The Institute for the Desert Arabian Horse is sponsoring its first Symposium on Preservation in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 18-20. We know there are many thoughtful breeders, owners, scholars, and historians who will not be able to attend. To ensure that your ideas and experience can be included, we have created these forums so you can participate electronically.

>  Please make posts constructive and relevant to the topic in the specific forum.
>  Impolite posts may be edited or removed.
>  All comments, ideas, and suggestions will be compiled for further discussion in Phoenix.

Thank you for participating.


Click on the headings below to review responses and add your own:

    1. The Case for Preservation
      How should preservation concern us in relation to the Desert Arabian, especially given that the native environment is all but lost and the role of the equine in society continues to diminish and evolve? What should we try to preserve?
       
    2. What and How to Preserve
      How should we identify what is to be preserved? What characteristics (genetics, historical context, functionality) are we seeking? How do we find reliable information from which to make qualified and sound decisions, and then monitor the results for quality in the animals produced?
       
    3. Lessons from the Past
      What lessons and prior experience should we incorporate in our breeding programs, marketing strategies, and education efforts?
       
    4. Meeting Breeders' Needs
      What would help breeders (who have tended over the past 50 years to identify smaller and smaller niches of bloodlines) to work collaboratively for the larger picture and overall goals of preservation in the future? What sort of information, organization, training, and other help would be useful? How can we ensure that there will be a next generation of preservation breeders?
       
    5. Financial Issues
      Is preservation inherently a charity-based activity? Can preservation be successful without a viable marketplace for the horses? If a marketplace is needed, what can be done to build that market?
       
    6. Setting Priorities
      What is the most pressing need in the Desert Arabian preservation community?
       
    7. Preservation Internationally
      What international collaboration is possible or desirable? What are the interests in various regions (North/South America, Europe, Middle East, Australia) and what would help breeders in these regions advance the cause of preservation?