QH Bloodlines

Ok.... Blast that Melanie! She is going to make me think today! *gasp* The injustice!

Here is her question:

"...you have sparked my interest in QH lines again, and I have been playing catch-up on the stallions of the last 10-15 years.....

.....It is interesting to see how the lines have definitely become more specifically refined over the past 20 years. You can almost tell what their breeding is, just by looking at them. How are most QH's when it comes to hardiness, endurance/stamina, and lameness?? I know there were issues with those qualities about 15 years ago, and was wondering if it had straightened itself out yet?...."

Of course I am no expect but am certainly never short on opinion, so here it goes:

First:

QH and Paint bloodlines have becoming more and more discipline specific.

Generally speaking, if a horse is "well bred" (meaning that the horse has a significant number of performing and producing ancestors that relate to his intended discipline (the closer to the sire and dam the better)) the better a horse will be suited for a specific discipline.

For example....

(Twentyfour Karat Kid)

In the Halter world names like Conclusive, Kid's Clu, Impressive, Skippa Lark rein supreme....these horses, I dare to say, are not suited for much more than standing in a halter and lookin' pretty (though beauty would be in the eye of the beholder...) but these bloodlines, apparently, do that exceptionally well and it would be difficult for you to compete in Halter without some form of them...

Some bloodlines cross over to disciplines that are related in the form and style of their horses such as in HUS, Western Pleasure, Trail, Showmanship etc.. These horses have different breeding and "looks" within their genre but to the untrained eye these horses look similar in movement, type, and breeding.... I am sure Stephanie will slap me silly and call me Suzie for saying so....but till I stand corrected (correct me, please!) that is true in a general sense...

(Peptoboonsmal)

That is also true for reining, cutting and reined cow horses'. Each sport have bloodlines unique to the other, but in general they can and do crossover regularly. For example Smart Little Lena, Peptoboonsmal, and Hollywood Dun It all have offspring that have made significant money in reining, cutting and reined cow horse.

With that being said, of these discipline specific bloodlines, rarely does one "type" cross over to the other without decreasing the quality of the horse within its target discipline.

(Gallo Del Cielo)

Abby, my reining mare, is out of the Top 4 Reining stallion of all time, Gallo Del Cielo... Gallo Del Cielo is a FULL brother to a Top 5 Cutting stallion, Gray Starlight and to a top Reined Cow Horse Sire (Paddys Irish Whiskey) so I could within reason breed her to a reiner, cutter or cow horse without decreasing her ability to bring something to that cross, however Abby just happens to lack a bit of refinement in her movement for a reiner, so if I were to breed her with the intent of producing a reiner, I would breed her to the reining stallion with the best movement possible...

(Nu Chex To Cash)

....though no to a WP pleasure stallion....though WP (Western Pleasure) horses have far superior movement to reiners. I would not improve her chances of producing a top reining prospect by breeding her to one because I may loose other important factors in the process like speed or the ability to break in half..... Did that make any sense?

So over time bloodlines have become more specific because the horses have become more set in "type" and you need to conform to that "type" in order to compete successfully.

(Smart Little Lena)

While conforming to type does tend to increase their ability to excel within a specific discipline, it does not always ensure that other characteristics that we should value as horsemen have been refined or improved along with it. For example, Smart Little Lena has had a MASSIVE impact on Reining, cutting and RCH. His get are EXPLOSIVE in their athletic ability and have made a tremendously positive contribution to the breed as a whole...his offspring have earned over 27 Million dollars in NCHA, NRCHA and NRHA events!!! And, he is still living and producing!....but....

Smart Little Lena also just happens to throw horses with incorrectness in their front legs that would make a Halter horse cringe. We forgive him for it because, in general-though incorrect, his get are clearly unaffected in their ability to perform because of it. But none-the-less, we should, as responsible horsemen, breed horses to be as correct as possible...

(Impressive)

More specifically- in the case of the Impressive line in the Halter world and the absolute incomprehensibility of breeding HYPP positive horses as some breeders continue to do in the name of winning. WTF?? These horses DIE!! because of this decease! ....Though the whole concept of breeding horses that are to be judged on their conformity to a specific type.... a type that allows them to be good for NOTHING..... Is a little lost on me in general.... Form to function people?

Wow! That was quite the rant!

I will have to leave off for today.... Hold on to your ponies! More tomorrow!