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I live in Amish Country,
and if the Standardbreds can take what these people dish out, they can take on
any endurance ride. I have seen Standardbreds trotted full bore down an
ice slick hill in barium shoes at night in a freezing rain storm. The
Standardbreds are required to trot and trot for miles without regular
conditioning, for the most part, very poor nutrition, poor hoof care, maybe once
yearly worming, etc.
I know there are people out there who
think the Amish are so quaint, but there is a reason the most famous saying
around here is, 'There are three things you never want to be, an Amishman's
wife, dog or horse.' The Amish purchase them for the most part at
killer prices, keep them until their lame, too slow, or too old and then sell
them again to the killers.
Standardbreds are tough, honest horses
with good minds. They are easy, in my experience to train to saddle if
they've been driven awhile, plus, you can always cross train them with
driving. I can't say enough positive things about these horses, excellent
endurance, maybe not like an Arabian, but better than most. Also, many
Standardbreds are slat-sided (sp) without alot of bulk, or maybe that's just the
hungry Amish horses, so they have alot of surface area., good
cooling.
Now before my ass catches fire, not
all Amish are like this, however a good majority are, ever seen
a horses neck look like hamburger from their harness collar, stop around here
during plowing time and you will.
There are several Standardbred adoption
sites out there, check them out, you can get a sound horse with all the medical
and dental done on them for peanuts. Good luck. I think there was a
great endurance horse that was a Standardbred/Arab cross, can't remember his
name though...
C.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 3:09
PM
Subject: [RC] Standardbreds in
Endurance
Hey all,
I am going back to school for a couple of years
and thought that perhaps spring of 2003 would be a logical time to breed my
mare. She is 12 and has never been bred. I have read tidbits about
Standardbreds here and there on Ridecamp, and have considered considering
breeding her to a Standardbred stallion.
Also, another question. . . does anyone know if
there has been any research done regarding the effects of geographical
location on characteristics which are passed to the next generation?
Specifically, does a lineage which is predominately southeastern bred, raised,
trained, and ridden produce offspring which are more acclamated to the
heat/humidity found in the southeast, or would a west coast, low humidity
bred, raised, trained and ridden lineage tend to not be as acclimated.
Gosh, I hope that made sense.
You may either respond to me privately or on the
list if you feel others would take interest. Thanks in
advance.
Beth Bennett and Paanache (Chickamauga,
GA)
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE EVERYONE TRY TO COME TO
CHATTANOOGA FOR 2003! IT'S A GREAT
CITY!
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