Re: RC: USA Breeders

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 6/24/00 5:29:55 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
Howard4567@aol.com writes:

<< Saddlebreds were so predominant during the Civil War and privately owned 
that 
 Grant thought it was important enough at Lee's surrender to allow the 
 Southern soldiers to keep their horses.  This saved and revived the breed of 
 the American Saddle Horse which is now the American Saddlebred.
 
 Now I'm sure Heidi will try and get her Arabs on this Saddlebred bandwagon, 
 but I don't think so.  >>

Nope, Howard, your info is right on.  And that is the sort of Saddlebred that 
I was referring to when I mentioned that for endurance, one is likely to do 
best with the old lines that have been bred true to the old standards.  Only 
reference I will make here to Arabs is that the same is true for Arabs--both 
breeds have been devastated in recent years by breeding for show ring fads 
instead of sticking to the traits that really mattered, and in both breeds, 
there have been a few breeders who have stayed true to type and have 
continued to breed solid, sensible using horses.

BTW--the book "Traveler" is a very interesting read--I think it is the same 
author that wrote "Watership Downs."  It is about the Civil War from the 
perspective of Robert E. Lee's horse, and is an excellent commentary on the 
concept that the horse has a different viewpoint and priorities than the 
human.  (And personally, I don't find anything remotely "civil" about that 
war--I prefer to call it the War of Northern Aggression, and the southerners 
that were displaced and came West stamped our rural western culture with a 
sort of honor, chivalry, and desire for freedom that is still very precious 
to me.  But that is another topic.)

Heidi