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| 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! :)
