Polish competitors

[Jennifer Hixson Layman <jlayman@leland.Stanford.EDU>]

Newbie delurking here, for better or worse.  I am sure there is a great
deal to certain bloodlines producing better permorance horses (I will admit
I don't follow bloodlines or have much knowledge there), but I'd like to
speak to my personal experience.

I have a mare that is a Bask granddaughter (out of Serrafix too, so Polish
& Crabbet bred). Although she has many wonderful qualities, conformation is
not one of them.  I got the endurance bug after I purchased her.  For two
plus years I patiently, and conservatively  struggled to make an endurance
horse out of her with no luck.  She just does not have the body for the
sport.

That realization was never as great as when I started conditioning my new
endurance horse.  Man, I can not tell you the difference.  Everything that
was so hard for my mare is so easy for this guy.  He is young and in a year
we have  only done one 25 and one 50, but that is more than my mare was
every able to accomplish in two years. He continues to amaze me in his
ability.

Back to bloodlines...  I was shocked to compare their papers and see how
many lines they share.  My gelding is double Bask, but there were many,
many other connections.  These two horses are night and day in build, and
personality.    My new gelding is pure polish and I believe he will have a
long endurance career.   If I had only him to judge bloodlines by I would
say polish all the way.  However,  based on my past experience I will never
look at bloodlines  before looking at the whole package and how it is put
together.


Jennifer Layman
Hoosannah - Hey, I tried!
Goose - I have a long what ahead of me??

>Can anyone share their Polish horse accomplishments with me? The question was
>asked about how well Bask horses were suited to the sport of endurance, so
>let's just bump that up and see how many pure Polish AND how many people
>deliberately look for Polish  blood in their endurance horses.
>sandy