Can anyone here give the registered name and breeding of every
Arabian they've ever ridden in their lifetime?
Considering nearly every
Arab I've been on belonged to someone else I know I sure can't. The only one I
know off the top of my head is my own horse and I know that he came from a
huge breeding facility for Arabian racehorses. He was a sweetheart but he just
wasn't suited to my needs. But also note that I kept him barefooted and
trimmed regularly so shoeing wasn't an issue.
I understand that nearly
everyone on this mailing list is an Arabian owner because of the high
percentage of the breed used in the sport of endurance racing and that I'm
sort of a minority here as far as my opinion goes, but that still doesn't mean
that my opinion is wrong. I'm entitled to it and I don't enjoy being torn down
for it.
If someone were to say that mustangs are ugly I'd have to argue
with them and show them pictures of my mustang who just happens to be a
Friesian look-alike. Still, I would also recognize the fact that my horse is
probably the minority as most mustangs were bred by nature for survival and
strength and speed and not for looks. Most wild mustangs are not very pleasing
to the eye, even after they've been cleaned up.
It's a shaky analogy at
best but it's probably true that a good majority of Arabians out there weren't
bred very well and that they've all developed various leg and foot problems
because of it. That would mean that the well-bred Arabs are the minority. All
of you are used to the well-bred ones because I'm sure you're all great
breeders and/or know what to look for when purchasing an Arab. Maybe some day
I'll find an Arab that I feel comfortable on and does suit my needs. I'm sure
he exists, I just tend to avoid Arabs because most of them just aren't what I
look for in a horse.
Well, unfortunately it may be that your 'generalization' is founded on
riding poorly bred Arabians. Which we know are far too many in this
country due to every backyard breeder thinking they are going to make mega
bucks on breeding Arabians. It would be more constructive for you to
list the Arabian horses and their bloodlines that you have had your
experience on given that there are approximately 602,000 registered Arabians
alive/dead in the United States. Then perhaps we can identify in a
more positive manner to your comments.
