From the Ground Up: Developing the Next Generation of U.S. Bred Horses

Nice horses are not just bred, they are made, or they are unmade. And we need to understand that. No matter its bloodlines, a horse needs to be developed, trained, and conditioned to live up to its potential. By the same token, if a horse is not developed, or developed badly, that horse cannot reach its potential, no matter its raw talent. The U.S. horse industry talks about wanting to improve the bloodlines in this country, but we need to change that conversation. The problem is not the quality of horses we are producing, the quality is there, the problem is shaping the potential into real talent. There are more and more breeders in the U.S. producing athletic, modern sport horses with good brains, but, and there is a big but here, where do those young horses go to be developed? Why are so many American buyers still going to Europe to buy show-ready horses? If I were to put it in a single sentence, it would be this: the U.S. lacks the infrastructure for young horses.

Now let me clarify something, when I say infrastructure, I mean the venues, professionals, and systems that are made for, and focus on, young horses. Let’s start with the venues. Venues include shows, but I am really reaching beyond that. Not all horses bred in the U.S. are going to be show horses. In fact, most horses will never step foot in a show ring, but those horses still need off-property experience. The U.S. needs more venues where young horses can school a jump course, ride in a large group, ride through people on foot, and really, gain life experiences that don’t happen at home. Now, if we focus on horses destined for the show ring, there are problems there as well. I will put this out there for those of you who have never forked-over an entire paycheck to go to a rated show, but everyone should know that showing is EXPENSIVE. No matter what discipline, no matter how old your horse is, showing can cost you an arm-and-a-leg. On top of that, the vast majority of show venues are not exactly welcoming to young horses. Warm-ups are crowded, courses, tests and classes can be too challenging or technical for most 2 to 5-year-olds, and let’s not forget getting the stink- eye when your baby has a meltdown at the in-gate. There are a few bourgeoning shows and venues in the U.S. that focus on showcasing young horses. There is the USEA Young Event Horse Program (YEH), the Young Horse Show Series (YHS), and the USHJA Young Jumper Championships, but that is to name a few in a field of even fewer. While we are fortunate to have the venues we do, the options are still too few and too far between to create a network that allows an amateur or professional to give their young horse miles and experience affordably.

Next, let’s talk about the professionals. Many owners and breeders will tell you they are having a hard time finding trainers for their young horses. In some parts of the country where finding professionals is nearly impossible, owners are often forced to send their young horses to anyone who will take them, often with a “just get it over with” mentality. When young horses are sent off to someone, anyone, who is willing to do the dangerous, painstaking, and underappreciated task of starting it under saddle, the outcomes from such training can be less than ideal. Starting young horses from the ground up requires a unique set of skills, and quite honestly, just because someone can teach lessons, jump a 3’6” course, or school a lead change, does not mean they have the skills to start a young horse. They are by

no means mutually exclusive, and some professionals can absolutely do both, however they are separate skill sets. So why is the U.S. not producing more world-class show horses? Simple. We do not have enough professionals in this country who have the skills, experience, or desire to correctly start young horses.

The last piece here, the “systems”, is by far the most abstract, but maybe the most important. In the broadest sense, the U.S. lacks a standard way, or system, for raising, housing, training, showing, and selling young horses. The U.S. has systems for adult horses that makes owning, selling, and showing them pretty straightforward. Nearly all boarding facilities accept adult horses. There are tens-of-thousands of shows from local schooling shows to national and international shows, that are made for adult horses. There are uncounted numbers of trainers, associations, clubs, vets, farriers, and activities, all of which are familiar with, and geared toward, adult horses. Now, when we try to put young horses in this system it falls apart. Many boarding farms do not have the facilities or staff that can deal with rambunctious, accident-prone babies that are still learning to lead. And if you are raising a stud colt? Forget it, you will have an incredibly hard time finding somewhere to stable, train, or show him. Even before a young horse is started under saddle, it needs to be taught ground manners, how to stand to be bathed and clipped, how to load, and the list goes on and on.
How many professionals offer that as a service? So, if someone buys a weanling or yearling, how many options will they have for that horse’s next four years? Or if someone buys an un- started young horse, how many well-qualified, proven trainers are within 30 miles of them? How many of their local associations or clubs will have days or events that are made for young horses? I hope my point here is clear. There is no country-wide system for housing, educating, and developing young horses, and it makes turning potential into talent, costly and complicated.

The conversation has to change. Instead of saying “How can we breed better horses here at home?”, we need to ask, “How can we better support the horses that have been bred here?” We are lucky however, because we have pieces of this system already in place. All we need to do is build them into a cohesive whole. We have some show series and some venues that are made for young horses; we just need more of them. We have professionals in this country that start young horses well, we just need more of them. We need to spotlight the individuals who do this work and bring this underappreciated aspect of training to the forefront of more conversations. The U.S. needs incentives, training, and support for up-and- coming trainers to work with young horses. And lastly, we need to take these pieces and make them systematic. Make it so it is just as easy for an amateur to buy, stable, train, and show a yearling colt as it is for them to buy, stable, train, and show a 10-year-old gelding. We have the raw material; all we need is to build the infrastructure. If the U.S. wants to produce exceptional horses, we need to development them from the ground up.