Re: Bask-bred endurance horses

[Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Oops, I'd forgotten this regional-reference may not be understood
throughout the country.  Sorry.  Out here in California, the majority of
the horses bought for slaughter are shipped to Palestine, TX.  It wasn't
meant as a suggestion that we just dump our trashy horses onto Texans
cuz them good old boys dunt know no better.<g>  Out here, especially at
the cheap sales, there are always a group of poor, old, broken down
creatures that are obviously "on their way to Texas", specifically to
the USDA slaughterhouse there.  The other way it's used around here is
if someone is being an all-around bad boy (or girl), then we start
muttering darkly about "taking a trip to Texas", or "one-way tickets to
Palestine".

Sorry for the confusion.

And, by the way, I agree with the comment that the pendulum can swing
pretty widely both ways in ANY bloodline, Bask or no.  I just happen to
have seen an awful lot of Bask-bred mares come through Cal Poly on their
way to being bred to Bask-bred stallions, with dozens and dozens and
dozens of Bask-bred babies being dropped the next spring.  And although
this has just as much to do with other factors as it does to Bask blood,
there were maybe three I would have been willing to take home with me. 
And the Lasma mares that came from LaCroix at a very, very, VERY high
price weren't worth the powder to blow them up, though they sure did
look pretty on paper.

Anyway, just another .02, of course.

Susan Garlinghouse


Corry, Lynda H. wrote:
> 
>         Hmm-mm-mmm ... yes, what IS this in reference to?  (Sounds like
> we could get some mileage on this one, Mary Ann -- forget about the gun
> control stuff!)  Rules of "The Game" allow for one good rebuttal, and
> then we come toilet-paper your house, Susan.
> (Ha ha -- just kidding!)
> 
> Lynda Corry & Baskhari
> (Texas Transplants)
> lcorry@velaw.com
> 
> > ----------
> > From:         spencer[SMTP:spencer@inu.net]
> > Sent:         Tuesday, March 17, 1998 1:32 PM
> > To:   Corry, Lynda H.
> > Subject:      Re: Bask-bred endurance horses
> >
> > Re: "going on the truck to Texas.."
> > Just what are you refering to!!  Sounds like the 'trashy' Arabs were
> > dumped into Texas.  So does that mean that we have trashy arabs in
> > Texas!!
> >
> > Mary Ann
> > Zavalla, Tx
> >
> > ----------
> > From: Corry, Lynda H. <lcorry@velaw.com>
> > To: 'suendavid@worldnet.att.net'
> > Cc: 'Ridecamp' <ridecamp@endurance.net>
> > Subject: RE: Bask-bred endurance horses
> > Date: Tuesday, March 17, 1998 1:16 PM
> >
> >       Hiya back, Susan!  I'm definitely not a breeder and it sounds
> > like you have some first-hand knowledge, but perhaps because of the
> > "breeding frenzy of the '80's" (and perhaps due to "back yard
> > breeding"
> > efforts as well), I think the pendulum for any Arab bloodline can
> > swing
> > in both directions.  Agreed?  You can find good performers and bad
> > performers out there in spite of the pedigree.  In fact, my ten-year
> > veteran was never registered and his father, EW Sabask, was bred to an
> > unknown (at least by me) mare named Risha Khari that I never laid eyes
> > on (that's about all I know of Baskhari's background).  So Baskhari,
> > therefore, could very well have been "back yard bred" as well.
> > Doesn't
> > bother me -- whatever his lineage, I couldn't have asked for a better
> > horse with a better disposition.  Now, I'm curious -- how many of you
> > out there have good horses with Bask in the pedigree?
> >
> >
> > > ----------
> > > From:       Susan Evans
> > > Garlinghouse[SMTP:suendavid@worldnet.att.net]
> > > Reply To:   suendavid@worldnet.att.net
> > > Sent:       Tuesday, March 17, 1998 12:52 PM
> > > To:         Corry, Lynda H.
> > > Cc:         'Ridecamp'
> > > Subject:    Bask-bred endurance horses
> > >
> > > Corry, Lynda H. wrote:
> > > >
> > > >         I just wanted to pitch in my two cents worth regarding
> > Bask
> > > > horses as well ... Baskhari is my first and only endurance horse,
> > > and we
> > > > just recently had our "ten year anniversary" together.
> > >
> > >
> > > Cookie Hickstein wrote:
> > >  Where did you ever hear to stay away from Bask bred arabs for
> > > endurance? My husbands Bask bred gelding is going on 4000 miles this
> > > year, my gelding is bask/Witez II bred and we love the bloodline!
> > My
> > > son as a junior rider put over 2000 miles on his Bask/witezII
> > gelding.
> > >
> > > They all have wonderful recoveries and do very well.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Hiya,
> > > This is absolutely not meant as criticism against all Bask horses,
> > but
> > > IMHO, if ever there were a line of horses that needed to be judged
> > on
> > > individual merits and not simply because of their pedigrees, this is
> > > the
> > > one.  Gene LaCroix is a member of the Kellogg Foundation and without
> > > getting into particulars, let's just say I am NOT impressed with the
> > > level of integrity and honesty he has displayed (and I'm no
> > pollyanna,
> > > either).  I used to be a member of the advisory panel and it was
> > very
> > > well-known that Gene LaCroix would have allowed Bask to breed to a
> > > schnauzer if the check would clear.
> > >
> > > Again, this is absolutely not a flame against Bask horses---the only
> > > point I'm trying to make is that LaCroix used Bask like his own
> > > personal
> > > ATM/sperm bank, exhibited zero selection when mares were brought to
> > > Bask, and for every good Bask-bred horse, there are dozens of pieces
> > > of
> > > garbage, many of whom were also allowed to breed on because Bask was
> > > holier than holy and everybody was frantically breeding pedigrees
> > back
> > > then instead of horses.
> > >
> > > I admit that one of the most athletic horses I ever knew was by a
> > Bask
> > > son, and I would have killed to own that horse.  And obviously there
> > > are
> > > other good Bask-bred horses out there doing very well---I guess I'm
> > > just
> > > not quite so ready to lay the credit solely at Bask's door, instead
> > of
> > > the dam lines, the upbringing, the rider, etc.  I've certainly
> > handled
> > > an awful lot of Bask-bred babies at Cal Poly and liked very few of
> > > them
> > > (as endurance prospects, anyway), but that's another story.  I also
> > > turned down free breedings to Reign On, considered one of Bask's
> > > "better" sons, and I've seen a ton of truly nasty-looking,
> > over-priced
> > > horses whose only salvation from going on the truck to Texas was a
> > > pedigree that said Bask.  Let's just say the Bask pendulum can swing
> > > pretty widely in BOTH directions.
> > >
> > > Anyway, this really sounds like I'm trashing all Bask horses and I
> > > don't
> > > mean to.  My only point is that if I were looking at an endurance
> > > prospect, and Bask was in the pedigree, I sure would do back flips
> > > making sure that the mare(s) Bask was bred to was truly worth
> > > breeding,
> > > and that the offspring was also true breeding quality, not just a
> > > by-product of the breeding frenzy of the '80's.
> > >
> > > That old saying, "you can't ride the papers" was never more true
> > than
> > > when applied to Bask.
> > >
> > > Just my .02 of course.
> > >
> > > Susan Garlinghouse
> > >
> >
> >