The value of buying a schoolmaster
How can you enjoy your hobby the most? By having a horse that is best suited to you. I once heard
that you should buy a horse because it is compatible (to you and your needs at the time) not
because you fall in love with it. This is very wise and I think very relevant!
What is a schoolmaster? There is a difference between a ‘school horse’ and a ‘school master’. A
school horse tends to be found at riding schools and is a safe starter for beginner riders – a bit like
the Corsa pictured for learner drivers! A good school horse will be forgiving, kind and willing but may
be fairly stiff and unresponsive to ride. They need to be able to ignore losses of rider balance and
incorrect aids given whilst the rider learns how to stop, start and steer.
A schoolmaster is like your first or second car! Able to help you learn to drive better, more skilfully
but not in danger of scaring yourself too much! A schoolmaster needs to be willing as well but also
well trained, vice free, comfortable (not huge moving), sound enough to work to the level required
and have a proven record (competition and/or training).
Why buy a schoolmaster?
A lot of people want to buy their ‘Ferrari’ once they have learnt to drive! This may not be a realistic
goal for many, but if it is for you then the steps in between your Corsa and Ferrari shouldn’t be
skipped!
Schoolmasters should be considered for first time owners or ‘green’ owner / riders and also for any
rider wanting to advance their own riding skill/ability. During my time in Germany, people with
limited budget/knowledge would be much more inclined to invest their money into a 14yo+ proven
horse to learn from than here in the UK. Here it is more likely to be spent on a young horse. I can
understand that a youngster has a long future ahead of it and possibly more talent etc. but green
horse and green rider combinations, more often than not are an unsafe situation ending in
disappointment and confusion. It is like trying to make your own Ferrari at home from parts and a
vague ‘how to’ guide only. The most green, unbalanced horses are like blank canvasses and can
learn both good and bad from their riders. These horses need the most experienced riders to reach
their potential and learn ‘good’. Buying an older horse can bring years of pleasure and should be
seen as an investment in your own riding skill.
The school master should help you learn good solid basics, give you a feel for what you are trying to
achieve and boost your confidence whilst being as safe as possible. Once you have done plenty of
miles on your older horse, you might be ready to buy or build your own Ferrari one day!
Finding your ideal partner Schoolmasters can be in short supply! They are often sold word of mouth
and so aren’t always advertised. Some regions don’t have high training standards still, so it can be
hard to find something well trained enough to learn from correctly. Higher level schoolmasters
without big issues and still competing at a good level can be pretty expensive! You must take
someone more experienced than yourself on your horse hunt, as sellers have different ideas as to
what a schoolmaster actually is. If you don’t have enough knowledge or experience yet, it can be
hard to tell the difference between your solid second car and a patched over, misadvertised cut and
shunt!!
Factors to bear in mind Most schoolmasters will be older horses and are likely to be carrying some
soundness issues requiring extra management. This can be costly, time consuming and prevent
competitive planning.
Quite a lot will have obvious strengths and weaknesses i.e. good lateral work or changes but poor
extensions, or good quality trot and canter work but a poor walk. These weaknesses might have
prevented the horse having real top competition success, but it can be possible to still learn a lot if
the horse has otherwise been correctly trained.
If your schoolmaster is a higher level horse than you are used to, then confusion can arise with the
‘pressing the wrong buttons’ problem. You will need help from your trainer to learn to ride your
more experienced, responsive horse and ideally he should still be ridden by a higher level rider to
keep his standards good whilst you learn.
Possible limited time If you want to compete at a higher level than the horse you’ve learnt from, you
may need to make a hard decision to allow him to teach someone else or you will be stuck with a
situation where you can’t progress any further or you become tempted to push him too hard. Also,
as an older horse his time with you may be limited – much more so than a younger horse.
Remember, despite the factors above the Schoolmaster is invaluable as part of your
stepping stones towards achieving good skill and a lot more knowledge and experience,
maybe leading to your own Ferrari and having a load of fun along the way!