Best Showjumper Breeds for Amateur Riders

Search for a jumper and you will quickly start wondering which warmblood to focus on. For an amateur rider, choosing the best showjumper breeds for amateurs is less about finding the most talented studbook and more about finding the temperament you can ride three times a week and still enjoy. This guide looks at the breeds that tend to suit amateur and returning riders best, and explains why, for you, a rideable brain matters more than raw scope.

We help amateur buyers every week, and the pattern is clear. The horses that make amateurs braver are rarely the flashiest. They are the genuine ones. Here is where to look.

Why breed matters less than you think

Breed is a useful filter, not a guarantee. Each European studbook has a recognisable identity built over decades, and knowing those identities helps you narrow a huge market. But every breed produces saints and difficult horses alike. A well-bred horse with the wrong temperament for you is still the wrong horse, and a modest-looking one with a generous brain can be the partner of a lifetime. Use the breed to build a shortlist, then judge the individual. Our detailed comparison of Holsteiner, KWPN and Hanoverian breeding goes deeper on the big three.

What an amateur actually needs

Before you weigh breeds, be honest about what you need. For most amateurs that is, in order: a trainable, genuine temperament; soundness and a durable build; honesty to a fence, meaning a horse that helps you out of a wrong distance rather than punishing it; and only then scope. A horse that is careful, rideable and forgiving at 1.20m will do more for your confidence than a scopey, sensitive horse you are slightly afraid of. Keep that priority order in mind as you read on, and see our guide to choosing a showjumper for your level for the full picture.

KWPN, the Dutch Warmblood

For many amateurs, the KWPN is the easiest breed to get along with. Dutch breeding has focused hard on rideability alongside ability, producing horses that are athletic and careful but also pleasant and adjustable. The studbook runs one of the most data-driven breeding programmes in the world (the KWPN publishes extensive performance records), so pedigrees are well documented. If you want a modern, scopey horse with a workable temperament, the Dutch lines are a natural first place to look.

Hanoverian

The Hanoverian is athletic, versatile and, crucially for amateurs, often blessed with a level, willing temperament. The studbook is huge and varied, which means you can find Hanoverians bred specifically for amateur-friendly rideability as well as horses with serious Grand Prix engines. For a rider who wants a sensible, all-round partner that can also jump a respectable track, the Hanoverian is a dependable choice.

Holsteiner

The Holsteiner is one of the oldest German warmblood breeds and arguably the most closely associated with pure show jumping. Holsteiners are famous for carefulness and scope, the qualities you want over a fence. The one caution for amateurs is that the line can also be blood-y and sensitive, which top riders prize but which asks more of a tactful rider. A Holsteiner can be a wonderful amateur horse, but choose the individual with temperament firmly in mind.

Belgian Warmblood and Zangersheide

Belgian breeding, including the BWP and Zangersheide studbooks, sits right at the top of the modern sport and produces some of the best Grand Prix horses in the world. That sharpness is a gift in the right hands. For an amateur it can be a lot of horse, so Belgian lines reward a buyer who looks past the famous pedigree to find the genuine, rideable individual rather than the hottest one in the barn.

Selle Francais

The French Selle Francais is bold, brave and full of blood, the classic French jumping horse with engine and courage for bigger tracks. For a confident amateur who wants a horse with heart, the French lines are appealing. For a more nervous rider, the same blood can be more than you want to sit on. As always, the breed sets the type and the individual sets the truth.

Irish Sport Horse

The Irish Sport Horse deserves a place in any amateur conversation, even if it does not top the World Breeding rankings. Bred from a cross of warmblood and Irish Draught, the Irish horse has a long-earned reputation for a sensible head, good bone, durability and a genuine, kind attitude to its work. For an amateur who values a brave, uncomplicated horse over the last inch of scope, an Irish Sport Horse can be exactly the partner that keeps you confident and out hunting for ribbons.

Mare, gelding or stallion for an amateur

Sex is not destiny, but it is worth a thought. Geldings are the default for most amateurs: consistent and uncomplicated. Mares can be exceptional, and many top jumpers are mares, though some are more sensitive in a way a tactful rider enjoys. Stallions are rarely right for an amateur in a busy boarding environment. If you are importing, a gelding is also the cheapest and fastest horse to bring home, since it skips the long quarantine that mares and stallions require.

Temperament over breed, the real rule

If you remember one thing, make it this: for an amateur, temperament outranks breed every time. Ask any professional what matters most in an amateur’s horse and the answer is rarely scope or bloodlines. It is the brain. A trainable, genuine horse makes schooling, warming up at a noisy show and recovering from a green mistake all easier. The same horse with a difficult mind makes every part of ownership harder. Breed narrows the search. Temperament closes it. Our guide to showjumping bloodlines can help you read which lines tend to pass on the rideable brain you want.

How to use breed in your search

Treat breed as the first filter and the last tiebreaker. Start with the breeds that tend to suit your temperament and goals, lean on the bloodlines to predict the ride, and then judge each horse in person on its honesty, soundness and trainability. If you cannot travel to Europe to try every horse, this is exactly where a buyer-side agent earns their keep, sitting on the horse for you and telling you the truth about its brain before you ever get on a plane.

Other breeds worth a look

The big names are not the only options. The Oldenburg and Westphalian studbooks, both German, produce plenty of rideable, athletic jumpers and overlap heavily with Hanoverian and Holsteiner breeding. The Scandinavian studbooks, Danish Warmblood and Swedish Warmblood, have risen fast in the sport and often pair scope with a genuinely workable temperament that suits amateurs well. None of these should be ruled out on the badge alone. The studbook narrows the search, and the individual horse settles it.

Common mistakes amateurs make with breed

Two mistakes come up again and again. The first is buying a breed or a fashionable line for its reputation rather than for the horse in front of you, then discovering the individual did not inherit the calm, careful brain the line is known for. The second is dismissing a wonderful, honest horse because its breeding is unfamiliar or unfashionable. Plenty of brave, sound, sensible jumpers come from lines that never trend. Let the breed guide your shortlist, but never let it override what you feel when you actually ride the horse.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best horse breed for an amateur show jumper? There is no single answer, but KWPN, Hanoverian and Irish Sport Horse are all known for amateur-friendly, rideable temperaments. The right breed is the one whose typical brain suits how you ride.

Are warmbloods good for amateur riders? Yes. Most top jumpers are warmbloods, and many lines are specifically bred for rideability. Just prioritise temperament over scope when you choose the individual.

Is an Irish Sport Horse a good amateur jumper? Often, yes. Irish Sport Horses are valued for a sensible head, durability and a genuine attitude, which suits amateurs who want a brave, uncomplicated partner.

Does breed affect the price? It can. Fashionable lines carry a premium whether or not the individual inherited the talent, so judge the horse before you judge the papers. See our price guide.

Not sure which breed fits you? Tell us your level, your goals and the kind of ride you enjoy, and we will source horses built to match your temperament, not just to impress. Start a brief.

The best showjumper breed for an amateur is the one whose typical temperament fits the rider you actually are. Use the studbooks to narrow your search, lean on bloodlines to predict the ride, and then let temperament make the final call. Do that, and you will not just buy a well-bred horse. You will buy the one that makes you braver every time you ride it.