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RE: [RC] Boldness - heidi
Precisely. And that's why "spooky Arabs" are "off-type" as
well--the Bedouins spent centuries breeding horses that were bold and courageous.
However, it doesn't take all THAT long to undo it, if one has a strong
market for pop-eyed idiots--the show ring has done a good job of deselecting for the non-spooky horse, and while some of the modern show horses do have some of the same traits as bold horses, it is combined with so much snort and blow that it isn't of much value.
That said, the grassroots of the Arabian breed is still going forward in
the hands of breeders interested in breeding good riding horses--many of us do actively note the sort of boldness being discussed here, and do actively select for it. And this discussion does raise the point that there is more to breeding than just making good bodies.
Heidi
Donna Coss said: > ...I am totally convinced then, that my herd of Shagya > Arabians, have all inherited this self confidence. After all, > I guess when you breed for an ideal CALVARY HORSE, > for 200 years--this is one of the characteristics that would > be on your blue print! Plus some ruthless culling and > intelligent selection! I gotta agree, selection as a cavlary horse would require a selection for a certain degree of boldness. Timid horses would have to have been removed from the gene pool long ago. And if the odd timid horse were to show up, culling against it would maintain the trait. However, to ensure that the trait IS maintained, this would have to be continuous culling...and don't let anybody start selecting for something else at its expense as if you start selecting for something else, it won't take TOO long before the trait is not so prevalent in the breed. When looking at selectively bred horses, especially those that have been selectively bred for many generations (hundreds of years), you are more likely to find some consistency in traits across the gene pool.
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