[elbowcreekfarm]

I have this mare that is trained for western pleasure and hunt seat. I was wondering if she would make a good prospect for dressage. She is 15.3H and good build. to see pics of her go to http://elbowcreekpaintsandquarterhor...=55406482&cr=6 to view pics of her.

[CowGirlUp1833]

All horses can benefit from dressage training and all can do at least lower levels of competitive dressage. Some horses may never excell at it (just like my Trakehner gelding would never excell at Western Pleasure hahah!) but that doesn't mean you won't have fun trying it out!

I don't see this particular horse excelling in the higher levels, but I've seen some horses with similar build pull some respectable scores in Intro/Training. However, you HAVE to get them foward....a WP jog won't cut it under a judge

If you are looking for a horse specifically to show dressage, I'd probably keep looking. But if you just want to dabble and have fun, why not? She sounds like a nice, versitle mare

[elbowcreekfarm]

well i already own this horse and have someone interested in her who wants to do the dressage, but i don't want to say well yes she can do it and be wrong. lillie can run a barrel like no tomorrow as well as her western pleasure and huntseat. i have done alot with this mare, trails, barrels, pole bending, western pleasure, huntseat, trail classes, and i do know that she jumps.

[CowGirlUp1833]

Okay, thanks for the clarification.

I am train horses and riders for competitive dressage professional. I would not advise my clients to purchase this particular horse for that purpose... If they were more inclined to just study dressage at home and ride for pleasure, or if they wanted to do multiple sports, including something like gaming or trails, then I would look into it further.

Does that help?

[elbowcreekfarm]

okay that is much better. can i ask what features of her cause you to not want to suggest her for dressage? i only ask so that i can fully explain this to the lady. i don't like to have a answer with out reason, if you know what i mean. i don't want this lady to buy the horse if the horse isn't going to work out in the discipline that she is going to pursue.

[CowGirlUp1833]

Well, conformationally, this mare just isn't build for it. Just like my big warmblood wouldn't make it as a Western Pleasure or barrel horse. As I said, ANY horse can perform basic dressage movements, but to excell competitively, it really takes a horse with a conformation suited to the sport... here is some more info that may be helpfull;

http://www.tvda.org/conformation.htm
Here is a good diagram of desirable conformation for a dressage horse. As you can see, this is quite different then a stock-type horse....

An except from this site: http://www.eques.com.au/dressage/jan...sage_horse.htm

Most dressage movements are performed from the hind quarters, so it is very important that these are sound and powerful. Other important conformation points are slope of shoulder and pastern, and ‘uphill’ build, and a long slightly sloping croup. A horse possessing these conformation traits are likely to find it easier to perform high level dressage movements (with correct training), whilst maintaining soundness over the number of years it takes to achieve this.

Another good article: http://behindthebit.blogspot.com/200...formation.html

A dressage horse needs to have a lot of forward reach from the shoulder -- out rather than up. A laid back shoulder provides the freedom to extend the forelegs. It is also desirable in dressage because it places the wither farther back, and thus puts the rider further back, over the horse's center of gravity. As with jumpers, dressage horses should have a long humerus. This increases the horse's ability to move the elbow away from the torso either toward the front or to the side, as in a half-pass. In a dressage horse, a long forearm will help to make the uphill build that is so critical to dressage. Extra length in the forearm and shorter cannon bones are advantageous for height and soundness.

Both the jumper and the dressage horse will need a high neck set. The dressage horse tends to havea shorter, more upright neck than the jumper -- the neck rises out of the withers at an angle that is close to 45 degrees. A long neck is not needed as a counterbalance (e.g., over the top of the fence), and it can actually make for a more difficult ride. While a longish neck is undeniably beautiful, it is not necessary, and horses can use a long neck to evade the aids.

The hindquarters are similar to the jumping horse overall. A critical feature for both dressage and jumping horses is to have the lumbosacral (LS) joint directly over the point of hip. This maximizes the power of the hind leg by making the most of the LS region's rotation. The LSJ is the only point of the vertebral column that allows significant amounts of flexion and extension. Dressage horses tend to have a longer femur (point of buttock to stifle) and shorter, more level ilium (point of hip to point of
buttocks) when compared to jumpers; their hip angles form a "7" where the downward stroke is the femur. They have a more open angle from ilium to femur, and while the stifle should be low, this is not as critical for the dressage horse. Dressage horses will tend to to have a straighter hock, as it will require less effort to close the joint angles and collect.

and 2 other good articles from the same site:
http://www.jwequine.com/pdf/conforma...1-dressage.pdf
http://www.jwequine.com/pdf/Conformation-Dressage.pdf



Hope this helps some!

[elbowcreekfarm]

thanks alot, that definitly helps. one more questions, just for my own curiosity, i was talking to someone and they said reining is alot like dressage. what is you opinion on that? like i said for my own curiosity.

[CowGirlUp1833]

I do believe reining is a lot like dressage, and I have a lot of respect for reiners. (And, they are a blast to ride too!) However, they do require a different type of build. I'm FAR from a reining expert, but if you look at the conformation of top reiners vs. top dressage horses, the conformation is quite different. I don't know what the result of crossing over would be - that would be an interesting experiement; taking a reiner into the dressage court and a dressage horse into the reining arena!!

I found this....

http://www.network68.com/Pets/Article/200901/36502.html

[elbowcreekfarm]

well that is what i am learning is the reining and my trainer made that comment and it kinda started to make me think. it is something that has never crossed my mind. and with you being a dressage trainer and rider i figured it would be cool to hear it from the other side point of view. thanks alot for all the info.

[CowGirlUp1833]

Originally Posted by elbowcreekfarm

well that is what i am learning is the reining and my trainer made that comment and it kinda started to make me think. it is something that has never crossed my mind. and with you being a dressage trainer and rider i figured it would be cool to hear it from the other side point of view. thanks alot for all the info.

It is a very interesting thought, for sure! We should get pictures from both dressage riders and reiners and compare conformation! I think that could be a really fun and informative discussion!