10/29/2025
๐๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ & ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐
While weโre on the subject of c**t starting โ a topic that always stirs up plenty of conversation โ letโs talk about pedigrees.
๐๐จ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒโ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐? ๐๐จ.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ? ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ.
Do horses have to be by money-earning or producing sires and dams? No. Just look at the Run for a Million Reining or any of the major events this year โ the fields are overflowing with horses out of mares that may have never earned a dollar themselves.
Before you climb up on your soapbox and declare that the industry needs to change, take a deeper look. Those horses arenโt by โGunnerโs rank third cousins brotherโ and out of โshe who bucked a lot.โ Their pedigrees are thoughtfully built on generations of performers and proven producers.
What modern pedigrees give our c**t starters is a horse thatโs more likely to have the talent, balance, and mental wiring to handle the process and connect mind to body. This increases the odds of success โ not by luck, but by genetic design. Breeders, large and small alike, donโt invest money blindly. Every cross has a purpose, every foal a plan. Breeding programs today are built around creating winners โ and thereโs simply no way to pencil out the costs of doing otherwise.
๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง'๐ญ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ญ ๐จ๐ "๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ค๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ค๐๐ฒ", "๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฒ", "๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐๐", "๐ซ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ", "๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ค๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ง" ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ? ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ค๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ. ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐๐ซ.
Of course, not every horse is going to fulfill its first purpose. But the beauty of todayโs western performance industry is that there are more opportunities than ever before for those that donโt fit their initial mold.
๐๐๐ซ๐โ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ค๐๐ฒ: ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ซ.
Their job is to read the horse and give you feedback based on years โ often decades โ of experience. Youโre paying for their skill, their feel, and their opinion. Respect that.
If you want your prospect to succeed, be open-minded. Understand that you canโt force a square peg into a round hole. Donโt let pride or emotion hinder your horse, your trainer, or your wallet. Some c**ts will take longer. Some will exceed every expectation. Others simply wonโt fit the dream you had in mind โ and thatโs okay.
๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ. ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก. ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ. ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ. ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐๐. ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฒ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ค ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ โ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ.
Modern breeding for form and function has improved the odds, but you, as the owner, still play a huge role. Want to minimize losses? Then be smart โ sell the ones that donโt fit your goals to someone they do fit, and reinvest in one that aligns better with your dreams.
Sometimes time will fix things. Sometimes it wonโt. Can you afford to gamble on the what ifโs?
๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ญ, ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ.
If itโs a lifelong keeper and โlast man standingโ is your motto โ be patient.
If youโre chasing the Futurity dream on a budget โ be realistic.
The Futurity game isnโt for everyone. Thankfully, with the growth of added money in aged events, it doesnโt have to be. But the one guaranteed way to find success?
Be clear. Remove emotions. Trust your trainer. And above all โ see your horse for what God intended it to be.
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ. ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ.
Sometimes they are more talented than your budget will allow. - Sell them and cheer for them to go all the way.
Sometimes they arenโt for you. Itโs heart breaking. But the sooner you cut loose of them, the more money you can put into the next dream.
Sometimes your heart horse wants to go a different direction. Thatโs ok! Go with them! It will be fun and rewarding.
Itโs not anyoneโs fault. Itโs just horses. The roller coaster we are all addicted to riding and never want to get off. As terrifying as it is thrilling.
๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ.
We are blessed to be in a position to do it at all.
