I do not believe it is anyone's place to tell another person whether or not they should breed. I am not talking about breeding a particular horse, I am talking about breeding in general. If someone mentions that they are going to breed their horse, and did NOT ask for an opinion, I do not believe in other people jumping down their throats with their "OMG, don't breed! If you breed any horse anywhere you are a HORRIBLE person! There are too many horses in the US! You will BURN IN HELL!!!!" Obviously I am exaggerating the normal responsive of the bleeding hearts of the world. BUT, they are implying that by breeding you have moral problems. They may not say it out loud, but they tend to give people that "shame on you" attitude, shake their head, and attempt to make said person feel as guilty as if they had just stolen food from a starving child in New Guinea.
It is ridiculous. Now some might say that by telling a bunch of people that they are going to breed opens them up to public opinion. You are correct. However, if you tell just one person who happens to have a 'leaning towards joining PETA' mindset, you can bet they will say something to someone else. Soon, these other people who feel it is their duty to stop your destruction of the natural world are somehow getting a hold of your contact information and sending you emails urging you to rethink your horrible mistakes. All this time, they either A. Are being rude and telling you what a smudge of evil on the planet you are, or B. Trying to act like they are just a caring soul attempting to save you from yourself and your wayward actions.
Stop. Just stop. I get even more pissed off at the people who try and treat you like a child who made a boo-boo. You are belittling those people and treating them like morons, all the while telling yourself it is your moral obligation to stand up to these horse torturers. What really pisses me off is when people who have never owned a horse, who know nothing about the horse industry, or who own one or two horses they do nothing with decide they are experts in the equine world. These morons who do not know anything about the market or how anything in horsedom works decide to join the throng of people who seem to look like they care for mother earth and all her creatures, and follow their lead. If you do not know what you are talking about, you have no right to tell someone else what they should or should not do concerning said topic.
If Betty down the road has a mediocre mare and wants to breed her to the pretty stallion down the street, then it is her right. Back off. If Jack in the next town is breeding quarter horses with no show records *gasp* for ranch work, back off! I believe that to a point, horse owners should be able to breed whatever they want.
On the other hand, if these people are breeding horses and do not have the facility to properly care for horses in the first place, they should be slapped in the face. If they do not have the funds or knowledge to take care of a pregnant mare or a foal, they should be slapped in the face. If they do not have back-up plans for the foal/s should they suddenly be unable to care for them, the should be slapped in the face. If they are breeding horses to SELL that are so fugly their parents rejected them on sight, they should be slapped in the face. I am talking about horses so badly put together they are not serviceably sound or are useful for nothing more than ingesting hay and creating poop.
I'm sorry, but do not tell me you can actually RIDE this horse! There is a point where short is too short, and can you say roached? You can claim this is photoshopped all you want. I have no idea, but my point is that this is the result of poor breeding decisions. If you are creating horses with conformational flaws as severe as this, you are cruel. Your home bred babies legs snapped off when you finally were able to ride it? Oh gosh, could it be those calf-knees that are so horrible they look like hocks? Your horse has serious back pain? Could it be you bred a specimen of equine with a back so long you could fit five people on that limo? Don't breed horses with conformations that limit their ability to function as horses, limit their ability to be ridden let alone be athletic, or are certain to eventually lead to painful and possibly debilitating issues.
All of that being said, if people want to breed so-so horses that aren't going to shine in the show ring or be a five-star champion over fences, then it is their choice. If they are responsible about caring for their horses and ensure they have good homes then leave them be!
I am sick and tired of hearing people preach that in this market, horses MUST have a proven show record to be bred, that their immediate family must have a show record, and on and on, etc. What about working ranches that rely on good horses to do their jobs? Some of their broodmares have never been used, but they still produce good foals that work well for that ranch. So what if their stallions have no titles or championships? If they prove themselves as a good ranch horse, that is all that matters to those people. And they shouldn't be criticized for it.
Here is another common situation : You see a horse, believe that horse is ugly and decide it is more or less a sin to breed it. Another person looks at the same horse and thinks it is the most gorgeous beast on the planet. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if they like that particular type, the more power to them. For instance, this does not appeal to me in the least:
This horse scares the shit out of me. It is an Akhal Teke. In my opinion, a freakish specimen of an equine. The neck ties in much too high, and is upside down (ewe necked). His hocks are MUCH higher than his knees, and his rear cannons are a mile long. I hate his hip, and he looks so freakishly thin I am reminded of a skeleton I once saw on display at the Denver Stock Show at a veterinary booth. Believe it or not, some people LOVE this breed to death. And this is a typical look. I have seen some that look so long I get confused as to whether they are a horse or a sausage with legs. That is MY opinion, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with this breed and they have their place in horsedom. Could they perform well in a reining class? Probably not. But they have their uses, just as any horse does, even if it is simply being a trail mount, or a buddy for a show horse.
This post has drug on for quite a long time, but I think you get my point. I am not going to change the minds of many people, and I'm sure responses are going to be things like, "I believe it is wrong to continue the over population. So many horses are suffering. You can never have a foolproof plan B should you die, etc. You can not let people breed so-so horses or the problem will never end. If I don't say something and stand up for these horses, who will?" And on, and on and so forth.
The problem is that you only see a small portion of the picture when you see someone planning to breed. You do not know their depth of knowledge, their skills, what sort of facility they have, what the market is doing in their area, and half the time you do not know what their plans are, etc. So rather than dive in with hackles raised ready to condemn backyard breeders, etc. to the fiery pits of hell for their sins, remember that you do not know any of these people and you can not presume to know the first thing about them, their actions, or their circumstances.
No comments:
Post a Comment