This message is from: "." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ingrid wrote: "...I came across an ad on the net for a fjord mare...turned out to be an arab/fjord cross. I wish people wouldn't represent these crosses as anything other than what they are...."
Well, ya gotta consider the $$$ factor. When an "everyday" arab can be bought for under a $1000 US and an "everyday" Fjord goes for considerably more than that, there's a great financial incentive for unethical persons to make lots of crossbred babies and pass them as purebred Fjords. I find that kind of deception totally disgusting, not to mention fairly illegal (bait and switch comes to mind). However, as the grandaughter of a respected breeder of purebred Yorkshire hogs and as the sister of brothers who raise crossbred market hogs, I'll say this: There will always a place for purebred animals, whether equine or porcine. There will also always be a legitimate place for crossbreds -- but ONLY IF the crossbreds show vigor, characteristics, or abilities that surpass the purebred parents AND only if the crossbreds are clearly and responsibly marketed as such. There's no inherent wrongness in crossbreeding the Fjord -- rather, it's the intent of the breeder doing the crossbreeding that is good or bad. Now that I've made my sacrilegeous point ;-) I'll go on to say that I basically am uncomfortable with the idea of crossbreeding Fjords for a couple of reasons: Recently, Anne Appleby attested that the crossbred Fjords she has seen are inferior in temperament and conformation to either of the parents. Based on that observation by an astute horseperson, I would tend to disapprove of crossbreeding the Fjord because the crossbred offspring are decidely inferior to the parents. Perhaps other experienced people have other opinions, but until I hear from them, I'm inclined to respect Anne's point of view. The other factor that weighs against Fjord crosses is the rarity of the Fjord in North America. Crossbreeding Fjords could result in a decrease in the purebred Fjord population if people bought crossbreds in preference to more costly purebreds. In essence, the crossbreds could compete with purebreds for "market share". However, as long as the purebred Fjord registries in Canada and US require DNA testing of horses, the idea of diluting the purebred gene pool with "foreign" genes introduced by unethical breeders seems less likely than it would have been in the days before DNA testing was available. DeeAnna
