Which book lies on your bedside table?
"Authentic Arabian Bloodstock" by Judith Forbis. Thank you, Judi! What a tremendous pictorial reference guide - and done in the strain families! I feel strain breeding is another very important part of the art of breeding.

 
Photo: Little
Abraxas Abu Hilal
(ET Crown Prince x AH Abraxas)

Which horse would you like to own?
Having been breeding Arabians for over 35 years and learned the hard way of trial and error, I can appreciate what it takes to create a program pretty clear of bad genetic factors (club feet, crooked legs, parrot mouths, bad dispositions, excessive white eyes, SCID). I know I can breed a lot of these factors in with poor breeding decisions. All these hidden factors that can be in a horse's genetic card. These are real important to us. We have reached a point in our breeding program where each generation is better then the next and we are consistent in not producing these bad genetic factors. lt has taken me my lifetime to build a foundation that is pretty clear because I made it a priority in each mating to be extremely selective about the hidden factors. 

Photo: Little
Abraxas Hilals Gem -
full sister to Abraxas Abu Hilal

Breeding horses is not easy. lt takes incredible dedication and tremendous educational study. And just when you think you learned one tidbit, something sneaks up and changes your outlook of the mating. After all these years I can't look at horses and appreciate just how pretty they might look, as I have learned there are many factors in their genetic  card and structure card that belong to that horse especially as a future breeding horse.

Keeping all that in mind it is very hand to find mates that have been created on the same concepts. Very few breeders approach breeding with these factors as a priority. There are certain stallions we will try, in hopes of achieving some clear factors but the gene pool has become very small and the breeding choices very limited. Breeding "Bint" to "Ibn" just doesn't do it for me. There are many questions that should be considered before the mating. Why? So after ten years into your breeding program, you don't have the disappointment of facing these factors in your breeding herd.
I believe breeding is that nature will design and create her own way with the aid and understanding of certain genetic and structural factors.

This is a list of questions breeders might possibly consider asking the stallion owner. The stallion owner should be prepared to answer these questions.

1. Does your stallion produce clubfeet? lf so, percentage of affected foals with the percentage of mares bred. Identify the affected and carrier mares.

2. Does your stallion produce crooked legs (long pasterns, offset cannons)? lf so, percentage of affected foals with percentage of mares bred. Identify carrier or affected rmares.

3. Does your stallion produce excessive white in the eyes? lf so, percentage of affected foals with percentage of mares bred. Again: Identify carrier or affected mares.

4. Does your stallion produce a parrot mouth? lf so, percentage of affected foals and percentage of mares bred. Identify carrier or affected mares.

5. Is your stallion a SCID carrier? What is sad about this is how many foals must die or become new carriers because breeders did not do their homework. Does it make sense to breed a carrier stallion to a clear mare? Some breeders feel you are home free by breeding a clear mare - not so, you contribute a 50% chance of creating a new carrier of a lethal gene and the breed just used up a clear mare on that mating?
The percentages are now isolated to the mares bred with the percentage of affected foals. (Although a lot of foals will become carriers, too.) This would give breeders a lot more information about choices of the mating.

Is it bad to ask these questions? I don't think so. lt would only try and help the future generations. 

lf these beliefs should offend anyone in any way, I can only say that I have arrived at these conclusions by evaluating choices and experience. I only wish to speak what I believe is the truth. I address this to the breeders on behalf of the Arabian breed.