Consistency of Product In Young Horses
Finding By Judy Wardrope
Europe certainly seems to be ahead of North America when providing a consistent product in terms of young sport horses under saddle. That doesn’t mean that the horses are necessarily more talented in Europe or that all horses are ideally started across the pond. There just tends to be more consistency in their training from stable to stable.
W
hen a rider or buyer tries a dozen three-year-olds with the same number of days under saddle in Europe—30, 60, 90 days or whatever—that rider
can expect very similar levels of training and responsiveness to the aids, making comparisons much easier. However, given the same age group and number of days under saddle, the rider or buyer is far more likely to encounter a wide range of responsiveness and levels of training in North American youngsters.
Contributing Factors Bart Henstra and Arie Hamoen, both KWPN inspectors from Holland, agree that the systems for the training and compe- tition progression of young horses in Europe are well estab- lished, though Bart adds, “The Dutch system is a bit more flexible than the German system.”
Proximity and popu-
KWPN inspectors Arie Hamoen (left) and Bart Henstra (right).
lation density make it possible for the European trainers of young horses to take their charges to numerous local and inex- pensive shows as part of their training progres- sion. In North America, that is seldom the case.
Mary Hazzard, who resides in the heart of horse country near Unionville, Pennsylvania and has been involved with event- ing and breeding for 50 years, says, “We are fortunate here in this area to have access to competitions, but, for most of North America, there’s lots of potential but limited opportu- nity because the countries are too large.” There are schools for learning horsemanship in many
European countries as well as testing and/or accredita- tion for various levels of riding and training. Trainers and/or riders who show talent with youngsters are encouraged and supported as integral within the industry in Europe. They can make a living as specialists in the training of young horses as well as in the preparation of sale horses and/or horses to be inspected by the various studbooks. “The European countries respect riding as a profession.
Here riding is seen as recreation, not an occupation,” Mary explains. “We do not have a depth of value for the horse industry here, no national studs, no mounted military any more. It makes me sad really. We should not have to go to Europe to buy a horse. [But] if there is no plan and no support, there is no result.” Both KWPN inspectors are encouraged by the desire for
improvement by the North American breeders they work with, but sometimes find themselves coaching the riders or handlers so that they can truly assess the qualities of the horses while on their keuring tours in the Americas, where trainers seldom specialize in starting or presenting young horses.
One System That Works As the old adage goes: it takes less time to do it right from the start than to correct it later, which is especially true with horses. If not started well, a young horse can quickly gradu- ate to the status of a problem mount. And if the North Ameri- can breeders have limited options for making their equine “products” consistent in training and comparable to their European counterparts, the problem is felt throughout the industry. Lower prices and fewer sales for breeders create a discernable ripple effect. Mary says that for North Americans, “The big question is:
where do you send a young horse to get properly started?” Julie Winkel of Maplewood Stables in Reno, Nevada, who competes, coaches and judges, faced the exact same
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