Genetics Matter So I Breed
If you are an obsessed dressage rider like myself then every detail about your horses matters. And the “why” matters. Why our horses are who they are, is not just from the training we put on them, but more so from their genetics and raising from before they were even in our lives. Their genes give them their initial response to our cues. Both mechanical and physiological. For an amateur that means, when the day comes that the training the amateur has paid for has been retrained to the amateur’s skill level, will the horse still respond in a way that is safe, supple and sane? For the pros genes help guide us with the questions of: How easy are they going to be to train? How quickly will they learn? Will with they holdup with the pressure we expect? So When shopping for a horse 90% are concerned with “trick training” the horse has been marketed at. Often I feel that the genes of the horse are over looked. I am not just talking about bloodlines. Conformation, movement and the parent’s personality will give you the greatest information about how the horse will feel, holdup and preform.
Conformation gives you insight on the mechanics of the horse. The definition from Merriam-Webster breaks it down well.
Definition of conformation: the act of conforming or producing conformity : ADAPTATION/ formation of something by appropriate arrangement of parts or elements : an assembling into a whole
Definition of mechanics: a science dealing with the action of forces on objects/ the way something works or things are done
To apply the English definition to the dressage perspective I see it like this.
Is horse adapted with the appropriate arrangement of body parts into a whole so they can efficiently function for the job intended is conformation.
The way the horse is conformed to allow it move in balance so energy can flow through it uninhibited with ease equals movement.
How a horse tries and seeks the rider’s communication is personality.
These 3 things are the why’s of how our horse responds to us initially before we train them. Dressage is the art of training and the horse is our canvas, clay, recorder, platform to do our work.
I breed horses so that I can explore these 3 things as well as the training. The fun of the sport is in the creation for me and training them is only part of the journey and I want the whole story. To fellow dressage addicts like myself I recommend continuing to education oneself on sport-horse breeding. I feel it has explained many questions I have had about the horses in my life.