b4breeding

Stamping "gait speed"

(Stamp of success Part 2 of 6)  As New Zealand breeding guru Bob McArdle puts it, while pedigree is extremely important, the breeder is also “looking to create an architecturally designed individual.”

Bob McArdle believes a key factor in Falcon Seelster’s success was his gait.  “You can see that in many of his foals – they are designed to get yardage in their gait.” It’s a case where the overall size of the progeny is less important than their ability to get maximum  speed and reach. The same could be said about Courage Under Fire, where his reputation for leaving a high percentage of foals with naturally good gait gives him an advantage – “gait speed” (excuse the pun) – that offsets the size of many of his foals.

Bob McArdle also sees Falcon Seelster ‘stamping’ his progeny with the distinctive “Falcon head”, and soundness. Soundness, whether from good genetic bone density or less wear and tear thanks to an excellent conformation and gait, is a hugely valuable asset to pass on to foals.

When he talks about two of Nevele R’s most durable sires, Holmes Hanover and Live or Die, you can hear the admiration in Bob McArdle’s voice. “Some sires throw more to their size, some not. With Holmes he left a more heavy boned, bigger type of horse. With Live or Die, he can leave them all over the park, some little, some big.”

Both these sires have built a reputation for consistent, tough and genuine progeny, whether colts or fillies. “Live or Die and Holmes both pass on their mental toughness,” he says. “Look at the way Live or Die sat in the death in the Woodrow Wilson. He didn’t win, he came second – but I admired him for that run as much as if he had won.”