German Riding Ponies
There is no doubt that German Riding Ponies (GRPs) are making a splash on the pony and open dressage world in Australia over the past couple of years.
They were traditionally purpose bred for children – with brilliant temperaments and the big sport movement of a warmblood – as the intermediary for children between a “pony” and a sport horse.
They are responsible for the successful transition between international pony classes and open dressage for many of Europe’s most famous dressage riders.
Many prized performance stallions have been imported to Australia with some of them making it to State Dressage Squads and winning many dressage tests – even against the big horses – Don Philino WE, Kennedy WE, Noble Dancer, Top Der Da and Trussardi D as examples. Many, many more young horses are now starting to move through the ranks as Australian GRPs come through the grades – being ridden by both children and adults (many Australians choosing to cross the GRP with a warmblood to create a smaller riding horse with exceptional temperament and movement).
We will be featuring more stories on GRPs in the future but in the meantime, if you’d like to find out more about Germany Riding Ponies in Australia, check out: