How often do we hear that everything used to be better and people rave about “the good old days” – and yes, I think in many areas of horse breeding, “progress” has not always been for the best of the breed, because:
We used to have a great variety of types in Arabian breeding, today the bloodlines are reduced by the use of a few fashionable stallions and the horses have to meet a “modern standard” that is set by a few (judges).
It used to be normal to ride Arabians and every stallion had to take a stallion performance test, today Arabians are often just “decoration”, people enjoy their beauty but the ancestors of these horses have often not seen a saddle for three or more generations.
In the past, events were for breeders and those who wanted to become breeders, today shows are for high society or those who consider themselves to be high society.
But there is also a counter movement. The VZAP, for example, has begun to enter the sire and dam lines in the online database – as was already the case in the old stud books. This gives the breeder an indication of whether his horse belongs to a common stallion line (Saklawi I) or a rare one (all the others…). These sire and dam lines do not show a variety of types per se, but they do provide assistance in counteracting a narrowing of the bloodlines.
The stallion performance tests are offered but not accepted. Nevertheless, there are stallions that are under the saddle and also have given proof of it. This could be seen in the wonderful displays in Kranichstein, where stallions from the areas of classical disciplines, western, working equitation and endurance were shown. And there are more and more buyers and breeders who are increasingly asking whether the stallion, his offspring, or his parents or siblings have proven their rideability.
The high society shows have reached a low point – at least as far as German participation is concerned – because not a single German horse competed in the All Nations Cup and the National Championships had fewer entries than ever before. However, there are tentative attempts to establish a kind of “stock show”, such as at the Kauber Platte. The VZAP’s stallion show / licensing, as took place this year in Kranichstein, could also be expanded in this direction.
With our detailed reports on these “oldfashioned” event formats, we want to contribute to a slow but sure change in awareness and to the use of ridden stallions for breeding. Because education and alternative event offers for both breeders and buyers are the only way out of this impass.
