“You have to have a horse that can move. When you go to Europe, every single horse is at least an ‘8’ mover.”
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nothing not to like about Royal Tribute. “His temperament is low-key, almost an old soul type,” he explains. “Things don’t get him all that rattled. In the dressage he was nervous, but when you watch the video, you can’t tell. He’s probably 17.2 and very leggy, so he has to learn where his legs are at all times in the jumping, but it’s clicked in the past couple of months. For being this size and not doing much in his four-year-old year, he doesn’t have as much strength as he will. But he shows a lot of potential.” Tamra says that Cinco has a fantastic gallop and a
great jump, and he’s also very scopey as well as calm and easygoing. “Every time I’ve asked him to do something he’s stepped up to the plate,” she says. “He’s very smart and willing and has a good attitude; he hasn’t once been naughty. Obviously that can change, so who knows, but so far he has been easy. It’s been a nice change because I don’t think there’s another horse that I sit on who’s easy!”
The Future of Warmbloods in Eventing The format of eventing has undergone changes over the years, most recently to the CIC, or “short format” three-day event with the elimination of the steeplechase. The new format lends itself to better-moving Warmbloods and has a different focus on speed and endurance, which used to be longer and lent itself more to Thoroughbred-type horses, but now favors sport horse breeding. “I do think the Warmbloods are going to play a role in
the future of eventing,” says Doug. “I don’t think it’s the silver bullet—I think a good-moving Thoroughbred can also do well—but Warmbloods have raised the bar in dressage and jumping. They’re better movers and stronger in general. If you can find a horse that has the Warmblood influence but the endurance of the Thoroughbred, I think that is the answer.” He says that a horse like Tribute is just about his ideal.
“The beauty of it is that he could be competitive in straight dressage and, given the time, in the jumping as well,” Doug says. “His highest dressage score is about a 26 and he’s scored as low as a 17 [Note: in eventing the lower the score, the better.] He’s pretty spectacular, and I think the Warmblood influence helps us out a lot.” Doug and Kristin have had so much fun with Royal
Tribute that they are talking about syndicating him so that they can do it again with another young horse. “It’s a lot of fun and it’s very rewarding,” says Kristin. “I don’t have children so they’re like my children—it’s exciting to watch them grow and see what they’ll be when they grow up.” As Doug points out, there is still room for
Right: Both Royal Tribute and Corneel in their victory gallop. Photo by Shannon Brinkman
28 January/February 2012
Thoroughbred blood, and often a Warmblood/Thorough- bred cross produces the ideal event horse. Kelli mentions that Corneel has a fair amount of Thoroughbred in his breeding, as do most of her horses—at least 65%, she says. But as Kelli points out, not all Thoroughbreds are the same either. “If you go back in time and look at the horses that
have excelled in the top levels of eventing, they have a fair amount of Warmblood in them,” she says. “All shapes and sizes of horses have excelled in this sport. It’s just my opinion that the American Thoroughbreds are bred for racing and just aren’t built to hold up. They don’t have the same abilities that Thoroughbreds bred for sport in other countries do. I don’t think it’s really Thoroughbred versus Warmblood. Other than Neville Bardos (a Thoroughbred ridden by Boyd Martin), most of the top horses in the world right now have some Warmblood in their breeding. I think with the crossbred you get temperament, movement and jump from the Warmblood side and the Thoroughbred blood gives you heart and the gallop.” Tamra Smith reasons, “You have to have a horse that
can move. When you go to Europe, every single horse is at least an ‘8’ mover. If you don’t have that, you can finish the event on your dressage score but you still won’t be in the top ten overall. No matter what kind of horse you have, they have to have the movement. I’d say that’s why you see Warmbloods in eventing these days.” Like Doug, Tamra says that it’s her horse’s all-around ability that makes him stand out from the crowd. “Cinco could be an equitation horse, do hunters, jumpers or dressage, and that’s really what you need in eventing now, one that could do whatever discipline you choose.” Of course you have to consider “nature versus nurture,”
and anything can happen with horses. However if things go well and these horses achieve the potential that the judges think they have, in the future there will be even more Warmbloods in the upper levels of the sport of eventing.
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