I would assume that for every breeder there is a slightly different set of priorities based on their knowledge, experience, ability, ambition and desires.

For us the priority is to breed horses that people can train to the highest level of their ability, the operative word being “train”.  I love to train dressage and therefore I assume that there are people out there who have the same ambition as me.  Training my own horse to Grand Prix level is the most exciting thing I have done and can imagine doing so I try to breed horses that other amateurs can train to this level themselves.

So our first priority is trainability, which rather than just temperament includes all those things that make the horse able to handle the stress of learning and competing. 

Temperament to cope with the demands of the less than perfect and maybe not so knowledgeable rider/trainer.

Conformation – so the demands of the training and the movements do not cause pain and discomfort and therefore stress, and to help the horse last for the duration of his training & competition which may be until it is 20+ years old.

Movement – so that the requirements of the advancing training don’t block the horse’s development, rather than movement that covers up for the lack of correct training.

Temperament – calm enough to forgive the mistakes of the rider and/or handler but sensitive enough to learn quickly.

Conformation – firstly an overall balanced look.  Hind legs set properly under the hindquarter, good length of hip and loin, good shoulder and wither, forelegs with short canons and long forearms, well set neck with a good length of rein and a supple poll.

Movement – firstly naturally engaged, stepping under in walk, trot and canter.  Natural engagement and ability to use the hock increases the suspension that is developed through training.  Easy front leg action with some freedom through the knee and shoulder that will become more expressive as the front engages, movement that will respond easily to the requests for collection and further engagement.

These two photo's taken 30 years apart 1979 - 2009. The strength of the Ramzes and other Holsteiner bloodlines is apparent.

If your on a good thing - stick to it.

This leaves the questions of size, pedigree and colour.

Obviously size does matter – but within reason.  16.1hh to 17.1hh is a big variation and even within the size range there are differences, deep girth, narrow chest, wide back, all of which have an impact on how a horse rides.  Our priority is to breed horses maturing between 16 and 17hh because anything outside this range isn’t necessary even though there will be a few people who do require a “special” size.

Pedigree is important for breeding stock – after all each horse passes on the genetic material it has inherited – but for riding horses the pedigree is important only in the way inheritance has / will impact on the potential of the horse to reach the level that the rider is aiming for.

Colour – I’m one of the “no good horse is a bad colour” crowd but of course there are some breeds where colour is part of the standard of excellence so colour is a priority.  Also some colours are more prevalent within some breeds than within others and some colours are totally absent.  A “bad” colour might actually show an anomaly in the ancestry.

We can reach our goals and maintain our priorities by having broodmares that we know very well – both from the management perspective and from the genetic as in many cases we bred their parents and grandparents.

Breeding to outside stallions – especially those overseas by frozen semen – has an inherent risk which can be minimised or at least balanced against quality broodmares.  We don’t have personal experience with most of the stallions we breed to but we are yet to be disappointed with the temperament of the progeny of our line-bred broodmares.  Of course the majority of these horses are young and their trainability isn’t proven but we depend on the similar characteristics being the priority of other breeders.

We might choose a stallion that has spectacular movement but only if the pedigree also shows those characteristics that we prioritise.

How do you prioritise?