Breeding for Breed Standards vs. Breeding for a Discipline

The content of our last blog helped several readers to reflect on what is “natural” for a domestic horse.  We were happy to hear that many of you were able to differentiate between the breeding of domestic horses, by their human caretakers, and what occurs with the Natural Selection process found in the wild horse. So, when caring for our modern day domestic horses, to include some factors that are considered “unnatural”, is OK, considering our horses are domestic, and not wild.

At any rate, this is a great lead-in to Breeding for Breed Standards vs. Breeding for Disciplines.

Examples to ponder…….. An American Quarter Horse is the foundation horse to the American Cowboy.  They travel short, fast distances while cutting cattle, and are big and stocky for roping and dragging livestock.  A Shire or Clydesdale has its beginnings as a horse driven in front of wagons and plows.  They are big and heavy, and can pull big and heavy things.  There are many examples of horse breeds and standards for what they were originally bred to do….. historically. 

The Arabian horse, although considered the most versatile breed, still should be seen with standards of conformation and type, like all other breeds.

The Arabian Horse was bred to withstand the tough conditions of dry desert climates, and to travel long distances in that environment. They were companions of their people, and enjoyed a deep horse/human relationship, especially when involved in war.   Arabians were bred to be even- tempered, hardy, nimble, and fast. Conformationally, the Arabian Horse is described as short boned, short through the back, and equal balance of shoulder to hip.  Their neck is long and elegant.  Their heads have large, wide set eyes, a slightly dished face, and a tea cup muzzle. Their tail is set high and carries proud. Feel free to get a lengthy description at:  www.arabianhorses.org/home/faq/AskExpert4.asp

Espartero- photo by Andrew K Steen

So, given the picture above, and the description of the Arabian horse, could you breed an Arabian?

I would say yes!

Before we continue further discussion, let us first state we are not trying to point out negatives with any Breeders or Breeding Programs. This is merely a discussion to point out how we compromise Breed Standards whenever we create a horse that will be specific to only one discipline. 

Examples to ponder:    …….Halter folks want an exotic head and lengthy neck, but when breeding for this look, may also end up with a horse with finer bone, which is contrary to the standard.  Western Pleasure folks like a very robust body type, but when breeding for this trait the resulting horse will lack length of stride and lightness in gait. Again, contrary to the standard. Arabian Hack/Saddle Seat horses are bred for more height and more knee action like a Saddlebred! An Arabian was never meant to carry such knee action. In the last 15 years the Arabian Racehorse breeders have been breeding for mostly speed, over shorter distances, and have lost the characteristics of their more delicate heads and tail carriage. Many critics comment that the resulting horses look more like Thoroughbreds then Arabians.

So why should we all care about this anyway?

When horses are bred for a discipline first… and then fail at that discipline, they usually become the outcast, or throw aways!  Compounding their dilemma, is the fact they lack the traits and conformation that is the standard for the breed, and since they are not considered representative of their breed, are considered even more undesirable. This makes future placement, and the hopes of a second career, an ever present challenge.

The long and short of it is that Breeders should consider sticking to breed standards, before breeding just for speed, or just for a pretty head.

Buyers/Owners should not put unrealistic expectations on breeders, which in turn cause breeders to experiment with gene combinations that eventually weaken the breed. In doing so, this would help stabilize Breed Standards, and eventually strengthen the genetic pools of a specific breed, which will keep them unique and specific for the roles of pulling wagons, traveling long distances, jumping, etc., etc..

The Half-Breed Registration has no real purpose with regard to Breed Standards.  Individuals breed Half-Breeds to achieve the egotistical goals which allow a human to compete better in the discipline she/he picks, and that is really all.  The horse is compromised for the status the human achieves in the sport. In addition to diluting and corrupting the purebred gene pool, the resulting horse carries no hope for breed propagation beyond his generation.