Ringside High Notes Spotlighting sport horses and sport-horse breeding
“Blood Ties” (p. 44), I realized that I’ve made a number of the mistakes her sources, all well-known US sport-horse breeders, mentioned. As a buyer, I have viewed decidedly average horses through the rosecolored glasses of a dazzling Who’s Who pedigree. I have also chosen not to pursue potentially very nice horses solely because close relatives were “hot tamales.” In both cases, I failed to follow the #1 rule of horse-shopping, which is to evaluate each horse on its own merits as an individual. This being our annual breeding and sport-horse issue, you’ll find informative stories on other issues of interest to breeders, buyers, riders, and trainers, as well. Elite-caliber horses are out of financial reach for many, but some riders with modest budgets and big dreams have found a way: through syndicated or fractional ownership, in which multiple owners purchase shares, thereby pooling their assets to buy and maintain the horse. Setting up a syndicate is not a quickie do-ityourself arrangement and requires expert guidance. For a primer on the process, turn to page 38.
6 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
One of the methods that warmblood registries use to elevate the quality of their gene pools is performance testing of potential breeding stock. You may have heard of stallion testing, but mare performance testing exists, as well, and registries would love for more mare owners to take part in the process. USDF Connection’s sport-horse columnist, Maurine “Mo” Swanson, explains what’s involved in an MPT—and why she’s a fan—in her “Free Rein” column on page 26. It has become cliché to remark that the modern dressage horse outshines the model of yesteryear. Today’s sport horses exhibit unmatched scope and elasticity— some would say almost to the point of extravagance. I’m reminded of a comment that dressage master Charles de Kunffy made decades ago when talking about the evolution in sport-horse breeding: He said something to the effect that, while ordinary horses may have a collectedto-extended range equivalent to a couple of octaves in music, modern stars are the Mariah Careys of the dressage world, able to hit higher highs and lower lows. It’s fitting that de Kunffy used an arts analogy to explain a classicalhorsemanship concept, for that’s what this cultured gentleman is all about. Get to know de Kunffy in our revealing profile, “Renaissance Man,” on page 50. Then go make some beautiful music with your own horse.
Jennifer O. Bryant, Editor @JenniferOBryant
MICHAEL BRYANT
H
ave you ever met siblings whose appearance, personalities, and talents had absolutely nothing in common? Who were so different that it was hard to believe they were actually related? Of course you have. For every pair of siblings with a strong familial resemblance, there’s one that looks like random passersby plucked off the street. That’s how genetics works, and that’s why buying or breeding horses strictly on the basis of pedigree can be a bit of a gamble. My horse is by the same sire as a medal-winning US team horse, so I’ve informed him that he needs to step up his game. (I’ve also described my horse, lovingly, as said team horse’s somewhat less distinguished half-brother.) Having some famous horses in the family tree does not guarantee success: Scratch most warmblood pedigrees and you’ll find at least a few well-known names, so if that were all that’s needed we’d all have a Valegro in the barn. Nevertheless, certain names do appear in the pedigrees of top dressage horses with some regularity, and certain bloodlines gain reputations as producing offspring with common characteristics, whether that trait is ridability, “amateur-friendliness,” or “a professional’s ride,” which I think means inclined to behave like a kite. What are these magic bloodlines that produce amateurs’ dream horses? If I’m looking at a sale horse and its sire is known as a hot tamale, should I fuhgeddaboudit? We asked freelance writer Natalie DeFee Mendik to delve into these and other questions regarding sport-horse bloodlines. When I read Natalie’s report,
