# define a schoolmaster please



## mydaughtersgroom (May 31, 2012)

I am looking for a horse for my daughter (9yr) and I. She has been taking lessons for 2 1/2 years and I have for 1 year. Everything I read says I should be looking to buy a "schoolmaster". My question is how do you define a schoolmaster or said another way, what skills should a horse know how to do when asked correctly so that he makes a good horse for a young or beginning rider to learn on? For better or worse, only one of the horses my daughter has ridden in lesson meets the definition I have in my head, so I am interested in hearing other peoples definition.


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## Hoofprints on my heart (Apr 27, 2011)

in my terms a schoolmaster is a horse that knows evrything and someone can larn from it without messing it up


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## Snizard93 (Oct 12, 2011)

I would say a "schoolmaster" is a horse who is generally well behaved (in hand and under saddle) and knows his job well. He/she should be responsive to the aids, but calm, quiet and forgiving.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I think of schoolmaster as a horse that has been there and done that. They must have a pretty unflappable mind set. The kind of horse that is not going to be upset when a new rider does something like accidentally bopping them with the reins. The mind set of "its all cool" is paramount over experience. That being said most of the "its all cool" horses are ones that have seen and done a lot. The horse does not have to be a middle aged horse, but usually its between the ages of 16 and 25. It is probably the exact kind of horse that your daughter is riding in a good riding program. They can be hard to find; however, they can be found.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

To me it means that they have been there and done that. They are gentle with beginners, but know enough to still be able to teach intermediate level riders. They are kind and forgiving.


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## Country Woman (Dec 14, 2011)

To me is means a horse that is older and has seen everything


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## Lins (Nov 8, 2011)

To me, schoolmaster is a horse with a kind heart, good mind, that will look after his rider. My 19 year old 17HH OTTB is a school master, because he will stop moving if he feels a child on him loosing their balance. He will completly ignore his rider unless they cue him properly. And if someone says "WHOOAAHH" he will plant his feet and wait. He is worth his weight in gold simply because he is so kind.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cinder (Feb 20, 2011)

To me a schoolmaster is a horse that knows its job and what is expected of him/her. They are fairly responsive to aids but not thin-skinned or SO responsive as to be difficult for a beginner or beginner-intermediate rider. Bomb proof. They are steady and consistent, with a good attitude and no vices. Typically a schoolmaster will be up there in age.


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## calicokatt (Mar 5, 2012)

We are lucky enough to have two horses that I consider 'schoolmasters'. One was given to us at the age of 21, and she has been the best horse we could ever have asked for, kind and quiet, but full of life and go if you ask for it (but never if you don't, or she thinks you can't handle it). The other cost us a pretty penny, we bought him at 16, he was a search and rescue horse and a certified sheriff's mount. That horse is worth his weight in gold. He's 22 now, and at least 2 of my girls would not be riding today if it weren't for him. With a nervous rider, he's calm, quiet and just everything you could want for a beginner. As his rider advances, he challenges them to be the best that they can. I often think he knows what the kids need better than I do. For me, a schoolmaster is a horse that you can put anybody on without fear for their safety, and yet is not so boring to ride that a relatively experienced rider would lose interest. They can teach a child to not be afraid to ask for something, and then teach them to ask correctly. They can forgive an honest mistake, and gently let an overly emotional rider know they're out of line. My son's first trail ride (son was 4 yrs old) ended up being a 4 hour trek through the mountains (I took a wrong turn) and the horse was PERFECT for my son, who knew very little other than stop, go, and use the reins like a joystick. 

Now, these horses aren't perfect at any discipline, but they are PERFECT first mounts, that were able to progress along with the kids, keeping them safe and challenging them all along the way.


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## Joidigm (May 8, 2012)

I always considered a "schoolmaster" to be an advanced learned, older horse. Basically, an older, semi retired hunter jumper or dressage or reining horse. A horse that did very well in its chosen discipline, now retired from active competition, and used as a lesson horse to teach students said discipline.

Any older horse that is safe for beginner riders, to me, is not a school master. You can have a beginner safe horse to learn on, but if you aren't learning to advance through a discipline on, that's not a school master.

The TWH I learned to ride on, I would not call a school master. He can gait and jump and teach any one the basics of riding and jumping. He's older, and as close to dead broke as I have ever seen, but I wouldn't call him a school master. I can't take him through competition or schooling, although he is a lesson horse and used to be a competition horse for his owner. The older, warmblood cross (at the same barn) with excellent movement that could progress you through intermediate levels of competition and probably higher (he is good enough for my instructor to compete on at more advanced levels), that is what I would call a school master.


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