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ublisher’sWelcome Is Bigger Better?
ince I’m very tall, I frequently hear comments like this from shorter women, usually measuring 5ˇ5˝ or less: “Wow, it must be terrific to be so tall! I wish I had your height.” It’s funny how we oſten wish for things that
we can never have. Te grass is always greener…. I’ll admit height can have its advantages, i.e., reaching high shelves, looking over a crowd and easily mounting a
horse. However taller or bigger is not always better. Try finding riding boots tall enough, saddle flaps long enough and, my biggest dilemma, breeches long enough for my serious leg length. It’s not so easy. And of course, given my height, shouldn’t I have the bigger than average horse to ride? Seventeen hands plus
has been my criteria for years. A giant horse with the bigger gaits was my ticket to big scores in the dressage ring and hopefully some medals—at least that’s what I always told myself. However, what I found was that getting the bigger-than-average horses motivated to move forward was tricky. Tey needed more time to develop and “grow into themselves.” Negotiating 10-meter circles and later 8-meter circles in trot and canter became labored. Perhaps the bigger guys really were working harder than the average horse in all this collected work. I began to worry about keeping them sound. And then it happened. My beautiful 17.2 hand almost-FEI Holsteiner came up permanently lame at age 10. What a tragedy to have to retire him so early. Ten one day someone handed me a talented Dutch horse to “rehab.” I thought I would look silly on this guy since
he was only 16.2 hands, and to boot he wasn’t a very wide-barreled horse to take up my longer-than-average legs. Tis beautiful bay had three stellar gaits, and to my surprise his movement was so big and uphill that everyone thought he was at least 17 hands. One local horse person watching me ride him from a distance later asked me if he was 18 hands! And then it dawned on me. Bigger isn’t necessarily better. In fact, if this 16.2 hand project horse was actually 17.2, his gaits would have been very difficult to manage under saddle. It was time to reevaluate my priorities for my next horse. In this issue of Warmbloods Today, we have some interesting examples of where smaller horses shine. One of our
features gives insight into the German Riding Ponies—a breed that is gaining momentum here in America, especially for the smaller adult amateurs. Also the mare featured in this issue’s Conformation Corner is unusually small for a top event horse standing at a mere 15.2 hands. As you may have noticed, due to sheer economics this is our smallest issue of WT. As a result, we’ve worked harder
than ever to make sure the issue is jam-packed with interesting features. And haven’t we always been taught that quality, not quantity, is what really counts? Okay, it’s hard to deny that sometimes bigger is better, especially when it comes to paychecks and chocolate cake. But when it comes to sport horses, quality will always outshine the rest. Size really doesn’t matter.
Liz Cornell, Publisher
Our Mission: Warmbloods Today is the only magazine in North America focused on the entire spectrum of Warmblood breeds. It’s a place where people from all aspects of the sport horse community can come together: amateurs, owners, trainers and breeders. Each issue contains interesting, informative and often heart-warming stories of peoples’ experiences with their horses, along with thought-provoking opinions from various professionals and amateurs. We cover all horses from European descent bred for the sports of jumping, dressage, eventing and driving including the Iberian breeds and American Warmbloods.
8 July/August 2010
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