Breeding Athletic Horses

[GoldenCMK@aol.com]

In a message dated 08/27/2001 1:59:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
Antonio_Corbelletta@affymetrix.com writes:


> ) saw this trend and are trying to produce true
> sporting horses.  Sadly I think we are losing more athletic mares then
> geldings/stallions since breeders don't breed mares that won't produce big
> $$$
> show quality offspring.  
> The breeders are breeding for what makes money.  


I believe there are many, many people out their breeding for the show fads 
but there is also a huge group of small breeders who breed for "working" 
horses. Most small breeders use their horses there for know not to breed to 
the "lockness monster" in order to get good horses. I for one, as a small 
breeder, compete in endurance but have a horse in Working Cow Horse training 
and another in dressage, not to mention my kids ride around here on all of 
these same horses. You can have it all in one package and there are many good 
breeders out there who are breeding them, you just have to know where to 
look. Then there are people who buy horses and have no idea what they have 
when they look in the Arabian Horse World and see a much bigger bodied, 
athletic horse in their pasture than in the fashion magazines. I have heard 
breeders of such athletic horses get criticized for breeding them because 
they "won't do well in Halter." The 10% of the show world is telling the rest 
of the 90% of breeders how to breed. More education needs to happen among all 
of us.

Maria