Remember The Thoroughbred Option - Eighteen
MERELY-A-MONARCH with Anneli Drummond Hay
When Bigger is Not Better - Eventing
STUDY SUCCESS!
Once again I’m mentioning some mighty atoms…this time from the Eventing world. NOT because small horses are right for all riders, but because they show that an inch or two smaller is not a disaster in terms of performance, even at elite level.
As we spread this message within the horse sport industry it will not be a disaster in the sale rings either. The bottom line for me is that a 16hh sport horse is currently undervalued and yet it has many advantages over a 16.3h horse.
All the horses mentioned today were successful at the highest level, however smaller horses are also very well suited to the majority of riders who compete at lower levels.
This is a no brainer when the statistics show that the majority of riders are female and in the 12 to 25 age group…..and I say again ‘I love all types of horses and I think diversity is hugely important, bearing in mind the huge diversity of the riding population and their aims’.
MERELY-A-MONARCH
Without doubt any horses that can do more than one job in life have added value. The exceptional can do this at the highest level. The well named MERELY-A-MONARCH won Burghley in 1961 and Badminton the following year with Anneli Drummond Hay, before embarking on a long and successful period as a Grand Prix show jumper and Nation Cup horse.
In addition they were long listed for the British Dressage team and Anneli refused a major offer for him as a dressage horse. Merely-A-Monarch was by the successful eventing Thoroughbred sire Happy Monarch, out of a dam that was 75% Thoroughbred and 25% Fell Pony!
Merely A Monarch
Merely A Monarch Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
Merely A Monarch Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
GET SMART & TOO SMART
There are many small Event horses with Pony blood, including the Olympic Thoroughbred/Connemara crosses I have already mentioned, Porterside Just a Jiff and The Grasshopper. The extraordinary longevity of these smaller horses is in the record books and forms a strong recommendation for the smaller brigade.
I was reminded that Karen Straker/Dixon world famous pair of British Team horses, GET SMART and TOO SMART, were both out of pony dams by a Thoroughbred horse.
Get Smart was by GARNERED XX (great genes) and was out of a 13.2 dam! Karen rode him at the Pony Club Championships when he was five and he was 12th at Burghley as a seven-year-old in 1987. Then fifth place at Badminton the following year sealed his Olympic selection for Seoul, where he was part of the silver medal-winning British team.
Four years later at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 he was 6th individually. He also won Bronze Individual medals at both the European and World Championships at Punchestown and The Hague respectively and recorded six Badminton completions, five of them finishing in the top 10, and one more World Championships. In every one of these competitions he was clear inside the time, the last one at the age of eighteen. A remarkable record.
Get Smart
Get Smart Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
Get Smart Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
Garnered TB-GB-65-BAY |
Match TB-FR-58-DK |
Tantieme TB-FR-47-BAY |
Deux Pour Cent | Deiri | TB-14 |
Dix Pour Cent | TB-11 | ||||
Terka | Indus | TB-16B | |||
La Furka | TB-20-a | ||||
Relance TB-FR-52-CH |
Relic | War Relic | TB-1-o | ||
Bridal Colours | TB-8-F | ||||
Polaire | Le Volcan | TB-5-b | |||
Stella Polaris | TB-16-h | ||||
Harvest Dream TB-GB-58-BR |
Premonition TB-GB-50-BAY |
Precipitation | Hurry On | TB-2-d | |
Double Life | TB-2-i | ||||
Trial Ground | Fair Trial | TB-9-c | |||
Tip the Wink | TB-14 | ||||
Millet TB-GB-49-BR |
Mieuxce | Massine | TB-12 | ||
L'Olivete | TB-7d | ||||
Kannabis | Phideas | TB-26 | |||
Hempseed | TB-1 | ||||
Samantha WPB-GB-5x |
Pollards TB-45-BAY |
The Phoenix TB-IRE-40-BR |
Chateau Bouscaut | Kircubbin | TB-9 |
Ramondie | TB-7-d | ||||
Fille De Poete | Firdaussi | TB-1-c | |||
Fille D'Amour | TB-16-a | ||||
Salome TB-GB-28-BAY |
Spion Kop | Spearmint | TB-1C | ||
Hammerkop | TB-19-c | ||||
Herod's Joy | Roi Herode | TB-1K | |||
Fruition | TB-1 | ||||
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Too Smart was by the Thoroughbred REFORMED CHARACTER XX and 15.3hh
At eight he won Punchestown 4* and came third at Burghley. He and Karen competed at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics for Britain, and finished second, third and fifth in his three starts at Burghley, as well as winning the British Eventing Open Championships at Gatcombe in 1994.
He had huge courage and willingness to perform, an exceptional horse.
Too Smart
THEODORE O’CONNOR & LENAMORE
There is a long list of horses this size being competitive at the highest level. USA legend Karen O’Connor and the 87.5% Thoroughbred pony THEODORE O’CONNOR bounced around Rolex 5* twice, finishing 3rd and 6th, and won Individual Gold in the Pan American Games.
Theodore O'Connor
Theodore O'Connor Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
Theodore O'Connor Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
While my total favourite was the 58% Thoroughbred 15.3 LENAMORE (by the ID Sea Crest, the sire of Cruising). He had an amazing record, leaping to the top of the all time lists. completing two 5* events every year until he was 19.
His partnership across country with the courageous and competitive Caroline Powell was probably as good as anyone will ever see. They represented New Zealand at two Olympic Games, Hong Kong and London, winning team bronze at the latter — and in 2006 at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen.
In addition they completed Badminton a record equalling seven times in a row, finishing in the top 12 five times. But their greatest day came at Burghley in 2010, when they completed on their dressage score of 38.7 to win.
Lenamore
Lenamore Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
Lenamore Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
GLENGARRICK & CHARISMA
Two more New Zealand riders were open minded enough to value both the Thoroughbred and the small horse option. And what special horses they were. Heelan Tomkins with the 15.2hh ex racehorse GLENGARRICK XX was second at Boekelo 4* in 2002, and seventh at the 2004 Athens Olympics when he was an 18 year old.
The following year he won the 4* at Puhinui in Auckland. Glengarrick’s final championships appearance was at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen in 2006 as a 20-years-old. But he was still outstanding, taking seventh place.
Glengarrick
Glengarrick Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
Glengarrick Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
And Mark Todd and CHARISMA’s double Olympic Gold Medal probably did more for promoting eventing than any combination previously. Charisma was 15.3hh out of a show jumping mare that was 1/16 Shire and 15/16 Thoroughbred by a Thoroughbred sire Tira Mink xx, so he was just under 97% Thoroughbred.
Tira Mink xx had Hurry On xx X 2, Hyperion xx, Blandford xx, Big Game xx and The Tetrarch xx close up, so very good genes. Apart from his Olympic Golds at Los Angeles and Seoul. He was second twice at Badminton and 2nd at Burghley, apart from being British open Champion and winning both Saumur and Luhmuhlen. For good measure he was also a Prix St George dressage horse.
Charisma
Charisma Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
Charisma Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
Tira Mink TB-NZ-54-BR |
Faux Tirage TB-GB-46-BAY |
Big Game TB-GB-39-BAY |
Bahram | Blandford | TB-3-O |
Friar's Daughter | TB-16-a | ||||
Myrobella | Tetratema | TB-14 | |||
Dolabella | TB-6-e | ||||
Commotion TB-GB-38-BAY |
Mieuxce | Massine | TB-12 | ||
L'Olivete | TB-7d | ||||
Riot | Colorado | TB-3-L | |||
Lady Juror | TB-9C | ||||
Mink TB-NZ-47-BR |
Ruthless TB-GB-41-BAY |
Hyperion | Gainsborough | TB-2-n | |
Selene | TB-6-e | ||||
Correa | Coronach | TB-4-f | |||
Ranai | TB-7 | ||||
Taupiri TB-NZ-32-BR |
Hunting Song | Hurry On | TB-2-d | ||
Pasta | TB-23-a | ||||
Flying Foam | Feramorz | TB-20-c | |||
Flagship | TB-1-o | ||||
Planet NZ-NZ-6x |
Kiritea NZ-NZ-5x |
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Staresta TB-NZ-44-BR |
Spiral TB-NZ-30-BAY |
Limond | Desmond | TB-16 | |
Lindal | TB-1-i | ||||
Drax | Spearmint | TB-1C | |||
Suncroft | TB-14 | ||||
Genesta TB-NZ-29-CH |
Thespian | Absurd | TB-1-s | ||
Leta | TB-2-j | ||||
Damaris | Limond | TB-1i | |||
Pennon | TB-22-b |
OUR SOLO & OUR NOBBY
Finally a shout out to two of the very smallest horses with connected and appropriate names, as both were adopted as national heroes…both were Badminton winners and both Olympic team Gold medalists.
In 1960 Australian Bill Roycroft on the 15hh Thoroughbred OUR SOLO XX won Badminton before heading to the Rome Olympics,
Our Solo
while eight years later Britains’ Jane Bullen/Holderness-Roddam on OUR NOBBY XX both won Badminton and conquered the massive course at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. See below the one of the showjumping fences. He was a smidgeon over 14.3hh.
Our Nobby
Our Nobby Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
Our Nobby Pedigree Chart by SporthorseData
Created By
William Micklem
21/Aug/2024
Best selling author International coach & speaker Breeder of WBFSH horse of the Year Mandiba, & Olympic medalist High Kingdom Finder of Team O’Connor’s Olympic medalists, Bico, Custom Made & Gilt Edge Inventor of the MICKLEM BRIDLE, MICKLEM GIRTH & The GO! Rules & The Winning EDGE for performance improvement
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