Breeding and the Triple Crown!

There has been talk about changing the schedule for the Triple Crown races so that horses today can handle it. But honestly, I think that's cheating. A lot of TC contenders have some sort of lameness issue or unsoundness and that leads to them not cutting it.We used to breed quality horses. Horses that were strong, sturdy AND fast. Now we just want a fast horse, never mind if it can stay sound. Never before have we bred more crap to crap than we do today. Just because a horse has won the Derby, or several Graded Stakes races doesn't mean that you should breed it. Take Big Brown for example. Terrible feet. So yea, let's just keep breeding his terrible feet back into the breed. Or Unbridled Song. He's produces hella fast babies. But they are almost always some form of un-sound. Need I remind you of Eight Belles? I have a baby who's grand sire is Unbridled Song and he's already had an issue or two and he's barely trained. But we continue to breed into those weak blood lines. And I realize that everyone wants to make money. Breed to fast horses, get fast babies. But at the rate that that form of breeding is producing weaker horses and weakening the breed.... well it just shouldn't happen. I could go on and on about how we breed crap to crap. We breed bleeders to bleeders. And horses that have broke bones or injured ligaments and tendons to other horses that have unsoundness issues or have broke down. It doesn't make sense!

Plan to claim a couple of mares in the next few years to use as broodmares. I'll be looking for mares that are healthy and sound, even if they may not be the fastest or have won the most money. The sire I pick must also have retired sound. I have standards. I won't breed anything to anything solely because they are fast or won stakes or made a boat load of money. Racing a horse that has constant issues isn't right. Everyone does it, but that doesn't make it right.

So, no, I don't think that the schedule of the Triple Crown should be changed. I think that we should just breed smarter.