Why would anyone do this?

[Madasmaz]

I visited with a very old friend yesterday and had a lovely time going to see all the new horses they have just bought over from Holland. We were talking about breeding and chatted about the pedigree dog program. Anyway it turns out that they are now breeding warmbloods with backs that drop away. Now I know that you occasionally get the bum high or wither high, but this is usually slight. These continental horses are being exaggerated as a means to make it easier to get the appearance of advanced collection. Neither of us could understand it, especially in light of the german shepherd breeding. Will dressage horses go the same way? It seems madness to breed a horse with an inherant weakness in the hind quarters, and they will never be able to managed the high level movements required for Grand Prix level. It seems that they are trying to take a short cut, instead of taking the path of correct schooling to develop the muscles which enables these horses to work at the highest level, which takes years. Is there anything that can be done to stop this before horses are bred that are constantly in pain?????

Didn't this happen years ago with Hanovarians being bred for square bums, leaving them prone to arthritis in the hips?

 

[hellspells]

As soon as I started reading I thought about GSD's and saw you mentioned this. I know they are signficantly smaller etc but you use them as and example and see the dreadful things that happen to them when their back ends goes it doesn't even bare thinking about for horses. Surely they may give the appearence of more advcance 'collection' to the untrained eye. But anybody that knows anything about the true movement of a horse will not be fooled by this, and I can hardly see it passing in a dressage ring.

I find it highly unlikely that these horses will be able to cope long term with the demanding movements required at GP +, they may mangae short term but I don't think they'll be foresale as the aged schoolmasters you sometimes see - more likely to end up crippled.

Legal there is nothing that can be done. I don't think you could ever prove that by using specific gentics you are breeding purely for this reason especially if two well respected lines are use. On this though I could be very very wrong

 

[fatpiggy]

Why would anyone do it - easy answer - money!!!!!

 

[Booboos]

Also thought immediately of GSDs when I read your post. Four years ago when we were looking for a GSD puppy (pet) we really struggled to find one with a 'normal' shape. We were seeing horrible litters with tiny puppies already showing a pronounced drop in the back and parents that looked crippled.

I imagine it would be ten times worse to do this to a horse, which as a species already has tremendous problems with lameness and movement issues. What an irresponsible idea.

 

[Donkeymad]

It disgusts me when people breed for what is a fault. GSD's have been mentioned, there are many other breeds of dog affected in this awy, aswell as horses, such as Arabs and Welsh A's being bred deliberately for dished faces, which has caused dental and breathing problems.

 

[Lwhite]

Don't get me started with line breeding / inbreeding etc. It goes on all the time in all breeds with little thought of the overall outcome. For the sake of obtaining that one perfect specimen scores of animals are fated to a life of pain and suffering and why? fat piggy hit the nail on the head. Greed.
At one breed sale I attended a producer proudly announced that the mare they had up for sale was in foal to it's father.
To quote my son,'That just ain't right'. What goes through the head of someone who does this sort of thing?