I’m deeply sorry for the confusion everyone. I feel like this is my fault because I foolishly assumed that the US Event Horse Futurity was an extension of FEH when I heard about it. How could I have possibly been so clueless?
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Well, it certainly sounds like it! No problem and it led to a discussion about breeding which is never bad!
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Interesting history, thank you for sharing.
It’s for this reason that I remain baffled. I agree that it is an incredibly important goal to “address insufficient information about pedigrees” and to try to correct a “lack of coordination between breeding and performance in sport”. It is also a fact in modern sport horses, as you say, that a certain percentage of blood is still needed. That blood is (largely but not exclusively) Thoroughbred blood.
To then turn around and exclude the breed from a championship that focuses on addressing insufficient information and tries to improve coordination between breeding and sport performance when that breed is relied upon for that very sport performance makes absolutely no sense. If the Thoroughbred must be mixed with something else before its influence on the sport horse can be showcased in these championships, that inherently pushes it further back on the page, which both dilutes the specific influence and makes it more difficult to directly evaluate, and more importantly creates a time delay where the lines that are producing good event horses are older and harder to find by the time they are highlighted on the biggest stage. I cannot reconcile the goals with the reality.
I’d like to clarify to @MsRidiculous and @elizabeth_Callahan that my feedback is primarily directed at Le Lion. There are many opportunities for TBs in the States, and I understand that the Futurity is small, volunteer run, and has very specific goals. I think it’s a great program and I enjoy following it. My comments all along have been primarily addressing the exclusion of the TB from the World Breeding Championships, and I apologize if there has been any confusion.
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@Marigold The various Jockey Clubs around the world are focused on TB racing and the multi-billion, multi-national bloodstock industry focused around it. When a TB goes on to other disciplines it is generally as a second career, after they have finished racing. Most mares go to the paddocks and, unless exceptional, most stallions are gelded so have little breeding potential. TB breeders see little point in belonging to a sporthorse club.
Breeding TBs for sport alone is a very niche market. What little money there is to be made in breeding is made on bloodlines for racing potential, not eventing or dressage or show jumping. Yes, the price of a well-bred WB may be high but a TB will have a couple of extra noughts - until proven useless on the race course.
The WBFSH studbooks do accept TB stallions after inspection/performance. Heraldik, a full TB, had close to 1,000 registered offspring in Germany. He was approved by at least 10 German studbooks. He was leading WBFSH Eventing Sire in 2009 and several years subsequently. He is the most influential Thoroughbred stallion in Warmblood breeding since Lady-killer XX. Heraldik was bred in Czechoslovakia for racing, wasn’t very good, went on to show jump more successfully and travelled around a bit before ending up in Germany. And the rest is history.
I owned/ competed a horse in the 5yr old championships in 2021. When I registered the horse with usea I gave the required breed info but it wasn’t extensive.
I will say I was contacted by someone at usea ( phone/ email I don’t remember which) requesting more info including breeder and more breeding info after I had entered the usea 5 yr old national championships.
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I don’t think anyone here is saying TB’s don’t have a place in eventing or breeding for eventing, but they are saying they don’t have a place in an eventing breeding futurity. Luckily, TB breeding is such a huge market its not going anywhere anytime soon so good bloodlines for athletic thoroughbreds that can excel in any sport will still be around. They do not, however, have a place in the WBFSH.
The TB StudBook does not belong to the WBFSH but approved individual TB horses are included - like Heraldik XX, leading WBFSH Eventing Sire for nearly a decade.
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But they do, they are just in disguise. They gain approval by Warmblood registries and are represented through them, because they are OPEN REGISTRIES, not closed breed books. I can’t imagine what would have happened had TBs not been used.
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As a breeder who is striving to produce purpose bred event horses I would just like to add - all of us who care about this issue need to continue to “educate” by whatever means ( LOL) the riders. The whole ’ you don’t ride the papers’ is just an excuse for not wanting to take the time or effort to figure out what they are riding. IF you find something you truly love, where do you find another? And vice versa… what if there is something you truly don’t care for and want to avoid but you have no idea where it possibly “comes from”? Unfortunately this sport struggles to support breeders and owners too for that matter- and we will always be behind Europe until we solve those issues. On the positive side… in the whole of the livestock world those who control the genetics are the ones with the power and often the financial reward. Everyone else is somewhat at their mercy until they start paying attention.
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Sorry for reviving an old thread, but where can I see the magazine or find the results?
Darn, segue, but now I’m wondering if it is noughts or oughts? I love language, so quite curious…
“Noughts” is British English for “zeros”.
“Nought” meaning “zero” goes back to 1425.
“Ought” meaning “zero” is much later, only going back to 1821
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My PopPop used to say he was born in ought 8, so that raised the question. Many thanks for the explanation!
