Show history and blood lines

[jcpminiaturehorses]

I know so many people out there show and I was wondering, when purchasing a horse, how important is show history and blood lines? When I look at purchasing a mini, the owner goes into their show history and bloodlines. Which means nothing to me because the horse caught my eye not it's show history or bloodlines. I was just wondering everyone elses opinion.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

You make a valid point. I also do not show. When a horse catches my eye it is not the background or history that catches me, it's the horse. I imagine it really depends just what one's plans are for the horse. If you plan to show it is very important. If you plan to breed to show progeny it is also important. I love the Gold Melody Boy, Blue Boy lines. It is the heart of my herd. It is not however my primary selling point. Their temperment and conformation come first then I toot the bloodlines. Bloodlines and show history is IMHO gravy, the yummy extra you can get also.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]Show history of the horse and its relatives is actually as important if not more so to me than bloodlines, unless I trust the lines to breed true. There are lots of horses out of certain popular lines that are over used and produce as many poor to mediocre quality foals as they do great ones. I want a consistancy of quality. Because I do show , I dont even look at horses for my breeding program that dont fit those criteria. there are enough pet quality horses produced when you breed the best to the best that to buy pet and try to work up isnt worth the effort.[/SIZE]

Flame away.

Lyn

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I think everyone has a different opinion on this- as a buyer.. lines mean something if they are a consisent line so I can have a idea of what I will get both good and bad.

Show records really well on a National level and in classes that I would want for my program meaning halter or perhaps liberty and driving do mean something to me not enough to base an entire purchase on but it is an added bonus, especially if a stallion since that means i wouldnt have to promote it myself which can be spendy

Local records dont mean very much to me at all, HOF is the same to me now that doesnt mean that those who win locally (including myself) shouldnt be proud and same with HOF however there are those that dont have the same compitition in different areas for example Kaykay has told us who she shows against in her local area (thank goodness I dont live there)

and some areas are tougher then others so unless i personally ahve seen the horses it competed against myself i dont put tons of stock in it purchase wise again that is JMO

Again let me be clear i am talking about purchase price and incentive here not being proud of goals someone has reached personally

 

[*minis*]

My opinion is that good bloodlines (i.e. for me, bloodlines that I like and think are good) and a show record can be a sign for a good horse, but it should never be the only reason for anyone to buy a horse. In the end, it's the horse itself that counts ... and there are many wonderful horses out there that have never been shown or have no "interesting" pedigree at all, but are magnificent! To me, neither show record nor bloodlines do matter. I have especially problems with bloodlines, because whether a bloodline is known or not depends to a large part on promotion and IMO it's not always the best horses that have the best promotion.

 

[Little Wee Horse Farm]

I believe it really depends on what you are looking for & what you plan to do with your horse(s). We are breeders, so these things come into play -- to a degree. We also grade the horse we're looking at, along with the pedigree & possible show records. They are a plus for us, but, darn there are some B-U-tiful horses out there who just popped up. It's not all in the famous bloodlines & ribbons.

Many times, a potential buyer approaches us & gets glassy eyed when pedigrees & show records are mentioned. They are just looking at that little sweetie in front of them that could be theirs. That's OK! Showing & bloodlines aren't everyone's concern.

We just sold a horse yesterday who is very good blood. He's also adorable. But the bloodlines don't mean anything to the buyers. The adorable does! He will be treasured just for being him. A good feeling as a seller.

Yes, we like to get the best blood to put into our line & offspring. But, as I said, we're breeders. It's also a good feeling for the seller when one of your little ones goes on with the buyer to become a nationally-titled horse.

But, pedigree & ribbons aren't always necessary for the buyer & often doesn't mean a fig to them. They could be driving away with the full-sibling of a national grand champion, but all they know is they've finally got their little bundle of joy.

And to other of our buyers, bloodlines & show record mean everything. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My 2 cents worth anyway. - k

 

[Jill]

Well, part of it would depend on your purposes in owning the horse.

To me, show records are important because if I'm spending more than X amount for a horse, then I feel it should be proven in the show ring. I wouldn't just want to know what place it got at the show, but how many were in the class, etc.

Also, with bloodlines, some bloodlines are known to be prepotent (is that the right word?) for certain characteristics, so they're important to some people. Personally, I love to know the pedigree on a horse, even a gelding (who will not be passing on the line) because it's just neat to things like my gelding is a Boones Little Andy grandson or whatever.

Also, probably because of what I do for a living, I'm sitting here thinking of the bloodlines and show record that:

"past performance is not an indication of future results" but if I have the choice, I'd rather pick something that has done well in the past than something that has not and hope I can make it better.

 

[Cathy_H]

If a newbie thinks they can buy a stallion with a name brand bloodline with an impressive show record, breed him & get the high dollars for its get as the previous owner then they may be shocked. I have seen this happen more than once. For that person to continue to get those high dollars, they must continue to promote & that means more money.

A no name high quality horse can in time establish its own impressive show record. That bloodline can also become well known & desired if it's get are high quality & promoted........................ Our bloodlines are Buckeroo & Komoko Little King Supreme. Through the years the buyers that were not interested in our bloodlines were not going to get into the breeding & showing. Those that were interested had already done their homework on the bloodlines..............................................................

because whether a bloodline is known or not depends to a large part on promotion 

That is true as some stallions that won big in the show ring didn't do very well in the breeding department.............................. If a horse is being bought for showing or breeding then the quality of that horse comes first, the bloodlines & show record are a bonus.

 

[minicount]

I have to like the horse first. I will sometimes pay more for bloodlines I like but not always. Show records, again, IF I like the horse I many times will pay more because the owners made an effort to prove the horse.

Now as far as Nationals meaning more than local, it looks better on paper but it means only as much as you want to read into it. I know someone who is going to be wearing a AMHA Top Ten jacket BUT there were ten or less in the class. Same goes to the quality that a local show might have. I've seen large classes with only about two decent, not great, horses and I've seen 3 and 4 in a class that on any given day the last place could be first anywhere.

If I like a horse their show winnings, no matter where or what, are only going to reinforce what I think of the horse.

 

[Minimor]

First & foremost, I have to like the horse. If I don't like the horse, it doesn't matter how many awards and ribbons he's won--and yes, there are horses winning (even national championships) that I don't like, & no matter how great their show record, you couldn't pay me to take them.

Same with bloodlines--there are definitely lines that interest me more than other lines, but there are also some horses of "good" bloodlines that do not live up to their breeding in my view. No matter how great the pedigree, if I don't like the horse, I'm just not interested.

On the other hand, if it's a no name horse with no show record, but I really really like the horse, that's good enough for me--I'll go with that.

Some sellers are good--they can spout off the most impressive things about the most nondescript horses. To some people show records and pedigrees are all important....or they think they are all important to the buyers...so they list off all of the horse's winnings & famous ancestors. It's interesting to listen, but the bottom line is the horse in my opinion.

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

As a breeder, the bloodlines and show record (the horse, foals, etc.) are important assuming I like the horse in the first place. I like to see the consistency in the line as far as what has been produced and how they've done in the show ring, etc.

Believe me, I've made mistakes and as a newbie was talking into horses that I had no business buying based on his second cousin once removed did blah blah. So, now I spend a bit of time studying a horse before buying, including the breeding program the horse originally came from too.

As for show records, in all honesty that depends with me, as there are many people that don't like to show, or can't afford it or distance/time makes it difficult and I take that into consideration too.

For example before I went to an auction last year, I researched all the horses pedigrees, show records, etc., deleting the ones that were obviously not what I was looking for, and did an indepth search on the ones I liked. When I went to the auction, I checked all the horses (even those already eliminated just in case!), watched the measuring and looked them over carefully unblanketed out fo their stalls and did more deleting. The list was amazingly short before the auction started.

If you're buying as a pet, that would be completely different.

 

[Magic]

If I like a horse their show winnings, no matter where or what, are only going to reinforce what I think of the horse.

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I agree with this. As so many have said, the horse itself is the main thing, then after that I consider the bloodlines and the show history.