21/04/2025
𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫?
Once upon a time, horses were bred for versatility. They were the kind of animal that could go hunting on Saturday, take a novice around a riding club show on Sunday, and be hacked safely down the lane on Monday. They weren’t flashy, they weren’t “elite” but they were gold dust.
Now? That type is vanishing.
It’s getting harder and harder to find a genuine all-rounder. The schoolmasters we all learned on kind, sensible, educated types who could give their rider a safe, enjoyable experience are few and far between. Prices are soaring, availability is shrinking, and for the average rider? It’s becoming a real problem.
In recent years, breeding trends have taken a dramatic turn. The focus is now on producing horses with big movement, sharp minds, and scope to jump 1.60m. Warmbloods and continental lines dominate the sales lists. Irish Draught crosses, once the staple of the amateur rider, are less commonly bred. Instead, the market is saturated with sporthorses designed for a future at the top.
But here’s the reality, only around 3% of riders are professionals.
So why are 90% of horses being bred as if they're going to the Olympics?
Horses bred for elite competition don’t all make it. In fact, most of them don’t. And when they don’t? They don’t just disappear, they’re sold on, often to the amateur market. Dealer yards are packed with sharp, sensitive young horses bred for 1.60m but marketed to someone who just wants to pop round 80cm and hack out twice a week.
It’s a mismatch. And it’s a dangerous one.
These horses are often too much for the average rider, not because they’re badly trained or nasty, but because they were never bred to be easy. They were bred to be brilliant. And brilliance comes with fire.
Everyone is asking the same question: where are the safe, do-it-all horses?
They still exist, but they’re rare, and when you “do” find one, expect a five-figure price tag. Even riding schools are struggling to source reliable horses for their lesson programs. Young riders are being mounted on horses far too sharp for their stage. And in many cases, novice riders are being pushed toward ex-racehorses simply because they can’t afford anything else.
Which, ironically, often works out better than expected because thoroughbreds, for all their reputation, are frequently more rideable than a modern-day warmblood bred for explosive power. So which is something I’m glad about to see the rise of the TB again but issue is a novice buying a off track TB because it’s “cheap”
And maybe here’s the real question, is the problem with the horses being bred? Or is it with the riders trying to ride them? Or, more likely… is it both?
We’re in a strange place where horses are getting sharper, more sensitive, and bred for athletic brilliance. while riders are getting less educated, less experienced, and more reliant on shortcuts. Time in the saddle is down. Lessons are seen as optional. And when things go wrong, instead of going back to basics, people go bit shopping. That combination is a recipe for trouble.
Let’s talk about labels, too. The term “spicy” is now being thrown at everything. Even Connemaras, one of the most reliable native breeds in the world, are being called “too sharp” by riders who perhaps need better foundations, not quieter horses.
We’ve reached a point where anything forward-thinking, opinionated, or clever is seen as dangerous. But horses haven’t changed our ability to ride and educate them has.
If you don’t think this is happening, scroll through your social media. Go through the endless “ISO” posts begging for a safe, sane all-rounder for under €10k. Read the DMs sitting in my inbox, desperate messages from riders who can’t find anything suitable that doesn’t come with a hefty price tag or fire-breathing temperament. Watch the young, genuinely committed riders trying to school ( which is rare) their warmbloods quietly, often being overwhelmed by sensitivity, tension, and reactivity that wasn’t designed for the everyday rider in the first place.
This isn’t a niche problem. It’s a tidal wave.
The demand is there. Riding schools, pony clubs, riding clubs, grassroots eventers, leisure riders, older riders, novice riders, they all want the same thing: a horse that’s safe, fun, and rideable. Not a Grand Prix prospect. Just something sane.
And this isn’t a short-term trend. It’s not going to change in four years when the current foals are backed. The need for reliable, rideable horses will still be there. So why aren’t more breeders producing for that market?
If we keep going this way, breeding narrowly for top-end competition, ignoring the needs of the vast majority, we’re setting ourselves up for a future where horse ownership becomes unsustainable for everyday riders.
Fewer people will ride. Confidence will be lost. Horses will be sold on and on through unsuitable homes. And the pool of horses that can safely introduce new riders to the sport will continue to shrink until it’s almost gone.
It’s simple. We need to start valuing the ordinary horse again.
We need breeders to realise that not every foal has to be destined for five-star. That a kind temperament, good brain, and willingness to learn are “just” as valuable, sometimes more so than a massive jump or floaty trot.
We need to breed for riders who ride after work. Riders who want to enjoy their horses, not survive them. Riders who are in this for love not medals.
Because if we don’t? We’ll lose the joy, the accessibility, and the future of the horse world altogether.
