Is He a Good Dressage Prospect? How to Evaluate the Western Horse

So you’ve tried dressage, maybe even attended your first dressage show, and now you’re hooked. It’s one of the fastest growing events in equestrian sports, so you are not alone. When it comes to making the switch to dressage, not all horses are created equal. Some are better suited conformationally and in terms of “transferable skills,” than others. But if you’re in the market for a lower-level dressage horse and you don’t have an unlimited budget, you may find a physically and temperamentally suitable individual at a very reasonable price (especially by dressage-horse standards) - if you know which characteristics to look for and which ones to avoid. Here are some things to look for in a dressage horse.

Conformation is the first factor in determining whether a Western horse is likely to be able to switch to a dressage career. The horse must be built “uphill,” meaning that his withers must be higher than (or at least level with) his hindquarters. A “downhill” horse probably will have difficulty lightening his forehand and “sitting with his hindquarters”.

Movement is a second important factor. The horse should be as straight a mover as possible, preferably demonstrating overstride at the walk. (Watch his hoofprints as he walks freely forward in footing that’s soft enough for imprints to be visible. Look for where the hind hoof lands in relation to the front hoof on the same side. He should at least track into his front hoofprints; if he steps farther forward, that’s overstride.) If he can be convinced to overstride at the walk and shows some ability to extend his shoulder at the trot, he’s probably suitable for at least lower-level dressage work.

Breeding has some significance to a Western horse’s suitability because different breeds were developed for different purposes. The Quarter Horse, for example, was bred for short bursts of speed and for the quick starts and stops needed in working cattle. His conformation reflects his origins and may be at odds with dressage’s ideals. However, the Thoroughbred influence in the Quarter Horse breed - particularly the Appendix lineage (Appendix-registered Quarter Horses may be as much as seven-eighths Thoroughbred) - produces horses of size, substance, longer and smoother muscling, and longer length of stride. Though they aren’t built completely uphill, as warmbloods are, they have a good chance of developing the gaits needed for the lower levels of dressage.