Sport Horse Training
Sport Horse Training
A sport horse is a type of horse used for English and Olympic riding styles, which are considered sports. While a sport horse can be nearly any breed, the Thoroughbred and the Warmblood are the most common breeds used for sport horse training. Most people have heard about a Thoroughbred horse, but not everyone knows what a Warmblood horse is. Horse-person terms call horses according to three types based on their temperament: hot-blooded, warm-blooded and cold-blooded. A Thoroughbred would be considered a hot-blooded horse while a draft horse is considered cold-blooded.
What is a Warmblood Horse?
A Warmblood horse is any horse that has a temperament between that of a hot-blood and cold-blooded horse. In the United States, a Warmblood horse typically results from the breeding of hot- and cold-blooded parents. There are a few specific Warmblood breeds such as the Holsteiner, Hanoverian and Selle Francais. Although in the original European context, Warmblood refers to a type of horse and not a specific breed.
What is a Good Sport Horse?
Before you start sport horse training you need to make sure you choose a horse that will make a good sport horse. Sport horses are often used for a variety of sports including dressage, eventing, show jumping, combined driving and hunter-jumper. This means that your ideal sport horse will need to have the physical and temperamental characteristics that can be beneficial to these types of riding. Consider some of the ideal qualities you want in a horse you are choosing for sport horse training.
First, the idea sport horse training candidate should have a sloping shoulder, turned-over neck, uphill build, good musculature and correct leg angles. You want a horse that has strong muscles and powerful hindquarters, but they should also have long legs and a graceful neck that can easily bend and flex.
When it comes to movement you want a horse that has a long and athletic stride. The ideal candidate for sport horse training will have the natural ability to collect or push themselves forward with their hind legs up under their body rather than pulling by the front legs.
Then there is the horses jumping ability. You want a horse with tight lower legs and a nice, round back when they go over a jump. The horse should also have a confirmation that allows them to jump higher in order to be a successful sport horse.
Lastly, you want to consider the temperament of a horse when choose a sport horse training candidate. You don’t want a horse that is as temperamental as an Arab, but you want something that is a little more agile and outgoing than a Clydesdale. This is why the Warmblood makes the perfect sport horse since they are often willing to learn and easy to train, but don’t have a temperamental disposition.
When it comes to sport horse training there isn’t a particular breed that you need to have. Sport horse training can technically work for any breed, but in order to be successful you want to choose a breed that is better suited to the purpose than other breeds. In general the sport horse is going to be willing to learn, built for athletic competition and jumping and be able to move with a natural type suspension. By looking for these things in a horse you will be able to choose one that makes sport horse training easy. This is why it can be a good idea to observe a horse for a few days to see if it meets the ideal needs for a sport horse. Then it is only a matter of training them for the specific sport you want to compete in, in order to increase your odds of winning.