 |
[RC] driving Arabians - JonniKat posted: >>>There are some Saddlebred afficianados who put Saddlebreds in harness and will use them for such; however, there are people who put arabian horses in harness too, despite the fact that neither of these breeds had ability as a harness horse as part of their selection criteria (and hard core drivers have a tendency to steer clear of them:)).<<< Arabians typically, do not have the neck, chest, shoulder conformation to be as suitable as competitive carriage horses, as other breeds. (I am not talking going around in circles in an arena for 20 min. in a show) But, as there are individuals in any breed, that can do well in most any horse sport, there have been many Arabians to be VERY competitive in Combined Driving Events. (for those unfamiliar, they are like 3 day eventing, with carriages, obstacles instead of jumps) Some of the "hard core" drivers back east, where the sport is much more popular and common, have indeed chose Arabians, and Arabian crosses. Because I like Arabians, that is the breed I have used for Combined Driving, and had a gelding that could play with the "big boys" and hold his own. My current driving horse, has decided he has issues with pushing into the breast collar. This is probably part of the conformation issues of Arabians in general, that make it difficult for some to "push" the carriage. (I know we say pull, but really, they push the harness, with their chest.) I will try a full neck collar on him, before writing him off as a competitive driving animal. I think more of the 'hard core' drivers turn away from Arabians, as most have just not had experience with the breed. More and more are using larger warmbloods. Of course, Morgans have dominated the sport for years. And, there are probably more Arabians doing CDE type events that Saddlebreds. Not sure why, and had never really thought about it, but the Saddlebred numbers are just not as high at the events I have attended. Many use Standardbreds, and a few have been VERY successful, but often, the dressage section is difficult for some, as the horses (even trotters) often have a way of going that has the slightest pace like trot, that many judges just don't like, and many don't compete beyond the lower level events. Just my personal observations. Jonni =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|