When I first got into miniatures, I was amazed at how many people who own them actually breed.
I mean, big horses you actually don't find nearly as many. You leave the breeding to the breeders. I assume it's because big horses cost more, but actually I honestly think it's because people know how much training will have to go into raising a big horse. Halter breaking something that as a baby is already about as big as you are, then the whole business of saddling, breaking to ride, and how many years until it's an actual usable work horse? I mean you always see those cases of somebody having a very loved mare and when she gets older breeding her to have a baby to remember her by... but that's about as much pet breeding as you get. (Yes there are plenty of backyard breeders, but not everybody who owns a big horse thinks it's a good idea to breed it is what I'm saying).
As for minis.... I've had the theory since I first found the mini industry that we are a "breeding breed." Training a baby mini isn't difficult, you teach it to lead and their you have another pet! Driving is fun, but not everybody wants to do it. Beacause horse people are riders, and if it can't be ridden then many people fail to see a purpose. And there really is no practical use. That goes for most horses today, not just minis. I actually was thinking a lot about this last night talking with people from the barn I ride at. MOST horses today are just means for horse people to pursue their hobbies. Showing or not. Showing in other livestock breeds is a judge of what the animal will be good for (sheep and their wool, calves and their... well you know, morbid uses that being a vegetarian I don't want to think about
), and of course horses used to have practical uses. Back when a draft horse's build was important in how well it would plow a field, or when horses were used as sole means of transportation, or needed to round up cattle. Nowadays, how many people honestly NEED their horses? There are still cattle ranches and cow horses are needed, some. But people have tractors to plow fields, most people don't own cattle ranches, and people have other ways than ponies to entertain their kids. Halter shows used to be ways to judge horses as to what they are built to be good at. Nowadays it's a glorified beauty pageant as these horses will not have a practical working use. You know how many reining horses never even see cows?
So big horse people will see a mini that drives and still not see any reason to own a mini... whereas I tend to compare this to a typical trail horse. So, you don't show, you don't use your horse for anything, you just trail ride for fun... so you aren't accomplishing any task in that case either, just pursuing a hobby. I read a great quote on this yesterday "They are like porsches - nobody needs one but everybody wants one."
In minis, pet or otherwise, the main thing people do with them is make more. Even those who only have pets, how many of those have been bred before? My 3 mares are mostly pets but they've all had babies. Again going back to minis are a "breeding breed" - most of the time people only show to justify their
breeding. They show mares so that it makes sense as to why that
broodmare is worthy of procreating. They show stallions so that he has a reason to become a herd
sire. As for geldings......... either some little girl is pursuing her hobby of owning a show horse, or some farm is using it to promote their
breeding farm. I have noticed the difference between minis and biggies in this case is: big horse breeding farms show geldings too, but mostly to show off their training. Because the only thing that matters to big horse industries is who owns it when it wins, who trained it to win. In minis our problem is i have noticed... PREFIXES!! What good does it do another farm to promote a horse that doesn't have their name on it if they can't breed it and get babies to put their names on?
The only thing a mini gelding can't do is
breed. Problem being the only thing a mini is going to be expected to do is either breed, or show... so that it can
breed. Geldings can show off their bloodlines, but if you don't own those bloodlines, what good is it? I remember hearing a while back on here that people have trouble selling even national champion geldings. I chalk this up to it having someone else's name on it and not being beneficial to whoever buys it.
Anyway, this all comes from a very interesting conversation between me (my little youth opinion) and my 4h group yesterday.
