Breeding is not a venture to be entered into lightly or on a whim. You must always have a plan or purpose to reach your defined goal. It is a gamble and a game of chance, and therefore you must be willing and able to accept the outcome, "win or lose". However, if you have done "your homework"---studied and understand the mechanics of the horse (conformation, movement), and have researched the bloodlines and noted their prepotency (or lack of) for producing the correct and desirable attributes of the breed, the odds are more favorable for your production of quality horses. In horse breeding as in gambling, some people just seem to have a "knack" or "feel" for it. "Gut Instincts" coupled with a sound knowledge and understanding of the horse and breed itself is a basic formula for success, although "sheer luck" always comes into play as well! For future success, we must learn from the past, and as such following herein are some "words of Wisdom" from "Foundation Breeders". I have compiled these from past issues of Arabian Horse World magazine. These are certainly "points we must all ponder" in our breeding endeavors...
"The Ten Commandments of Arabian Arabian_Horse Breeding"
excerpted from Arabian Horse World 1999 issues---
from "Foundation Breeders" Articles
...this was Joe & Martha Ann Cassel's (April '99 issue)
1. Love and admire the breed for its longevity and its history, and have a strong desire to perpetuate the breed for future generations to enjoy. Without this appreciation and desire, a breeder may not have the commitment to put forth the study and effort that good breeding practices demand.
2. Study and learn the anatomy of the horse in order to "see" through the skin and visualize the structure underneath. (The book "The Horse in Anatomical Transparencies", published by the College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, is most helpful). Recognize that fat is always more attractive to the eye than muscle and bone, but that from a breeder's point of view, those characteristics hidden by fat are the important ones.
3. Learn the desirable characteristics of the anatomy of a good horse of any of the light breeds.
4. Next, learn the desirable characteristics of the classic Arabian horse. (Note: Only five characteristics distinguish the Arabian horse from any other light horse. Contact the Arabian Horse Registry of America for information on Arabian characteristics).
5. Accept the fact that there are no perfect horses, but that as breeders we should always strive to produce one in our next foal crop. (Gerald Donoghue of Goliad, Texas, a noted early breeder of Arabians and a dear friend, always said breeders just couldn't die because we always have to see next year's foal crop).
6. Study the various theories of breeding: inbreeding, line breeding, and out crossing---each has decided advantages and disadvantages---and the outcomes of combining 32 chromosomes from each parent into one foal with 32 chromosomes.
7. Identify the characteristics that are most important to the type of horse you want to produce. The production of these characteristics becomes your goal. The importance of this goal setting cannot be overemphasized.
8. Now you are ready to select your foundation stock. If you have decided on certain characteristics you wish to produce, limit your selection to horses that have those characteristics. If the horses you select have common ancestors (or as many as possible) you will improve your chances of producing foals with like characteristics.
9. Remember that:
*A well-bred mare is more important to a mating than a well-bred stallion.
*Not all foals at birth are likely to meet your approval or goal.
*You will not know what you have produced until horses are six to seven years of age or have reached maturity. Most good Arabians, because of their long lifespan, do not mature early. By selecting early, you could inadvertently dispose of a horse that with more maturity will meet your goal. Sometimes an ugly duckling at two or three years becomes a beauty at six or seven; vice versa, a beauty at two or three may fall apart by age six or seven.
*If you build a breeding program around only one stallion and your mares are of a variety of bloodlines, you are not likely to produce a large percentage of desirable offspring, regardless of how good the stallion.
10. You should know that:
*Your chances of producing quality foals consistently are higher if the best sire is bred to the best mare and both are of the same bloodlines. Breed the best to the best within the bloodline. That is line breeding.
*Your chances of producing a truly outstanding foal are higher if the sire and dam are exceptionally good but of different bloodlines. However, your chances of consistently producing quality foals are very low. That is out crossing.
*When evaluating a horse, always start with the feet and legs. Regardless of how pretty a head and body, you will not ride far on bad feet or bad legs.
*A pretty head is the easiest feature to reproduce in one generation.
*When choosing a horse to ride and to work with, everything else being equal choose the horse that shows the most interest in you. Yes, believe it or not, horses approve or disapprove of you.
*You can easily teach an Arabian to do what you want it to do, using love, kindness, and patience, but you cannot force an Arabian to do anything.
Marge Tone's Ten Commandments for Breeding Arabian Horses
excerpted from 11/98 Arabian Horse World:
1. Keep horses in light airy stalls arranged so that they can talk to one another. Do not stall mares and stallions in separate barns. If they can visit with one another, they are happier and more content.
2. If you have an idea or a plan that you feel is right for your breeding program, don't let anyone talk you out of it. You are the one to please.
3. Always keep in mind a beautiful balanced horse, one that has all the qualities an Arabian should have.
4. Don't breed for just one quality and don't breed for a fad.
5. Don't discard a horse for one small flaw. In other words, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
6. A little kindness and understanding go a long way with horses---and with people.
7. Make breeding decisions by the look of the horse. Study the pedigrees, but put more emphasis on the look in making breeding decisions. after you have found several horses you like, compare their bloodlines to find which ancestors they share; then you will have a better idea of the families that sire/produce what you like.
8. Study horses in their natural state of body and mind, at times when they are physically at ease or naturally at play. Don't choose horses from photos or from their show ring appearances. Unless you see a horse in it's natural state, you cannot determine the disposition, conformation, and athletic talents it may breed on.
9. Train with gentleness and consistency, not by whipping.
10. Don't breed to a National Champion stallion for title only. If he has several foal crops, look them over carefully. Is he a consistent sire? Does he have the disposition you are looking for?
Bill Trapp's 10 Commandments of Arabian Horse Breeding
excerpted from 5/99 Arabian Horse World
1. Read the old books on the Arabian horse. Learn how the breed evolved, what made it what it is historically, and why its conformation dictates its function. In other words, do your homework.
2. Take the same good care of your brood stock, your old horses, and those that may not be show quality as you do of the best horses in your barn. You don't need a fancy operation, but you do need to keep it clean, functional and in good repair. A few shrubs and plants do wonders, as does stain or paint.
3. Answer every phone and mail inquiry, even if you have nothing available. Prepare a brochure or packet to mail out and to give to visitors; provide pedigrees and photos of sires, dams, and siblings of the horses you have for sale. Have a professional photographer so that you have good photos for ads and for prospective customers. Have a video available; if you can't afford to have a professional video made, do the best you can yourself. Show horses standing still (with close-ups of legs), not just trotting and running.
4. Never malign other breeders' horses or other bloodlines. Remember that, with all the variety of bloodlines and types of Arabians, you cannot produce what everyone wants. However, those who do like your kind of horse will know where to find them.
5. When looking for a stallion for breeding, don't rely only on his appearance in the show ring. Visit the farm, see him at liberty, note his disposition, and the consistency of his get, especially from mares of your lines and/or type. Be sure he is genetically strong where your mares need help. Don't confuse glamour with the genuine article.
6. As you develop your broodmare band, be it large or small, study pedigrees and try to have a consistent look. Build within family groups, using line breeding as a tool. Buy the best you can, but do not tolerate off type, bad legs, or lack of the characteristics that spell "Arabian".
7. A few good mares are better than a whole herd of poor mares. Begin with the mares, then graduate to your own stallion when you are sure which nicks are good.
8. Nominate for futurities and try to show or have at least some of your youngsters shown now and then. Choose your trainer carefully. Let that trainer know you will not tolerate any kind of abuse of your horses and that you expect the rules to be followed. Then take what you get in the show ring, and with good sportsmanship.
9. Use your own style of advertising so that your ads are fairly consistent and readers will come to know them. Don't be afraid to use an attractive picture that is not just the same old "show standard" shot. Individuality is not a bad thing at all.
10. Be ethical. In your sales and breeding contracts, spell out everything so that there is no room for misunderstanding or questions. And use a contract even with friends; it helps to keep them friends. Be hospitable. Don't try to sell someone a horse he/she can't use or is not ready or able to utilize.
Ten Commandments for Breeding Arabian Horses by Bruce Clark & Gerry Alexander
BruMarBa Arabian Stud
excerpted form 7/98 Arabian Horse World
1. Establish one-year, five-year, and ten-year goals for your breeding program.
2. Breed only to improve upon your mare.
3. Monitor the numbers. Your herd count is a multiple of three of your producing mares.
4. Don't follow fads.
5. Breed for your utilization interest, whether it be showing, racing, competitive riding, or pleasure.
6. Breed only when you can emotionally and economically deal with another horse.
7. Plan matings carefully. Consider all aspects of pedigree, disposition, motion, and conformation.
8. Breed to "name" stallions, unless you have a specific reason to breed to a young untried stallion or to a stallion of bloodlines that have not been extensively utilized.
9. Recognize that if you really have a feel for breeding, you will make decisions based on your heart and "gut" instincts.
10. Realize that you are responsible for this living, breathing creature you are planning to create. Be sure that foal has the best quality of life that you can provide.
Ten Commandments
...(as supplied by Milton & Virginia Strand, and Vivian Strand,
recalling Ed Strand's thoughts)
excerpted from 6/98 Arabian Horse World
1. First of all, an Arabian horse must look like an Arabian horse. Look for those qualities that distinguish the breed. In the head: beauty, big eyes, small ears, dished face, and a pronounced jowl. In the body: a long thin neck, high tail carriage, a short back, a well laid back wither, and a lengthy hip. (The long hip makes for a smooth way of going.)
2. Next, in importance, good temperament---a horse that accepts training comfortably and is willing. When making breeding decisions, know the disposition and trainability of any stallion you're considering for your mares.
3. Next, good legs and feet, the foundation of the horse. Very important.
4. Put your emphasis on quality. Buy or breed to a few good horses, really good horses, rather than a number of average horses.
5. Satisfied customers are the best advertising for any breeding program.
6. Don't worry about coat color; I've never seen a good horse of a bad color.
7. Don't worry about size. I prefer an Arabian of 14.2 to 15.1. Sometimes larger horses lose their Arabian type.
8. Study your horse; learn what your horse is built to do. Don't try to make a park horse out of one that has a western way of traveling.
9. Be aware of the amount of time and effort it takes to prove a young stallion.
10. Enjoy your horses. Involve family members---as many generations as possible---in the fun of breeding, training and showing Arabian horses.
...and just a start on my own list...
*As a stallion owner, be ethical! Don't let selling a stud fee take precedence over the quality of the mare to be bred. Only breed mares that you honestly feel will cross well with your stallion. In the end, the mare owner will be happier and end up with a better foal, and you will minimize the production of inferior offspring. Remember that the stallion usually gets either all of the credit or all or the blame for the resultant offspring. Never underestimate the influence of the mare in the breeding equation.
*Always think several generations ahead when making breeding decisions, so you have an idea of just where the foal you are breeding for will fit into the breeding program...Results may/will vary and dictate a change in direction based upon the individual, but you should at least have a plan in place beforehand as to what you intend to do.
...so, after reviewing and considering the "pearls of breeding wisdom" herein, I hope that everyone has critiqued their own breeding programs and reasons for breeding. For those who have not yet embarked on their journey into breeding, I truly hope that you put into practice and heed the advice given. The World is full of horses in bad situations due to unethical and uneducated breeding practices. On a personal note, I have long believed that it should be a prerequisite for anyone with intentions of breeding to watch every version of "Black Beauty" ever filmed! We cannot control what becomes of the horses that we breed and sell, so do so responsibly, always considering the welfare of that precious foal you hope to produce! The large operations appear predominantly to be out for "fame and fortune", with little regard to the quality of life the foals produced may suffer or enjoy. As the back-bone of the horse industry, it is we small "back-yard breeders" and "amateur owners" who must abide by common sense practices of preserving and perpetuating the quality of the breed in all aspects---for the glory of the horses themselves...
...at least, that's how I see it...
Tabatha
August 12, 2001
