Stock Horses & Crosses in Dressage?

Question
I have been reading a bit about using stock horses in Dressage into the upper levels.  http://www.quarterhorsedressage.com has some nice studs in their links section.  What is your opinion about American stock breeds competing at the upper levels?  Can it be done without spending a small fortune, like I would on a warmblood prospect?

Answer
Hello there !

I am a huge promoter of the quarter horse being used for any discipline, but especially dressage as I am an appendix breeder and that is my chosen discipline.  I focus on breeding a sound and talented, yet reasonably priced horse that people can go through the levels with.

As far as using paints, quarter, or anything else for dressage, personally I don't see any reason why not.  My mare (and dam of my stallion) was successful into the upper levels scoring in the 70's and able to be competitive with warmbloods in recognized shows.  She showed into fourth level, and could have gone on except for a freak accident in which she flipped over injuring her stifles, making upper level work difficult causing her retirement.  Her son (an appendix) is a promising young prospect which I believe could go through Prix St Georges.  It really depends on the horse, how it moves, and it's attitude in general.  If the horse enjoys the work, I see no reason to not use a stock breed horse for dressage.  

However, there are some difficulties which you may experience in dealing with stock breeds for dressage.  They naturally have a heavier lower neck build, so it is more of a challenge to teach them to go round properly, as they have a larger muscle mass in the underside of their neck than most warmbloods.  Also, they can be more difficult to collect as many have a downhill conformation.  Warmbloods in general are built for the job making them the preferred breed, but as I said a carefully chosen quarter horse or paint could be just as competitive.  There has even been a successful appaloosa, so look for what you want in a horse, take an experienced person with you, and you may find a horse to teach you nicely.

However, once horses get a good amount of training on them (ie are proven at third level and above and winning consistently) it really doesn't matter what breed it is, you can expect to pay a fair amount for a schoolmaster of any breed.  

In general, the initial cost of purchase will most likely be less than a warmblood, however, the amount you put into training will be equal and possibly greater.  Frankly I believe that imported horses from Europe are over rated.  I believe there are enough nicely bred horses in the states that there is no need to import horses (unless you are looking for a schoolmaster - then may need to look elsewhere).  However, that is solely my opinion.  

Best of luck with whatever type of horse you choose.  Enjoy  it and the wonderful world of horses.