Endurance & Economics: What breeders are for.

[Lif Strand <fasterhorses@gilanet.com>]

 In some non-posted emails going back & forth, some breeders who
have bred or are breeding for endurance have been discussing this topic. 
This is part of one response I sent:

"The horse [a client bought from us] is flashy (Crabbet chrome on chestnut!) & pretty (not the most important part of the package but what is noticed first),  has a typey head, is conformationally correct,  he had no bad habits & is not of a temperament to start any with proper handling, he's very smart & willing to learn.  Your basic horse, I'd say, or at least what I'd want in a basic gelding.  Without going into his pedigree, he was bred to race - Crabbet/Russian.  Anyone competent can add on training & conditioning to a horse but no one can add on any of the rest. To me, that's what breeders are for!"

 Anyone can get a mare & stallion together & make a foal.  But if you want to be a (good, responsible) breeder, you breed for the highest quality looks,  conformation,  temperament and intelligence - and you breed for a purpose:  all those looks, conformation, temperament & intelligence genes are supposed to be used for something.  To not know and breed for a particular use would be pointless & irresponsible breeding, whether you only breed one horse in your lifetime or breed many.  For, as I said above, training and conditioning can be applied to any equine of any sort to improve it, but once a foal is conceived, you can't change/improve any of the things that you apply the training & conditioning to.  They better be right to start with.

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