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RE: [RC] Stallion Quality - Tracey LomaxKat wrote: Re being toe out: Which is not unusual, since many horses "grow out" of this as they put on chest muscles. And re being thick in the gullet: Which I don't consider to be all that much of a fault, and horses can frequently be "worked" out of this (and many of them are inadvertently worked into it). It is frequently a neck muscle development issue. And re being slightly short in the croup. Which can also be grown out of at that age, since at the age of 3 his lower legs have stopped growing, his entire leg has pretty much stopped growing, but his top line still has 2 or 3 years to go. Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not really qualified to judge, and so I elected not to make this call on my own. The thing is, there are a LOT of good stallions out there with good breeding, good conformation and proven ability to throw good offspring. I just didn't see the point in adding one more. I acquired him as a competition prospect, not a breeding prospect. Had he been exceptional, I'd have kept him entire. The fact that he wasn't awful was just not a good enough reason for me. And a good solid temperament can compensate for a multitude of conformational flaws, and the one thing that not enough breeders select for (IMO) as I have found it to be VERY heritable. I agree. When I look at a youngster, breeding is high on my list of "important factors". There are some TB lines I won't touch, and I've taken on two horses on breeding alone (one of them I didn't even see) because of what I know those lines generally produce. Do NOT discount the value of a good temperament. It is WAAAAAAAAY more important than ANY conformational feature. Yes, it is. But I personally don't see why you should have to "settle". My friend has now found a stallion with better conformation than Sky's, and a lovely temperament. And if you ask me, this is the best reason for gelding a horse. Saber never did get to live out on the 100 acres with the rest of the horses. Stallions are a management issue, and the only good reason for putting up with it is because you LIKE working with stallions enough to put up with it. To be honest, I can't say that I ever "worked with a stallion" as Sky just never realized he was one. He didn't have a coltish moment. OTOH, Barney is exhibiting every sign of being a rig, and it's AWFUL. I hate the fact that, during breeding season, he tries to kill the other geldings, that he calls to the mares, and that he's unpredictable to ride. Can't be doing with it, really. I also think that, on the whole, stallions have a kak life. T -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.1/611 - Release Date: 31/12/06 12:47 PM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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