What Makes a "Backyard Breeder"?

Many people like to bash and harp on backyard breeders.  But I think we are too quick to dub someone a backyard breeder based on outward appearances.  Things aren't always what they seem.  A friend taught me this with her breeding "business."  This friend of mine only has two broodmares.  They are not kept in a fancy barn, they are not groomed everyday, they do not show, and she does not treat them like they are glass.  She treats them like they are horses, well taken care of, but not locked in a padded stall on the fanciest ranch in the PNW.  A lot of people will look at her set up and see *BACKYARD BREEDER* blinking in neon lights.  This could not be further from the truth.  The truth is, her mares are extremely well bred.  She picks the best of the best stallions and sells her babies for quite a pretty penny after mere days on the market.  Her babies are rated close to the top of their breed in the world. Not the region.  Not the state.  Not the country.  But the world.  And she does it all with a small setup, on a small farm.  She studied her breed for years before buying her first mare.  She produces two babies a year, and they are both quality babies.  She can foal a mare with ease and takes every precaution along the way.  Hell, her mare's prenatal care rivals that of our prenatal care.  On the flipside of the coin, I would like to point out "high end" Thoroughbred breeders.  Now, I'm using the words "high end" loosely because nothing spells "piece of shit" quite like someone who breeds high quantity hoping to hit the jackpot and get that one-in-a-million superstar, and leaving the other babies by the wayside.  Producing many poorly conformed, confused youngsters, that have trouble acclimating to a real world home and end up on the slaughter truck, or worse, starved and humiliated because they are a "bad horse" because of the way they are treated in the beginning of their life.  While this is not happening in someones "backyard", but in high end stables, it is still, to me, the epitome of a backyard breeder.  They don't care about the mediocre, or less, babies they're shoving out into the world.  All they care about is trying to get that one-in-a-million horse. Not about the havoc they are wreaking along the way.  So please, before you judge a breeder by their appearance, stop and look at what they are producing.  People with small, high quality programs need all the help they can get.

AQHA Halter Horses

AQHA halter horse

My first post is somewhat controversial, and I am sure I will have many negative comments from diehards of this particular breed and “sport.”  I would like to touch on the subject of the American Quarter Horse and the current state of their halter classes.  Now, I am not saying that all halter horses are poor in quality, but, in my opinion, more and more glorified “beef cow” halter horses are winning and are slowly turning AQHA papers into a joke.  While these horses are able to be registered with the American Quarter Horse Association, they are not an adequate representation of the quarter horse breed. 

Many, not all, but many AQHA halter horses are from a stallion named Impressive.  Due to massive inbreeding the Impressive line now carries a disease called HYPP.  The muscles of horses positive for HYPP are constantly contracting causing the muscle to become massive, making the horse look more like a “beef cow” than a horse.  The disease is highly uncomfortable for the horse and eventually the muscle completely seizes and no longer retracts.  So, here’s the kicker:  Some (crazy in my mind) breeders are purposefully breeding horses that are positive for HYPP just to get the large muscled look. Now, in my opinion, the breeders are already abusing a horse that is not even born yet by knowingly setting this impending curse on these poor foals. 

            Unfortunately, HYPP is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  There are many other flaws AQHA breeders are breeding into their halter horses on purpose.  These flaws include: post-legs, upright pasterns, very small legs, and tiny itty bitty hooves.  The listed problems alone are reason enough for them not to have AQHA papers.  Quarter horses are bred to be working horses and these horses cannot work.  The lack of bend in their hind legs makes it impossible for them to move with anything that can be labeled “athletic.”    Not only that, but putting a 1500 pound horse on inadequate bone and size 00 hooves and adding upright pasterns is a recipe for unsoundness.  In particular, a recipe for navicular, a common problem in the AQHA halter horse. 

            The absolute worst attributes to the poor quality of the halter business are the judges.  Whether the judges are biased towards the owners of these horses or they are being bribed, they are rewarding poor conformation.  Since, the qualities listed in previous paragraphs are being rewarded, more and more people are recreating them.  Until judges that value the original purposes for quarter horses step into the ring, there will always be “beef cows” in the quarter horse industry.

            For these reasons I consider AQHA papers to be a joke.  It says nothing more about the horse than both of the parents were registered AQHA.   In my opinion, Impressive bred horses should be tested by the AQHA itself and not be a viable breeding candidate if the mare or stallion comes back positive for HYPP.  This can be achieved through DNA testing and by not allowing offspring from positive parents to be registered, period.  Another viable option, to keep quality in the quarter horse line, is conformation assessment.  In this scenario horses will be rated on their conformation by judges looking for true AQHA qualities, and only the elite of the elite will be able to produce foals capable of being registered.  Not only will this refine the breed, it will also give people less reason to breed, in turn, lessening the amount of unwanted horses destined to slaughter or worse because what is produced is a  usable working horse.  

If anything is incorrect scientifically in the above post, please feel free to say so!!  Start a conversation, an actual kind conversation, meaning talk to the person not at the person.  Rudeness will not be tolerated! :)