Re: RC: Bad Boy Genetics

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

Hi, Kathy...

You made some good points regarding the disposition issue.  YES, there are strong genetic components to disposition.  But you are right that there are also tradeoffs.  You always have to look at the horse as a total package.  That said--there is a balance to everything.  If all else was perfect and the disposition was EXTREMELY bad, forget it!  But if there are a few little imperfections here and there, and a few liveable quirks, you simply have to decide where this horse fits--as you point out, there are quite useful horses that are not beginner material.

I have a hard time holding nastiness in the halter ring against ANY Arab--when one sees how terribly many of them are treated, it is a wonder more of them don't snap.  Some of the nicest horses I know will go balistic if someone picks up a whip--and with good reason.  Too bad--in the right hands, a whip is simply an arm extension and a training aid.  However, there are a great many other ways to evaluate a horse's disposition than watching how he reacts to someone that has picked and fussed and whipped and shocked...

Disposition is a very important trait to me, but like any other trait, one must put ALL traits on the scale as positives or negatives in deciding whether or how best to breed a particular horse.  I've seen far too many breeding "programs" that have been very single-minded about one trait or another--and it doesn't take many generations to see other aspects go to pot...

Heidi