11/04/2024
One of the questions we are frequently asked is what makes a breed? Sounds like a simple question, but it's really not simple to answer. The first thing that makes a breed is a bunch of like minded people creating a registry. This is usually done with a definite type in mind as well as purpose. Once the registry is created then breed rules are applied and foundation stock bred forward to produce the desired type. As breeds grow in numbers, and age, they often close the books or limit outcrossing, in order to maintain type. There are pure breeds, such as Arabian and Thoroughbred, and composite breeds such as the Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, Paint and American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft. Simply because a breed of horse is made up of other breeds does not mean it is not legitimate. The largest horse registry in the world, the American Quarter Horse Association is built on a composite breed. So to address the concerns about our breed validity point by point;
1) Everett Smith set out to create a breed by crossing two other known breeds, the Percheron and Appaloosa. His creation was the Sugarbush Harlequin Draft. He didn't JUST cross Appaloosas to Percherons. He bred back to draft blood to increase the draft percentage. So the first generation of Appaloosa to Percheron produced a foal, which was bred back to a Percheron and produced a foal, which was bred back to a Percheron and produced a foal and you arrive at Sugarbush Harley's Classic O, 93 percent draft with LP coloration. Is he JUST an Appaloosa to Draft cross, certainly not. He's a draft with LP markers. When you get to 93% you're pretty close to being 100%. However, due to his LP markers he's also not a Percheron. He has a distinct body type, coloration and several different traits, such as less feather, lighter muscling over the shoulder and gaskin and a conformation closer to a big riding horse than a plow horse. Is he a breed? Well if the Quarter Horse is a breed and the Appaloosa is a breed, then the Sugarbush Harlequin Draft is a breed. There are registered QHs out there today, 80 years after the registry started that are 7/8s Thoroughbred and have full AQHA breeding rights, show records, produce ETC. So if we're going to call those horses breed representatives for the Quarter Horse then a 93% LP marked draft is certainly a breed representative for the Sugarbush Harlequin Draft. We are a breed. We're small, we're allowing outcrossing at this point to increase numbers and avoid the intensive inbreeding that has caused so many problems other rare breeds and we're restrictive, we require 50%+ Draft in order for the horse to be placed in the main book. That's more than Quarter Horses or Appaloosas require to be in their registries.
2) Everett Smith created the Sugarbush Harlequin Draft Horse Registry, SHDHR. The Stonewall Sporthorse Registry was developed by Michael Muir (formerly Hanna) He was a long time Appaloosa breeder that owned and stood Appaloosa racehorses Apache Double and Ocala Flight. Due to changes within his life he decided to start crossing drafts and Appaloosas to create spotted driving horses. He was searching for a lighter more warmblood style of horses. He bred an Apache Double daughter to Charlie Degas, a Percheron stallion and Stonewall Baby Jane was born. She was half draft/half Appaloosa. She was bred back to a Percheron stallion, Stonewall Showmaster and produced Stonewall Rascal. Rascal's blood was then brought into Everett's program and he was crossed on Sugarbush Felina Del Noche to produce Sugarbush Harley Quinne. The two men worked in concert together as both had the goal of a heavier spotted horse, with the first few generations being warm blood type and the next ones being draft. Types within any registered breed are the norm not the exception. Even purebred breeds like the Arabian have types. Arabian has 5; Spanish, Russian, Polish, Crabbet and Egyptian. All distinct but all easily recognizable as Arabian. Thoroughbreds have two types, racing and field hunters. Quarter Horses have one for each discipline it seems. And therein the flaw of the by blood registration systems come to light. Because by blood they are certainly Arabs, Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, but by type they are not cookie cutter. Unless a registry has a conformation approval system, it cannot maintain a cookie cutter type of animal. And most registries don't employ conformational approval for horses that meet bloodline standards.
3) As for the different registration designations, they are not uncommon, and anyone who has dealt with color breeds certainly knows that there are different designations within. ApHC has had over 15 different registration designations, now they use 3: #, N, CN. Their hardship horses, like ours, are non breeding animals so they go in the main book #. The nature of a registry's growth will eventually remove some designations as attrition removes the older horses from the gene pool. ApHC used to have BN (breediing stock non-characteristic) ID, PC, F, P and other designations, which are no longer being issued, but can still be found on pedigrees. We wanted to make our papers easy to read and understand. Since this is a registry reboot, more than a creation, there are no foundation horses beyond the ones bred by Everett, so in honor of him all his founding stock has an E designation, and ONLY horses descending from his stock can carry it. Horses added in (after genetic testing and conformation review) now are given an I designation, signifying they are not foundation stock, but meet the criteria to be used as breeding Improvement stock. Main book horses are # or N, they are either geldings or spayed mares brought in through hardship or foals of E or I horses. Heritage horses H* have Sugarbush blood but not enough percentage of draft, so they are not in the main book, and to produce an eligible foal they must be bred to an Approved Cross draft or a Sugarbush. AC horses are Approved Crosses, they can be used to create a foal with an E, I or Approved Cross Draft.
4) The objective of ASHDA is a high quality, versatile Draft horse with a preference for LP. It's also for a genetically tested clean animal. We require a genetic 6 panel for all AC breeding stock. Any Belgians or Suffolks used must test for JEB1 and PSSM and any other draft breeds for PSSM1. In this early stage we are approving horses conformationally by type, and color restrictions, no pintos or greys.
5) People have asked us about rare breed conservancy. I looked into this when I was on the ApHC BOD, because Appaloosa numbers have fallen off to a HUGE degree, less than 2500 horses registered a year. The rare breed conservancy takes the position that any composite breed, such as the Appaloosa, Quarter Horse, Paint, National Show Horse, Azteca etc, always has the ability to increase its gene pool through the use of the various allowed crosses. Since there are Appaloosas and draft horses abounding we don't qualify.
6) Who is ASHDA? We are an incorporated registry in the Commonwealth of Virginia, we have our tax IDS and we are a non-profit. It's not a private business. ASHDA has a board, officers, rulebook, show system, genetic testing requirements etc. We are a registry and intend to be around a long long time. We are the stewards of this breed, and through our efforts and yours the American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft will be around for a long, long, long time!
Pictured is E-Designation stallion, HexenBiest, bred and owned by Trinity Appaloosa Farm.
