What bloodlines are in?

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I honestly cannot understand how someone can look at those Rock E ponies and not blatantly see the faults. That line has so many traits so strongly bred in it and people line breed that so heavily, even when out crossed the faults are there 99% of the time. I don't think that even by the end of my lifetime will anyone have the faults of that line bred out. I don't care how many national or congress grand titles a pony or pony from a line will have, I'd rather have a good pony over a congress grand champion any day.

I raise ASPC Classic/Foundation ponies. I went back and gathered the breeding that is noted for producing good ponies, not just show ponies, but good stylish ponies. The bloodline aspect is very important here.
 
I sort of agree, Leeana... The thing that bothers me most about the Rock E bloodline is the lack of hip and not-so-great movement. They do have a stylish look and generally very impressive necks though.... Time will see how it goes. I think some of them are stunning... A bloodline does NOT make all relatives good or bad! I would own some of the Rock E ponies....

I disagree about JennyB saying Arenosa isn't popular... Many Graham's horses are heavily Arenosa and placing just fine! I've seen tons of Arenosa doing well in halter and performance.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I agree that the Rock E breeding is very popular just now--but you could not give one of those to me.

As for the question what bloodlines are in now--I would have to say Shetlands--the trend at the moment is pony breeding. Which lines of ponies, well, that is largely determined by which lines are small enough to be AMHR--or even smaller to be AMHA.
 
LOL! Well Leeana everyone has their opinion!! But I think my results speak for themselves , and as far as Movement well my Rock E son Bright was Performance horse of the year , this Year Mr. Mitz another Rock e son won National Grand Driving And I might say it is not just the ones I am showing that are winning ! But no one will make you buy one.
default_smile.png
)

And really as many faults as you find with the Bar g line which is Rock E breeding I can find just as many with any of the bloodlines including the ones you are using . Every line has it's weakness , our job as breeders is to find what you can do to improve their faults. And make them stronger and that is exactly what we have done. Lisa , Erica and myself and also Bill Humphries who now owns Rock E 4 of the Congress National Grand Champions were either directly sired by Rock E or Grand get of Rock E. So. They must be doing something right ..

I do not think this thread was started for a few to start bashing a line ! It is great if you do not like them or do not want to own them ,but very rude to insult the many and believe it is many people who own and love them !,

All I can say is WOW !
 
To quote one of my favorite people....I'm sorry you feel that way...

 

Getitia mentioned Wink's Showdeo Kid...A good number of my ponies go back to him including a smaller stallion that i'm going to use in a few years. I always thought that King Lee was one of the greatest producing stallion and have so much respect for what he has done. Our smaller stallion Graham's Black Diamond goes back to Showdeo kid through Showdeo Happiness and Bullseye through a full sister to the dam of The Gambler/King Lee. Now, I like a good moving pony, but I cannot stand a pony so strung out it cannot even carry a trot out of the ring after winning a Grand at Congress or Nationals. I'm not noting any certain bloodline, just saying that to me this is something that if I make note of it in a bloodline - It doesn't get to factor in here. (also if i'm going to have colts born here on this farm, they gotta have testicles.. at the very least).

 

I love John Vriezelaar's work he did breeding the Red Rock ponies. I also think Greg Gildersleeve did a wonderful job as well as Robert Schuler in setting up some well wired ponies that can be made useful still today and have a lot to offer. What I would give to have been around back in those days..

 

Now about the Bar G breeding, those ponies really can paint a pretty picture. I owned and showed (and loved!) a heads up son (gelding), he was a pretty show pony all things considered. I like what the Pan's did with that line, more with the Rock O's.

I just realized the OP asked what bloodlines are in, and I answered with what I like LOL....
 
Last edited by a moderator:
LOL!! Well Leeana. Everyone does have their opinion. I hope you can bring your ponys and come to Congress or Nationals. Would love to see yours .

And in talking about the Redrock pony's they cross very well with the Rock E bred pony and two of my best Shetland broodmares are Bull Eye daughters .
default_smile.png
).

There are many many bloodlines out there that put out exceptional Ponies. SMHC, WA-FULL ROYAL PONY FARM. being a trainer with 25 + training horses in the barn I have some from lots of bloodlines so I guess at the end of the day it all comes down to What You as the Owner want as you are the one that has to get up every morning and feed them.
default_smile.png
))
 
and as far as Movement well my Rock E son Bright was Performance horse of the year
Belinda mentioned one of my all time favorite ponies in her post, "Bright Day". I've liked him since I first saw his picture in the Journal, I think long before his Pony of the Year win. Very unusual and beautiful color and super refined. Worth a second look back at your old Journals.

Jacki Loomis
 
Every bloodline has good and not so good horses. Even the beloved Buckeroo had a few horses that weren't top quality. I think it's hard to say a "Bloodline" is what to look for unless you are doing lots of line breeding, which is what Little King did with Buckeroo. So his is a "Bloodline." Arabian breeders have line bred for centuries, making "Bloodlines." A name or two on a pedigree will make me look at a horse. Up close, sire, dam, grand sire, grand dam, will catch my attention, but farther back than that, I don't see a lot of impact unless it's a line bred pedigree.

IMO it's individual horses - such as Buckeroo, Scout, Patton, Egyptian King, and some of the pony sires (sorry I'm not as familiar with them) that are good solid names in the pedigrees. Having Buckeroo as a great great grandsire, again IMO, isn't as meaningful. However, having Buckeroo as a great grandsire, with, say Top Cat as a Grandsire, would be meaningful. By meaningful I mean that I would take a look at the horse. NOT that I would immediately make an offer. if the Grandsire was Dipsy Doodle Twinkle Twinkle Little Snowflake, who's only claim to fame is that he has 4 legs, would probably not interest me. But that's ONLY if there wasn't a photo and I was just looking at pedigrees. In the end, the horse is what sells me.

This is not to say that the distaff side isn't JUST as important, but mares don't get the same recognition as producers simply because they can only product one foal a year at best. A good broodmare might produce 10 - 15 foals in her lifetime, some of the big name stallions produce that in a year, so they get top billing.

So Mindy Lee, pedigrees are important, but as said by many a sage horseman - you don't ride the papers!!

Just a side note - the AMHA World program gives the pedigrees of all the contestants. This is a great tool to see the background of the horses. Very nice information.
 
So most of the posts are about pony lines, ponies seem more popular than miniatures right now. I know mini lines. Some of my favorites include L&D scout, Rhoten's Little Dandy and the Bond Dynamo/Orion crosses that made Scott Creek so popular. Love, love, love the Bill Bailey line, Century Farms. All maybe not "hot" right now, but still just fine with me!
 
When looking at a horse I look at the horse first, if I like what I see then I look at the bloodlines. I have noticed that I tend to be drawn to the L & D Scout, Rowdy, Orion and Gold Boy lines to name a few but I know there are others.
 
A lot of the bloodline searches are ones I tend to avoid. There are a couple I tend to avoid and some have been mentioned on here, even well known ones. The couple who I've have personal experiences with and do not dislike are Michigan and Rowdy.

As far as temperament is concerned I don't think there is one particular line that have nicer temperaments over the other, a lot of that comes with training. I do think the shetland lines are a lot hotter then some of your miniature lines but I know some will say they have seen some nasty minis too, sure, but traditionally your shetland lines are going to be more hotter and maybe harder to control for your average youth or amateur. But with some proper training, and I'm not talking about show training they can make a really nice horse. I had a shetland who was really hard to control, I sent him to a trainer and he was better but still very hot. As a 2 year old I trained him up to be a riding pony and he was great. I sold him unfortuantly because I had absolutely no use for him as a pony because he was suppose to be AMHR/ASPC but he outgrew his R papers and he even out grew to show as a foundation and their limit is 42"! I trained up a half shetland mini and she was great, her daddy who is a full shetland is a pill who I do not own. So it's all on how you handle them from the beginning.
 
First and foremost I think you must have a vision and goal of where you want YOUR program and horses to go. You personally have to know what you are trying to achieve.

As a breeder I think the one thing one must try to do diligently is to really...and I mean "really" be able to look at your horses and be honest about their faults and their strong points. No matter the horses name, bloodlines, winnings ext...each horse has qualities that are superb and those that need improvement.

As a breeder I try to never be so close minded as to say I would never have a horse from such and such bloodlines, but look at the horse itself and how it will compliment what I have and can it do what I want to do with it. I breed for what I like, I know what "I" want my horses to look like. Sure I want others to like my horses, I want to have a market for what I produce...but I'm not going to revolve my whole program about producing horses for someone else. I'm the only one having to spend my hard earned money to take care of my horses, so I might as well have horses that I like looking at and spending time with.

It is imperative to keep evolving as you go. If you see something is not working, change what you are doing. Hopefully down the road you will be retaining foals you've produced to take the place of their dams or granddams/sires…and showing horses you have produced.

So back to the original question - bloodlines "I" like....

for my AMHA/AMHR minis the majority of my herd is my own breeding now, but those horses are a combination of Buckeroo (mainly BTU) and Rowdy (more directly, Lazy N Redboy).....that being said do I like every Buckeroo or Rowdy horse I see...No. But I have keep mares and stallions that ideally in my mind, should complement each other, and luckily the results have been good to me. Great length of neck for the minis, big eye, pretty face, awesome legs, good movement, personality plus. My mares/stallions must consistently produce foals to meet my vision, a good one every so and so years is not good enough to earn a broodmare spot here. Consistency is a great thing…to have great foals out of a mare every year, and then to have those ones that are out of this world mixed in too.

For my AMHR/ASPC herd, I like the Rock E line. “I” am personally drawn to the grand-daughters and grand-sons, as they have gorgeous heads, tapered muzzles, tight small ears, short backs, good hips, and love to show...and they can move. So that is what 3/4 of my double reg herd is comprised of.... Then I have an outcross stallion and a few outcross mares.

I know I should just stop…but I can’t….On the shetlands, or particularly the Rock E line...I find them super to work with. BUT...and a big but…you must earn their trust. They are very sensitive horses and under the wrong hands it can go south fast. You have to be able to communicate what you are asking of them and allow them to understand. They do not take well to hard hands or being forced. My Rock E horses are very sweet...Yes they have a lot of life and show, but that is what I am looking for in a horse, what I’d want for myself…to be happy to be alive and full of life. I have had all my youth kids show them, help condition them, wash them, without any issues.

If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. ~Lawrence J. Peter
 
I don't put too much stock in what is, "In Now". As what is, "In" now is usually not, "In" in a few years. But, there are a few lines in the miniatures that have stood the test of time. If you use good representations of those lines as your foundation, and then out cross as to what you want to see improved, I think you will be "IN" for a long time.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Excellent post, Erica!

I am a huge fan of the Rock "E" bloodline, but that should come as no surprise. I bought my first one 10 years ago, and now my whole program (both AMHR and ASPC) is focused around them. All I can say, is it has worked for me. I have a pasture full of ponies that I enjoy looking at, and I've been fortunate to have many wins at Nationals and Congress in Halter, Driving, and Liberty with them.

Would I take any horse just because it has Rock "E" in its bloodline? Heck no! Any bloodline or breeding program must be properly managed to continously get really nice animals year after year.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top