Do you ride "Mad One" or the "Amateur's Dream"? Illustration by Lindsey Kahn.
Horse & Hound recently published a list of six different types of event horses that can typically be found at events around the world. Going through the list, I could tick off a couple on my mental list of rides. The Amateur’s Dream? Done. The Mad One? Most definitely. Downgraded four-star horse? I wish.
While we have all ridden our fair share of these type of horses, I’m sure we can all agree that they each have something to teach us. Maybe it’s to teach us that dressage can actually be fun or that riding a difficult and tense (i.e. mad) horse can be rewarding when you reach a breakthrough. No matter what, I’m sure there are even more types of event horses to be found that the list doesn’t mention. Weigh in, EN — what types would you add to the list?
Here is the full list of event horse types from Horse & Hound:
1. The double clear jumper
He hates dressage — possible because he’s not best suited to it physically, possibly because his brain’s already on the cross-country course — but always jumps a speedy double clear. His rider’s heroes are Midnight Dazzler and Opposition Buzz (see, improvement is possible) and their greatest ambition is to win the Glentrool Trophy (for biggest rise up the leader board after dressage at Badminton).
2. The perfect FEI pony
He’s been to the past 6 pony Europeans with 4 different riders from 3 different nations and won 8 medals. He’s a mother’s dream because he’s the safest possible conveyance over solid fences, while also being fast, careful show jumping and a star in the dressage arena. Unfortunately most can only dream of owning him, because despite his advancing years, he has a price tag which makes him, pound for pound, the most expensive equine on the planet.
Head on over to Horse & Hound to see all the types of event horses.
