I just started jumping at a new barn about 2 months ago. My trainer there says not to worry about collecting them like my old trainer showed me. My old trainer was a dressage trainer / hunter trainer. And i was just wondering do you have to collect your horses in Hunter Jumpers? (I know you have to keep their noses down and stuff, but like do you have to collect them like SERIOUSLY like you would do in dressage?)
Collection is useful for any discipline. Dressage is famous for collection, but every other discipline uses it, too. And your trainer should know that collection is an important aspect of every discipline.
To put it in context, say your horse has a very large stride. You’re supposed to do a four stride line in your hunter class. The judge won’t appreciate it much if you do it in three. So… you COLLECT your horse so that he takes the line in four rather than three strides.
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In showjumping, eventing etc there is always quite a large height range but whenever I see anything about the top dressage teams and stuff the horses always look enormous. My cousin owns some class horses for dressage and they’re all huge, I was just wondering if it was because their trot is easier to sit to or something. I don’t really know an awful lot about dressage. Thanks
The main reason these horses are so tall is because they are Warmbloods,Meg. Warmbloods (especially those of the Dutch, Swedish, and Danish breeds) are incredibly popular right now, because these horses are bred to have the movement and personalities that the judges in the sport want to see. That’s not to say that other breeds can’t do well in dressage, though. There have been plenty of Thoroughbreds in the sport in recent decades, along with a few Connemara ponies (Lendon Gray’s mounts Last Scene and Seldom Seen were both Connemara crosses) and assorted other breeds such as Quarter Horses and Arabians. But to a large extent, they’ve been overshadowed by the Warmblood breeds. Dressage is an incredibly subjective sport- and the judges in it are influenced by the popular trends of whatever time they are judging in. Right now, one of those trends involves people riding Warmblood breeds. Eventually, I think the veneer associated with these horses will wear off, and people will rediscover that other breeds can do equally well in the sport. But that won’t happen immediately. It’s just the times we are living in, I think.
I am usually in the dog section but have always loved horses.
I train and compete with my dogs in obedience, rally and tracking so I can understand the time that has to be put into training.
I know with dogs, you can rescue a dog, buy one from a breeder or pick one up from the street and train the dog..There are some breeds that will excel in obedience (Border Colies, Labs, Retrievers) other breeds that will work because they want to please you and some just love to work.
My question
Since dressage is not an easy thing to teach, are there some horses that are better at this then others?
Are horses ‘bred’ just for the dressage ring just like Border Collies are bred to herd and Huskies are bred to pull sleds?
If you are going to get a horse for dressage, do you look for a particular line or breed?
What makes a good dressage horse?
How long does it take to train a horse for this?
1st off, training a horse and training a dog are different things. I THINK you realize that, but I’m not 100% sure.
Some horses are better at it than others, and it’s because of conformation, movement, and breeding, along with the quality of the training they received.
Yes, some horses are bred for the dressage ring. Warmblood horses or Thoroughbreds are often the best for dressage. With Warmbloods, some are bred for dressage while others are bred for jumping, and with TBs, most are bred for racing while there are a bunch bred for jumping and a bunch bred for dressage, or hunter, or other disciplines. That’s not to say that OTHER breeds can’t do it- but I bet you aren’t going to see a Norwegian Fjord doing a canter pirouette.
There are some amazing bloodlines in Warmbloods that I am familiar with. pretty much any kind of Warmblood (Oldenburg, Hanoverian, Holsteiner, etc) will do fine for Dressage provided they’re built for it. Personally, I’m a sucker for Hanoverians. Rubenstein-bred horses are AWESOME, as are Sir Donnerhall, Weltmeyer, Landgraf I, Voltaire, De Niro, Fidertanz, etc.
What makes a good dressage horse? Get ready for a long answer.
A dressage horse needs to be a willing partner with a good mind and great work ethic. It has to be smart, naturally calm but still energetic to a point.
It needs to be built well, meaning:
Uphill
Nice, sloping shoulder
long and sloping pasterns but not too long, and not too short!
Cannon bones need to be shortish with longer forearms.
Big joints
Nice sloping haunches with natural "carrying power"
A neck with some natural beauty to it- the top half of the neck should be about 2x as long as the bottom half, and the neck needs to be kind of high set but not so high set that it’s getting close to vertical, of course. I’ll post a picture.
An attractive head is an added benefit in the show ring.
Deep barrel, broad and deep chest, and so on.
Strong, sturdy legs. Dressage moves can be very strenuous.
Its hooves have to be hard and strong, fairly large, to support the horse in high stress movements.
Ideal Head & Neck:
http://www.superiorequinesires.com/stallions/rubinstein.jpg
Great full-body conformation:
http://www.watermark-farm.net/dressage-royal-conformation.jpg
And then there’s movement. A good dressage horse needs to have good movement in all 3 gaits.
Here’s a naturally amazing mover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nzv8WZjMA4&feature=channel_video_title
He is WONDERFUL. I have no complaints at all about his movement, and he is only 2 1/2 years old,barely started under saddle only now learning how to accept the weight of a rider, so this is completely natural for him.
He has free shoulders, an active back with engaged haunches, he brings his hind legs underneath of himself effortlessly. His movement looks floaty, almost like he’s floating on the clouds. His movement is ground covering, it only takes a few canter strides for him to be on the other side of the arena.
He’s always reaching his head and neck forwards, thus stretching out his topline and helping himself gain muscle to help support a rider.
When a horse has all those things naturally, it makes it much easier to train the horse to be a champion in any level, but it sure isn’t easy.
How long does it take? Honey, the work is never done! You’re never done training a dressage horse. It takes years to get a 1st level dressage horse from scratch, even more years to get a 3rd level horse, many more years for a Prix St. Georges horse, and so on. MANY years.
I don’t know what experience you have with riding horses, but you need to take MANY years of Dressage lessons before you can even consider training a horse for this complex sport.
Warmblood horses and athletic horses like this are prone to joint and tendon injuries because of their large stride and big build, so extra caution has to be taken when caring for, picking out, riding, and simply owning a Warmblood.
They’re kind of a catch 22, because they are often full of energy, so without turnout, they get pretty crazy. But when turned out, they may run around and injure themselves. They’re interesting and amazing animals, but not for beginner owners/riders.
i always see how muscular (not fat) dressage horses are how do they get this way (like what kind of work and diet and how long) and can this be done to just a regular horse (not like a fancy pedigree warm blood) thanks
They look like this because they are using the correct muscles to engage the muscles. Muscle build- up is much more effective when done correctly!
Any work that engages the hindquarters and works the top-line will turn into a well-muscled horses (as long as they are on the right diet!).
I do intense hill-work a couple times week (I’m talking a literal mountain) some jumping (with emphasis on him stretching over the jump) and plenty of suppling and rounding exercises on the flat.
It can be done with any horse that has the ability to carry himself properly.
With the diet- Generally, a horse building muscle will need plenty of protein. I use lucerne/alfalfa and cracked lupins for my horse’s protein needs!
I’m looking for a dressage horse for sale in the houston area that is trained from training level on up. I would like to keep the price under $ 10,000. I am open to most any horse but I prefer young horses. Thanks for any help at all 
s
Do higher level dressage horses have to cost you a fortune or could you get say and 8 year old and train him up ?
generally leasing and taking lessons on many dressage horses will teach you a TON. then when it comes time where you want to buy- you have enough experience to buy that 8 year old and train him for dressage.
If you are learning dressage- you DONT want to buy that 8 year old and train him. That would be extremely difficult and confusing for you and the horse. it would be a mess and confusing, frustrating, and NO fun. Your trying to learn on a horse thats trying to learn. your both trying to learn from each other- its like a teach trying to learn from the students, while the students are trying to learn from the teacher. no one learns anything!!! =P not good!
WHEN TO BUY THE EXPENSIVE HIGH LEVEL DRESSAGE HORSE- when you got the money and the 3-4 lessons a week trainer!! thats BIG bucks though.
i was just wondering because i always see them in my dover magazine but everytime i watch a vid of a dressage show, i don’t see them wear boots? i ride huntseat so i have no clue lmao. thanks (:
@Ang, thanks! me & my friend were wondering lmao
Dressage horses are not allowed to wear boots or wraps of any kind in competitions. You would be disqualified. But it has become fashionable for dressage horses to wear white polo wraps or boots for schooling, so you’ll see them a lot in pictures. I know people who never put boots or wraps in their dressage horses, but if they take a lesson or go to a clinic the horse gets 4 white polo wraps so that they can look pretty for the instructor. Silly, huh?
Jillian- Well obviously I trailered my horse over to my instructor’s for a lesson, so I had to look fashionable didn’t I? As my BFF used to say, "if you can’t BE good, you can at least LOOK good!"
I’ve been training horses professionally since college. A new client wants me to show her young dressage horse as well. She’s interested in local one day shows as well as bigger weekend shows. I’m just not sure what to charge for something like this. l need to be able to make money since i can’t work a normal day, but i don’t want to discourage the owner because it’s good for me to get my name out at shows. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Hi there,
Unfortunately there is no cut and dry number out there. Research what others in your area and with your level of experience are charging. That will give you a great basis for your quote. Then go to your client and let them know what others are charging, let them know that you appreciate the opportunity to get your name out there and go from there. Every client has a different budget, and if the number you give them is too much, negotiate with them. Offer referral discounts, or training packages, or a percentage if she’s trying to sell the horse, etc. Also, what is your day worth to you? If you would normally make $100/day, take that into consideration, plus gas, food, etc. Figure out what you normally make per hour, and use that as a basis as well.
I hope this has helped.
How likely is it for a ten year old quarter horse to learn dressage?
It is possible for any breed of horse to do anything, they just need to have the right disposition and interest in what you are asking them to do. Some horses, although bred for cutting, may not have an interest in it and may prefer reining.
I have an arabian/andalusian cross who loves to ranch work and beat up on cows.
I would suggest you talk to a dressage trainer in regards to the potential of your horse.
How likely is it for a ten year old quarter horse to learn dressage?
It is possible for any breed of horse to do anything, they just need to have the right disposition and interest in what you are asking them to do. Some horses, although bred for cutting, may not have an interest in it and may prefer reining.
I have an arabian/andalusian cross who loves to ranch work and beat up on cows.
I would suggest you talk to a dressage trainer in regards to the potential of your horse.