California and Florida are two places that Dressage, Jumper, and Three Day Event horse competitors flock. With warm weather in the winter, there is a huge draw to these areas. Horse owners know that with more months to train their Dutch Warmblood friends will excel during the show season.
Dutch Warmbloods are the leading breed of sport horses in the world. Many people have switched from Hanoverians, Trackaners, and Swedish Warmbloods to this outstanding breed. In the last Olympics the most heavily represented breed was the Dutch.
Dutch Warmbloods are also popular here in the United States. There are some very good breeding farms in California, but with the ease of transport state to state it is not hard to haul a horse from even the east coast. There are many professional haulers that transport horses all over the country. My friend even had a miniature horse foal, a cute little Appaloosa filly, hauled from Montana to Northern California.
Some breeding farms advertize delivery with full payment in advance. Many owners get very attached to the horses they raise and want to see where they are headed. One owner, on arrival at a dilapidated boarding stable handed the purchasers a check for the foal and turned around and left, taking the young horse with her. She just couldn’t bare to leave the horse in those conditions.
It is appealing to some people to purchase horses that are raised by a private individual. A baby gets more care and more one on one attention when they are one of only a few foals at a stable. The early years for a foal are very important and getting them used to being handled serves them well throughout their lives.
For Dutch Warmbloods in California located near cities with little or no turnout some owners look to rural areas for barns that will pasture board the horses for the summer. It is very educational for these foals to spend many months eating grass, running around and building their muscles, and experiencing the world. Horses that are kept indoors all the time are sometimes very spooky and upset when the experience noises such as cars going by. The earlier their education begins the easier the are to handle later. Also exposure to green grass does wonders to help their bones and bodies to develop to the fullest. Horse stalls are good for horses, but so are open pastures.
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