Our Breeding Philosophy

The four cornerstone "goals" of our breeding philosophy  emphasize gait, conformation, temperament and beauty.  We will give you a  little more detail below.

Gait.

We look for breeding stock that has a strong genetic component for the four-beat gait, without excessive pace or trot. How do we identify these horses, and how do we breed for them?

We have had success following a theory that  gait is the product of three separate, genetically-controlled components.  The horse can inherit the ability to trot, to pace, as well as to increase the speed of the evenly-timed four beat walk up into the intermediate speed range, which we think of as the "gait" of the gaited horse.  These distinct footfall patterns are separately activated by "neural nets" which enable the brain to signal the muscles in an efficient way to perform the desired action.  The theory also says that the genes for the pace and the trot can cancel each other out somewhat, leaving the "gait" less affected by either of the other sets of genes, and easier to ride completely "square" or evenly-timed.   If the horse inherits a strong neural net for the pace, and a weak set of genes for the trot, or vice versa, the gait may always veer toward either the stepping pace or the trot/lope.  So it is nice to have them in balance.  On the other hand, the horse with the trot and pace genes in balanced strength will have a naturally "square", even gait; but without good strength in the "modifier gene" which produces the four beat gait, it will never be able to do the gait very fast. 

The implications of this theory are that if you wish to breed for strength of gait, it is not enough to look for breeding stock with the smooth, evenly-timed "natural" gait, you must also look for the ability to perform the gait at a fairly good speed without breaking into a lope or a pace.  A horse with a weak gait modifier gene may perform a very nice little square gait if the trot and pace genes are in balance (the product of a pacey gaited horse and a Quarter Horse, for example).  But such a horse will not be able to do the gait very fast, and cannot pass on a strong "gait" gene or genes.    

It is very, very hard to always breed to keep the trot and pace genes in balance, but if you breed for the strong modifier gene(s), you will always be able to get the horse to gait with proper riding.

This is our goal in a nutshell.  To begin with horses with the strongest gait modifier genes we can find, as evidenced by the ability, when in condition, to perform the gait at a good show speed without breaking into a lope or pace.   Then, we try to keep pace and trot in balance as best we can.  We will not breed a pacy horse to a pacy horse, or an overly trotty horse to a trotty horse.  We would prefer to get a foal that is either completely balanced or slightly on the "trotty" end of the spectrum. This is the type of horse that  is easiest to ride in a "square" gait for the average rider.

Conformation.

Conformation does not affect the ability to gait, but it does very much affect how the gait is performed.  The same conformational traits universally recognized as good conformation in any breed apply to Mountain Horses and any gaited horse:  Well-angled and "laid back" shoulders, and well-angled stifle and hip joints.  Also, straight legs when viewed from the front and rear, without being calf-kneed, sickle hocked, cow hocked or turned out or in at any of the joints or planes of the leg.  (Slight toeing-out in front, equal in both legs, has been shown in one study to be associated with soundness and athleticism, so we do not consider this a negative, other than in the show ring).  Finally, we like a long, rounded and nicely sloped hip.  This maximizes the ability of the back and hip muscles to assist the rear legs in forward movement, which is called "impulsion."

Good leg angles will produce maximum efficiency and power of stride, with good, fluid extension of the leg forward and back, beginning from the hip and from the shoulder.  This conformation also produces maximum strength, smoothness, stamina and soundness.  Along with the bone structure, we like to see good muscling in the rear legs down to the stifle and the hocks.  There is a significant variance in our breed in this respect, with many horses being somewhat light in the rear quarters.  Finally, short cannon bones mean the horse will have good leg power with the least tendency toward strained or ruptured  ligaments and tendons in the lower legs.

A horse with somewhat straight shoulders and rear legs ("post-legged"), will be restricted in its extension forward and rearward of both front and rear legs.   A shorter humerus set in too far underneath the chest will have the same effect on the front legs,  These horses will usually have a shorter, choppier stride.  Horses overly straight in the rear leg angles are also at risk for stifle problems.  Finally, the "straight" conformation usually extends down to the pasterns and foot angles.  Some of our horses are so straight that they are prone to club-footedness (See our Soundness/training page).  I have heard Quarter Horse breeders and trainers say that the closer the line breeding in a horse, no matter what wonderful "foundation" or champion lines you are using, the more the horse tends to revert to overly straight stifle and hock angles.   Sad to say, achieving a high percentage of "old time" breeding, or a high percentage of Tobe, in one's breeding program, does not guarantee you will get the best using conformation.

The Mountain Horse gait, and the sweeping hind leg motion with which it is performed, makes our horses particularly at risk for stifle problems, most especially if conformation is less than ideal.  Also, a horse that is "hip high" or has little length and slope to the hip has to work harder with his hind legs in the gait, resulting in stress on the hocks and stifle joints.  Angles that are not true any respect result in greater wear and tear on vulnerable joints in the leg.  For our breeding stock, we like  horses with the laid-back shoulder, long upright humerus, and well angled stifles.   This is tough!   A majority of Mountain horses, as with ANY breed, fall a little short of the ideal in this respect. 

The total effect of good conformation is seen in the quality of the horse's movement, as well as its ability to stay sound over time.  Watch the horse at a fast trail walk, or in a reasonably fast gait, and observe the movement of the rear legs.  Watch for a fluid motion of the rear leg starting at the hip and sweeping forward and back rather like a pendulum.  A shorter, choppier stride with noticeable hock action or motion, or the legs "falling out" behind, often indicates less than ideal conformation.

Some conformational points produce wonderful fluid movement, and others relate more to long-term soundness.  We have become less concerned over time with slight variations from truly straight legs when viewed from the front and the rear, such as slight cow hocks or slightly turned in or out lower legs and feet, so long as it is not significant and the variation is even in both legs.  We do get concerned with any tendency towards "clubby" feet, however, in which the front hoof wall is at too steep an angle, particularly with breeding stock.

Both of our stallions have exceptional leg conformation and substance.  Both of them have stayed completely sound for their entire lives, through demanding performance careers, and their offspring have an excellent record in this regard as well.  They are our starting point for the goal of producing sound horses capable of good front and rear leg extension when in show condition, which we believe  is directly the result of the conformation principles described above. 

Mountain Horses come in a variety of styles in terms of their way of going.  Some are naturally low-stepping "trail pleasure" types and some have a greater degree of natural lift and showiness.  Our horses at Triple S represent all of these types, and produce all of these types.  Do be aware that even though your Mountain Horse may be inherently capable of a showy gait if trained in this manner, you can ride your horse in any manner you wish. The well-made horse can happily shorten his stride and lower his step, but the poorly conformed horse cannot do the reverse. 

A well-known trainer in another breed once said that if he consistently bred two world grand champions to each other, he would be lucky if he got a foal of the same caliber as the parents one out of ten times.  This is nature's way.  If you wish to get the best even some of the time, you have to start with the best, and then you have to be careful that the sire and dam complement each other in all of these important factors.  At Triple S, we try to breed only the best, and we pay a great deal of attention to choosing matches that will enhance and pass on the best qualities of sire and dam.

Temperament.

This one should be easy.  Select your breeding stock for good temperament.  As Bert says, "The older I get, the more the most important part of conformation becomes what is between the ears".

But as with all characteristics, different horses have different traits they tend to "throw".  Some horses will possess a desirable trait, but not tend to pass it on.  Some are so prepotent for a certain characteristic, you can almost count on seeing that trait even into the grandchildren. 

Both of our stallions have outstanding temperaments, and they tend to reliably pass on certain personalities.   Choco Dock is a natural show horse, with a competitive spirit and signature charisma and pride when he goes in the arena. When he is not performing, he is laid back and willing to calmly host any level of rider.  He is sensible and intelligent with a great work ethic. Choco Dock offspring tend to exhibit a lot of outgoing, interactive personality, with charisma, style and assurance. They are naturally forward-moving, without being "rushy". 

 Iron Man is reliably prepotent for passing on his particular easy-going, extremely intelligent and willing nature. His offspring are a delight to handle and train.  They are generally sensible, non-spooky and naturally want to do what you ask. Iron Man's trainers say that he has the best temperament of any stallion they have ever known.  It is sort of a nonchalant, what-me-worry, whatever-you-want-to do personality, coupled with such extraordinary intelligence and cooperative spirit that training and riding are an extreme pleasure! He is a bit of a clown, always happy, and a natural, non-aggressive leader.  Under saddle, Iron Man is a willing, go-anywhere horse who will give you precisely what you ask for, and will adjust his performance to the rider. Iron Man's sire, Rebel Rock, passed these traits strongly to all of his offspring.  We are very happy that Iron Man is doing the same. It is one of the most reliable traits he throws.

Beauty.

We are suckers for a good-lookin' horse. . .

But how do you get it?  Again, starting with two attractive horses is important.  More than that, look for horses that have well proportioned body types that are not exaggerated in any respect, with attractive heads.  It is difficult to offset a significant variance in proportion by breeding to an opposite type - most traits do not "blend" and you often get one or the other, and not in the combination you would want!  

You will notice we put this category last.  Pretty is as pretty does. 

And the rest of the story . . .