Thoughts on Breeding and Training
infomercial
Kraque Boom- Kévin Staut
Photos: PSV Morel
Arnaud Evain
Thoughts on Breeding and Training
Arnaud Evain is a French expert on equine genetics and conformation; his knowledge and experience is really something to behold. As founder of Equitechnic, the first private company to freeze equine semen, Arnaud was responsible for a worldwide revolution in the way we breed horses today.
In response to America’ s increasing interest in the topic, below you’ ll find insights direct from the expert, Arnaud Evain, for breeders and riders starting their own horse breeding business.
What characteristics does an“ excellent” horse have today that it did not have 10 years ago?
The horse jumping world record is more than 50 years old and the obstacle dimensions of the Rio Olympic Games were quite similar to those of Montréal 40 years ago! However, the competition is of a much higher level. The weight of the bars, the shape of the cleats, the jump shapes and colors, the spaces between the obstacles … all combine to increase the complexity of the courses without increasing the heights and widths.
For 40 years, it was necessary to produce powerful horses, but more obedient and easier to handle in order to allow amateur riders to rival the most talented professionals. Now, the time faults give an extra difficulty. Even though a clear round is necessary to win the most beautiful contests, it is still necessary to jump clear without time faults.
In my opinion, the most spectacular evolution of the sport horse, which began 10 years ago includes: the execution time, the required efforts, speed on the ground, jumping speed, and the response time to the rider’ s aids and requests.
If you were a beginner horse breeder, what is the first thing you would do to produce a successful breeding?
For a successful horse breeding, the first thing to consider is to have a clear and concise vision of what is anticipated / desired from such breeding.
66