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By: Bruce Johnson On: 01/30/05 12:25:40 PST
Looking around at the other preservationist breeders I have met over the past 15 years, it has become apparent that we share at least one characteristic in common. Our advancing age. There are far too few "young" preservationist breeders out there (in my opinion) to pass the torch to. And in the face of a reduction in rural and open areas in which to purchase land and set up, or the rising expense of purchasing existing farms, our "older" generation is going to have to go to extra lengths to find, mentor, encourage and assist the next generation of breeders, not only in knowledge, but in the acquisition of facilities, horses and the physical ability to carry on.
By: George Hooper On: 01/26/05 17:06:01 PST
I chose to respond to "What is the most pressing need in the Desert Arabian preservation community?", because I believe that the most important issue of all is ,"Why preserve?".
While I believe that there is considerable promotional value in a horse that is broken to ride, I do not feel that preservation, as I see and understand the word, requires that every horse must be broken.
We have received a very special gift from preservationists who realized that once something is lost, it is lost forever. One of the most important requirements is that we must be guardians of this gift, and that we find others who will also put their heart and soul into a preservation effort. We are indebted to future generations, that they might have an an equal opportunity to enjoy and continue breeding the original "standard of perfection" from the desert .
In so many ways it has to be a "vision", not neccessarily for financial gain, but one that embraces the guarantee that the mold will not vanish. It's the "heart and soul" thing that matters.
By: Susan Mayo On: 01/21/05 08:41:03 PST
In my opinion the biggest challenge is to get these horses in front of new people so that their wonderful qualities can be known. This can be done in many ways, but all of these ways involve riding them. We are not going to "change" the "other" Arab people, so we must turn to entry level people. Entry level people have no use for an untrained horse! So, ride, train, use your Desert Arabians!
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