Trying to sell or promote a horse with good, normal gaits is still much harder. Many people are just fascinated by naturally enormous movers. But when you buy one, you want to make his life as easy as possible by thinking about the collecting ability if you're planning on moving up the levels. The last thing you want to do is take a horse that has physical and, perhaps, often mental problems with the training and try to force collection. It's much better to work with a prospect that has an easy, more natural, time with it.
Look at Olympic horses. A few are very big, strong, elastic movers. But the majority of them are not that huge in their gaits. What they do have is the power to engage and lift their bodies and stay in balance for piaffe, passage and pirouettes. I wish I'd known this earlier. Sometimes horses have it all--big gaits and good collecting ability--but they are hard to find, and when you do, they are very expensive.
Anne Gribbons is an FEI "O" judge, a USEF "S" dressage and sport horse breed judge. A native of Sweden, she has represented the United States in numerous competitions. In 1995, she was a member of the Pan American silver medal winning team on Metallic. She is on the USEF Dressage Committee and U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation National Advisory Board. With her husband, David, she operates Knoll Dressage, in Chuluota, Fla.
