Luck, skill - or just deep pockets?

If you're looking to buy a show horse but have no clue where to start, Tricia Johnson asks the best in the showing business for some insight into where they go to find their top stars

- Tricia Johnson

FINDING the next Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) centreline horse or pony might seem like mission impossible, and many showing “newbies” are deterred because they feel they don’t have the right contacts and aren’t therefore “in the know” – but is this necessarily the case?

It’s not always who you know that matters, though – what you know is equally important. If you are realistic and generally horse-savvy – in any discipline – you have an important head start. Add to this the willingness to consult a proven trainer or producer to ratify your choice if necessary, or add any finishing touches, and you could well be on the way to that spotlight.

Future superstars can still be found in unlikely places. Producer Lynn Russell has long specialised in finding potential show cobs in the rough and taking them to the top. One of her first major successes was the prolific-winning Polaris, whom she found as a three-year-old teaser stallion.

“He was a wild, woolly, unbroken pure-bred Irish Draught, but as soon as he walked down the drive, I said I’d have him and we never looked back,” she recalls.

“You don’t necessarily have to be connected in order to find a nice young horse, and the chances are you’ll pay much less,” she maintains. “You need patience and sufficient basic knowledge. It’s like building a house; if the foundations aren’t good enough, the whole thing will fall to pieces. With a horse that’s in poorish condition, you can generally see what you’re getting.