Discouraged but not giving up

greenspun.com : LUSENET : ASD : One Thread

Glad to have a forum to express my opinion. Here it goes.

First of all I love Mountain Horses.. I bought a sorrell/flax main, tail RMH/MPH in February 1997. I wanted a RMH/MPH because my husband said they had the best gait and personality and I knew nothing about being around horses. I love my mare's puppy dog personality and her very smooth gait especially on long trail rides. She is everything that I want in a horse and I want to carry her traits on to future foals.

I bought my mare for trail riding and I had hoped to eventually show and breed her only to RMH/MPH. My husband could care less about the showing. He says they show for him everyday when we ride and they win first place everytime with him, and of course he is right. Of course when you plan on breeding you want to register them, so the foals will bring more money and you want people to know you have a special breed of horse and they are super.

Now for my list of discouragements and how I feel as a new comer to horse organizations. :( Discouragement #1 CAN'T Register her as a Rocky, altho she is a Rocky with Tempory Registration. She has small white spots underneath her belly. I thought thats OK she can still register Mountain Pleasure and KY Mountain. I think this rule should be changed to register horses like this but they just wouldn't be show quality. Blue Merle collies with brown chips in their blue eyes are still collies and are AKC registered, they just don't win at shows, and people know not to show them.

:( Discouragement #2 This thing with the eyes came up called ASD, which my beautiful red mare tested mild ASD. Thank God no cataracts or vision problems. My understanding I could still breed her to normal eye stallions and you all know the rest. Again I thought that's OK, I'll work with this and eliminate this ASD in future foals, after all its been done before with dogs. I think it would be wrong and a waste not to breed one when it has such qualities one looks and looks for.

:( Discourgement #3 KMSHA won't accept horses with ASD. What about all the horses that are all ready registered that have ASD?

:) HOPE As far as I know, the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association will accept horses with ASD and a small amount of white. Thank You MPHA. You must really listen to what your members say.

I'm not stupid or ignorant enough to breed my mare to anything else but a normal stallion, nor is anyone else. My mare has the personality and gait that needs to be preserved and passed down. I have seen a few Mountain horses that don't have the personality and/or gait that my beautiful big red pet has. I sure won't settle for anything else but a normal eyed stallion with a similiar personality and gait that she has.

In my opinion those that don't want to accept ASD to normal eyes along with all these strict rules and rugulations that the organizations make are hurting themselves and pushing the little person (like me) out and cause us to quit and give up, or go searching for another breed and that is what happens. It also makes the price of the horse go up so high that it makes it nearly impossible for the average joe to even own a Mountain Horse. All they can do is dream about owning one and this is so sad. Sad that only those fortunate with extra income can enjoy what was once an average man's horse.

I had no idea how discouraging it would be to try to belong to a horse organization and doing what a few think is right. I think its just so wrong when you have a wonderful horse in every way that there are people out there who make up rules and regulations that keep this horse from being registered and carrying on traits that made us love them to start with. I'm starting with one horse and will breed responsible and have a small farm of nothing but the best, regardless if they're registered this or that. I hope that one day this wonderful breed of horse will be more available for the average person and be registered what they really are regardless of their color. I also believe the future for ASD is not bad as some think and I trust in people to do what they know is responsible breeding and ASD will be eliminated.

Well thats it and thats how this new comer sees things at this time.

-- Della "Dee Dee" Justice (della@eastky.net), May 04, 1998


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