RE: [RC] andalusian crosses - Susan E. Garlinghouse, DVM
>Any of my Andalusian horses could do
endurance but you won't see them out there, they are much too valuable back
home creating more babies.
Speaking
ONLY for myself, I have a problem with the concept that a breeding animal is
too valuable just making more babies to first or concurrently prove themselves
in high-end performance BEFORE putting them into a breeding shed. Not
that trail riding, training level schooling, a Spanish walk <insert
beginning disciplines here> aren’t good skills to possess, but again
speaking only for myself (and having owned some high end broodmares <not a
Spanish bred>), I personally would not consider breeding to any stallion
that had not thoroughly proven himself in upper echelon
performance---endurance, jumping, eventing, third-level or better dressage at
the national level, etc. For that matter, I would not breed the mare in
the first place if she hadn’t earned the right to do so with something
better than just a pedigree. Especially as there are MANY excellent stallions
that have the ability to be competing at national performance levels, and going
about their reproductive business at the same time (Remington Steele comes to
immediate mind, but he’s just one of many in many different disciplines).
Same goes for mares, with some obvious limitations.
But,
that’s just me, though it’s also the general policy of most of the
European breeding programs, as well as that of many American breeders. It
occurs to me it’s a lot easier to say any horse “could” do
endurance (or other high level performance disciplines), but are too valuable
to put it to the test, than to actually go out and demonstrate it to be true,
and thus let the horse’s record speak for itself.
