Breeding for the ring

Alex Robinson asks if show horses are ever bred specifically for the job, or if they are strategically given new career paths after another one has failed

- Alex Robinson

WITH the cost of breeding a foal often outweighing the price achieved for progeny – unless said youngster comes with an established form book – it’s no surprise many breeders are hanging up their boots.

In disciplines such as racing and showjumping, young horses with strong, on-trend pedigrees fetch thousands – sometimes millions – but a prospective show horse, such as a hunter or riding horse, is unlikely to sell for the same amount of money. The financial expenditure needed to compete successfully in the show ring is usually much less, but sport animals can go on to achieve global titles and win back their price tags many times over in prize money. So, with lucrative breeding opportunities in other spheres, would anyone actually set out to breed a show animal?

Producing a future Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) champion is certainly a tall order. The mounts we see donning red rosettes at top-level combine the perfect balance of quality conformation, breathtaking movement and extremely level heads, all finished off with a touch of untrainable presence and sparkle. But have our national champions been bred with these center-line moments in mind or have they actually been destined for another career and failed to make the grade?

BAZ JONES breeds horses alongside Shelly Argyle under the well-known Carnsdale prefix. The Cheshire stud has produced plenty of show ring winners; their latest superstar, Carnsdale Wise Guy, won the intermediate show hunters at HOYS in October. Baz admits that while an eye for a good dam and sire pairing is handy, the end result often boils down to pot luck.