In a message dated 8/18/2006 9:26:03 AM Mountain Standard Time,
katswig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
The
question is not what original bloodstock were people using, since their
purebred arabians, by definition everybody is using the same original
bloodstock. The question is what were the selection criteria for the
horses that are only 2 generations back. Your chances are better if
those selection criteria were for some strenuous athletic purpose that
required consistency and longevity
These are statements with which I wholeheartedly agree.
I have seen programs virtually devastated in the last twenty years because
of breeding decisions made which did not pan out...regardless of the percentage
of (whatever) blood the breeder deemed integral in "his" type of horse.
All due to breeding decisions being made by people either handed the program
through the death of the founders of the program or due to financial
decisions.
Sure, the program was "founded" on this or that horse or cross, but, over
the years I've seen phenotype change not because genotype was not safeguarded,
but because the niche (nick) was not safeguarded.
So, for me, though I still look at female tail line, etc., I don't have to
look too far back in a pedigree to determine whether it interests me or
not.
