I have a lot of years riding hunters, but have found my real love in dressage. I have an excellent trainer with an excellent school horse (he's not quite a schoolmaster, but he's working on it). My current ride is an OTTB hunter. He tolerates dressage, barely. He'll never be the GP horse I want, so I'm in the market for something new. My trainer feels, and I agree, that I should buy a young horse to move up the levels with. I know that's a long road and I'm not as patient as I should be. When I actually read through the tests, however, I find I'm not in such a big hurry. (Dressage hard! Make me feel like dumb caveman!)
I'd like to hear what all of you have to say about this journey. What was your first dressage horse like? Is there anything you would do differently? Are there any selection criteria you overlooked or regretted?