by Bob Blackwell
When I was very young my grandpa told me, "You breed the best you have to the best you can find, and you hope for the best." This should hold true for anything (horses, cattle, dogs, guppies..)
I don't believe that too many of us are following this good and sound advice. Today there are too many poor to mediocre stallions standing at stud, not only in our breed but in ALL BREEDS. Forty years ago I made the statement in a members meeting of one of the leading horse breeds, "I feel that before a stallion should be allowed to have registered offspring he should be proven at halter, in performance, and on the track."I thought I would be tarred and feathered, but I still believe in the basic tenets of this philosophy and still practice it, today.
In breeding, if a stud colt is from a sire and dam who are both proven, and he looks good and acts right, then breed 2 or 3 older PROVEN mares to him and wait and see how these colts look and perform before you breed more mares. If two out of three colts are not an improvement, then the proper thing to do if you are in this to improve the breed is to CUT HIM!
Most breeders are either too impatient , or for other reasons, including monetary reasons, are unwilling to follow the proper and proven proceedure for proving their stallion, by waiting until the stallion is 6 to 8 years old and already tentatively proven before using him heavily for breeding. Because of this haste to breed unproven stallions, the breeders who are not following the proven proceedures of old for using their studs are actually harming their breed.
As for mares, I have had countless people tell me "well I can't ride her, work her, or drive her so I guess I'll breed her."Do these people realize what they are saying? Surely not, or at least I hope not. If mares don't accept training, are unable to be ridden, or are not tractable (manageable, readily worked and handled, docile) DO NOT BREED them. Mares like that should be culled, and the person who uses one of these mares to breed anyway is not improving the breed or cooperating with those who are really concerned about improving the breed they are working with.
In the case of an unsound mare, as with unproven stud prospects, test breed her to a proven stud and WAIT to see how the colt looks and breaks out before breeding her again.
Another point that is likely to make me unpopular with both breeders and maybe some farriers who depend on shoing horses to achieve gait for a living is my position on all kinds of special shoeing in order for a horse to get the gait. This didn't have to be done to the original founding horses in the breed. I have been a farrier for fifty years and the truth of the matter is that even though I am able to shoe your horse to help it gait better, if the breeder had done a better job of breeding the gait in, I wouldn't have to shoe the horse in any especially creative or exotic fashion in order to put it there.
In general the small conscientious breeder is the life line of any breed. Also important to the improvement of any breed is the conscientious and independently well off or independently employed breeder, since he is able to afford the luxury of selective breeding. The person that generally does not fit into this catagory, and I'm sure there are exceptions, is someone who is MASS PRODUCING horses for monetary gain.
I have no problem with a person who has a mare or two, which they ride and use, raising a colt from a proven stud. I do have a problem with the person with a field full of mares that have NEVER been ridden or CAN'T be ridden getting a colt a year from them. I would feel safer and would much rather buy from the small 2 mare breeder who conscientiously breeds his mares and knows what he is getting through his breeding program, than that mass producer. You make up your own mind.
Now I am not just saying this and practicing something else on my own farm. Both our stallion and our mares meet the criteria I have outlined here. Our Stallion,"Damn Yankee", is out of a World Champion using mare, Maggie Ann Browns, and Mack K's Yankee who was proven by his offspring. Our 4 mares are all very well broke and are safe, sensible trail horses who are good looking as well. Three of these mares are also proven by their offspring and by their performance.
The fourth mare is out of our own stock, and I am looking for a suitable stud to breed her to. Until I find a stud that meets the old time and proven criteria outlined here for improving the breed I will still be looking.
In closing I will get even more specific, since up to this point I have been talking in generalities. I realize that this may step on some toes, but the truth is the truth and should be stated. What we need in Missouri Fox Trotter breeders are more people who when it comes to claiming consciencious breeding practices will not just "talk the talk" but will also "walk the walk." Otherwise, no matter how you add it up and no matter how "blue" their papers are, 3 generations of poor to mediocre mares bred to 3 generations of poor to mediocre studs will still only produce 3 generations of poor to mediocre offspring.
When it comes to breeding Missouri Foxtrotters I believe it's time to go back to the basics while the basics are still around to go back to.
Copyright © 1997. Revised
1999 and 2000, 2001 Bob and Charlotte Blackwell. All rights reseved.
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