WHAT IT TAKES TO BREED THE FASTEST HORSES
It is extraordinarily difficult to successfully breed Thoroughbreds, the fastest breed of horse in the world. You need not only need a lot of money but knowledge of Thoroughbred bloodlines, a place to house your horses and the services of many veterinarians and blacksmiths. Above all, you need an incredible amount of good luck.
Although many horse breeders follow the old maxim, “Breed the best to the best and hope for the best” but this is proving to be detrimental to the Thoroughbred breed. Only a few sires and one bloodline – the Northern Dancer bloodline – are in demand. Other bloodlines are left to languish, leaving the resulting foals more inbred than ever.
The challenge facing modern Thoroughbred breeders is how to breed a fast yet healthy horse. It is this challenge that thrills the breeder and owner. Modern breeders must take the risks of breeding their mares to unfashionable stallions in order to breed healthier horses with more stamina than speed.
Just getting a foal on the ground and then alive long enough to race is a major undertaking. Although Thoroughbreds are fast, many do not understand the point of racing and are retired for “lack of effort” or just not being fast enough to be competitive. Horses need special training and lots of praise to understand what winning is all about. Unfortunately, many of these special horses are prematurely retired due to racing injuries.