The Speed Factor In today’s jumper arena, the time allowed makes the differ-
ence between a clear round and prize money. Course designers, limited in obstacle dimensions, use the time on course to separate competitors. There- fore rideability is crucial in tight turns. “The horses make the time by being super efficient on the turns. You have to be on the inside track everywhere. On course, you don’t have time to pick a second distance,” Patrick explains. With breeders’ trying to produce for an evolving sport,
Jaclyn describes a young Selle Français she’s competing,
“Any of those good French bloodlines, of which there are many — it’s a good cross.”
Ray notes he’s seeing a shift back to the Thoroughbred type. “Now the environments are very much controlled, meaning very flat surfaces, very controlled footing. We’re not dealing with undulating fields with big scopey courses anymore,” he explains. “You need a careful, fast horse now, which is a little more what the Thoroughbred always was, and the endurance and stamina. So I see a little bit of a shift in the type. I say that in a general sense.” “The times are getting so precise now in our sport. It’s all amazing and wonderful to see, in the one-hundredths of a second time differences. You’re not going to get that done in a very heavy horse that dwells in the air,” he adds, noting the top-tier horses have to be extremely careful, fast, light and quick. “The breeders have really figured out how to lighten up
the horse, to modernize the horse,” says Patrick. “You’re just seeing more and more ‘blood’ horses.” “I like horses where the motherlines have a little Thor-
oughbred in there,” Neil says, mentioning Belgian Warm- blood and the Selle Français specifically. “In Holsteiner breeding, you have a lot that go back to Thoroughbreds, such as Cottage Son and Ladykiller. I think the cross is very good.” About the successes of the Belgian Warmblood, he says,
“They are not opposed to using a Belgian stallion with a French mother, which is a good mix in my opinion. Any of those good French bloodlines, of which there are many— it’s a good cross.” Susan agrees about horses with blood. “In the modern
sport horse world, everything has gotten so competitive and very fast in the jump-offs that the old-fashioned colder types are not as desirable anymore. It’s hard to be fast enough to make the time, unless you have a fast horse.” Patrick also prefers modern horses. “As the sport
progresses, the time allowed is getting tighter, the jump- offs are getting quicker and the jumps are getting lighter. It’s not very often now that you see the old-fashioned, big- jumping, slow horses. They can jump any track in the world, but they’re not going to win a ribbon.” He mentions his mare, Veronica (Verdi x Elmshorn), who
is 55 percent Thoroughbred. “I have blood taken at the beginning of the year to check. She has so much red blood cell count—a high red blood cell count. In the Open Prix jump-off, she came out of the ring and wasn’t even puffing.”
Venus de Gue (Cap Kennedy 2 x Quaprice Bois Margot), as a good example of how show jumpers have evolved. “She is a very hot Thoroughbred type and she’s very French. They are more modern show jumpers in the sense that they are very light on their feet and not big and heavy,” she says. Those two mares exemplify the jumpers that riders want and breed- ers now supply. “Everybody now has
a common goal, to breed a modern horse,” summarizes Wilhelm. “The sport has gotten so careful and fast, that you have to have the athletic ability and the speed.”
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Warmbloods Today 29
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