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<< We have always obtained our horses on several basic premise. First came
the
feet and legs, second overall conformation, third heart and lungs, fourth
(and here is where many were rejected) was attitude. After obtaining the
horse we then found out the full breeding background and pedigree. >>
I agree with Bob, it isn't the bloodlines, it's the HORSE. My own
experience--several years ago some friends (after they finished their usual
griping about how I was riding too fast, how could I stand all that
trotting?) suggested I check out endurance riding. My horse at the time
was my ageing arab/quarter gelding and I felt he was too old, at 20, to begin
an endurance career(I have since learned I may have been wrong about this--he
is an absolutely sound, healthy horse who has been ridden regularly--and
distances 0f 20-30 miles--his entire life). At that point in my life I was
too busy too consider endurancing however--i knew it would take a commitment
to condition that horse! When life circumstances changed to where I felt
endurancing in the near future was becoming a possibility for me--I went
looking for a horse. But in the mean time I had been reading everything i
could find on the sport of endurance/competitive riding, and equine
conformation. Conformation became a pet fascination of mine (it was about
this time I started to see WHY all the fancy gadgets some of my boarders were
tormenting their horses with still didn't improve the poor animal's
performance).
Anyways, it took me 7 months to find David, the horse I finally bought
(though I know other breeds can excell in endurance I did limit my search to
the breed I fell in love with whilst a horse-sick 12 year old girl dreaming
of a tropical island and a magnificent black stallion--only I was Alec
Haley!) I knew very little about Arabian bloodlines--but I did know what I
was looking for as far as conformation. When I called David's owner he tried
to read me the horses bloodlines over the phone, I said "look, I really don't
know or care that much about arab bloodlines, what about his conformation?"
The guy said, "Oh, if I just read you his bloodlines I KNOW you'll want
him--this horse has top bloodlines, he is a steal at the price I'm asking."
"Don't care about the bloodlines, but I'll come out and look at the horse."
When I got to his house the guy met me with David's pedigree in his hand,
wanted to show me his pedigree BEFORE i saw the horse--I thought, what is he
hiding? Again, I insisted I just wanted to see the horse, didn't give a rip
about who his ancestors were. By this time I was sure the horse must be a
nag, but I'd driven an hour out to this place, might as well look. Defeated,
Doug tossed the pedigree on the hood of his truck and said, "OK, lets go look
at David." When he lead David out of his stall, the first thing I thought
was "what a little horse." (Actually, David stands 15 hands exact, but he
LOOKS littler--even today people say, gosh, he's so little--). The next
thing I thought was--look at those legs! I went over DAvid inch by inch, and
then stood back to get an entire view--he wasn't perfect, but he was built
like an athelete, and like the books said an endurance horse should be. I
looked at Doug and said, "I gotta see his pedigree!" :)
Two months after I bought David I get a call. The man on the phone is an
arabian racehorse breeder. David had been foaled on his farm, and sold as a
weanling. Now, 3years later, David's half brother, A DESERT STORM is doing
really well on the track and this guy wants David back, to race him. He'd
tracked David down to me. I didn't want to sell, hung up the phone, thought
"huh, that's kind of neat!" Two days later the guys trainer calls me--she
says this horse really belongs on the racetrack, they are real eager to
buy--would I sell (she asked me "what do you plan to do with the horse?" Her
tone implying I'd be wasting him if he was destined for sunday rides round
the block. When I said "endurance" she said "Oh--yea, he'd be good for that
too.") Well, I still didn't want to sell, but thus began my "I'm a racehorse
owner!" adventure. It turned into one of those disasters of which one can at
least say "if nothing else it was interesting, and i learned ALOT!" (like
there is money in racehorses--for the trainers!!! I use the term
reservedly--)
The point of this lenghty letter is that I believe my original ignorance of
Arab bloodlines HELPED me in picking out my horse--I was immune to names on
paper, and concentrated on legs, and backs, and chests, and
loin-couplings---and when I did find a horse, it came as no surprise that he
came from primarily racing (i.e. atheletic) lines rather than halter--
Trish & "pretty David"
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