> I'm going to ask a question, Lynn, and please bear in mind that I'm > not 100% > opposed to cross-breeding. can you tell me what traits you would look for in > either/both parents before breeding a PP to an Arab?
No problem. Starting in the late 80's I began distance riding with my Peruvians, with some success, but I realized the limitations of the horses I had -- good for competitive trail, but iffier for being a horse capable of doing 100 mile rides or multidays (like John Parke does). I bred some horses with more talent, but meanwhile I discovered that some Arabians can slow gait (single foot) and that earlier in the century the rack was a show gait for them. The idea of combining the strength and metabolics of an Arabian with the gaits of a Peruvian (and yes, the trot would still be there for versatility) took hold. When I found out that my one of the horses I crewed for (Gdapper) was a single footer (with a pedigree containing some champion park horses) and that he had produced a couple daughters before he was gelded . . . well, I started thinking seriously about getting an Arab <g>. Long story short -- I got Gdella from my friends (and realized when I saw her papers that I had ridden with her dam, who gaited even better than her sire Gdapper!). At a Peruvian show I saw a National Champion Gait stallion owned by another friend be allowed to really move out in what in another breed would be called a speed rack. I had already purchased a couple breedings to that stallion and immediately asked my friend if she would be open to my using one of the breedings to make a cross bred, subject to them approving of Gdella's conformation! You can see Gdella's conformation in the photos with her son Arabe -- rounded rump, short back, same leg to body depth ratio (1:1) as a Peruvian, 14.3 hh -- she is built like any good saddle horse. She was approved . . . and now I have to wait two or three years until Arabe goes under saddle to see how he moves with a rider. Lynn Kinsky, Santa Ynez, CA http://www.silcom.com/~lkinsky/
