Dressage horses originate in Europe, and a number of small countries in the northwestern part of the continent breed and produce the majority of the horses that compete at the highest level of the sport, a practice which has continued for many generations. The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Belgium are all within a driving distance of each other and together have the highest concentration of dressage breeding anywhere in the world. Spain and Portugal contribute the Iberian horses, which are a different and lovely type.
That is why one should go on this trip, in one week you will be able to ride more horses of the kind you want than you might get to see in a whole year back home. The studbooks maintain thorough public records, the vets are skilled at carrying out examinations when horses are being purchased, and the entire industry has experience in selling horses to foreigners and in shipping them around the world. The infrastructure is in place because of the horses.
There is another reason for a buyer based in the United States, in the Gulf region, or in China or India. Even taking into account the cost of flying a horse across the ocean, buyers from these areas generally discover that Europe provides a greater variety than they can find at home. Since the trained dressage horse is not a common animal and the countries which produce it in large numbers are almost all in Europe, these buyers go to the source.
That doesn’t make it easy to buy in Europe, merely worthwhile, which is quite a different matter. The remainder of this guide concerns how to turn a worthwhile idea into a horse that is safely standing in your own stable.