POV
are the ‘tri-athletic type’ with the conformation and movement needed for the functional soundness re- quired of an upper-level event prospect. But what about the all important gallop? That comes later in the Young Event Horse classes. So what is the point, you may ask? You
may or may not know that your Warm- blood youngster is an athlete with horses in the third and fourth generations back that had to do well in all the components of their testing. Or else what? Quite sim- ply, the failures were not allowed in the breeding programs, and in many cases they were marketed to foreigners coming to buy!
that don’t make it in either the jumping or dressage spot- light. There eventing is merely another way to sell horses, not a breeding goal. Here in the United States and Canada, we do not have
The Thoroughbred Heraldik, the world- wide number one ranked sire of eventers 2009–2013 according to the WBFSH.
Eventing Pedigrees? So can the continental Warmblood studbooks specialize for event horses? If they have a good history of selecting and using the xx’s (Germany & France for example), the answer is yes. If they have the organization and manpow- er and money to do so (again Germany and France), again the answer is yes. If they’re power brokers and breeders and producers for jumpers and dressage horses, the an- swer is no. Here I’m specifically speaking of the KWPN and Holland. Breeders there are part of an amazing mar- keting machine. Event horses are merely those horses
the cultural machinery in place for this kind of marketing. But what we do have is top riders who know how to ride Thoroughbreds and how to ride those Warmbloods who have more of the Thoroughbred temperament. We also have many opportunities, offered by the USEA among others, to watch for eventing talent in our young stock with- out them performing in the “auction/ex- travaganza” pressure cooker of European horse marketing. As another decade is about to roll through the odometer, I’ve learned to
start all my horses (regardless of pedigree/goal/aptitude) within an eventing format. So far, they absolutely love it. Getting out, riding forward under a rider who loves doing the same, trying the jumps, and schooling dressage is a great basic education for any horse, regardless of his or her cookie-cutter-disciplined pedigree. I ask and challenge you to do the same, regardless of
your breeding goals. Who knows the perfect career for each horse that you’ve bred? What’s hiding in YOUR pasture? Basic eventing training is a great way to find out!
92 January/February 2014
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