The right breed for.... dressage
© Sally White
What's more, my horse isn't very good at dressage either - but she's got an excuse. She is an Anglo Arab, bred for speed and endurance, athleticism and impulsion. She has beautiful, floating paces, and is quick and intelligent, so on the face of it she has dressage potential. But her concentration is short, she is impatient, has tantrums when she finds something difficult, and she would always prefer a good gallop across the heath to a challenging session in the school. She also has the wrong conformation, with a particularly long neck, which means that collection and a rounded outline will never come naturally to her.
Dressage, then, is clearly not our sport - but contrast my athletic little mare with another mare at the same yard. This seven-eighths Hanoverian is in many respects exactly like my horse - she is the same height, a European cross-breed, even the same colour. Yet Bridie's Hanoverian blood has given her an advantage which Abbie could never have. This is a horse for whom serenity is second nature. She is naturally balanced and collected, and holds herself beautifully at all times, even in the field. She really listens to her rider, and loves her schooling more than anything. It won't surprise you to learn that Bridie is a rising star in the dressage ring, not quite Grand Prix level, but certainly top-class.
If you have the dedication and flair to want to do dressage, the breed of your horse will be crucial in determining your level of success. Any horse can do dressage at its most basic. But if you aspire to the higher levels of competition, with the advanced dressage moves which are so breathtaking and graceful, and such an accomplishment for horse and rider, you would do well to pick the right breed.
The all-rounders
Many of the breeds which excel in dressage are also seen in the showjumping ring. The Dutch Warmblood is a popular dressage horse: perhaps the best-known British dressage partnership of all time was Jenny Loriston-Clarke and her Dutch Warmblood, Dutch Courage. Together, they won the National Dressage Championships no fewer than six times.
 |
 |
 |
