Re: RC: Re: arab/percheron crosses

[Bette Lamore <woa@stormnet.com>]

Hi Susan
Interesting thing happened to me lately. Someone approached me about
getting Halynov registered in the American Trakehner Registry. Said his
horse passed the test with flying colors and became the first US bred
Arab to be accepted; he felt Hal would do the same and wants to breed to
him. He added that Hal's lines to Priboj and his son Ponomarev were
important as Priboj was the foundation sire for the Trakehner and his
son set jumping records. 99% of people contacting him are Trakehner
people looking for a good cross with Arabs of size, motion, and lines
tracing back to these. If Hal were to become certified, the offspring
would be considered purebred. I always thought a horse had to come from
2 purebreds to be considered--- apparently not so. This man was
instrumental in setting up this registry in the US as well as the
A.R.A.B.S. registry for sporthorses. He told me to focus on the
Trakehner Registry. He's published articles in the Warmblood magazine
and now in the Arabian Focus magazine. Something to think about for
breeders out there who have stallions with size, great length of stride,
and Russian bloodlines in their foundation. Support Glasnost! Bring a
Bolshevik into your barn!!!<BG>
Bette

Susan Garlinghouse wrote:
> 
> Jasmine was kind enough to send me a link to the American Warmblood Society
> and in their FAQs section, they had an excellent paragraph about
> cross-breeding and what *can* happen when you cross different types of
> horses, ie a draft and an Arabian.  Here it is:
> 
> Question: What is meant by "mixed bloodlines"?
> 
> Answer: This is a very good question, and one that definitely needs a
> thorough explanation. What we really mean by "mixed" is "unconsolidated" and
> it refers not so much to breed, but to type. For example, the breeds which
> make up the group of horses we commonly think of when we refer to European
> warmbloods have been bred for generations for specific traits & aptitudes
> which ensure their dominance in the competitive sport horse arena. That is
> why, regardless of how many breeds are in the average European Warmblood's
> pedigree (and there are usually several), his ability to perform remains
> intact. He was bred true to type. Many of the breeds we have in this country
> have been bred for nearly as long for completely different tasks. Because of
> this selective breeding, they excel at the tasks they are asked to perform.
> Let us use, for example, a Quarter Horse bred for cutting. In fact, you
> could just as easily use a world-class quality cutter as an example. This
> horse would obviously be an athlete whose conformation would be dictated by
> its job, which in this case, is working cattle. There are few who would
> argue that the conformation of a world class cutter and the conformation of
> a world class dressage horse or jumper the same. In fact, their very
> specialized jobs require conformations that are radically different without
> deeming either superior. When two athletes of two different types are
> crossed on one another, the results are often inconsistent. Furthermore, the
> breeder has decreased the consolidated reliability of the bloodlines for
> either sport! It is a genetic possibility, in fact, a mathematical
> probability, that such a crossbred horse, even when bred back to another
> consolidated warmblood lineage, will produce some foals which are less
> suitable for sport than the original crossbred. The proof of this can be
> found in any college genetic textbook. Because of this, and because of the
> tremendous influence a stallion can have on a breeding population due to the
> number of mares he can cover, "mixed types" need to be regarded with extreme
> caution when considering breeding potential. This does not mean we are
> summarily discouraging the use of Quarter Horses and other specialized
> breeds in warmblood crossbreeding. For many amateur riders and breeders in
> this country, an outcross to a warmblood represents a huge step in the right
> direction toward their competitive goals. These horses will fulfill these
> goals. For the most part, however, they need to be regarded as sport horses,
> which they surely are, and not as part of our ongoing breeding program. We
> are not trying to re-invent the wheel; we are trying to see it roll smoothly
> in this country over our native terrain.
> 
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-- 
Bette Lamore
Whispering Oaks Arabians, Home of 16.2hh TLA Halynov
(yes, REALLY!)
http://www.arabiansporthorse.com