Re: RC: endurance prospect

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/4/00 4:43:19 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
ribbitttreefrog@yahoo.com writes:

<<  I know there are alot of breeders
 preserving certain lines and strains, and I commend them as
 long as they aren't pumping foals out like a puppy mill and
 passing off poor individuals as quality animals. >>

Although this is only peripherally related to breeding good endurance horses, 
I do have to comment that a true preservationist breeder is out to preserve 
genes and traits--NOT just names in pedigrees.  To do that takes a great deal 
of knowledge of the horses which one wishes to preserve, and a great deal of 
perseverance.

There is some overlap between preservation and endurance breeding, simply 
because many of the older lines that have not been "altered" greatly from the 
Bedouin horse make great endurance horses for the very reason that the 
Bedouin needed and bred for traits similar to what our sport requires.  
However, there are also outcross programs, etc. aimed more at producing the 
individual athlete than dwelling on the long-term program that also produce 
good endurance horses.  The main thing is having a sufficient knowledge of 
biomechanics to know what conformation traits are helpful, some knowledge of 
the useability and hardiness of as many ancestors as possible (since they 
don't all have ride records) to get some handle on the range of metabolic 
capabilities possible in a given breeding, and enough knowledge of genetics 
to have a reasonable shot of weaving it all together.

Heidi