well daydream, this is what happens to those of us who swim “Against the stream” 
Its OK though, I KNOW what I am doing is the “right” thinkg for me. To heck with everyone else! The bigtime WB breeders don’t bother me, they can do what they wish, I don’t slam them for their hroses, many of which I personally do not like and many of which I love! But for them to slam my horses, which I doubt the’ve seen in real life or even photos, well I guess that jsut shows how narrow minded some people can be.
In response to Ruach -
My mare is leased out to a young Warmblood breeder (she has a Westfalen broodmare, a Trakehner broodmare and a Thoroughbred bm) has leased my Saddlebred mare and bred her to Balta 'Czar, upon my recommendation. 
So I am eagerly expecting a Saddlebred/Oldenburg baby in 2006! (even though I don’t get to keep it!) 
I think the original poster was hoping to hear from other “maverick breeders” who are breeding unusual crosses that are not the “norm” as she put it.
Marching to the beat of another drummer with an unusual vision in a breeding program will understandably always receive skepticism. It is all part of playing the game…you gotta cowboy up. If you are breeding sporthorses they have to win to get respect…period. If I am breeding hunter ponies all BUYERS want to know if it can get their child in the ribbons safely.
If it can model and turn heads that is even better…however, the IMPORTANT question is can it jump and can it move and is it safe and sane.
I get flak from the “old guard” pony hunter breeders because I am injecting warmblood crosses and COLOR into my pony hunter program! Brows stay knitted in firm disapproval because I am not filling my broodmare bands with cookie cutter grey pony mares that all go back to the same 6 foundation lines of hunter ponies!
I have even gotten emails chastising me for noting accomplishments of welsh/warmblood cross ponies because it was not “American breeding”!
So…I took notice of all the unsolicitated both sage advice I have received and went to my graphics company and they are digitizing and embroidering my new farm hats as we speak with my new motto:
ADVENTURE BEACH PONIES
PUTTING BLING IN THE HUNTER RING
And in between script is a picture of Johnny smiling with teeth showing wearing huge sunglasses and a colorful reggae hat with dredlocks.
This should effectively keep me off the old guard tea party invite lists for awhile! 
[QUOTE]Originally posted by aurum:
Breeding for quality and sport means breeding forward not backwards. QUOTE]
Wow…that is arrogant to assume that just because YOU believe that breeding to a warmblood is breeding forward that everyone else should as well. 
Thanks, but I’ll stick with my little spanish horses. 
As for sport horses…I have seen full TB’s kick butt many times in jumpers and even dressage (Keen) and watched a GASP draft cross (shire/TB) win a Grand Prix (Duke Children’s Classic) last Fall against probably 30-40 warmbloods representing some of the most elite bloodlines. I really think if more people gave non traditional breeds a chance, we’d see a lot more of them at the top levels but there is this misconception in the last 10 years or so that warmbloods are the only breeds capable of winning in these sports and I think it’s refreshing to see breeders like Tawna who are willing to show folks that other breeds and crosses can do just as well.
I have not said that crosses cannot produce nice horses, but we are talking this special filly and looking at Maxamillion and at the filly, the stallion is better than the filly and that is NOT what breeding is for. The advancing to the better and not a step backwards should be the goal. Why is that so difficult to understand?!
And Lianne nowhere on that picture I can see the conformation of that horse. It does not tell me anything other than the horse being a pinto.
I thought constructive critic would be appreciated. But I see that in reality nobody wants to hear the truth.
I know someone who imported a Labradoodle 
from Australia. I do know that it cost way more than $3K. 
trailblazer,
Agree with your last statement about puppy mills! I do NOT ship semen, I restrict my own breeding to four mares (preferably three) per year of my own horses and I limit my outside book to five per year, I CERTAINLY do not do embryo transplants, frozen semen of dead hroses etc.! All of these thigns in my opinion lead to too many foals being produced. By only doing live cover I SEE the mares that come to my horse and if I wish I could say, “i am sorry but I do not feel this is a good cross, here is your booking fee back!” Do these breeders breeding mares sight unseen via shipped semen do that?? There is NO guarantee that jsut becuase you have a huge stud fee that soemone isn’t going to breed their backyard mare thinking they will get some incredible foal from it. AND that fact the mare may be approved, well to be honest I ahve seen some “approved” mares that I wouldnt breed at all!!! I am a SMALL breeder, and I like it that way. I have a REASONABLE stud fee, I have REASONABLY priced young stock and I breed mares that have a GOOD REASON to be bred, not jsut “any horse”. We are certainly NOT flooding the market with our breeding efforts here.
Ahh guys… why not step away from your keyboards for a moment here… take a breather… 
Tawna is not a child, she has been around a long time (and as even she admits), she knew full well what she was doing by starting this thread. Tawna has been the target of criticism before, for Max and for the fledgling Saddlebred Sporthorse Registry TASHR http://www.americanasporthorse.com/ (a fabulous registry which - I believe - was started in late 2003).
Now, there’s nothing wrong with starting a new registry to support what you’re breeding, people do it all the time (e.g. IRC) , but there may be more to this thread than meets the eye and maybe we should all know where every one is coming from.
Tawna and the TASHR folks strongly believe that the Saddlebred influence in Sporthorse breeding is a valuable thing. That’s an interesting perspective - and at this point - that’s about all it is. It’s not a threat to anyone; it’s simply a concept. We can all step back and watch the years unfold and see if these kinds of horses excel in competition.
When Max trots down the centerline in the next Olympics, I’ll probably be cheering the loudest. But how likely is that to happen? It will take TASHR a few decades (40 plus years) to validate their breeding goals with the depth of solid FEI level competitors that we see in the WB registries. One simply can NOT say that TASHR is on equal footing at this point in time.
Competition is a “tough row to hoe”, and there is a world of difference between “my buddies and I all agree Blippy is perfect”… and having Blippy actually accomplish something in sport. And, we all have to concede this point, irrespective of how many buddies we rally on a BB for our support, the ultimate measure of the worth of a Sporthorse breeding program is competition… i.e., Can the horses we breed actually excel at what they were bred to do? Can they get out there and prove themselves in competition?
Tawna posted her glowing critique of her filly in the specific context of her being perfection as a Sporthorse. Far as I know, there is no objective concurrence other than something along the lines of “my friends who come to my farm all agree she is perfect.” Gwen responded, “Hey guys, I breed sporthorses, even the “untrendy” ones. I compete WB Sporthorses. I have bred horses that win in big competitions. She may be a cute filly, but I see very specific faults with her in the context of whether she is the “perfect” Sporthorse.
I should add here that we too noticed the things Gwen mentioned, as did every breeder I spoke with about this thread (none of whom would touch this with a ten-foot pole). 
It boils down to this, Tawna created the context here by essentially claiming that the filly is a “perfect Sporthorse,” and Gwen responded in that context.
Let’s all be honest, Tawna KNEW full well when she posted that others would/could have very different opinions of the filly. Tawna made a decision to post as she did… and while her friends are trying to rally round here, let’s not let it tear this BB apart. Tawna took a calculated risk when she made those glowing public assessments. If she did not want to hear from Warmblood Sporthorse breeders, maybe she should not have started this thread on this forum.
Here is another point: You can’t discount decades of experience breeding 20-30 foals per year that are being objectively evaluated by WB sporthorse experts each and every year. And, if you are going to make comparisons, i.e. that my poka-dotted duck is equal to or better than other poka-dotted ducks, maybe you should first truly understand what a good poka-dotted duck actually looks and moves like. And that is an ongoing process which takes years… decades.
There is an unassailable mountain of credible data… decades and decades of solid competition results from Olympics, WEG, and all levels of international competitions to solidly support the claim that Warmblood sporthorses excel in sport… and that the Inspection process for evaluating and selecting Warmblood sporthorse foals is credible. To suggest otherwise is silly, bordering on naïve.
Without question, a breeder who has been breeding 20-30 sporthorse foals per year, in Germany (for decades), truly has a valuable perspective here… which trumps the “I breed 2-4 foals per year.” Rather than jumping in and being defensive, why not take a step back and say, “Hey, maybe I can learn something here.” After all, wasn’t that the point of the discussion?
1 Like
Well, I have to go to work and so here is my last word for awhile.
My sage advice that I learned from an old horse trader:
“Thar’s a butt for every saddle!”
Now girls, go out there and find the right butt for those “perfect” babies we all love so much.
Ya’ll play nice while I am gone.
Cathy
My guy I would have kept if a filly. He was a WB/Arab cross but bre “backwards” (WBx mare and unapproved Arab stallion…daddy is SportArab’s dude). He was really nice…looking, moving, personality. Since He was colt he was for sale. Reason I had a hard time selling him was that I hated to geld him. It was not a condition of sale to keep him intact…but he wasn’t gelded either. I finally did sell him. My faith in him was justified though. This year he was champion sporthorse half Arab stallion in hand on the west coast at only 2 .
We decide to keep Dancer. This colt is a cross Hanoverian and Canadian horse breed. This is not a very usual cross, I must agree.
I think he is beautifull and remind me those strong horse used in jumping 30 years ago.
He has everything we were looking for: character, floating gaits and strenght.
He will probably look like those French coach horse; what a dressage horse he will be !Or a jumper ! The guess was to breed this mare who always throw out better than her with a very modern type Hanoverian and get the best of each. She did it again.
Tawna…also trying to get back OT. What made you choose to base your breeding program on saddlebreds? Is there some experience or some special horse that turned you on to them? What is it about the breeding that you find suits your goals? Like several others here I have also known several fabulous saddlebreds that were top eventers…good minded, good movers, excellent jumpers and brave.
Perhaps if all of us untrendy breeders ought to share what is was that got us interested in the breeds or crossbreds types that we have.
For myself, I was never interested in mustangs or horses of colonial spanish breeding until I stumbled across an adorable little bay BLM pony waiting to be picked up by the local killer dealer. I paid these folks $450 to get him out of there and saved his life. I could not believe the movement this little guy had…a huge stride, suspension, and a very kind eye. This still wild 6 year old BLM mustang was so easy to work with that in less than a week I was riding him around the indoor. He went on to event very successfully at Novice level and later competed in recognized dressage competitions with true potential for FEI work. He’d get 8’s for movement and won half the dressage tests he ever entered. We almost lost him to EPM just over a year ago and he’s now retired but the damage was already done to me. I now much prefered riding ponies and I knew I wanted to fill my barn with little horses just like this one. I could have sold that little mustang over a number of times for a hefty price but turned them all down to keep him for myself. I even had a dressage judge try to buy him after my test once!
So I did a lot of research on mustangs and found that they were originally spanish horses brought to America…the spanish barb, the spanish jennnet and the sorraia horse…the same horses that were the ancestors of modern spanish horses…and we all know our early American history…they got away from the Spanish, indians got them and later they became the originial cowpony…the rest is the stuff of legends. Their blood was used in developing many of our modern American breeds. I found in my reading that very few survived the last 100 years or so unchanged but that a handful of dedicated breeders saved as many as they could find in wild herds, indians herds and rancher stock and were still breeding them. Some BLM herds are still predominantly spanish to include the one my BLM pony came from but most are very crossbred and have lost much of their spanish type as a result. Many of us who breed them sadly feel that there are none left running wild today that are pure blooded. We have about 3800 registered and approximately 2500 alive today. Just this year, exports to the UK have started and we have several in Germany now. Hopefully someday they will no longer be endangered. Also interesting is that they are not new at all…the registry has been around for almost 50 years but the breed was predonantly bred by ranchers and has never really been marketed to english riders.
I gave it a lot of soul searching and thought and decided to give it a try. It had always been my dream…Why not buy a nice young stallion prospect, some nice mares and see if I could make them into the kind of horses my BLM pony was and try to recreate that earlier success. That was a just over a year ago and I can say it has been a fun journey and so far a success. The stallion has way exceeded my expectations with his natural ability for dressage and the reception I’ve had with my him so far by other sportpony folks has been very positive. I think I’m on to something!
Anyway…that’s my story and how I got into my breed. Plans for the future I think I’ve already covered earlier but I do think there is a growing market for smaller talented dressage mounts for adults and children. I feel the key is that they are talented with the right uphill build for dressage, good moving and most important for non professionals, they are good minded and easy to ride.
Anyway…I hope others will share their goals and we can get back on track for Tawna and have the discussion she originally intended.
Cartier–
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>…In my environment the word stallion prospect is not even used to characterize a foal unless the Oldenburg breeding registry named a foal as such. Hey and that is not because the foals are not good enough. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Alexandra,
In my opinion that is how it should be with all
credible warmblood registries, warmbloods after
all not being a breed per se.
A lot of “ok” stallions would be fabulous geldings.
Wandering into your website I just noticed
you have a bay Florencio foal out of a
Prince Thatch mare !?!
FANCY.
STUNNING.
SIMPLY STUNNING.
Yours in sport,
Lynn
Albion wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>I don’t necessarily get what you’re talking about as far as her “type” being different - she looks like a lot of other nice WB cross foals I’ve seen.
I just really don’t see what difference it makes WHAT percentage of her is an “unconventional” sporthorse breed… </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Albion… Thank you! My point exactly- It shouldn’t.
I wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>She exudes this presence and is so “perfect” to me. I know conformation and movement wise she is pretty darn nice also…
I know no horse is “perfect”, and if anything I would shorten her back… </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Aurum… I went back and read my own posts… I just said to ME she was perfect… Conformation and movement, she is “Pretty darn nice”, again, I never said perfect.
Aurum wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>It is different than a WB conformation.
I attach the picture of a real Warmblood buckskin tobiano filly … </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I agree- I can not compare her to your foal as she is WB, mine is not. I would never put her in that category- but I do feel, as do many others, that my filly is of acceptable and quality sportype.
I just feel by your comment above as if somehow you are trying to say you have the “real deal” because your filly is Warmblood, and mine is not. I know you probably did not mean it in that manner, but it just comes across to me that way.
Picture for example of conformation analysis;
Mara conformation analysis
Aurum wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>The neck set is not what I would like to see… </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
What do you look for? I look to see if the neck is coming well-set and high into the wither, and the base of the neck ties in nicely to the chest, with at least a hands width above the breastbone. I do see this on my filly. I think her neck set is lovely.
Aurum wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>the shoulder is too straight to move out </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I think she has a wonderful shoulder. If her shoulder was “too straight to move out” I don’t think I could get picture after picture like this:
Mara trot1
Mara trot2
Mara trot3
Aurum wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>the middle part is too long and too straight on the hind end. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
“middle part too long” I agree with this as I did say “if anything I would shorten her back”. I don’t understand what you mean “too straight on the hind end”. The angle of the hind is judged from the point of hip, to point of buttock, to stifle- forming a triangle. The LS joint should be just above point of hip. Again, I see this in my filly.
Aurum wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>In addition the hind end is too light and small. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
The filly IS “light” overall. She is very balanced though, while being of light type. Her hind is very effective and powerful… which is a trait of the more modern, lighter type sporthorses.
Example of her “push” and power…
Mara trot4
Aurum wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>If you put the two fillies aside you can see the difference and what I mean easily. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yes, I agree. As your filly is a WB, and mine is a sporthorse. They are of the same class, but of differing type. Like a Ferrari and a Mustang… both “sport” cars, made to go fast, easy handling, etc… but differing looks. the framework is similar to achieve desired output. Such is the comparison I am trying to explain.
Aurum wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>what about the gaits in a Saddlebred? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Another subject but… not all Saddlebreds come from gaited lines. Neither my stallion nor mare is gaited in any way. I do not breed any sort of gaited horses- just sporthorses & WB’s
Trailblazer wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>if “Magic Colors” is the standard, your girl is NOT a step backwards! A different type, but in no way worse, conformation-wise. You said that you know she isn’t a WB. So it doesn’t really matter if she doesn’t meet WB standards, does it? I’m assuming you must want some of the ASB traits to come through, or else why on earth would you have bred to one, right? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Thank you Trailblazer!
Cartier wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Tawna and the TASHR folks strongly believe that the Saddlebred influence in Sporthorse breeding is a valuable thing. That’s an interesting perspective - and at this point - that’s about all it is. It’s not a threat to anyone; it’s simply a concept. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Thank you!!
Cartier wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>It boils down to this, Tawna created the context here by essentially claiming that the filly is a “perfect Sporthorse,” and Gwen responded in that context. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
No, no… Please, again, read above. She is “perfect to me” in my own “loving mother” eyes )… not perfection. I LOVE her- that what was meant by the comment- please don’t take it out of context. I did not mean for it to come across as I was tooting my horn saying I own the world’s most “perfect” filly. Please know I KNOW she is not perfect. NO horse is perfect. I apologize if I made it seem as if I was saying that.
Cartier wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>why not take a step back and say, “Hey, maybe I can learn something here.” After all, wasn’t that the point of the discussion? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yes, it was meant to be positive, not take a spiral downward. I was just trying to be proud of my filly and ask others to share their “untrendy” foals… Why must others think there is some ulterior motive and take every opportunity to turn something lighthearted into a war?
Adventurebeachponies wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>I think the original poster was hoping to hear from other “maverick breeders” who are breeding unusual crosses that are not the “norm” as she put it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yep… that was all it was lightheartedly started as
Halfhalting Wrote <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>PS- She’s just my type! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Thank you
Shawnee Acres wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>and who’s to say, except the breeder, whether or not the foal OVERALL exceeds either parent in the COMBINATION of these traits. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I see some better qualities in sire and filly. She is nicer in some ways as Is Max. I got the qualities improved off of the mare as I wanted and the sire added these. She has some qualities I like better than sire as to length of neck and I do think she has more freedom in her shoulder than daddy. Not putting Max down, but I can objectively say that.
To end…
I posted: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>It’s all about sharing, and learning. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
and to add…not attacking and bashing. I do not remember asking for a conformations analysis on my filly. I went back any reread to make sure. I was just trying to start a topic and used my filly as an example. No she is not “perfect”. This was not meant to be a “conformation analysis” thread. Sorry things went another direction. i did not mean for people to take it other than my original lighthearted post. I do not want to start wars.
I’m sitting here miserable with a very swollen leg and thought I would just start a nice topic. No redirecting of topic like some have done. For now I am still quite happy with her.
Thank you all for posting on topic and sharing the lovely examples of your “untrendy” stock!
Added: checked the few other posts the occoured while typing this LONG reposnce… wanted to thank Daydream believer for her last post… perfectly stated
Tawna, that sure is a lovely filly! I can’t wait to see how she does at Devon!
Shawnee…good point that there is more than one effective sporthorse type than the European WB model. People are so quick to forget some of our greatest Amercian sport horses have not been warmbloods…and not even crosses. Who could forget little Seldom Seen a Connemara cross? Keen, a race track reject and ex event horse nearly medaling in 1976 at Montreal!! Oh, the Germans wanted him badly too and Hilda told me when I was a working student at Keenridge they did everything they could to buy him from her after that including offering her a blank signed check…she obviously refused… and rode Keen again in Los Angeles in 1984. Touch of Class, Erin Go Bragh, Poltroon, Victor Dakin, Bally Cor, Moga, etc…I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of them. All of those were American breds and one was an appy and another a morgan cross. All went to the top in their sport. One nearly took a medal in dressage at the time that it was nearly unknown as a sport in America and might have been a catlyst in changing the WB breeding to a more lighter type.
I do find it ironic that the most exported breed from the US right now is the QH and that reining and western riding is becoming a big deal in Europe. Again, we have something they want so they come here. We are for the most part breeding exactly what they have in sport horses right now and allowing their registries to dictate to us what they like or don’t like…so why should they come here and buy warmbloods? Instead they are buying what they don’t have. Just something to think about.
Sorry Aurum but I think you are not correct, this thread was about “untrendy breeding philosophies”, and who among us follow this “non-trend”. Please read the OP first post again, specifically:
"Something you believe in so strongly to stick your neck out there with?? I’m talking completely NEW breeding approaches… not the current trends (colored Wb’s, or Tb’s- new trends, but not unique) I’m talking about something completely unique… Or am I the only one??
I’m just curious to see whom else is out there with something “different”. Don’t be shy about sharing. I know most people on this board do the norm… but I don’t think they will flame us for sharing our “different” foals. It’s all about sharing, and learning. Perhaps something one of us unique breeders produces will become the next “trend” to combat the Euro WB breeding Machine that is ahead of the “game” currently."
shawne_Acres–
I had no idea there was any sort of descrimination against Apps. I thought it was relatively well known how versatile and competitive they were. I mean, if someone goes out and says they’re going to look for an Appendix, or Quarter Horse, or Thoroughbred off the track to compete with in sporthorse disciplines, no one thinks twice about it. At least that was the impression I was under. I thought Apps were regarded in the same light!
Oh, I’ve seen this stallion before, Chokolate Confetti, that is! WOW! He really is nice. Might have to look for a couple of really nice ASB mares over the winter to breed to him.
Those Kiger’s are so beautiful! I also really liked the Lusitano colt Judy has. Interesting breeding program she has going on with the Kigers.
adventurebeachponies, I’m late with this response to something you asked on page 4, but I AM one of those who IS breeding primarily (emphasis on that word) for the professional market (or, as my slogan puts it: "the highly motivated small adult). [I do breed fancy hunters as a secondarymarket–at least they are "secondary in my mind ;-)].And I (and/or those who bred to my stallion, or bought from me) have produced horses and ponies who have competed and are competed at the top levels of their sports, including Endurance (one of my stallion’s sons is owned and being ridden/developed by the last Pam Am Gold Medalist), Hunters (a national champion, a WEF reserve champion, Zone champs and more), and Eventing (one having done Advanced and now being campaigned by an Olympic Bronze and Pan Am Silver medalist).
That’s why I am so durn adamant is saying, LOUDLY: “Bull!” whenever people talk with such assuredness about their decisions! I KNOW that you can’t judge how far they’ll go as babies–for the upper levels (Oh, I forgot about the FEI level dressage horse in my barn–same sire as the others). And an amateurs horse really only needs a generous temperament since there’s a division for everyone out there.
I do, these days–having truly learned from this BB–acknowledge CONSISTENCY from crossing over and over again…and that only makes me more disappointed when the message doesn’t come across: Yeah, nice stallion; yeah, nice mare…but NO NO NO, just because you know THEM doesn’t mean you know what they’ll throw!!! And once that baby is on the ground, even perfect conformation (which the baby in the center of this discussion doesn’t really have–we have to admit that), doesn’t mean it’ll even MOVE well enough to win on the flat or bring a big price as a dressage horse (and it sure as heck means nothing about its ability to run and jump)!
Gotta go back to teaching this class now. Will read page five asap. Fun discussion, saying things that need to be said!
