htobago
Well-Known Member
I've always read about how the great English Thoroughbred was originally produced by breeding Arab stallions to the bigger, heavier, native English mares.
And yet, when I look at the current top racing Arabs (particularly the French-bred ones) I think: hang on, you wouldn't need the non-Arab mares; you can just breed the biggest, strongest, fastest Arabs to each other, with no regard for Arab type, just breeding for speed, and after a while - bingo! You get a Thoroughbred!
Or at least something that looks pretty much exactly like a Thoroughbred, and probably if bred purely for speed over another X generations, will run as fast as a Thoroughbred too. It will be interesting to see what happens to this new 'sub-breed' of TB-like Arabs in the future.
But then - isn't 're-creating' the TB a bit like re-inventing the wheel? We already have TBs. We don't need to re-create them - even if my 'theory' is correct, and we could eventually do so using only Arab blood. Just because it is possible to do something doesn't make it a good idea.
Unless the 'new TB' created using only Arab blood were to retain all the qualities of soundness and stamina for which Arabs are rightly famous. But if one breeds purely for speed, one will perhaps inevitably lose these qualities? Again.
Just a few sci-fi thoughts...
And yet, when I look at the current top racing Arabs (particularly the French-bred ones) I think: hang on, you wouldn't need the non-Arab mares; you can just breed the biggest, strongest, fastest Arabs to each other, with no regard for Arab type, just breeding for speed, and after a while - bingo! You get a Thoroughbred!
Or at least something that looks pretty much exactly like a Thoroughbred, and probably if bred purely for speed over another X generations, will run as fast as a Thoroughbred too. It will be interesting to see what happens to this new 'sub-breed' of TB-like Arabs in the future.
But then - isn't 're-creating' the TB a bit like re-inventing the wheel? We already have TBs. We don't need to re-create them - even if my 'theory' is correct, and we could eventually do so using only Arab blood. Just because it is possible to do something doesn't make it a good idea.
Unless the 'new TB' created using only Arab blood were to retain all the qualities of soundness and stamina for which Arabs are rightly famous. But if one breeds purely for speed, one will perhaps inevitably lose these qualities? Again.
Just a few sci-fi thoughts...
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