If you’ve been around horses long enough, you know that there’s a divide between breeds. You hear about it all the time. “I didn’t win that class because it’s a quarter horse judge!” or “Ugh, you know those society breed people, always so stuck up.” I’ve even been a part of the discrimination, being involved in stock type breeds for quite a while. I saw fine breeds like Arabs and Saddlebreds as crazy and unpredictable. I was a proud Quarter Horse Person through and through. But getting my degree in animal science and being exposed to a lot more than what I would expose myself to has completely turned me around. Don’t get me wrong, I’d pick a quarter horse with a big butt from the herd out of any other breed, but I learned something the past few years that opened my mind to see other breeds for what they are and not their stereotype. Basically, it all comes down to this-
Quality. Is. Quality.
Seeing a slow legged, even toplined, flat kneed Quarter horse makes my heart melt. Watching a long strided, round backed, collected Arabian makes me want to throw a party. Quality is quality and it doesn’t matter what breed of horse possesses it.
Not every fine horse is crazy and dangerous and going to run you down at a 4-H show. Not every stock horse is lazy and needs 12 inch spurs and rides with their head so low they could trip on their mouths. You’re going to see that kind of stuff at low level competitions, with people who don’t really know what the heck they’re doing. This is where the bad breed reputations come from. Why see this as the norm, instead of the breed standards that registries like AQHA and AHA work so hard to promote? AQHA hasn’t seen peanut rollers win the big shows in YEARS. And I don’t know of any Arab National Champions that have won while dragging their kid across the pen by the stirrups.
I’ve been to Arab Nationals in Tulsa and the Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus. While these two shows are completely different in many ways, they have a common denominator, and that’s quality. The horse that wins the Hunter Under Saddle at Congress isn’t going to be a lazy peanut roller and the horse that wins the Open English Pleasure isn’t going to be a psycho child killer. You have to be honest with yourself regarding your horse’s ability. If your Arab is constantly getting beat by a Quarter horse at the open shows, don’t automatically assume it’s because of the breed. Maybe the Quarter horse was more consistent and was quicker and cleaner in its transitions. If your Quarter horse is getting beat by an Arab, maybe it’s because the Arab was more collected and had a longer stride. I can promise you that no quality judge thinks to themselves “Well the Quarter horse wins for being a Quarter horse” or “Well obviously the Arab is going to win for being an Arab.”
Because that just doesn’t make sense. Believing that that happens is a cop out, and you should re-evaluate WHY you got the placing you did.
So, in conclusion, (and bear with me because I’m about to get a little sappy) we participate in this sport because we all love horses. Somewhere deep inside (or not so deep, whatever) of us is that little kid who fell in love with horses. Why discriminate against people who love horses just as much as you do?
allaroundqueen 