On 1/18/07, Karen Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >>>> T but as a breeder, I think it's very > important that I understand the difference. I certainly don't want to be > breeding pacey horses to pacey horses. I shiver to think about what > happened to the TWH breed in just a few generations by doing that. (I love > a saddle rack though.) > > Karen > Karen Thomas >
and to me, the breeding aspect is very interesting. But to arrive at any sound conclusions you would have to do studies over years and years! But I have always been interested in this gait thing, whether it is nature or nurture. or both. I have had many conversations with the old man who bred jaspar, Fox and Gallant Boy. he has been a breeder over fifty years with a distinct, calculated and well thought out breeding plan and goal. He said Gallant Boy and the same mare can have pacey offspring or racking offspring, but that Fox's sire has only had one or two out of probably close to a hundred that didn't "walk". So what does that tell you? its iffy genetically, but not only that, gait is influenced by so many environmental factors, not just wiring. Like color too, he said Fox's sire would throw spots 100% of the time if bred to ANY spotted mare. And he wasnt spotted. His brother is tho. Jaspar is so pacey so I looked at GB to see if he is the culprit. He did a saddlerack in the field the other day, I'm sure of it. and I looked his production record up online and he had offspring shown in flatshod classes and they won ribbons, so they must have been smooth gaited. If you look at his frame, he looks built exactly like jaspar, but jaspar does not have those long back legs. GB's back legs are so long they look almost freaky. And his neck comes out of his chest higher than jas. I would love to know what gaits GB did when under saddle as a youngster. But there was a three year old at the barn the day I brought GB home that was sired by GB and he had what the old man called a "show quality rack". I asked the son what that meant and the son said "why on earth he insists that horse needs to be sold to a show home I will never know. Its just a waste of a good horse. He walks perfect without those weighted shoes but he insists..." So I wonder if he saddle racks? anyway, its fun to think about. Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
