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Re: [RC] breeders vs rescues, etc - Michelle Aquilino

I think what Tom had to say about his experience with akc vs pound puppies, and what Rae said, is what some of us are (at least I am) trying to point out.  There is no guarantee in either direction...  So, my conclusion here for my own decisions, is that if there's no guarantee in either direction, why not take the chance on a horse who you might be the last chance for?  I don't know, that's me though =)

And then, what Tom had to say about the horse side of things:
"i think the really good ones are flukes and luck and only maybe sometimes thru selective breeding, and finding the right owner to get the most out of them.  To me thats as important as breeding, resting heart rate, cannon bone or any of the other variables one thinks important. And thats not to say some lines do better than others, and one should not go to breeders, but i have seen so many good horses come from the sales lot or classifieds do good i would look at the horse and nothing more."
That's the point right there.  There is SO much that goes into making a horse a good endurance horse, and a lot of those things go way beyond just breeding and conformation.

I also took notice to Heidi's take on the current market for well trained, well bred horses with good conformation.  I suppose I would agree with this if the horse is perfect.  But the last time I was weak, and thought about selling my horse (her and I have been through our share of struggles and disagreements, lol), I got barely even a nibble.  She has excellent conformation, is amazing in the saddle, moves beautifully, extremely comfortable to ride.  The only "problem" is that she's smart, and needs someone who's a confident horse person.  But the last trainer who worked with her found this to be a positive aspect to her personality, as she soaks up training like a sponge, amazingly smart horse.  For someone who knows horses, I think she's a great catch, and I wasn't asking for much for her.  But oh well, just saying, as now I'm glad I got no nibbles, so no complaints here ;-)