Thoughts About Thoroughbred by Kerstin Aronis and Dr. Maren
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Thoughts about Thoroughbred by Kerstin Aronis and Dr. Maren Engelhardt for The Fontana Syndicate http://www.fontana-syndikat.de For an extensive photo gallery of important TB sires, please visit the link above and follow the English flag! The demand to use more “blood” comes from all big riding horse registries today, and buzzwords like “thoroughbred brings miracles” have not only been set into stone (Count Lehndorff’s famous phrase can be found at the entrance to the Graditz State Stud office building!). But what exactly does that mean? Why would we look for thoroughbreds? And what might good infusion look like? It is more than just beauty and stamina that all warmblood breeds get out of utilizing special blood (thoroughbred stands for English, Arabian, Angloarabian and any other of the refinement breeds). Where are the weaknesses of warmbloods today, in terms of conformation, soundness, mind and athleticism? Without thoroughly assessing these points, no influx of outside blood will “bring miracles”. And where is the strength in today’s warmblood breeds, often as a result from early TB infusion during the 50s and 60s of the 20th century in Germany. Are the conditions the same today? Hardly so, the times of farm horses are finally over, and we have created the ultimate sport partner, which we demand to be mature at 2 years of age, ready for the big stallion presentations in January of each year. Movement, probably the one feature “improved” the most, has turned out to almost grotesque proportions, and the flavor of the day seems to be “bigger, higher, further, better”. To blatantly sum it up: perversion in modern riding horse breeding has no limits, be it in our training methods, or the horses we breed. Once you sit back and talk to sport riders that actually have the time to develop a youngster, you will soon realize that the demands riders have often diverge from what the bred registries and big stallion owners propagate you to believe as the non plus ultra. It is not about pedigree. It is also hardly about 30 day test results or a big trot. It is about balance, rhythm, elasticity, a focus on walk and canter, inner relaxation in combination with just that right “spark” to be sensitive for the rider’s aids. And that stands true for every single equestrian discipline. These traits, as many talented breed promoters want to make us believe, reside in a few lines of horses. Why then, do we see so many horses at the very top of performance that carry more than their share of TB blood? Why do they usually last longer? And how can they cope with the stress and wear & tear of the modern world of competition? How come, all of a sudden, these “blood horses” that you were told when you showed up for your foal inspection were “less desirable, because less marketable” are all of a sudden high in demand? Why is thoroughbred back in the spotlight today? We certainly can’t answer all these questions, but we can try to explain to you why we looked for a TB mare for our breeding program, and why we promote blood horses under saddle. Here is an attempt... The diversity among thoroughbred horses today couldn’t be any bigger. As the old English saying goes:” They run in all shapes”. Indeed. There is no such thing as a blueprint for the perfect TB. Their main purpose in life is to run, and that can be done with any kind of conformation. The same is true for sport horses. While we tend to idealize a certain type and “look”, we should never forget that a good sport horse gets the job done, no matter how. How can we spot a good TB for the use in warmblood breeding? If the current line of thinking, that a high handicap means nothing for warmblood breeding is true, then should we just simply look for a complete loser from the track and hope for a new Ladykiller xx (who, by the way, was indeed a mediocre race horse!)? On the other side of that argument is a list of stallions that were good race horses, maybe even proven in steeplechase races, and with significant influence on sport horse breeding after all... All of that leads us to the first chapter of our essay: Variance of types First, there is the larger-framed, leggy type preferred for long distance races and steeple chasing. This type of horse is a perfect example of the ideal riding horse. He covers much ground with his frame, and in the words of the famous hippologist Jasper Nissen: “the distance runner doesn’t need bulky muscles. He is elegant and of perfect dry texture (editor’s note: “dry” means that no fat tissue lies between the skin and bone of a horse, and can best be seen in joints and over the head). This horse stands in a clear rectangle, has an optimal neck set and neck formation with a light scruff. The optimal leverage of the shoulder and hind quarters omit heavy musculature and gives the horse more of a streamlined look. The head is small to midsized, with large eyes and nostrils. The withers extend far into the back and thus create an ideal saddle position. The back is long, with good elasticity and yet strong, leading into the well-defined croup with excellent hind quarter angles. The long sciatic muscles are well defined. The body is carried by four well-muscled, exceedingly dry, sometimes slightly toed-out extremities with elastic pasterns and big, round, slightly flat hoofs. This is the type of thoroughbred horse dominantly bred in Europe for most parts of the 18th-early 20th century. This is also the type that the development of the German riding horse breeds owe most, if not all their success to, and names like Perfectionist xx in Trakehnen, Alchimist xx in Graditz, or Pik As xx in Celle bring back fond memories. Looking at old photographs of these horses reveals that even today, they would dominate our approvals and shows, based on their conformation alone. We automatically classify these horses as “riding horse types” – however, here is the first error in reasoning. It is not the TB that looks like a riding horse, it is the warmblood that has gradually incorporated TB traits! Stallion dynasties like Teddy x, Dark Ronald xx, Hyperion xx or others shaped German thoroughbred breeding and consequently are present in most modern day warmblood pedigrees as well. Other names that are appear over and over again, especially in mare families, and often multiple times, are Neckar xx, Birkhahn xx, Oleander xx, Ticino xx or Bürgermeister xx,, and it really doesn’t matter if you look in the family trees of the Waldruhn xx family, the Schwarzgold xx- or Königsfamilies. The dominance of these “riding horese” thoroughbreds is a leading thread throughout the history of the creation of warmblood horses in Europe and is the single most important reason the German warmblood breeds are the most successful in the world. In contrast to these “classics”, we find today’s predominant form of thoroughbred horses. We would like to call them the “sprinter types”. Analog the development of the equestrian sports, where nothing besides “earlier, faster, higher, more money” really counts, the race horse industry has turned toward the excitement of sprint races and bred a horse that excels at that. Long distance races are becoming rare, steeplechase races are dying out (and that is where you will find the true heroes for warmblood breeding!). The modern race horse mostly consists of a huge running machine in the back, excessive musculature along its hips, croup and thighs, a short back, an overall downhill built along with a deep neck set and heavy, short forearms. The change in conformation consequently also leads to a change in physiology, and in many cases, it is especially the nervous system that has taken its toll. Hyperactivity, hypersensitivity, and much more are just a few of the characteristics desired in a modern race horse, but ultimately the opposite of what we want for warmbloods. Frankly, we are dealing with the human perversion of the ultimate prey animal...not necessarily the non plus ultra for your next dressage superstar! Obviously, with the diversity in type, we can also observe diversity in movement dynamics and mechanics. The walk of the classic TB type is ideally rhythmic and balanced with a swinging back, and developed out of an open shoulder. It shows significant over-stride and a generally ground-covering manner. The trot is equally well- balanced and elastic, but usually flat, not “ostentatious” or with too much action. The much propagated phrase that “TBs don’t canter, they run” is part of the modern race horse type and doesn’t belong into a discussion of improving the warmblood breeds. Ideally, the canter is marked by great coverage of the ground, excellent rhythm, and a somewhat uphill tendency. The sprinter certainly displays a way of cantering that is not very advantageous for the warmblood breeds, as it is leaning on the shoulders, and marked by speed and high repetition. As sires for the modern warmblood breeds, the classic TB stallion comes with a much anticipated “plus”: durability, soundness, endurance, stamina, intelligence, in short: a maximum of internal qualities that are always needed in any type of riding horse, no matter which sport you pursue. For us, it is the combination of these characteristics and the wit, nerve, spark and willingness to perform that stand for the fascination we have for thoroughbred horses.