You'll have to excuse me while I get on my soap box. I believe in promoting our U.S. bred horses. In the day and age where we can ship semen we now have breeders in the U.S. that are breeding many of the same lines as found in Europe. Why not support our own breeders (and economy) instead of importing? I love supporting small local businesses versus the large corporations and this sort of falls along those lines. This is also how to came to get Luxxx. I was at a show and happened to meet a breeder and got to talking about his business. The next thing I know I'm at his farm looking at babies.
If you followed yesterday's Chronicle article on Facebook you may have read some of the Facebook comments about U.S. bred horses versus Europe. Opinions supporting importing talked about the lower costs of breeding, raising, & showing horses in Europe. This makes for a lower price tag there and you get a horse that has been trained and shown. We do have exorbitant costs for showing in our country. The cost of campaigning a youngster is then passed along in the price tag. In Europe they focus on training and provide a good dressage base for their youngsters. As Sprinkler Bandit so spot on stated in her blog Tuesday many of our riders here don't necessarily train their horses. Many of our top show jumpers purchase their horses already made. We don't focus on correct development of youngsters here and to do so, it is expensive.
I think this show series is a great start though. It was reasonably priced and they had shows in all regions of the U.S. One show per region is just a start. I hope it will grow and one day there are plenty of affordable shows like this to take young horses to for exposure.
What are your thoughts on importing versus U.S. bred? Do you take the time to learn about bloodlines? This is something I am enjoying learning more about and feel we all should be more educated on (no matter what breed).
Big proponent of US breeding, I think it's very important. However I do think that breeder education is important - all the way from knowing and understanding bloodlines on up to starting young horses (both areas that we lack in, IMO). The young horse shows are good ways to shine a spotlight on US breeding, but we have to be very very careful about how we run them and how we judge them, lest we turn it into the tragedy that is hunter breeding.
ReplyDeleteMost definitely! I hear people say their horse is "well bred" but don't know what that means! Well bred should be based on performance and soundness! Unfortunately people breed horses that have never performed or went lame.
Deletegreat topic - tho it's unfortunately one i'm woefully ignorant on... never paid much attention to breeding bc i continue to assume my first horse will be an OTTB. but - from my limited perspective, i'd definitely prefer something US-bred provided i could afford something with the foundation i need too
ReplyDeleteOTTB is just as important to look at breeding. This will help give you some insight into potential soundness and minimizing in breeding in the pedigree.
DeleteIt's really hard for me to say, because it's not like I have $10k sitting around for my WB prospect. I know someone personally who got a MADE PACKER jumper at significant heights imported for not much more than that figure above. Here in the US, that'd buy me a nice yearling... maybe.
ReplyDeleteI just can't say which way I'd go until I'm in the position to realistically shop for such a horse.
YHS isn't just for WB, it is any breed bred in the U.S. What is more U.S. than a TB? But pedigree is equally important in TB.
DeleteYou know, I was much more into pedigrees when I was in the Quarter Horse world. Now? Not as much. I love to look at the uber-nice WB stallions and ogle their babies but I don't really know much beyond that.
ReplyDeleteI do however think it's great to see Thoroughbreds resurfacing and becoming more popular in the hunter and jumper rings. I think they are such an athletic and talented breed in general and there are so many here in the US!
Yes I love the classic TBs from yesteryear. It's unlikely we will see that again until TB breeders focus on longevity and soundness again
DeleteIn theory, I'm 100% behind US bred horses. The problem I find though is that there are a lot of ignorant breeders, some looking to make money rather then continue on and improve the breed. I also think the main reason why so many go overseas to find their horses is because of the training and the starting of babies is so different over there. As you said, riders here want to compete and win quickly, they aren't interested in bringing along a horse through the levels. Also, finding quality trainers to break, and train your babies is hard. Like really hard. Their methods overseas are tried and true, and consistently turn out quality horses in a short amount of time.
ReplyDeleteWe do have too many back yard breeders here and people who don't understand that the dam line accounts for 60%. It is treated more like a business and livestock in Europe so more emphasis is placed on quality. We are capable of this as well and our training programs need to change. I am very thankful for my foundation and ability to start my own. Would love to improve that and study in Europe!
DeleteThis is a really interesting topic & one i loved hearing discussed from an Irish point of view when I was there for university etc. I cannot comment on US or continental EUR practices as I've had little exposition to them but my aunt used to breed horses although she had more success with her pony mare producing jumping ponies on a very small scale. So i will share some of the things I gleaned from her - bear in mind thus isn't gospel but opinion.
ReplyDeleteIrish breeders were (are?-I'm not sure so much anymore) renowned for breeding a quality horse with brains and power. Their patented crossing of TB blood & draughts or Connie garnered success the world over and had people knocking down doors to get their hands on such animals.
As SJ (in particular) courses got more technical and more questions/scope required from the animals to succeed Irish breeders cast their sights on the top Euro lined horses and imported a lot of stallions and mares. Sadly I think this influx damaged what made a good ISH standout in the first place.
Horses that possibly shouldn't have been approved for the Irish studbook due to as mentioned above soundness issues both mental & physical have had a negative impact on breeding in Ireland. As there were two or three categories of stallions registered, obviously with price tags to match. So a lot of breeders went for the fancy foreign horse which may or may not match conformationally or tempermentally with the mare they were breeding. Which resulted in considerably hotter horses than the market wanted when looking for ISH.
Sorry I think i may have been heading off on a tangent there - i used to have fascinating conversations with people in Ireland about this very subject as i wanted to immerse myself in it and learn. Sadly since moving out here i have lost touched although I think the economic crash took its toll in a positive way on the breeding boom in Ireland and the flash in the pan new-money breeders lost interest when the going got tough whereas the more knowledgeable breeders who were producing quality all along had the clientle & demand to carry on producing quality stock.
Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing against "foreign" bred horses. I am not an equine racist, just so long as the match ups & breeding are done with a longterm view to the future. Namely breeding for quality and improving on your mares flaws. Not just breeding willy nilly to the latest flash young stud off a boat.
PS Kika's sire is KPWN and if not foreign bred himself is a son of Lux Z and goes back through the established and revered Zangherseide studbook and her dam is also by a KWPN stallion but with (IMO) the wonderful draught stallion Clover Hill as her grandamsire.
Nancy's sire is a Friesian so doesn't get more Dutch although he wasn't registered so am not sure about more than that and her dam comes from old school ISH cross age of TB and ID - i think. I don't have her lines in my head which I have just realised I could do some digging on cos I'm super nosy.
Sorry for blabbering on in this comment - hopefully it's not too wishy-washy and unfounded (although it is). Basically all i wanted to say is as with everything from cars to technology. Just because it's foreign and/or shiney and new - it doesn't make it better than what worked to begin with ;-)