Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> The fallacy in that is that horses who have been solely selected for
the
> track often also get bred away from the metabolic capabilities that
are
> necessary for the sport.  Otherwise, we'd all be riding the most
modern
> TBs and they would be cleaning up.
It is not the metabolic capabilities of the modern TB that makes them
unsuitable to endurance, it is their mental capabilities.  I have a
modern TB mare who raced fairly successfully (not a stakes winner, but a
multiple race winner at Hollywood Park, so she she was no slacker:)) at
distances of 5 1/2 and 6 furlongs and is faster than snot (early
fractions in 21 and change...which will beat lots of Quarter Horses);
however, she never won at past that distance because if anybody tried to
rate her she would stand on her hind end (and at the ripe age of 22 she
will STILL do this if not ridden regularly :)).

I have her daughter (by a stallion out of the Del Mar select yearling
sale who never raced because he was taken to the show ring and used for
breeding Warmbloods instead) who is a fairly successful endurance
horse....and the "fairly" successful part comes from the fact that
though physically she is very suited to the sport and could (if you ask
me)  from a physiological standpoint run rings around virtually any of
the arabs out there, mentally, she is a bit of her mother's daughter.
She doesn't stand on her hind end if she doesn't get her way (thank
God), but she is willful (understatement) and reactive (another
understatement); which makes her a very difficult trail horse :).

So, if you ask me, the reason that TBs aren't out there "cleaning up" in
endurance, it isn't because of their physiological shortcomings, it is
because willful and reactive are mental traits that have been selected
for in TBs, so most of them have it in spades, and THIS is what makes
them unsuitable as endurance horses.  We aren't all riding race bred TBs
because we don't want to get killed :).

>  Just as you will find TBs who still
> have the traits necessary for endurance, you will also find some track
> Arabs that do.  But the longer they breed for the specialization of
the
> track, the less apt you are to be able to find the sorts of
individuals
> you want.  So no, I would not go to Poland and look at race records,
> either.
However, my experience with race bred Arabians is that they really don't
have these qualities the way a TB does.  So yeah, IF I were going to go
to Poland at all (which I wouldn't because we have lots of good horses
here in America so what's the point?), race records is exactly what I
would be looking at (since I can't look at endurance records), although
I would try to look for racing success at "classic distances" (i.e.not
sprints), because those horses, at least, have demonstrated that they
have the ability to be rated.

kat
Orange County, Calif.

p.s.  I also have a son of this TB mare, by my successful Arabian
endurance stallion.  And while he, too, has inherited some of his
mother's willfulness and reactiveness; it has been tempered somewhat by
the Arabian influence which makes him, mentally, more suited to be a
trail horse.




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Every horse can be taught to walk faster than you think.  It is one of the
most important qualities of a good riding horse.  Some have it naturally,
others need to learn. On the other hand, if you are riding a tired horse,
an easy jog is more efficient, covers more groumnd with less effort.  (it's
the rebound effect of the two beat trot)
~  Dot Wiggins

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