Someone on Facebook suggested that we should just quit breeding horses as a way to keep them from going to slaughter. Another alternative is not breeding at all is to breed carefully and train thoroughly...I bought a horse from an auction 3 years ago. While ridden in the auction barn, Patriot looked amazing. I paid $500 for him. What Patriot turned out to be was a spoiled, untrained brat. 6 months after riding him - he flipped out one day for no apparent reason and bucked like a bronc. I landed on my back on the asphalt. Patriot was moved along to a woman has trained him for English/dressage. He underwent 4 months of training, an additional 2 months for the woman who bought him, and he is a different horse now.
I do plan to breed, but I plan to keep disposition first in mind (not color or any of the other gimmicks that I hear about). I live in the land of the Quarter Horse here in Texas. So, my Paso's have to be able to do what any great QH trail horse can do, and they need to have big enough bone to be an attractive alternative to the constant bouncing of the QH trot. There are lots of horse lovers in Texas who are growing older who want a great trail horse and no bounce. I want the Paso Fino to be the trail horse of choice for older Texans. These horses are not just for show - they are the best ride around.
So, the auctions are terrible. We all have to do our part to keep horses out of them. Not breeding is certainly one option.
