yeeaaahhh....
A simple post on facebook elicited many responses that felt the same as I do on this topic.
What a boost the Arabian breed would get if more people quit talking ad naseum about what the great grandsire of their horses did and get out and start actually DOING something with the horse standing in front of them.
Right now standing in my field (if you can call a dirt lot a field) I have a daughter of Imperial Imdal and a daughter of Imtaarif. I won't go into the long list of accomplishments of all of these ancestors because quite simply, there is enough of that online. Google is your friend, l2useGoogle :) Are they genetic powerhouses? Who knows, the Imdal daughter is quite old and her breeding future is iffy at best, the Imtaarif daughter while built like a brick poophouse is unproven under saddle and while some would take her and breed her just to be breeding her, personally I want to see what her disposition is like as a riding horse first. To many in the Arabian breed and especially in the Straight Egyptian world, I have committed a mortal sin by not breeding this mare as soon as her age dictated she should be. That age being about 4 by most standards, 3 years old by many and by some crazy goofball standards, she should have been spitting out foals by 2 years old. That is a WHOLE other topic I will touch on at some point, some people need beating. Anyway, there she stands, a 6 year old virgin who may or may not be bred next year at age 7 depending on her training status at that time. Even my stallion who is conformationally correct and 43% *Ansata Ibn Halima by pedigree (had to get the required pedigree plug in there of course!!), is 7 years old with no foals. The question I get asked the most? Any foals yet? Not - How is he doing with training? Does he round well and use himself? Is he athletic? but basically all they want to know is do his testicals work. *sigh*
Now, my thoughts are this. The Arabian has been touted for centuries as being the consummate riding horse. That is R.I.D.I.N.G. horse, not standing around and looking pretty horse - though they do that with great aplomb too. This breed of horse was developed over centuries through some of the harshest terrain on this planet to be war horses. They lived with their masters, they were protectors, traveling companions, and were a daily source of use in some capacity for their owners, all in all they were of use to the tribes. The horses were revered and honored and cherished yes, but they were also useful ... they had a purpose which was not "stand around an be prettiful". Their beauty, the balance and harmony of their build, comes from their need to be functional and usable!
Along comes modern times and while we don't need to use the horse for travel or sustenance much anymore, man in all his infinite wisdom has morphed a living breathing war machine into a living breathing piece of art. At face value this is not a problem, but how many have ever seen a picture and knowing it was a painting, accepted the thought that artistic value being what it is the picture will never imitate exactly something in real life. That is why it is considered "art" and not "reality". Can you picture for a moment what a sight it would be if some artistic photos of human beings came to life exactly as they look in the art world? For that matter, it frightens me to think of coming face to face with some photographic subjects as well.. but I digress.
What is happening more and more with the Arabian breed especially, but you see it with all breeds of horses is that the human element is turning this living breathing creature into exactly what they see in old photographs and artwork. They place so much emphasis on bloodlines and pedigree and breeding the perfect individual horse (right down to measurements!!) that they have neglected the most fundamental element of what makes that horse an Arabian... the usefulness and soundness of the animal, not only physically but mentally as well.
I've heard it said that if the Bedouins could not handle a stallion they would not geld it because of religious reasons, but had no problem cutting it's throat. Yet we see time and time again stallions standing at stud that do nothing but create foals.... and for 2 generations their ancestors have done nothing but create foals! Then when one does wind up being tested or tried for performance the owners are shocked that their sweet lovable stallion suddenly isn't so lovable when you're asking him to actually WORK doing something! Yup, you guessed it, that bucking snorting bitching pain in the butt horse would have been a grease spot on the desert and the tribe would have moved on.. because life and survival depended on the horses being hardy but also being sane enough to be used as they were intended. You think they looked very kindly on the war mare that had to be lunged prior to every ride? Or refused to go across the ditch? Or bolted off at every shadow?
"There goes Akmed again, I knew he shouldn't have halter trained that mare prior to war training her *tsk tsk* damn those BNT!!"
I know I wouldn't be amused, especially when I was sitting butt in the dirt, watching my horse take off without me and the opposing tribe standing over me grinning like Chessy cats. *gulp*
In any case, I fail to be impressed anymore by horses that have pretty heads but no substance, that have a show win list at halter a mile long but nothing for performance. Yes, I realize many are just trail horses but in my area "just a trail horse" dictates directly into "crazy as a loon at a show and can't round up or collect for crap!" So no, it doesn't impress me. I've had a couple of foals at the house that were destined to be "just trail horses" because they did not have the conformation or mind to be an athlete - and that mare and sire were never bred again because of this. End of the day I want a horse that moves naturally round, that is balanced and has fantastic legs. A pretty face is nice, but is so subjective as to differing tastes. Personally I like a nice triangular shaped face and if it's dished that's great, if not it's not a big thing as long as it's supported by awesome legs, a well laid back shoulder, a deep hip with a HUGE motor and a brain between the ears that doesn't leave me in the dirt waiting for the neighboring tribe to come ruin my day and steal my cattle and womens because I had the misfortune of drawing the straw to ride the trail horse that day ;)
People.. they are riding horses. Get out and ride your horses before you breed them. Let them earn the right to to produce more, otherwise you are doing the breed and yourselves a great disservice. I won't even touch on the dog food brand "Pedigree" because it's well, just far too easy!! The auction houses are full of great pedigrees with nothing else going for them.... except that their great uncle 3 times back was a National Champion Whatever. Pfft... My great grandaddy could have been Einstein and it wouldn't have gotten me through advanced algebra. Stop resting your butt on the laurels of the names that have gone before and start resting your butt in a saddle on the back of the horses you are trying to convince John Q Public are so wonderful. Your farm, horses and reputation will all benefit from it.
As for myself? We have our first show this weekend, a warmup for a rated show in September where my stallion - the one with no foals on the ground - will be shown Halter, Sporthorse in Hand and Sporthorse Under Saddle, one class with a junior rider. There's just something about the smell of leather and sweat that makes me think "now this is a horse I could enjoy having in the tent" and he's on his way to earning his right to be a sire. Just don't expect me to be impressed when I ask and you have to tell me that your horses are just halter horses or just trail horses. What a sad day in the history of a war horse, to be nothing more than a bauble on the end of a lead line or plodding down the trail because they couldn't race across the sand if their life depended on it, and it very well might one day!
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