Horse finding made easy

The Olympic horse Parkmore Ed was one of Andrea's finds

Former international eventer turned leading agent Andrea Verdina tells Eleanore Kelly how he finds champions

"I like to listen, learn and reflect, which is essential for the rider who wants to have success in his chosen path,” says Andrea Verdina.

He’s well placed to offer his thoughts. With six European Championship appearances and an individual placing at the Sydney Olympics on his CV, Andrea is no ordinary horseman.

He was born in Italy in 1969 to a non-horsey family and started riding at the age of nine. Andrea’s early talent was noticed by the Italian Federation, which gave him a horse to event. He went on to be placed in the junior European Championships among a field that included William Fox-Pitt, Pippa Funnell and Polly Williamson.

Andrea arrived in the UK in 1996 to produce event horses for the Cabalva Stud. Then after setting up his own yard in Hampshire, he quickly made his mark as a trainer of horses and riders. While he lacked the finances to buy superstars, his eye for a horse led to him finding many within his limited budget that would go on to become champions.

Among the horses that spent their formative years with Andrea are William Fox-Pitt’s Beijing Olympic mount Parkmore Ed and the recent Lexington winner, Cool Mountain. The latter was broken in and trained by Andrea, who has also produced several international show jumpers. Horse Deals sales statistics show that this is one of the most popular times of year to go horse shopping.

William Fox-Pitt winning the Rolex Kentucky event on Cool Mountain, a horse broken in and trained by Andrea

Everyone thinks ‘if only’, but selling horses was survival

But buying horses can be frustrating. There’s nothing more annoying than driving 100 miles to see a horse that turns out to be nothing like it was described, so many riders turn to agents to find them a suitable mount.

Andrea was considered an exceptionally talented and versatile rider, so it came as a surprise to his peers when he gave up competing. “It was due to money — or the lack of it!” he laughs. “I’m a realist and competing’s very expensive. To get to the top of any equestrian discipline and stay there, you need talent, but more importantly a yard full of good horses, financial backing and a bit of luck.

“I wanted to find a job that involved the thing I knew best, that I’m passionate about and from which I could make a decent living. I spent a while thinking about what to do next while I was still competing and I tried show jumping, but that needed even more money.”

Andrea is laid-back about the fact that he has missed out on competing some top eventer horses.

Show jumping at Hartpury: Andrea wishes he had done more of this discipline during his career

“I’m not really disappointed. Everyone thinks ‘if only’, but selling horses was survival. I had to pay a mortgage and put food on the table,” he explains. “When I was competing, I was aware that there was a gap in the market for someone who could look for horses on behalf of busy people on a full-time basis — someone who would always be at the end of the phone. What I had to offer was a wealth of experience, contacts worldwide and an eye for a horse.”

Andrea also has that most Italian of traits — self-confidence!

“I think I offer something unique when it comes to finding horses. Plenty of people act as agents but to my knowledge, there’s nobody doing it every day of the week as their main focus. I have the time and inclination to get in the car and go to see horses. I go everywhere: dealers’ yards, private sellers and sales in the UK and abroad. I also have excellent sources in Europe. I go to events and competitions every week with the sole intention of watching horses in action, which is really important. I’m not competing so I have no other distractions and can focus entirely on the job of finding suitable horses for my clients.”

Andrea began representing Italy at a young age

I go to events and competitions every week with the sole intention of watching horses in action

Andrea extols the virtues of networking. “I’m lucky to have had such experience on the international circuit. Not only have I developed a great network of riders, trainers and dealers but I’d also like to think it’s earned me respect among eventing’s elite. They appreciate that I know what it takes to get a horse to four-star level and can spot talent. It also means that through this network I hear of horses that haven’t come on the market yet.

“Buying the right horse is a stressful business. Every day, I see riders who have ended up with the wrong one. They’ve spent money and time, but they haven’t listened or have had the wrong advice. What I provide is an expert, impartial opinion and my objective is to find a horse that ticks as many boxes possible for the buyer.”

Schooling a two-star horse at home

Andrea doesn’t consider himself a dealer. “In my mind, a dealer keeps horses for sale. They could belong to him or be for sale on behalf of clients. I act as the middleman, like a sort of matchmaking agency, whereas dealers have a different objective: to sell horses,” he explains. “I do have a small number of horses to produce to sell but I try to keep this to a minimum. I’m also not interested in part-exchanges because I don’t want to inherit people’s problems.”

Andrea no longer misses the buzz of competition. “I enjoyed eventing but I love finding and training potential superstars more,” he says. “I’m really happy for others to win the prizes. That’s why I like training riders too. I love to see people I’ve helped achieve things they thought were beyond their dreams.

“The roles of trainer and agent work well together. Teaching has given me an insight into what amateurs need from a horses. I’m always on the lookout for the kind, easy eventer who brings as much enjoyment as a Badminton winner.”

Andrea in championship action across country. His achievements include 15th individually at the Sydney Olympics

Andrea on buying champions

I look for an all-round athlete. Although flashy paces and a big jump are nice, with eventers I’m less fussy than when looking for a horse to do pure dressage or show jumping. Horses can be improved with the right training. Cool Mountain, for instance, wasn’t an obvious four-star winner when I broke him in.

Trainability is at the top of my list. I like willingness to be trained and co-operate. Horses may be sharp or sensitive, but they need to have a brain and think for themselves without using that against the rider. That’s why finding real superstars is so difficult. They must be responsive but at the same time act on their own instincts to get themselves out of trouble.

Not all riders can tell if a horse will be trainable and that’s where I come in. I used to hate riding bad or quirky horses but I now realise this experience was vital.

Short-format eventing means a horse’s speed and stamina isn’t tested to the extent it used to be. Cross-country tracks are becoming more technical and require less speed and more training, so there’s now space for former show jumpers.

A young prospect at Andrea’s Hampshire yard

I enjoyed eventing but I love finding and training potential superstars more

If it’s brave enough, with enough stamina to gallop and jump for up to 12min, a former show jumper can be a fast-track option for many riders. You can probably expect to pay less and you’ll have a horse you know has scope and experience over technical show jumping courses.

Ten years ago, eventing was dominated by Thoroughbreds or horses with a lot of blood. Now, a quality warmblood will find the dressage and show jumping easier, as they’re bred for these disciplines.

It’s probably the presence of warmbloods in eventing that has made riders up their game in those phases. You need a good test and clear show jumping these days to have a chance of winning and that in turn has pushed up the price of eventers. On the plus side, it’s brought more money into the sport but gone are the days when people could event a yard full of cheap ex-racehorses.

Having said that, results still show that at top level a good percentage of Thoroughbred blood is preferable. Many warmbloods do well up to two-star, but lack the stamina and speed to compete past that. This might make them a good choice for an amateur who wants to be competitive at lower levels.

Andrea on the international show jumper Voquilot, who is now with Ben Maher

I’ve always liked Irish horses, which have led the world rankings for eventers for several years. They can suit amateurs, whereas some warmbloods are a bit sharp or spooky for the part-time rider.

In my mind, horses must be at least 50% Thoroughbred to go all the way in eventing, although some of the new lighter-framed Dutch horses look pretty special. Despite that, there’s nothing quite like an old-fashioned chaser type.

I normally don’t mind what a good horse does in his spare time. I’ve seen many top horses with vices and their performance isn’t affected. Professionals often don’t mind vices because know they it’s already hard enough to find good horses, but an amateur has a lot more choice and is naturally more fussy. Some conformation faults or obvious weaknesses cannot be overlooked, but a lot of choosing horses is about common sense.

A horse’s performance record can also be misinterpreted. It’s all about common sense and management, so buyers must learn to be brave and trust their feelings. Vetting in the UK is a whole new ballgame. In my years of buying and selling horses, it’s never ceased to amaze me. I’ve even been asked to jump a horse for the vet to check its suitability for the prospective rider!

In Europe, horse-trading is big business and vettings don’t seem such an issue. You can’t tell me that Dutch or German buyers, for example, are any less discerning than the British. And they do realise that few horses are without physical imperfection. If my clients are spending a lot of money, I advise them to have X-rays done. But in England I think vets are so worried about being sued that they’re not prepared to overlook anything. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t fail 50% of horses, which can’t be right.

Andrea on training in England

In Italy, riders are much more focused on style. One drawback is that they can hardly ride a circle without the trainer’s advice and don’t learn to think for themselves.

When I came to the UK, I found teaching methods were more about instinct, which may be why so many event riders struggle with the show jumping phase. When I teach, I work on style and discipline, but encourage pupils to work things out for themselves.

After I stopped eventing, I show jumped professionally for two years. I wish I’d done more of it when I was eventing, but if I can help event riders to be better show jumpers, then I’ve served a purpose.

Event horses and riders have two other jobs to do and focusing on one phase mustn’t be detrimental to the others. You have to find that balance.

I’ve always been good at improving difficult horses and I like to inspire confidence in riders. I’m very straight with my pupils and tell them how it is rather than what they want to hear, even at the risk of them not coming back. I want people to feel the improvement in their riding, gain a sense of achievement and hopefully win prizes too.