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Tracey, this is an interesting post.  You apparently feel that you have sufficient expertise to critique the filly as a breeding prospect, so I'm curious why you weren't sure about your objectivity with the colt.  I DO totally respect you for getting outside opinions--but no matter how many credentials the observer has, they are not guaranteed to be impartial, either. 

 

Of course, good stallions ALWAYS make great geldings.  :-) 

 

That said, does the lady's critique of the colt agree with what you see of him with your own eyes?  If so, great--you've come to the right conclusion with her help.  If not, get other opinions.  What are the qualifications of the people who want to breed to him?  Do they know what they are doing, or are they also just enamored with the pretty color and the chrome?  Do they have solid reasons for wanting to breed to him?

 

I admire people who won't breed simply because the opportunity presents itself to make more mediocre horses.  But it is also frustrating to see really quality colts cut just because somebody from a breed association passes an opinion.  I'm not there in your shoes so can't say which is happening--but the whole scenario of an "inspector" panning a colt raises real big red flags to me.

 

Heidi

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: [RC]   stallion quality ratio?
From: "Tracey Lomax" <bandipops@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, December 23, 2006 5:28 am
To: <SandyDSA@xxxxxxx>, <dawnsimas67@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
<ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

San,

 

Don’t you think the problem is that people just can’t stay objective.  I was recently given a colt by a friend of mine, for jumping and dressage.  His dam-sire is the top producer of international A grades in the country, his dam jumped A grade, his sire (only 8 himself) is currently graded C grade and Elementary dressage.  His sire’s dam was by one of the top jumping TBs in the country, and goes back to Noble Chieftain, who is still one of our jumping “foundation sires”.  So on breeding alone, this horse is worth putting a mare to.

 

He’s also incredibly pretty and has a temperament to die for.  But when a friend asked if she could put her mare to him, I wasn’t prepared to allow it.  See, I’m not objective.  I can’t see past the chestnut and four white socks and the cuddly exterior and I’m just not experienced enough to look at a 3yo and say “this, in time, will be an outstanding stallion”.  So I got hold of the Warmblood Breed Society and asked them to assess him.  The lady came out and critiqued the crap out of my poor horse, and told me that, although he’s certainly going to be a nice gelding, he’s simply not good enough to be a stallion.  He doesn’t have that “something extra” that a stallion needs, he’s not going to be tall enough (WB stallions need to stand 16.2hh or more), he’s got some conformational faults.  No problem, he’s now cut and I have a happy gelding who doesn’t know any better.

 

I had two people ready to put mares to him, I know I could have made some money on stud fees, but for what?  So that I could have inferior horses running around with MY horse’s name behind them?  I think not.  I have too much pride and too strong a sense of responsibility to allow that.  The ONLY reason to breed, IMO, is to improve the lines.  If you’re not going to do that, don’t bother. 

 

We’re about to get a young TB filly, full sister to Roderick’s horse, who has ALL the good TB lines for jumping.  They’re lines which are slowly dying out, and I plan to put her to an imported WB to produce a good jumper for Rod.  She’s been carefully picked, we know her dam AND her sire, we know her full brothers, and I know that I could sell her foal as it hits the floor, if we needed to (obviously, not being stupid, I also know that “shit happens” and it could land with three legs, in which event it will be put down).  Part of me is doing this cos it’s the only way to afford a WB for Rod to jump (another “gift” like my colt is not going to come along in a hurry) and because I’ve not bred before and would like to experience it.  But I’m ONLY going to do it if I do it right and that means, from the get-go, finding the best stallion and mare that I can.  We spent four years looking for a mare, and now we’re going to spend some time finding the right stallion.  It will be picked on temperament, performance, and the quality of its progeny.  A pretty face won’t hurt J  Because although it’s being bred for Rod, shit happens and we may need to sell it and if we do, I want to be able to have my choice of buyers, to ensure a good home. 

 

And this is why I shall NEVER make money from breeding J

 

Tracey

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