The Horses, Breeding, and Evolution of Show Jumping with Helena Stormanns

Equestrian Voices

There’s no question that the show jumping horses of today are different from the horses of 30, even 20 years ago. As courses continue to get increasingly technical and fast, breeders are producing increasingly athletic horses to match…or is it that cause/effect relationship the other way around?

And what about the horses who are bred to jump 1.60, but either through a bad start or through genetics (or both), never reach that level - can a horse bred for a top Olympian still be rideable enough for the everyday amateur?

To help us answer these questions (and so many more), we turn to Helena Stormanns, one of show jumping’s most respected coaches, horse-rider matchmakers, and breeders who was a top rider herself.

In addition to talking about show jumping breeding today, and how it’s changed from the breeding of yesterday, Helena and Caroline also dive into:

• How Helena thinks about breeding for, or selecting horses for, the elite pro versus the amateur rider

• Show jumping stallions and breeding lines that Helena personally loves, some proven and some quite new

• New horse-rider partnerships, from the POV of both the rider and the horse

• Bits, and how they factor into developing a young horse

• Why no one is doing enough flatwork

• Helena’s views on The Olympics and the role BigEq plays in developing riders for top levels of show jumping sport

• Why buying a horse “off the rack” is never the good idea it can sometimes appear to be