# For Horse Enthusiasts (Dressage)



## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

So I am a horse enthusiast and I like to read up on the news, and have been following a little bit that the Romney's horse qualified for the Olympics in London. I don't have a ton of horse experience, especially not in dressage so I thought I'd look up what a top level dressage exhibition looks like. I also love the PRE Spanish horses (Pura Raza Espanola AKA Andalusian) and I came across a PRE in the 2010 World Horse Show in Kentucky. The horse's name is Fuego and I can see why! What a stunning stallion! It is my life's dream to own one. Apparantly part of the rider's jubilation is that it's been very difficult for the spanish horses to be accepted at the top level against the warmbloods, but I don't see why, especially with all the history behind them. Enjoy.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

It's never been a matter of them being accepted. They did't have the conformation for some of the upper level movements, until a few breeders started selecting specifically the same conformation the warmblood registries have been selecting for decades. Of course they were good for the Spanish School stuff, but usually had to be crossed with other warmbloods to get the whole package for Grand Prix level Dressage. There used to be no such thing as some of these PRE horses now, with just Spanish breeding.

We've been in horses a lot longer than Havanese.


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## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

Very interesting. Does this have to do with the fact that they have a lot of roundness and not as much extension and reach as the warmbloods? Again, amateur talking but I do know their bodies, at least the baroque variety are very round and known for "collection".


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Yes, the old school Spanish horses had straight shoulders, and couldn't do the big extensions with the front end. Very well built for collection, but not the whole GP package.


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## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

Here is the winning horse Totilas exhibition. To me he looks like his legs are made of pogo sticks. Is he bred to move like this and/or does this have to do with training?


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I didn't watch the video, but at the upper level there is no training beyond what the horse is capable of. The breeding has to be there to get to the upper levels. Any horse can do the first few levels, but there is no getting around the conformation, not only to do Grand Prix, but to be able to hold up during the years of training required.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Fascinating, beautiful, and fun to watch! But, I wonder how these horses would do for pure enjoyment of riding a trail in the mountains...? Probably wouldn't handle it?


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Yes, most live in stalls. We have one who is capable, but he lives out with the herd, and does fine on trails. He doesn't compete. 

Last night, when I was out in the pasture throwing hay out, there was a scuffle behind be, and I was a little trapped between the wheelbarrow and a hay ring. I was getting ready to turn around and grab onto the underneath of the horse's neck coming up behind me. This was in the dark. The first horse to me was Rasch. He got shoved up against me ever so slightly, but wasn't about to let the other horses make him run over me. They all realized their mistake and settled down immediately, but it's an experience I'll remember. I was very pleased and impressed with Rasch's reaction. He's a great horse in more ways than conformation. He's 16.2 and 1200 lbs. of pure muscle and would live in the house with us if we'd let him.


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## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

Very cool. Horse's are so intelligent and also mischievous if given the chance. I once was about to lead out a pony from her stall but she "pinned" me against the stall wall, and I am petite. Thankfully I didn't panic and was able to give her a big shove and that solved it. Also, a different pony inflated himself when I was tacking him up (to make his girth bigger than normal). When I put my weight on the stirrup I fell like a rock to the ground! I figured it out and made sure to walk him around after tacking and then tightening the cinch again. 

The horses at the highest levels of sport must be very fit and extremely well taken care of. Just a few weeks ago a grey arabian stallion (valued at 150k+) was doing a photo shoot (or something, can't remember) on the beach, but he spooked and went into the ocean. He was out at sea swimming for 3 hours with his tail wrapped around one hind leg before being caught and they said he survived because he was an athlete and did endurance racing.


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

Tom King said:


> ... He's 16.2 and 1200 lbs. of pure muscle and would live in the house with us if we'd let him.


Is he the big boy we met and the Twins got to ride?

He was absolutely gorgeous and gentle, they all were.


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## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

I've been looking more into this Totilas horse, apparantly there is a huge drama over the fact that he was sold to the Germans and now the new rider has ruined him. The horse hates this new rider and it shows. Their debut peformance was very bad and the others are lackluster as well. Very sad, arguably the best horse in the dressage world and showing that the horse-human connection is very important.

Totilas with Edward Gal (Netherlands)






Totilas with new rider Matthias Rath, horse looks confused and rider had to re-start performance


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Sheri said:


> Fascinating, beautiful, and fun to watch! But, I wonder how these horses would do for pure enjoyment of riding a trail in the mountains...? Probably wouldn't handle it?


It's like with race horses. Horses trained to this level have a finely tuned edge. They are also immensely valuable. So most people won't risk their legs on the trails. They also have too many "buttons" for the average person to ride.

But many high level dressage horses did their share of trail riding as young horses, and/or go back to it again after retirement.

I have trained horses up through 4th level (the level just below the international levels) and have had the priviledge of riding a few Grand Prix horses. Well trained ones are truly awesome.

The first one I ever got to sit on was one of the early imports into the U.S., and owned by Karen Stives, who later went on to win an individual silver medal in eventing. I was very young at the time and groomed for her. Coming from a Pony Club and eventing background, Karen believed that ALL horses benefitted from relaxing trail rides. After she worked Lago, I sometimes got to walk him cool on the trails around her property... BUT I wasn't to touch his mouth. That meant I learned very early to have an effective leg and seat. He wasn't as "hot" as a lot of modern warmbloods, though. By modern standards, he would have looked clunky and heavy. But he had a huge heart, and was very kind. I've ridden other high level horses since then, but I remember the feel of his powerful, swinging walk very clearly, because it was SO different from anything I'd sat on up until then.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Carefulove said:


> Is he the big boy we met and the Twins got to ride?
> 
> He was absolutely gorgeous and gentle, they all were.


Yes, that's him. He is one of our babies too.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

atsilvers27 said:


> I've been looking more into this Totilas horse, apparantly there is a huge drama over the fact that he was sold to the Germans and now the new rider has ruined him. The horse hates this new rider and it shows. Their debut peformance was very bad and the others are lackluster as well. Very sad, arguably the best horse in the dressage world and showing that the horse-human connection is very important.
> 
> Totilas with Edward Gal (Netherlands)
> 
> ...


There are few riders in the world with the talent of Edward Gal, and his partnership with Totilas was astounding. I think all of us Totilas fans were sorry to see the pair broken up. But it's not the first or last time that this has and will happen. Horses are not, alas, like dogs. Most of them change ownership at least a few times in their lives.

Rath is not the rider that Gal is, but even under the best of circumstances, it can take a long time to develop a working relationship with a horse. They did a much better job together at CDI Hagen... They still didn't look like Totilas and Gal together, but they had a deserved win with a clean ride. And Totilas looked MUCH more settled and content.


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