Breeding Policies for Working Horses
The British Horse Loggers wish to have a debate over the breeding policies and practice relating to our working breeds. A debate to move breeding policy and practice back to sensible selection of breeding stock and a return to breeding for purpose which will keep our working breeds true to type and fit for purpose.
The BHL have had the great good fortune to visit, study and work with
working horse men and women from all over Europe. The more we see of the
policies abroad and compare them with our own, the more concerned we become.
It is the norm for stallions to be worked apart from in Britain where
it is the exception.
We have been to Germany to see Peter Weil working a team of five stallions.
When in Romania we worked a pair of Hutzl stallions - bridleless and bitless
when logging. We invited Hans Sidback over from Sweden to run a couple
of training courses and heard about his team of four stallions. We ploughed
and logged in the Czech Republic with stallions. The list of Countries
and examples goes on.
In Germany, stallions have to pass a detailed test including working,
driving, docility and breed correctness, before they are allowed to be
used for breeding. In France the Haras system insists on similar. In the
Czech Republic both colts and fillies are trained from 3 years old and
assessed 11 months later. Any that do not pass the very high standard
are not bred from, nor are cross breeds allowed. Whilst we were in the
Czech republic a stallion was out with one of our hosts for assessment
and has since been cut because he did not meet their exacting standards.
To our eyes he worked kindly and well.
The proof of these exacting standards show in the breeds and in the quality
of their horses. Any that do not match up are not bred from and sometimes
the hard decision is taken to find another use for them if they do not
work well. Good horses in France and Belgium are worked. Bad horses are
eaten. Very hard in our sentimental eyes.
The only way to achieve higher standards in the long term is to start to impose minimum standards. Results will not be achieved overnight but the breed societies could, for example, give premium status to proven working breeding stock, especially stallions, and subsidise the cost of breeding from such stock. Setting a standard would work and matching that with a financial incentive might help to reverse the decline.
The alternative is much less palatable to those of us who wish to work
our horses. Many horse loggers take pride in working British native
breeds.
We already have to go abroad for much of our harness and equipment. Will
we have to import all our working horses because breeders in Britain
can not produce
good working horses?
What then will happen to the working qualities of our native breeds?
If you have any doubts about how serious the divide is, spend a day at Pferde Stark in Germany and a day at the Shire Horse Show in Britain.
Then try to explain the similarities - the contrasts are much easier to list.
A pair of Hutzl stallions in Romania
In Britain we demand no standard and if we have a mare that is difficult we have a foal from her, 'to get something back'. This lack of policy (I hope it is not a policy to breed from the bad) can only lead to a deterioration in working ability over generations. Worse, we now breed for the show ring, for 20 minutes of dash and fire rather than a day's work, for looks rather than brains and conformation.
We are not against showing working horses but we are against breeding purely for show.
You only need to look at the show strains and the working strains of our gundog breeds to see what might happen to our horses if we continue. Breeding for the show ring will change the abilities, the intelligence, the docility, the size and the type of our breeds and, again, can only lead to a continuing deterioration of our horses.
Ploughing in the Czech Republic with a gelding and a stallion.
We would like to see breeders and breed associations insisting on their breeding stock, male and female, proving their working ability, their docility and their adherence to the breed standard before being allowed to be used. We would encourage the rejection of non working stock being used for breeding.
It is not enough to keep up the numbers of our heavy horses and working
breeds and types. We are not particularly good at that even. We should
insist on keeping our breeds true to type and fit for purpose.
A personal example:
"I did find a working stallion for my own pure bred heavy mare. Although 20 odd stallions are registered with the breed society only two of them are worked. Small choice. Why do we allow this even if we do not test the mares? A popular stallion can serve many mares and have a powerful effect on the breed. This is the same or worse for all our heavy horse breeds. There are exceptions, of course. There are stallions from all the breeds which work and they and their owners should be applauded. They are the exceptions and there is little sign of an improvement."
Doug Joiner
Another pair of stallions, in Germany, working quietly together in the company of other horses.