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From: <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

> Kat, your post raises valid points, and I agree
> that one can be a breeder and breed hybrids
> for performance.  However, the skilled breeders
> who do that KNOW that they are not breeding
> breeding stock, and don't try to use the resulting
> offspring as breeding stock.
Actually, if one looks at the European Warmblood breeding programs, they
are pretty much programs of breeding hybrids, and breeding hybrids to
hybrids.  The primary intent is to produce the best working horses (and
hybrids usually make the best working horses) with occasional
individuals within this hybrid population being considered suitable for
breeding and occasionally going back to non-hybrids for breeding stock
as well.

Producing breeding stock is not the primary focus of these programs;
producing working stock is.  And it has produced some damned fine
working horses (more consistently, in fact, than virtually any
"purebred" program; although I am willing to debate that with respect to
Thoroughbreds:)).  And it has succeeded in producing these damned fine
working horses by using fouth and fifth generation hybrids.

I contend that the horse population in general would be much better off
if most breeders focused on producing top quality working horses and
used occasional exceptional individuals for breeding when they come
along.  You really DON'T need very many people focused on exclusively
breeding breeding stock.

kat
Orange County, Calif.



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