britiah bred v imported horses

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wattsy

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a few of the forum members seem adamant that British bred horses should be favoured over imports. Do members generally agree with this, or do you think it depends on which discipline you choose?
 
I think it depends on the horse - they is just as much rubbish that is british bred as there is foreign bred.
 
I do think that other countries such as Germany are far more advanced than we are when it comes to the hosses, yes I may be shot down by this comment but IMO they are but I will always favour British Bred horses, we need to support the horses and the breeders in this country or there will be none good enough and we will then have no option BUT to import, if you get me?
 
Does Irish count as British – not really is it! I love Irish horses and the British bred horses I have had haven’t been no were near as good. I’m more of a hunting/XC person though and my boys clompy Irish draught trot doesn’t really cut a dash in the Dressage! I think everyone should be able to make there own mind up on what kind of horse they want instead of being told though!! Why should I have to have a British horse if a want a warmblood or a quarter horse or an arab? Quite ridiculous what people put in there siggies me thinks!
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We have some great horses over here but we also have a lot of rubbish that people insist on using for breeding. I think quality stallion owners need to be picky over the mares they cover rather than thinking of lining there pockets. Abroad they generally breed from only good quality horses. Of course there will always be a horse that is well bred that comes to nothing though
 
That is so true!! I lady who hunts with us has too mares in foal – one went lame very young and the other was just shite so they decided to put it in foal instead of riding it and they have been put to not that good stallions – what is the point in that!?
 
Im probably going to get lynched for this, but here goes....

I have an imported horse.....(duck!)

To be honest, I was looking for the right horse as I have had a few that have been either neurotic to the point if insanity, possessed by the devil or just incapable of doing the job I needed them for (all British). I wasn't purposely looking for an imported horse, but he was exactly what I wanted and I wouldn't swap him for anything!

I don't think we should show preference to imported horses, because its important that British breeding is supported and continues to progress, but its not always easy to find the exact horse you want.
 
I think if you are at the very top of your game and only one type of horse will get you there, then buy an Arab for endurance, or a warmblood for dressage if that is what you need.

However there are thousands of riders who will never get there buying imported horses of various types because they think that is what they need -in my opinion a good many are nowhere near as good as they think they are and would be better off with a pony -at least they stay sound (OK a bit tongue in cheek)
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I like to support home grown horses where ever possible, but I think we have to go a long way to build breeding up to a standard where we can compete with German or Holland

We can breed great Thoroughbreds, we just need to establish good, well publicised and supported lines in sport horses

The only part of breeding that makes me a little uncomfortable is the wastage, TBs here and warmbloods on the continent and the PMU trade that appears to run hand in hand with warmblood breeding on the continent
 
TBH - I just end up getting any old nag that i can afford and looks like it might have a decent pop in it!
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i'm not too picky!

It's wierd though, a lot of the horses that we have had who were bred in england (not english bloodlines) have been complete shits in one way or another - as if there is something not quite right in there education?
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It is a matter of choice, if someone can buy better/cheaper from abroad then good luck to them. My preference is with IDx's, TBxNatives & ArabX's. That does not mean I dont appreciate the WB's, far from it, which is why I put my mare to a Trakehner last year. He had the temperment & movement which has improved on her, & I am happy with the result. On the otherhand the TB type mare went to an ISH, if I had her breeding she would have been covered by Jumbo as I think he is a really nice horse. I do think the WB's have the movement wanted for dressage & our SJ teams are full of WB's. But I think it is more to do with producing, there are some good horses out there, but they have not been produced in the correct way to bring out their potential. Breeding plays a big part, but so does how we the produce the end result.
 
Inky is a Part Bred American Miniature Horse. His dam is British and his sire an American Import. I didnt choose him because of this but because his bloodlines were good irrelavent of whether they were American or not!! I appreciate that we should support our own i.e. British breeders but i believe that if they are "good" breeders then they will support themselves. I believe it depends on what you are after. I have no knowledge on any other breeds or breeders. Albeit they are lovely horses they are just not what i am into ( each to there own ) If someone is after a particular breed for whatever reason and they cant find a British bred one that suits their needs, then i dont see a problem with getting an Import.
 
I have an imported horse.
However I did not go out looking for a specific breed. I wanted a horse to BSJA and do some low level affiliated dressage and ended up with my French bred mare. She is 3 so as yet do not know her potential but I was prepared to go to ireland and all over the country to find the right horse
Alee came along fairly locally and at the moment looks promising.
The problems I came across when searching was that the British Breeders are so few and far between that to come across the 'right' horse still for sale just never happened hence going to a local importer and finding Alee.
 
I suport British breeds I have a british native, a Highland. Think he will do everything I am likely towant to do BUT obvioously wouldn't be suitable for high level competition i.e eventing.
 
you can buy british warmbloods, british arabs and british bred quarter horses

it is that statement in your post which makes me have the sig that I have

people who think to get a warmblood they have to cross the channel - they don't - and nor do they have to cross the channel to get competition ponies - but they do

the poster that said - if you don't support british breeding now then you'll HAVE to cross the channel is about right - as our blankety blank gov. doesn't support us - unlike the continental govs that support their horse industry.

and - been round this before - not saying you HAVE to buy british - merely that you SHOULD support british breeding

and yep - I reckon Irish is 'british' as they don't 'factory farm' their horses - unlike germany and holland who do

if you don't buy factory farmed chicken - why buy a factory farmed horse ?!?!?!?!
 
the reason why a lot of rubbish is bred here from any old mare is because we are more sentimental about our animals

over here - lame mare - breed from her
on the continent - lame mare - eat her

depends I suppose on whether you are good enough to field the dross from the quality that is bred in the UK - or whether you prefer to have horsemeat available to buy in the supermarkets
 
if our top riders started supporting british bred horses - then british breeding would be in a better state.

the continental riders more than often ride horses bred in their own country and so used to ireland

british event riders tended to ride british bred or irish bred but the other two disciplines.......need to start looking at the british bred product

although some now are doing that - by becoming british breeders themselves
 
My Arab stallion was bred in the UK, but using imported frozen semen from a stallion standing at stud in Belgium, who was bred in the US, but from mainly imported Russian, Polish and English bloodlines. My boy's mum is out of a UK-bred mare of English bloodlines, exported and then re-imported through Holland. Her sire was imported from Russia....

Er, sorry, what was the question again?

I don't know very much about other breeds, but Arab breeding has become very international nowadays. I did look in Europe when I was searching for my ideal Arab colt, but ended up finding The One in the UK - although as you can see from the above he could not really be described as 'British'... so I can't really claim my choice was very patriotic!

Are other breeds as complicated and confusing as this?
 
goes to show that lots of these foreign bred horses rely on quality british bred horses to improve their quality so that they are saleable back to us at an inflated price ;-))

so probably cheaper to buy the original british bred horse - which must have been good or the continentals wouldn't have bought it !!
 
What do you class as british bred? A horse that was born in England even though the semen was imported or does it have to totally english?

Spot is british bred - in that he came from a stud in southampton but would you count an appaloosa as a british bred horse?
 
at least if it was born in england it wasn't factory farmed

I don't eat factory farmed meat and I wouldn't buy a factory farmed horse
 
If I went looking I would only buy a British bred horse on a british stud, but I would use one that had good mares and stallions, probably imported at least one or 2 generation back as there is no doubt that we are behind over here. The good british studs have to use good mares as there is no meat trade to pass rubbish too.

Also I prefer the way the horses are raised and started in the UK
 
I think the problem here is that as a general rule, only good/ v good horses are brought over here from the continent and we probably draw a biased view of which horses are better as we see the not so good over here and not abroad, I have both british bred warmbloods and an imported warmblood as well as a tb mare and I've picked warmbloods who I thought had the x-factor for me, irrespective of where they came from, though I will always support british breeding, sadly the imported horse was cheapest for his scope/ability/athleticism than a british bred counterpart and finance was a factor. I dont think either hosrse is better, it's just they seem cheeper when you get them (direct) from abroad, before some guy has put 1k+ on top of the price.
 
but the reason for the cheapness is down to factory farming

we all know that Tesco's can sell cheap chicken 'cos it's produced at Bernard Matthews et al. If you want a chicken that has had a life then you have to pay more for it

if you want a horse that has had a life before the age of 3.5 years then you get one produced in this country
if you don't mind factory farmed animals then buy a (cheapie) from abroad where it hasn't had a life AND has been over produced at 2 yrs old and is pushed into doing grandprix movements at sitting trot by 3

I would say that your UK bred warmblood will stay sounder and live longer than your imported one which has had it's legs stressed far too young

Like Tescos - if we don't like the cruelty involved in factory farming of poultry then why support a foreign horse industry that factory farms horses ?!
 
I'm not fussed where my horses are from, I just bought the one that was right for me. I wouldn't go looking for a horse abroad, but if it's come from abroad it wouldn't affect my decision. Flash is from Holland, and the only horse I looked at, and he found me. I think british bredding needs more support, and would love a CB or native if I had the money and space
 
Oh I'm so glad someone started this post as I have to say the siggie I saw the other day really irked me, but was too much of a chicken to start a post.

I imported a Luso and yes I could have bought one from the UK but even with the cost of transportation, he cost a lot less than if I'd bought him in the UK. I also wanted him to have been started by Iberian riders as whilst I do not approve of all of the Iberian methods, I do believe they wind up with horses that are incredibly light in the hand and very responsive to the seat. I personally have yet to ride a British bred horse that is quite so responsive.... duck! (I'm not saying British bred horses aren't responsive but all the Iberians I've ridden are ultra responsive)

As I said I do not agree with all of the Iberian methods and the ex-pat British lady who helped me find my boy said to me that she was so pleased that my boy would be going to a better home. He was by no means abused / neglected but was viewed more like a machine than an animal. I am confident in saying he has a better quality and more relaxed way of life than if he'd stayed there.

It is a personal choice and I do object to being criticised for going abroad. I'll get off my soapbox now.
 
PS My boy was by no means factory farmed and at 6 years old is only at Prelim. I think the factory farming comment shows a little ignorance I'm afraid to say.
 
The only difference between English and foreign bred horses is the fact that the foreign horses are so much better produced than our English bred.

I dare say I will get shot down for saying it.

The foreign riders put more emphysis on flat work, it has to be right! Therefore the horses from abroad are schooled so much better than a lot of horses based here. Hence why so popular and they have really done their homework on bloodlines and tried to breed out a lot of hereditary faults.

British breeding is catching up but is always behind. We have turned several mares away from our stallions as they really haven't been suitable to breed from. It doesn't matter how good the stallion if you put a donkey to it you're still going to get a mule!

I personally don't mind whether the horse is bred here or abroad as long as its a nice horse that does the job required. All of my personal horses were bred in Holland or Belgium except for 2. I have a very nice rising 6yr by Luidam out of a Flemingh mare (Bred in UK) and my beautiful coloured stallion who will be one of only a few in this country not related to the usual Samber. He is by Pauldary's Top Tiger, and he is destined to be a star and very much bred in the UK
 
I take your point airedale, but it's not entirely correct or fair in this case, as at least half my boy's pedigree is Russian and Polish lines. OK, the Russians did use some English lines in their breeding programme way back, but they also used French, Polish and Egyptian lines. And of course if you go back far enough they all came from the desert and were bred by Bedouin tribes!

I think most UK Arab breeders, apart from perhaps a few real die-hard Crabbet fanatics, would say that the foreign bloodlines imported in to the UK have improved the breed in this country. Just as English lines have improved Arab breeding in many other parts of the world. The point is to breed the best possible Arab, and this is very often achieved by blending bloodlines from different nations.
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I do understand your point about the need to support British breeding, but I hope you agree that including excellent foreign bloodlines in our breeding programmes is a good thing? It would be a shame, surely, to let some misplaced patriotism affect our ability to breed better horses?

After all, some foreign breeders are importing British horses/bloodlines - so why should we not use their best bloodlines in our programmes as well?

I already have orders for my stallion Tobago's frozen semen from Europe - for example, a top Arab stud in Belgium are breeding their two best mares to him. My boy was bred by AI with semen imported from Belgium, where his US-bred sire Psytadel stands at stud. Now Psytadel's genes, with addition of my boy's English and Russian lines, are being exported back to Belgium.

So - it's a lot more complicated than 'foreigners selling our bloodlines back to us'! It's much more cooperative than that, and the aim is always to breed better horses...
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This is such a difficult debate,
on one hand I would love to stand up and say support british breeding at all times and don't go to the continent but unfortunately its not always practical. Unfortunately until british breeders buck their ideas up and also start getting given government support I am afriad we are very much lacking in competition horses that offer value. And for the average rider value does matter!
18 months ago I started looking for a young horse to buy (1/2/3yo) and was happy to limit my search to UK given that I was not looking for a top competition prospect, just a nicely bred horse that should do well at lower level affiliated competition.

Now there is a fair number of this sort of horse being produced in the UK and I didn't have any trouble finding one however in my search I have to say some breeders were highly unrealistic about the value of their offspring e.g. a nice gelding, 18 months old, out of a completely unproven native type mare and by a warmblood stallion which is nice but not at the top of it's game, this youngster was on the market for £4500
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.... now take £4500 abroad and see what you could buy unbroken over there (a hell of a lot more for your money I'll be sure!)
 
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