Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Blood Bath

Oh wow, I've been slammed this past week!! Horse shows, training, yeeks!!! I'm exhausted! But, being a horse show you hear a lot of people talking about their registered horses, papers and BLOODLINES. and it's made me come to the conclusion, that while yes, bloodlines CAN be important, sometimes they really just don't mean squat! Let's take the Quarter horse, when people tell me "Oh my horse goes back to Doc Bar, or Three Bars." I'd like to say WHO CARES! Find me a QH that doesn't!!! Or when you horse has Doc Bar in it 4 times, YEESH, inbred much??

Yet, a lot of people put a ton of importance into the bloodlines of their horses. I've seen some BUTT ugly, worthless nags, that people think are the greatest horse on earth just because it has "So and So Big Name Horse" in it's blood. Newsflash! You can't ride blood. Just like you can't ride pretty, papers, or color. It has to just be about the horse... Besides That fancy blood isn't going to do you ANY good if you can't use the horse for what you bought it for!!!

When I look at a horse the first few things I want to see is, soundness, temperament and conformation. You can buy a $200 cross bred horse that's quintessentially perfect for you, or $15,000 for a horse that has Mr. Awesome in it's blood, but is a complete train wreck!!

Now, bloodlines are important to know in the case of diseases like HYPP or HERDA, but mostly look at the HORSE first, blood second....

Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule, there always is... BUT, since we're on the subject what are some of your favorite lines?? Whose blood would you want in your horse if you could pick???

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite horses was two eyed jack bred. He was a nice boy. Sold him to one of my sisters friends before I moved here to GA. It's his favorite horse now too.

Anonymous said...

oh and my hubby likes skipper w bred horses. I like them too.

whisper_the_wind said...

I got my 'best' mare based on looks alone. I was more in to Tbreds at the time (although I had worked with QH in the 80's and never liked Impressive). Fell in love with 'Dee' based on conformation. She goes back to Three Bars 4 times, so I like him (even if he is in Impressive). Another is 98% foundation but looks like a tbred. My 2 apps have never been transferred into my name (can't ride paper, no intent to breed, and one is an F-4). Everything else is gelded or a mutt. Got them cause they fit me and what I wanted.

Don't care at all for the 'modern' QH, prefer well conformed, using, foundation stock, same goes for Apps...what good is a non-colored App...gotta have spots

whisper_the_wind said...

It's my foundation QH in my avatar BTW

CrashedIntoBlack said...

Can we say Morgan bloodlines? QHs aren't my thang :)
A very nice horse I ride is by Maple Blaze, and way back I like Congo, Flyhawk, Ulendon, and Fudge Royale.

Ambi said...

I'm a Thoroughbred girl, and I am a complete sucker for Seattle Slew babies. They're smart, trainable, brave, have huge personalities, and tend to be on the larger, stockier side. Love them!

maiden53 said...

If I could pick bloodline, it would be the Arabian, Fadur.

You did make a great point, though, about people and their bloodline eliteness.

thecityhorse said...

I can't help it... Top Sail Whiz babies are tops... as are Hickory Highbrow which my horse is)

I know you can't ride papers, but I well bred horse sure will shine through.

CCH said...

The City Horse, I think you mean Highbrow Hickory.

As for bloodlines, I pretty much stick with the cutting bred horse. Obvious much, lol.

clara said...

my horse is impressive bred but his sire and all of his brothers and sisters are N/N. I love impressive bred horses all of his brothers and sisters have good conformation, great minds, and super fun personalities

with that being said i will never ever support the breeding of H/H or N/H horses

texasnascarcowgirl said...

I grew up with my grandfather drilling Doc Bar and Poco horses in my head. We had a Doc's Hickory grandson that was his prize cutting horse and my prize barrel horse who turned out to be an all around rodeo horse. BUT, I love a good running horse, I like to cross my cutting horses with some QH running blood, makes great barrel horses. I am a blood person, I want to know who is in my horses background. I do know there are some awesome grade horses and can beat the feathers off most papered ones and that is all fine and dandy. I would never say anything bad about one that didn't have papers.

Patricia said...

If I ever can afford a Warmblood, I want one by this stallion:All the Gold.

All the Gold is an amazing horse. My friends work with him, and I'm very impressed. Other than that, I don't mind a horse with no big names in the pedigree as long as they love their work and are decently put together.

Embodied Spirit said...

I don't have an Arabian but they are my favourite breed and if I had one I'd probably go for Imperial Baarez on one side with a bit of Khemosabi to balance it out on the other. I like Bey horses as well as they have quite a bit of substance.

Merideth said...

anything with Autobahn in it *drools*
horse perfection

http://www.silvercreeksporthorses.com/autobahn.html

The Crossroads said...

Honestly, if the horse does what I want and I don't plan on breeding I don't give a rats a$$ what the pedigree is. It doesn't make the horse, it just contributes (IMO).

I've gone through people with horses that don't know crap and think the pedigree alone will sell an untrained 3 1/2 year old.

I really do miss the old Quarter Horses though. A gelding I used to have was built like a tank and stood fast to being sound well into 29 years of age. "Matts Red Sun" I miss that boy :(