Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

>  interesting discussions lately
> about bloodlines. bloodlines makes for good conversation, but what can
> the horse do? that is what is important to me.
That is what is important to me, too--and that is what led me to the study
of pedigrees.  I looked at the horses that could DO what I wanted
30-some-odd years ago, and started to see a consistent relationship.  A
horse cannot DO any more than his genetic potential.  And the pedigree
tells you the set of possibilities for what that genetic potential is, if
you look at it in terms of what those horses actually were, instead of in
terms of how much money was paid to make the names in it household words.

> i agree that the mare
> adds more to the mix than most people give credit.  i have heard some
> people say, well, that stallion breeds better than he is!  they didnt
> even think about what the mare gave to the mix.
Or, they didn't think about the fact that perhaps he had a bunch of really
good ancestors that they never heard of...  But yes, the mare does her
share and then some.

> another question.
> anybody ever matched up a good racing arabian against a thoroughbred?
> just to see?  i was curious. if so, what distance would be a good test,
> i mean a track race, not 50 or 100!  :-)
On the track, given quality horses, put your money on the TB.  That is his
specialty, and he does it well.  One of the things that scares me about
selecting track horses for Arabian breeding generation after generation is
that they stand to lose some of their metabolic capability for endurance. 
And before kat jumps all over me here, Dr. Barry Grant did a great study
on this out of WSU several years ago, conditioning Arabs and TBs for
50-milers, and riding them together at rides.  He took muscle biopsies
during and after the 50s and did glycogen stains and I think several other
parameters as well.  There IS a difference--a HUGE difference.

next question,  i am not much
> on arabian stuff,   what does cmk stand for?
Crabbet-Maynesboro-Kellogg.  Three of the old classical breeders.  And CMK
horses are descended from their programs and those of their satellite
breeders.  (Davenport horses, BTW, fall into this category as well.)

Here's another link....  :-)

http://www.sagehillcmk.com/cmk.html

Heidi


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And remember, an arab's fourth gait is the spook! 
~  Jeanie Miller

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