Have we bred the 'good" out of them?

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Have we bred the 'good" out of them? Moderators: luluwhit, gotothewhip, cindyt, crossspur, ForumAdmin Jump to page :	Last activity 2014-01-20 2:48 PM 24 replies, 6379 views View previous thread :: View next thread
General Discussion -> Barrel Talk


casualdust07 Reg. Mar 2005	Posted 2014-01-19 1:31 PM Subject: RE: Have we bred the 'good" out of them?
You get what you give Posts: 13030 Location: Texas	hotpaints - 2014-01-19 6:38 AM ME AND DEE - 2014-01-18 11:51 PM I think twenty years ago you didn't see as many lame horses because they were sent to the processor. Now people look for any excuse for a horses poor behavior,farriers are less skilled,horses and other pets are treated like people. I do think we are slightly changing the horses by everyone desiring the most in demand bloodlines and not providing enough variation in the gene pool. Let's face it.............the more "problems" a vet can find, the more money they make off of expensive treatments. I also agree that in the past horses were sent to the processor when a serious lameness came up. I also think modern day horses are way over fed and under worked. Even from the womb, broodmares are over fed so the foals come out slick and fat then both are over fed so that the foal will grow as fast as possible. I do think the lost art of walking a horse under saddle combined with a lengthy warm up and fitness program has hurt as well. Not saying those vets aren't out there, but I guess I have weeded them out in my area...all the vets I use are more than happy to tell me when nothing is wrong. In fact, when I have ridden with vets to get my hours for vet school, they more often feel pressured to find something than not because the owner is wanting a quick fix and an explanation. Especially when you have people now googling symptoms and already having a diagnosis in their mind before we get there. It's a tough line to walk when your livelihood is veterinary medicine.
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dawnb Reg. Jan 2008	Posted 2014-01-20 12:44 PM Subject: RE: Have we bred the 'good" out of them?
I keep my change in my pockets Posts: 2985 Location: MN	If you watch the old western shows like Law man and Have Gun will travel, look at the heavy bone structure that the horses had then and look at the bone structure now. We have bred a lot of that out. I wonder if that isn't part of the problem for soundness, too light in the bone.
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LIVE2RUN Reg. Oct 2005	Posted 2014-01-20 12:51 PM Subject: RE: Have we bred the 'good" out of them?
The best bad guy on the internet Posts: 3519 Location: Arizona	We were a lot tougher back in the day too. We didn't have bike helmets, car seats, seatbelts. We didn't have adults watch us swim, we slept in rooms with lead paint...lol!! I think it's the same with horses and the times. They just don't make them like they used to!!
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barreldude Reg. Apr 2006	Posted 2014-01-20 2:38 PM Subject: RE: Have we bred the 'good" out of them?
My mind still works Posts: 8912	A lot of the bone left when TB's and Quarters became one in the pen. Used to be two different breeds. I get your point.
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coastal rider Reg. Apr 2006	Posted 2014-01-20 2:48 PM Subject: RE: Have we bred the 'good" out of them?
Veteran Posts: 139 Location: Abbotsford B.C. Canada	I think this lady has hit the key ppoint of what we do with horses. The way things are set up if you select for speed by default you select for massive muscle and the lightest possible bone structure. The TB race horse industry is wrestling with this dilemma. No one selects for over all soundness or longevity as the stallions / mares that give you a horse that can win when it is young are actually pulled out of racing at a young age. We have no idea how well the horse could race over time. Everyone knows bone density is not complete to 5-6 years of age but we are racing horses much younger than this. So maybe even if canon bones eem ok, the vertebrae in the bacj are not yet done and look at all the weird back issues and odd problems we have that physiotherapists and chiropracters have to deal with. An old cowboy told me not to break my arab until he was three but I as too dumb to listyen and I think that horse paid a price for that. See how long a reiner lasts. If you breed for speed only, you will sacrifice bone weight and aggravate the problem by adding muscle mass. Then you get the extreme body shape of a heavily muscled horse with fine bone and small feet. It will be faster but it will perhaps not be able to last very long. But if it wins early it may be rertired to stud and then you perpetuate the problem. The horses are actually doing maximum stress work onm an imature frame. I would be interested in what real experts have to say or what your observations are when you talk to barrel racers. How many horses have odd back and leg issues and so on that are maybe hard to define. How many horses can race for a number of years , when do people start their horses etc. Could be an interesting discussion. We really work on bone development. FYI Coastal Rider
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