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- Dressage sport horse breed classes provide an extraordinary opportunity to see a high concentration of quality young sport horses in an exciting and educational setting.
- Photo by Reg Corkum
European-bred horses seem to have been at the top of international dressage competition forever. While domestic breeders are fiercely determined to attract more buyers, their biggest obstacle is the sheer geographical size of their market. One way to overcome this hurdle is to encourage potential buyers to attend dressage sport horse breed shows. These events showcase some of the finest young horses in the United States, many of which are for sale.
Consider: Germany is 137,826 square miles; France, 211,208; the Netherlands, 53,000. The United States is 3,537,441 square miles and Canada is 3,844,907. Conservatively speaking, this is the biggest problem the U.S. breeder faces.
"The United States may indeed have a greater absolute number of quality breeders," remarks MaryLou Winn of Home Again Farm, "but we cannot, because of our size, provide a comparable density of candidate horses to the potential buyer."
Both U.S. buyers--and trainers--sometimes overlook the Cosequin®/U.S. Dressage Federation (USDF) Breeders Championship series as a resource. It consists of over 80 shows in 11 different regions, with entries ranging from just a few horses at small local shows to over 400 at the Dressage at Devon breed show. These shows provide an extraordinary opportunity to see a high concentration of quality young sport horses in an exciting and educational setting. Judges follow established guidelines, are specifically trained and licensed by the USDF for breed show judging and give a written commentary to the owner after every class.
Even more importantly, spectators can wander the barns and network with the breeders who will happily share their horse's evaluation if asked. Almost all breeders have additional horses for sale on their farms--some under saddle, some actively showing--all thoughtfully bred and carefully raised.
The USDF breed shows are different in concept and format from the traditional hunter breed shows that are familiar to many. Horses are scored 30 percent on conformation, 30 percent each on the quality of their walk and trot, and 10 percent on other--presentation and behavior. During the class, the handler enters the ring and stands the horse for a conformation inspection at A. After the judge evaluates the horse and dictates his or her comments to the scribe, the competitor moves off to walk the horse on the triangle (A-B-C-A) ; returning to the judge at A. Then, they trot the horse for a larger triangle (A-D-E-A) and may be asked to trot it twice.
In 2005, Chesapeake Equestrian Events (CEE) developed a show-specific, spiral-bound sales book to help breeders reach out to potential buyers that attend the shows. CEE was formed by Lori Kaminski in 2004. For more than five years, she has been the show secretary for the Dressage at Devon Breed Show--arguably the largest breed show in the in the United States with over 400 horses in 66 classes. The full-color sale book has room for detailed information on breeding, pedigree, show records and any descriptions.
"Every competitor, especially the breeder, receives two full pages--free of charge--in the sales book to list any horse they have for sale, whether in the show or on their farm," says Kaminski.
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- Chesapeake Equestrian Events' sales catalog listed breeding and sales information on horses competing at the 2005 Fair Hill show to help potential buyers find young dressage prospects.
- Photo courtesy of Lori Kaminski
The objective of the book is to get buyers to appreciate this huge, underutilized resource.
"Last year, at Fair Hill, there were almost 100 horses bathed, braided and clipped, looking their best and strutting their stuff. We have under saddle classes for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds. We have weanlings, yearlings, 2- and 3-year-old fillies, colts and geldings. And, while the preponderance of the entrants are dressage candidates, the breeders have many on their farms that are suitable for other disciplines. The show was extended in 2005 to two days in order to accommodate more under saddle participants. And in 2006 we hope to offer the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) 4-, 5- and 6-year-old dressage tests," says Kaminski.
Kaminski has worked with the U.S. sport horse breeding community for over 10 years. "They are a passionate group," she says. "And they have some very legitimate issues and frustrations. I have to give them a lot of credit, they keep on trying and working at it--competing with the Germans, Irish, Belgians and Dutch who've been at it for centuries. That's one of the reasons why I started my management company with breed shows. They are rapidly gaining in popularity and entries are skyrocketing."
