Re: RE: Witez II bloodlines (long)

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

You asked for an opinion, here's mine.  There are plnety of
performance-proven, temperament-proven, offspring-proven endurance stallions
out there with just as good or much better pedigrees.  The cheapest part of
raising any youngster is always the stud fee, so having to pay or not pay
for breeding isn't even part of the consideration.  This stallion may look
the part, but he himself is unproven, his temperament under stress is
extremely doubtful, you have no guarentees that his owner has papers or
ability or willingness to provide the recordkeeping required to register the
foal, and his daughter doesn't sound like she's enough to take a flyer on
the dad, the opposite if anything.  And if he hasn't the training or
handling to be trusted to be a gentleman around mares, you're also taking a
chance of getting the mare injured, or the people trying to handle him
during breeding.  There are already thousands of crazy, nasty
(well-pedigreed and look the part) horses available out there, this looks to
me like a recipe for yet another one.

Breeding is always a risk at the best of times, but why stack the deck
against yourself any more than absolutely necessary?

For my money, I don't care if he's the grandson of Pegasus himself, I
wouldn't touch him, although I feel sorry for the individual horse himself.
There are way too many stallions available that aren't the equivalent of
Russian roulette.

JMO.

Susan G


----- Original Message -----
From: <DESERTRYDR1@aol.com>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2001 10:52 PM
Subject: RC: RE: Witez II bloodlines (long)


> I would like an opinion from people more experienced with these lines.  I
am
> considering breeding to a  stallion that is a Witez II grandson (by Otez).
> On the other side, he is out of a half sister to my mare (same sire-
*Feniks,
> a polish import) who also carries Witez II farther back.  This guy is 15
> hands, 8 1/2" cannons, and looks like he could do the job himself.
>
> The downside:  He is 16 years old and not broke.  The lady who owns him is
> kind of strange and has several horses with this same breeding, none of
whom
> are used for anything.  I have known this guy for about 8-9 months, and
have
> been the primary one handling him, as the people I board with think he's a
> total nut case and don't mess with him any more than they have to.  His
owner
> lives out of state and has only been up to see him and her other horses
one
> time.  She was going to retire up here, and shipped the horses, then
things
> changed.  He had very little manners, would scream and rear on lead, and
just
> generally was a pain.  I have been working with him, and he knows that he
is
> supposed to be quiet when he is wearing a halter now.  He also leads
better,
> and has generally settled down a lot.  The first time I groomed him, he
> screamed and lifted his leg when I touched his flank, which I disciplined
him
> for, and he now let me do almost anything with him.  He isn't a very happy
> horse, as he is in a stall and small paddock all the time except when I
get
> him out, but he has always been very gentle with me.  I don't push him if
he
> doesn't want to come out, we had a bad experience with a chain.  He
appears
> to be very sensitive.  The people I'm boarding with don't like his
> temperament due to the crazy behavior he exhibited around mares, running
his
> paddock and calling constantly, when he first got here.  He has one
daughter
> on the ground, and apparently she could not be saddle-broke, as she
> repeatedly tossed a fit when she was saddled, falling down and otherwise
> trying to get rid of it.  She is supposed to have a nasty temperament, as
a
> result no one has touched her since she was four or five.  She was an
> accident,  he got to the mare, a half sister.  So the friend I board with
> said no way would she breed to him, as he's such a nut.  She suggested I
work
> with him to see if he could be trainable, as I told her I believe a lot of
> his problems come from mishandling and lack of handling.  She told me
about
> the saddling thing, and suggested I try to work up to saddling him. I went
> out and put a saddle on him within 5 minutes, with no fight, then lead him
> around with the girth pretty snug, and stirrups hanging.  No fight, no
fuss.
>
> Getting to the point, what experience have others had with these
bloodlines,
> and in general with stallions who have had little handling at an advanced
> age.  He seems to me to have a very sweet temperament.  I have gone into
his
> paddock and put a halter on him when he was having a fit about a new mare
> across the aisle, and he certainly could have hurt me, but has NEVER
offered
> to kick or bite or strike even under those trying circumstances.  He looks
SO
> TOUGH.  and he is a straight legged horse, very pretty head, nice overall
> conformation.  Thanks for any opinions.   jeri
>
>
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