I have a comment. I own another breed of horse that is a very very very small gene pool, like 600 in the world. (some twhbea people argue they are just a bloodline of walking horses but actually they were before walkers... but anyway) the pure ones, are a very small gene pool. line bred all the way. Icelandics in the US are a very small gene pool. I think when you breed for something in a huge gene pool some things can slip by but in a small gene pool, uh oh trouble. Cause even in a large gene pool like AQHA if you start breeding for one specific thing you unleash pandoras box into the entire registry. Like Impressive in AQHA horses. In McCurdy Plantation horses, they have started breeding for "the McCurdy Lick" a specific gait, a saddle rack, totally ignoring so many mccurdys do a broad spectrum of gaits, a wonderful multigaited tendency. Also they breed for color, grey. But at least they seem smart about that, most times not breeding grey to grey. altho I dont know why. also they seem to be one of the few if not ONLY registry that seems to prize and value their mares more than studs. I mean they talk about two or three like they are THE mccurdy studs but many many many mares are pure LEGEND in the breed and I have never heard redneck men rave about a mare like the mccurdy people do. Like my Stonewall's dam has been dead 6 years now and when I am at a field trial or something and say he is half mccurdy complete strangers will say "which mccurdy" and I will say "his dam was Son's Magic Val" and they will just act so impressed and go "ol Val, now there was a horse" and I even had one man take one look at Traveller and say "is he out of May?!" and just make a beeline to go over his legs etc.
I think it would behoove all registries to be so focused on mares and to be cognizant of how critical it is to breed for what made the breed so special for in the first place, not for showing. Thank God McCurdys don't have a show world! Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
