This is a hard ask. Most dressage riders aren’t out looking for horses that won’t be competitive, and most people with young prospects won’t advertise them to a discipline where they won’t be competitive. People like to score well and get complements at clinics, or at least have the potential to get medal scores if they ride well enough. There isn’t necessarily a market for capable, but not good.
Most people aren’t interested in putting the considerable time/effort (probably substantially more time/effort than needed with a horse that is naturally talented) into getting to 3rd/4th on a horse that won’t be competitive. It’s considerably cheaper and less time consuming to make a mediocre horse with an ammy-friendly brain into a local level hunter, and you’ll get more money for him there. On top of that, many people over-estimate and over-price potential.
That’s why this horse is a rare bird. If you are willing to make one, rather than buying something with training, you will have to gamble on something with a good brain and a decent enough canter that it might collect. I’d suggest something you can get on, because work ethic and willingness to try is the number one most important thing to learn the hard work. And as you know, sometimes gambles pay off and you get something nicer than you’d hoped. If you want something that’s a bit more of a known quantity - you have some options when you get to the $25k bracket.
