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Kim:
I do not disagree with most of your points, BUT!!!
<<<If both horses are put on the same excellent training program the horse
that has the most natural ability (genetic potential) will excel.>>>
This is a given and has nothing to do with a pedigree. As an instance; take
Barbary, well known as a championship class Arab with a stud fee of $5000.
He has natural ability in park but most likely fall on his face in endurance
but the "NAME" commands attention from the unknowledgable prospective owner.
<<<If Hallany Mistanny had the same record as the get of Al Marah Knight I
certainly would be checking out that line also. But then there must be
something in his line that make his get excel in endurance - so genetics is
a factor.>>>
Yes you should do a quick check and in the end some genetic traits , if
developed, will show up.
<<<A good training program will only take a particular horse closer to its'
highest potential. What I was pointing out was that if I start out with a
horse that is genetically superior and put him on an excellent training
program and if luck is with me (because every horse can hit that proverbial
"gopher hole") that horse will be a better horse than one that is not
genetically superior that is on the same program.>>>>
Therein lies the crux of the matter. The good training program WILL TAKE THE
PARTICULAR HORSE TO ITS HIGHEST POTENTIAL!!! The "superior breeding" will
never achieve its potential with out the good training and therein lies the
problem. We can sell excellently bred horses to owners with their
expectations of success (I have done so) They pay the price and in a year or
less the horse is an also ran back of the pack horse. The breeding was not
good???
We must consider the fact that if we are not careful the buying and selling
of endurance horses will become just like the show arab s did. That trend
would make for a lot of unhappy riders and hurt the sport.
Why my strong objection to placing more emphasis on "papers"?? I have found
that many, many persons go out and get a horse based on sales hype. The
progenitors have a paper record so the offspring MUST BE GOOD!!! shortly
down the line we have a neglected horse ( or worse abused) since it "did not
perform up to potential".That is money down the drain and a bad name for the
sport.
I am seeing this happen here in my own backyard. I have "proven" endurance
horses that will not sell because they do not have "top names" close up on
the papers. Yet I see club footed and crooked legged horses being sold on
name recognition from the show world
as "prospects".
<<<My point is - I really see the benefit of taking a "know content" and
putting all the effort, training and money into that horse than taking an
unknown and doing the same thing. Would I buy a horse with a certain
pedigree that had crooked legs - no. I wouldn't buy any horse with crooked
legs. But if I had a choice over two horses that were conformationally
equal and one had a pedigree that had produced good endurance horses I would
always buy the one with the good pedigree.>>>
Cannot argue with that , but then you have considerable experience.
<<<I only ask that you acknowledge that breeding/pedigree does have an
influence in endurance horses and that there are horses/lines that produce
excellent results in this sport. I never denied that there were other
factors that influenced how a horse would perform.>>>
Kim, you and I have some knowledge as to what to look for in an endurance
horse and have to experience to train and condition one. There are many,
many with out our background out there that on our saying so will buy a
particular lineage "because Kim (or Bob) said it was a superior line. They
will never look at conformation, temperement, the way the animal was cared
for and so on. I will agree with you that some superior characteristics will
come to the fore with proper training BUT, with out the basic conformation
etc the breeding goes for naught.
It is good that we disagree a bit. that way we can bring out the fine points
of each argument and we both learn and I hope the lurkers pick up a few
points also.
I am still riding the orthoflex I got from you a while back, It has seen
over many miles of trail since I recv'd it.
Bob Morris
Morris Endurance Enterprises
Boise, ID
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