Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> That is the difference between trying to produce a good using horse with
> lots of endurance potential and trying to produce the Grand National
> Halter Champion or the KY Derby winner.  A sound program of endurance
> breeding should produce a very high number of good to great prospects.
> I would like to think that all horse breeding programs do the same, but
> from what I have seen on the TB track I doubt it.
You're right that it is easier to produce overall good horses than to
produce the winner of one targeted event.  (Although the degree of
relatedness of the Tevis and Haggin winners is certainly an
eye-opener--not by one sire or from one breeder, but from essentially
related and parallel programs, for the most part...)

> Of course it is possible that many of the well known large programs that
> seem to produce a lot of culls are poorly run, I really don't know.
Most are abysmally run, with a few noteable exceptions.  Although Bazy
Tankersley likes a different style of horse than I do, I have to give her
full marks for being one big breeder who has stuck to her guns and has
continued to produce useful and functional horses.  (But then she also
comes right out and says that the quality of a breeding program will be
judged by its riding geldings.)

> The
> sad fact still is that there are lots of horses out there lowering the
> price of the good horses.
Sad indeed.  But the answer does not lie in having the good breeders quit
breeding.  (And I've found that the good breeders usually CAN market their
horses, so don't really have a need to quit breeding--but the prices WOULD
be better if the market was not heavy on culls!)  Rider education IS
making a difference--more and more riders (and not just endurance riders!)
are learning that they have to go somewhere other than the show and race
barns to find good riding horses.  Another local breeder here who does not
target endurance but rather targets some of the the other sport
disciplines has commented how in the last year or two, it has seemed like
the knowledge level of her buyers has really increased.  And I see that in
endurance as well.  I think that is a very healthy sign.

Heidi



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