that horse within the last few years who came to do the eventing challenge in Wellington, and got sold as an equitation horse while he was there? I think he may have won the eventing challenge, although I am not going to swear to it. I don’t know if he was a thoroughbred, but we seem to have gone off on a tangent from that point anyway.
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Yeah…unless that horse is a TB, it’s very much a tangent. 
I don’t think we are talking about event horses transitioning to hunters or eq…because that’s my favorite game to play at any event I go to: Which horse do I want to take home as my next hunter. 
No, it was more a tangent about what qualities would be relevant for each job, and whether or not they were related to the horse’s breed. I think. The conversation has gotten pretty convoluted.
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Well of course. Two very different training requirements for the two disciplines. Look at H/J as a whole. The three rings have become very specialized.
I just object to the concept of jumper riders or event riders cannot lay down a respectable Big Eq trip. The horses? Whole different ball of wax due to many factors. Again another objection is that event horses are not adjustable. Not true because adjustability and precision is required in dressage.
Also, we all know depending on the ring the ride changes. Tori Colvin has beautiful Eq. In the Hunter ring? Not so much. The ride does not require it.
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… but no one has said that 
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I interpreted a the post comparing a X-Country trip to an Eq trip to mean just that. If that was not the point, then my apologies.
Like RF Amber Eyes/Commentary?
I’ll echo the other poster: No one has said that.
Yes…we are talking about the horses.
Again, no one has said that…at least I am pretty sure they didn’t. I didn’t read every.single.word of this thread…although I did read most.
We aren’t talking about dressage…AT.ALL. I couldn’t care less what is required of the horse for dressage. Does their dressage work inform their jumping, absolutely. And does the “adjustability and precision” learned in the dressage court inform the jumping rounds? Yes. But the invisible aids for dressage are not a requirement for the jumping phases. Of course, event horses have to be adjustable…how else do they gallop down the lanes and then get set up for a freaking massive combination or drop to a water or, or, or? But they get to be visible…if your horse needs to gallop on a bit, you can do that. You do not get to do that in Eq: you must be Slow, steady, unhurried with nothing more than a pleasant hand gallop (which I would argue hardly fits that definition these days).
Also, we all know depending on the ring the ride changes. Tori Colvin has beautiful Eq. In the Hunter ring? Not so much. The ride does not require it.
Horses. We are talking about the horses. And how they impact the ride.
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For the probably most famous example. But man, I do love to play my little game. There are some event horses, across all levels, that I would just love to take home with me.
A horse that succeeds at the 4* level TB or WB is most likely NOT going to be a successful Big Eq Horse TB or WB. The training and characteristics for the two are different. Adjustability and step is not apart of why unless that equals style. To me those are two completely different concepts.
I give up.
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Ok, not a thoroughbred, but just to satisfy my curiosity, I did a search to track down the horse I remembered. His career certainly shows that a horse can do different jobs well at a pretty high level. I’m sorry to say the horse passed away the following year, so it’s hard to say how far he could have gotten in his equitation career.
http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/trading-aces-equitation-horse-plenty-tricks-his-sleeve
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Not to speak for the other poster, but I’m pretty sure they meant in a non-subjective class (eventing or jumpers), you can ride however you want and not be penalized for it. Because you’re not being judged on it. Not that they were bad riders or had bad eq or could not get around an eq class.
Whereas, in eq, as I’m sure you know, if you have anything but have an easy, smooth trip, especially if your position is compromised (if you have to kick hard or give an obvious half halt/pull or have an unconventional riding style*), you will be marked down – some of it is judge’s discretion: I’ve seen riders pin well/not be marked down in flat phases, because they sat a spook/buck nicely and without losing their position/composure and got the horse traveling properly and quietly again (not at medal finals, however), but if a spook or buck gets them a bad distance, that will negatively affect their score, even if their riding is effective and gets the horse over the jump. That same ride in jumpers or eventing, I would think, would not cost them points, necessarily (maybe time would be an issue if horse is spooky).
*I mean, Richard Spooner did the Big Eq stuff and has flappy chicken legs in GP (I don’t know what he rode like in the equitation, but presumably he toned some of this down). McLain Ward looks like he’s in a medal class when going around GP (and Sapphire went around like an eq horse). Either riding style is ok – and has the same chance of winning – for classes based on time/faults, but not equitation.
You keep quoting the two as the same. Step is mostly related to conformation.
Is it? Huh.
The use of the word “and” typically indicates two separate things.
A horse can be adjustable with or without the step for the Big Eq, Hunters or whatever. My current horse has the step for the H/J rings. She also has the adjustablity. My last mare at 14.3 with more knee action than most people like most certainly did not have the step. She was however very adjustable.
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Picking poggio II as an example of OTTB jumping tells me you’re not event trying to have an honest discussion. My favorite event horse ever but his jumping style was infamously unconventional even for an Eventer.
If you want to stick with Amy, Leyland is a better example or look at one of Lynn Symanskys OTTB rides over the years. Or event better don’t limit yourself to upper lever eventers.
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Yes. It is usually related to the slope of the shoulder. Compare saddlebreds to TBs or WBs
I am sorry I should have put in a sarcasm note. I am well aware of the role conformation plays in how a horse moves.
Ok. But you think all people who ride jumpers in the US come from the Big Eq ring. I’m done here.
It was reported a couple of years ago that Boyd Martin sold a very high event horse to be an Equitation horse. It was, IIRC, an Irish Sport Horse. That horse won the eventing showcase at Wellington a couple of years ago with Boyd. At a time when Boyd was broken, Phillip Dutton was selected with the horse and went to WEG in eventing. Horse’s name was/is Trading Aces.
His new owner didn’t do badly with him. She got quite a few decent placings. But she only seems to have used him for one year, and there aren’t any USEF results for him after 2016.
RIDERS. Jumper riders in the US. Oh and the EQ horses from Europe… guess what rings they start in? Mind blown right?
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