> BEcause in SOME cases - and we never fail to have thorough vet work done to
> determine this - the brakdown was not genetic weakness in nature, and as
> such, the horse may be an excellent breeding candidate. Just because a pro
> athlete breaks an arm does not make him or her genetically flawed. As with
> any other athlete, a horse does indeed suffer serious injuries at times. For
> the sake of consciencious breeding, of course, the source must be sought by
> vets.
> san
Since this thread originated in part due to my mentioning Reign On and
his leg/tendon problems, in all fairness to Cal Poly's breeding program,
I should mention that a large part of Reign On's leg problems were the
results of problems in training. Reign On never had leg problems while
being trained at Cal Poly, but after his Canadian Nat'l win, it was
thought he would be more "competitive" at the U.S. Nationals if he was
ridden by a big name, and I do mean BIG. While Reign On was at that
facility and being worked incredibly hard, he started having problems
and rather than resting him when he should have been rested, he
continued to be worked into the ground until a minor injury become acute
and in the end essentially ended his performance career. So although it
is true Reign On broke down under training, so will ANY horse if pushed
too hard.
To be fair, I've seen probably seventy or eighty Reign On foals
born at Cal Poly and for the most part, they are well-structured
animals, though not necessarily what I would look for in an endurance
prospect. And he has sired several horses who are in endurance and ARE
doing very well.
Anyway, just for the record...
Susan Evans