This message is from: GAIL RUSSELL <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> At 08:59 AM 3/23/2000 PST, you wrote: >This message is from: "Anna Rousseau" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Debby: > >BUT , how may TB are NOT good horses in terms of temperment or have bad bone >and otherwise would be a suitable horse to compete with? That is my point. >The Fjord could bring the hottness down, and could add good bone to the TB >and the Arab. > >Anna
Or you could add poor bone and hotness to the heavier body of the Fjord..... There is a very interesting discussion on a mule site - about how to select for CROSSBREEDING (in this case - a jack and a mare). Their point is, you want to know what characteristics the animal is prepotent for. In the case of a mule, ordinarily they try to get a prepotent mare and a nonprepotent donkey. The discussion emphasizes that crossbreeding really has to be done with MORE care than purebred breeding as you have even less chance of knowing what you will end up with. So... in the case of the TB/Fjord, you would want to research sire and dam very well. You would want the Fjord to be prepotent for "nonhotness/nonspookiness" (I own a spooky Fjord - all Fjords are NOT prepotent for nonhotness, etc). You would want the TB to be non prepotent for the same characteristic. You would want the FJord to be prepotent for good bone (and there are relatively lightboned Fjords). Etc. To be responsible about it, you should really work very hard at it. In the same way, of course, you should research the bloodlines of the FJords you breed. BUT, you have a better chance of knowing what you will come out with in the purebred, even if you do not do this research. In economic terms - I can see that allowing crossbreeding would have an adverse impact on "good" Fjord breeders (those that investigate their bloodlines carefully). Fjords have a market niche based on certain characteristics of the FJord. If poorly bred Fjords OR FJord look-alikes (a big part of that niche is the distinctive coloring - whether we like it or not) flood the market, then we are damaging the market niche for all Fjord breeders. I suppose what would happen is that the really good breeders would have to work that much harder to distinguish themselves from the "brown dun look-alikes" - both poorly bred Fjord and crossbred. Interesting - as I write this, I begin to realize that Fjords ARE a "color breed" in that much of their appeal comes from the coloring. We just happen to be lucky that the Europeans developed a "color breed" for us that was also ruthlessly selected for other desireable traits. The modern horse breeding market does not do that. FJords are, in essence, an inherited treasure - we do need to respect that inheritance. Gail Russell Forestville CA [EMAIL PROTECTED] Clicker List Web Site : http://clickryder.cjb.net
