Mares of unknown breeding becoming "approved" breeding stock

[DawnJL]

[QUOTE=MysticOakRanch;8434177]
Several of the Euro registries do approve some Arabs and Anglo Arabs - even approved as breeding stallions. They can bring much more then just a pretty head - they are universally refining - you can breed an Arab to just about anything, and the result will be lighter, prettier, more elegant. They also have a good bone density and strong feet, short backs, etc. Don’t think of crazy halter Arabs - look to the “unspoilt” breed, and there is a lot to appreciate. Arabian blood is foundation blood in a lot of breeds!

But - having said that, US breeders screwed up a lot of the Arabs by breeding for halter. And when I see a halter bred Arab approved for breeding in a WB registry, I cringe internally…[/QUOTE]

A good Arabian can also contribute stamina, hardiness, structural balance, and high rideability. Unfortunately, the majority of the breed promotion in recent decades has focused on the halter and rail class segments of the breed so the reasons why Arabians were considered good outcrosses for reinforcement and improvement in various studbooks is not well appreciated.

For an interesting historical tidbit: I recently learned that the KWPN once accepted Arabians for inspection for breeding approval. The KWPN stallion, Olympus (foaled 1973), was sired by the 1956 Arabian, Noran. (more data here) Olympus was a GP dressage horse that represented the Netherlands with rider Dirk Jan Dekker in international competitions before being sold to Japan in 1986. Note that Noran also sired the Anglo-Arabian show jumper, Rex the Robber.

[DarkBayUnicorn]

[QUOTE=Ready To Riot;8431141]
I have a grade mare who I have strongly been considering breeding for years. Though she is grade, I know a ton about her parents, grandparents, and great grand parents. I know what she is bringing to the table. I know what kind of horse I need to Improve her, but I also know that if her foal came out just like her, I’d be tickled pink with that.

That being said, after 13 years of owning her and probably 10 of those thinking of breeding her, I’m still not sure.[/QUOTE]

Long time lurker, first timer poster (under this username, my old one is no longer valid).

This was me. I bought my mare unregistered and unregisterable (neither parent registered, although bred well–mom a windy-legged twin, dad blew a hock before his performance testing) as a three-year-old. By the time she was 7 she’d won enough and proven her temperament enough that my trainer and I decided to breed her.

I knew about both sides of her pedigree. Salut (Trak) on the topside, Tell Oka (TB) on the bottom. Her mother’s full sister was a mainstay champion in the junior hunters around here for about a decade.

We chose a stallion–Cabardino–as close to her type as possible (even got to work them side-by-side in a show warm-up ring), with a proven ability to pass on things like longer legs (mareface is 15.3 on a very tall day).

I wanted my mare in a bay suit, with slightly more height, and a boy. That is precisely what I got.

My little man is 2.5 tomorrow. He is a carbon copy of his grandfather (the Salut son) and his mother in terms of shape–with LOOOONG legs. Already as tall as momma. A better mover than either parent. We haven’t free jumped him yet, but the boy can buck, and that usually says scope is there.

Best of all, he has the BEST temperament and brain I’ve ever encountered.

I got my mare inspected and approved last fall for the sole purpose of registering her son so he can do the futurities. She did not make first premium for two reasons: 1) non-verifiable pedigree (all her parents are dead without DNA on record, and neither was registered, although all her grandparents were), 2) the judges argued – one didn’t like her hunter movement and was OK with her height, the other hated her height but was OK with her movement.

So she was 0.3 off top status. Big deal. If they’d even considered her performance record it would be a different story. Funny that they don’t.

I guess my point here is that all you can do is breed the best to the best and hope for the best. Just remember that “the best” isn’t just one factor.