Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> > The fallacy in that is that horses who have been solely selected for
> the
> > track often also get bred away from the metabolic capabilities that
> are
> > necessary for the sport.  Otherwise, we'd all be riding the most
> modern
> > TBs and they would be cleaning up.
> It is not the metabolic capabilities of the modern TB that makes them
> unsuitable to endurance, it is their mental capabilities.
While I agree to the latter, the former also comes into play.  And what I
see in modern Polish race breeding in our sport is the "specialization"
that we didn't used to see with more classical breeding of horses that can
do 50s but who wash out when they try to go much further.  So I submit
that there IS a metabolic component here as well.

> So, if you ask me, the reason that TBs aren't out there "cleaning up" in
> endurance, it isn't because of their physiological shortcomings, it is
> because willful and reactive are mental traits that have been selected
> for in TBs, so most of them have it in spades, and THIS is what makes
> them unsuitable as endurance horses.  We aren't all riding race bred TBs
> because we don't want to get killed :).
For sure!  But see the above, and also realize that one can get some sorts
of lack of substance through a season or two at the track that also won't
hold up to miles.

> However, my experience with race bred Arabians is that they really don't
> have these qualities the way a TB does.  So yeah, IF I were going to go
> to Poland at all (which I wouldn't because we have lots of good horses
> here in America so what's the point?), race records is exactly what I
> would be looking at (since I can't look at endurance records), although
> I would try to look for racing success at "classic distances" (i.e.not
> sprints), because those horses, at least, have demonstrated that they
> have the ability to be rated.
I agree that if I WERE going to Poland to look, I'd look there.  But my
odds of success would still be worse, IMO, than if I stayed home and
looked at horses that have been bred here with a more traditional riding
goal in mind.  FWIW, the older Polish horses that WERE raced were also
selected based on suitability as a cavalry mount--ie the race record was
not the only proving ground.  That cannot be said of the modern race
horses.

Additionally, we have a broader genetic base of Polish breeding in this
country than exists in Poland today--not a small consideration by any
means.

Heidi


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I drink a 50/50 mix of rootbeer and soymilk at the vetchecks.
~  Libby Llop

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