17/01/2021
A phrase was brought up within my Blue Roan breeders page that is one that always rubs a little even if it is not intentionally meant to.
"I hope you're breeding for more than color"
That is the gist of it, even if it's filled in with this phrase, "breeding for athleticism, temperament, conformation, height, action and not just color".
There is this undertone and pillar of expectation that an individual of color of minority in every breed is held up to. In many cases in an extremely unfair manner, particularly when compared to his more commonly colored breed mates. He /she is expected to be practically flawless and an exemplary example of his/her breed.
Now while I can agree that one should use the best individuals available, any breeder must be realistic that the long term goals never end, and you will never produce your ideal of perfection every single foal. Nor will each mare or stallion not come without one, two, or more areas lacking particularly when it comes to conformation. There is always improvement to be made, even if minor changes. Something as simple as a cleaner head can take generations, knowledge of lines and individuals combined with pure genetic luck that it all lines up perfectly.
One of the biggest realities is minorities are such for a reason, they don't have numbers on their side. When less than 70 roan Percherons exist, 20 some bays, and probably 20 some sorrels (13 that I can count in my head) . Currently lead by 10 roan stallions /c**ts, 4 bay stallions/c**ts and 3 chestnut stallions/c**ts.. Of which at any point could lose their breeder or could be gelded. We don't have the numbers and the pedigrees to pull from that the blacks or even Greys do. We don't have a real massive depth of pedigree options to start with. Also our base stock can vary in conformational flaws not only from pedigree, but breeder errors, or just plain bad luck. Something that occurs in every color of the Percheron breed, because when you have a breed that varies so widely in type and even conformational preferences based on the eye of the beholder.. One mans trash so to speak is another man's treasure. A lot of these horses only have one or two breeders, and a couple random owners.
Digging through the stud books, the 1960s was a turn for the colored Percherons to really drop in numbers being registered. Breeders passed away, sold out, moved on. I sure can tell you from personal experience that it is not easy marketing "off colored" Percherons, and I can imagine that it would have been just as hard back then and up through the years, even now. The only benefit of today is that I am able to reach a much broader audience and push to educate on a regular basis, but I didn't even come on the scene until 16 years ago.
Another thing people need to realize is that the Percheron breed has lost a lot of Breeders period. Times change and people's preferences change. Most upcoming young people through the years don't think about getting into breeding draft horses of all things. Many of the Amish don't care about papers, and your large hitches focus on raising and buying blacks, with a small portion of Greys trailing behind. There hasn't been a colored hitch in.. Ever.. And it's not because good horses didn't have the ability. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. It's far easier to shop thousands of black horses than to comb through less than a hundred colored horses spread out. The last person to even try was Stanley Cole for the Southern States hitch wanting to get together a 6 of roans, and that was practically 20 years ago now and then some. There is one colored hitch. Watsons in Washington with their chestnuts.
So here are these standards of expectation, which expectation is all well and good, however I'm sure if I started posting on Days, and Heiers, and Hardys, and Windermere's, and Pennwood's, and Andersons ect.. 'I hope you're focusing on health and conformation and not just color' .... Wouldn't you be a little irked? Some of these folks focusing on solely blacks and some a few Greys but still color none the less.
But this leads me into doubting my own c**t time and again. Which if any of you spoke with my parents on the subject they could confirm. I don't know how often I nitpicked every single thing about this horse. His hocks, his legs, his height, his heart girth. Does he have enough neck? Is he going to grow taller? Are his hocks clean enough? Does he have too much depth of body? Leggy enough? Because I knew full well and good that he is going to always be viewed more harshly because his emphasis is not just on who he is, but his color. It comes into play on him keeping his testicles. Let's be real. And yet for example there were plenty of quality Grey c**ts over the years who lost theirs because they weren't black and there was more money selling them to Ames as possible future hitch geldings, but most likely never making the cut there either. Paint him black and Hector would probably have more mares coming to see him, but he's not, and time and again I'm told I would but he's bay.
So please for the love of God, Quit asking me or any other person if they're focusing on more than color. It's the same level of insult as wondering if as a breed we are focusing on more than height and action. These colored horses need an advocate just as much as the breed needs advocates. Focusing on color has practically killed the colors of the breed. Time to see that focus can be used in a positive manner and I feel strongly that for once that what better time than now. You might never see a lot of them in the show ring, but they are there, they exist, and they need people with interest and wanting to be involved in them. The Percheron breed as a whole needs Breeders, needs Members, needs Owners.
