Endurance & Economics

[Lif Strand <fasterhorses@gilanet.com>]

Paul says to say this:  Preparing an endurance horse is like building a
race car.  You have to use quality materials (genetics), it has to be
put together & run properly (conditioning & environment/care) or you are
headed for a breakdown.  We all know that Arabs can go the distance
better than most other breeds, but within the Arabian breed, there's the
Volkswagen & the Ferrarri.  What's the difference - they both have 4
wheels and engines in the rear.  However, upon inspection, there's a
tremendous difference.  One goes 80 mph (with a strong tailwind or off a
cliff) & the other goes over 200 mph.  Each is built for a different
purpose.  You can't create Ferraris from VW parts, you can't make one
from a bread truck or a VW any more than you could make a hundred mile
Secretariat out of a show ring reject.  There are rare exceptions to the
rule.  Some people win the lottery, too.

Lif adds re: the economics of breeding Arabians for endurance:  Lots
more people want VWs than Ferraris.  However, most people who have
racing in mind don't look first to VWs.  That doesn't make VWs any more
or less intrinsically valuable for the job they do (in fact, VWs do
better for regular street driving than Ferraris).  But it also doesn't
mean that VWs are perfect for everything, and if you want to win the
race you pick a race car, not an ordinary street car.  If you want to
participate in the race but don't care about winning, then use the
street car if you can't or don't want a race car, but don't be surprised
if it breaks down.

This is what's called an "analogy" - it is to put across a point, not to
be black & white truth.  I don't even want to hear about that Baja race.

What ever happened to Boyd Zontellis Endurance Horse Registry of
America?  Some of us believed at the time (and still do) that endurance
was a great proving ground for horse flesh.  The qualification:
Complete 300 (or was it 350?) miles in a calendar year.  Our stallion is
a registered endurance horse.  Don't know what happened to that
Registry,  we never hear about  EHRA any more.

Paul adds:  Is anyone really thinking about the implications of the fact
that people from the Middle Eastern Arabic countries are coming to the
US & buying top endurance mares for top dollars (10 and more times the
prices most endurance horses go for here)?  There goes proven genetic
material from OUR gene pool - gone forever!

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