We all know the endless virtue of the Sport Horse, but of much more importance
is the LEISURE HORSE. How I was introduced to this concept bears recounting as
it illustrates how arrogance is often attributed to the ignorant!
I was at Cavan for an international jumping show with 2 International Horses and
a good Novice (now called "GLASGOW" jumping for USA Teams). I got into
conversation with a Swiss Dealer who was staying in the same hotel. He, it
transpired, was in Ireland buying horses. I had not bought an Irish horse for 20
years preferring to go to Holland. I admonished this dealer, saying his Irish
trip would not provide the athletic specimens to be found nearer his home.
I was about to be educated as to the unique attributes of the horses of Ireland,
particularly the Irish Draught. (This is all the more shameful as I am IRISH!)
He said he would buy 10 horses for £5000 each, take them back to Switzerland
where he had a waiting list for all 10 to be sold for £10,000. He enthused that
Irish Draught Horses had a very forgiving nature, they put up with the
inadequacies of very novice riders who were barely in one part of the saddle
long enough to give any aids and still managed to carry them around a course of
jumps.
Furthermore when confused by a multitude of conflicting instructions they did
not bolt, frightening the “BE JESUS” out of their hapless riders. (This phrase
has no German or French equivalent, but seemed to carry the same impact for his
continental customers as he pronounced it with great relish!)
I had also wondered why Rich Fellows, the American international rider, was
there with a troop of uninspired riders who were trying an endless supply of
horses. They were also searching for LEISURE HORSES, not international
performers of the future.
I formulated the title LEISURE HORSE to describe these horses, the market for
which must exceed that for Sport Horses several hundred times over and yet they
have not received the acclaim they deserve. I took the concept back to my
committee of the Scottish Sport Horse suggesting we have two categories of
Sports Horse, i.e. Competition and Leisure. No one had any enthusiasm for my
suggestion, as they were only attracted to breeding future Olympic Champions.
The IRISH DRAUGHT HORSE SOCIETY is uniquely placed to corner the market in
Leisure Horses. You represent the only Breed in the World that can genuinely
claim to be a true Leisure Horse, having the asset of being a dual purpose
Breed. People have been searching for the Leisure Horse for years, but you
already have it.
The Irish Draught Horse is sane and easy to train, with an endless supply of
patience. Their calm nature makes them safe enough for even the most nervous of
riders. You seem to spend so much energy promoting the part bred as a Sport
Horse, when everybody already knows the attributes of these horses. You should
concentrate on promoting the virtues of the Pure Bred Irish Draught. Stop trying
to force them into being something they are not, and rejoice in what they are.
Every year many colts are born who are gelded at 6 months or thereabouts. These
geldings are like gold dust and should be treated as such and the first step
would be to grade them as LEISURE HORSES.
This could be organised to take place at your colt inspections. Charge a nominal
fee and have these geldings, (and even non-breeding mares), ridden before your
inspection panel with the addition of a respected ridden judge. They could do a
small test and then they could be awarded Bronze, Silver and Gold accordingly.
The emphasis must be on TEMPERAMENT and WILLINGNESS TO WORK, rather than good
looks. These “tests” would be fun and informative for the owners, and would have
the result of “proving” the stallions and the mares. They could be given the
corresponding rosettes, and have their passports endorsed. They should then be
encouraged to come back in future years to be upgraded. Think of the revenue.
Think of the goodwill, and think of the opportunities for selling these horses.
You could have an annexe to your Register, purely for Leisure Horses and these
could be pure or part bred.
Your Inspections would then become a spectator event, as you would attract
buyers as well as interested Members. This would give you more fund raising
opportunities and a chance for some real P.R.
The Irish Draught Horse Society (GB) could organise some non-competitive events,
trail rides, long distance rides, treasure hunts etc, to raise the profile of
this fabulous animal which would also raise funds for a worthwhile Breed Society
to preserve part of our heritage.
If your Council takes up this challenge I have many thoughts on how you could
develop this idea. JOHN MANSFIELD Chairman, Scottish Sport Horse.
John Mansfield is the Chairman of the Scottish Sport Horse Breeders. He
attended the Artificial Insemination Course in November 2002, where he met two
Members of the IDHS(GB). After an excellent dinner and more than a few glasses
of red wine, the following article was composed. The Members thought that it was
inspired and John was persuaded to put the whole thing in writing.
So, what do you think?
• Do you agree with John’s evaluation of the Irish Draught Horse?
• Would you like to see these Pure Bred Geldings (and non breeding Mares) graded
as Leisure Horses?
• Do you think it would work if we had these gradings at the Colt Inspections?
• What sort of events would you like to see for this category of horse?
• Where would you like them to be?
These are just a few of the questions to which we would like some feed back from
you. Read the article a couple of times and then get typing! We need your input
to ensure that whatever we organise is something that you really want.
Last Updated Wednesday, September 26 2007 @ 10:50 PM BST; 1,485 Hits
We all know the endless virtue of the Sport Horse, but of much more importance
is the LEISURE HORSE. How I was introduced to this concept bears recounting as
it illustrates how arrogance is often attributed to the ignorant! 