As some of you might know, I’m new to dressage. I’ve only had about six months of formal instruction in the discipline. But I’m very committed to the sport and I plan to stick with it for years and years and maybe- someday- be competitive a the highest levels. But for now, my goal is to earn the USDF Bronze medal.
I’m starting to take lessons with a talented USDF gold medalist using my friend’s 18 year old Thoroughbred gelding.
If any of your saw the riding video I posted a while back, he’s the horse I was riding. Although we’ve both gotten better since then, we have a lot to work on.
He’s mainly hunter trained, though he’s done a bit of dressage. He has pretty bad balance, to be honest, and although I know it’s partly my fault, he gets very heavy on the forehand. He can do flying changes, but they are tricky for him.
So I have a feeling that I might need to find a different horse to ride if I want to (eventually) be scoring in the 60s in third level, but my question is, what would you all estimate as a reasonable expectation for the TB I’m on now? Should I expect to only practice on him? Do you think he could potentially do well (score at least 60) at 1st level? 2nd? Beyond?
I’m new to this, so any of your expertise would be apreciated!
I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t eventually crack a 60 at Third on that horse.
He looks green, not incapable.
By way of comparison:
Here is a less athletic and less typey horse than the one you are on, on the first day I met him.
I knew effectively zip about training up a dressage horse when I got him, but we learned together.
Here is that same horse a year later.
Untrained =/= incapable.
I haven’t seen your video but I feel like I can relate to you. My goal is also to get my USDF bronze medal and I just got ‘serious’ about dressage this year. Last year I did a couple of training level tests on a different horse, but was still mainly riding hunter/jumper.
This year I got an FEI level schoolmaster and started working with a gold medalist trainer. I started at first level in the spring, then moved up to second this summer. We score mid - low 60’s.
The main thing I struggle with is getting the uphill, yet forward frame. I struggle with this for first and second level, and the requirement for third is even greater. This is with a horse that knows his stuff, under the eye of a good trainer, with me riding 5x week plus hitting the gym. Dressage is hard!
Have you showed any? If he struggles to get good scores at first, expecting an 18 year old horse with no previous dressage training to make it to third might be a stretch. If he scores well, then maybe! Either way, I’m sure you will learn a lot along the way. Good luck!
Is this the horse in the video when you asked about showing hunters?
[QUOTE=Lilly;7800821]
Is this the horse in the video when you asked about showing hunters?[/QUOTE]
Yes. That’s the guy. 
The best advice I can give you is to take it one level at a time, one score at a time. It takes a while to get first level right - and sometimes years before you learn all of second and are ready to move up at a show. I haven’t seen your video, but have no doubt that you can get your first level scores on nearly any horse/pony with good training. Don’t start worrying about third level if you haven’t gotten your first level scores yet. Start on the journey and learn everything you can from this horse.
18?
what’s he been doing the last few years - has he had a thorough vet check including basic X-rays? staying sound in light work is not at all the same as staying sound in harder work …
At the least I’d expect some arthritic changes to be present & would support horse with a suitable program likely including Adequan (or similar), body work, etc.
He looks a nice boy & if he were 12 rather than 18, I might think moving up the levels; without knowing anymore than that video & 18, I’d start with success through Training Level, then 1st Level & see where he’s at physically … I’d not expect rapid progress, it takes time for horse to build the supporting muscling etc, more so as they age.
In the summer you were wanting to do Hunters with this horse, what’s changed to alter your goals so drastically?
If horse began to have soundness issues in low level Hunters, I’d not expect him to do more than be a very nice Training Level horse …
Have you thought about picking up a nice Canter prospect such as Mark Jumps (who’s now with with COTHer ) as you progress?
[QUOTE=alto;7800947]
He looks a nice boy & if he were 12 rather than 18, I might think moving up the levels; without knowing anymore than that video & 18, I’d start with success through Training Level, then 1st Level & see where he’s at physically … I’d not expect rapid progress, it takes time for horse to build the supporting muscling etc, more so as they age.
In the summer you were wanting to do Hunters with this horse, what’s changed to alter your goals so drastically?
If horse began to have soundness issues in low level Hunters, I’d not expect him to do more than be a very nice Training Level horse …
Have you thought about picking up a nice Canter prospect such as Mark Jumps (who’s now with with COTHer ) as you progress? :)[/QUOTE]
He has been checked out and apart from some aches and pains he’s very sound. He gets a range of supplements and has regular chiro/massage work. He’s a bit out of shape because his owner has a back injury an can’t ride him and she doesn’t trust many people to ride him. Lucky for me! But yes, I’ll just take him as far as he can go. I know he’s not a youngster anymore.
I didn’t ever plan to show him in hunters, I just wanted to start learning hunters because I was joining my college’s IHSA hunter team (because we don’t have Dressage 
)and wanted to be as prepared as possible when the season started, which ended up paying off as I got a first place at my first show! But anyway, dressage and secondarily eventing have always been my interest. Hunters was just a way to get riding time in college and learn to jump.
I have seriously considered buying an OTTB to work with and even taking a year off school to train and maybe work as a working student somewhere. My only reservation is that I want to eventually be able to be competitive at Grand Prix level and I can’t afford to be buying a new prospect every few years - especially not while I’m trying to support my nearly-retired mare. So my plan is to learn as much as I can on leased/borrowed/lesson horses so that when I go buy my own prospect, I’m ready (skill wise and financially) to bring a really talented horse along. Not that said horse couldn’t possibly be an OTTB, but I think you get my gist.
Anyway, thank you very much for your advice!
Also for those who hadn’t seen the video… in case you want to here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEt5f9RbBfM&list=UUyFVSnMBcaWaKHIkdyqKYXg
I know my elbows are tight and heels aren’t down, etc. - I’ve since fixed that.
Judging from the videos he looks like a good guy and capable. I like his trot.
His trot is YUMMY!
Go for it You won’t know until you try!
Keep consistent with the suppling and strengthening exercises, just as a precautionary really, because he’s 18 and a tb so might need a little more tlc than a younger horse, but apart from that, you look a lovely pair
Thank you all for your input! I talked to his owner and she thinks that he’s been up to 2nd level. I don’t know if that means training it or competing it or how he scored, but apparently he DOES have a bit of dressage under his belt.
I think you should have a good time with him, learn everything you can and progress as far as you can in the time you have together. It might be 2 years; it might be 8. He might go 1st; he might surprise you and go 3rd and get you that Bronze. Nobody knows. He looks like a lovely boy, though - looks like he likes his job and you. That counts for a lot.
