NZ mares Versus Aust mares

[Richard prior]

Not to offend any Australian Breeders, but i would like to know anyones thoughts on why New Zealand bred mares appear to have the wood over Australian bred mares.

[teecee]

please elaborate

[Richard prior]

New Zealand bred horses seem to have it over Australian bred horses on a regular basis, especially in the big money races. Is it the fact that NZ has had a lot of Albatross line stallions over the years and we in Australia, have had a lot of Adios Blood. Very interested to hear breeders views please.

[Viv Strangman]

New Zealand bred horses seem to have it over Australian bred horses on a regular basis, especially in the big money races. Is it the fact that NZ has had a lot of Albatross line stallions over the years and we in Australia, have had a lot of Adios Blood. Very interested to hear breeders views please.

I have seen a lot of commentary over the years as to why horses bred in Nz seem to over achieve on the racetrack in comparison to their numbers. One of the best was written by the WA vet Trevor Lindsay. He put it down to the enviroment in which they are raised. The climate and pasture lend themselves to a stressless enviroment in which to grow and develop. He had tried breeding his own in Perth. He spared no expense in their care and was pleased with the outcome until he went to the Nz sales and saw horses of the same age as his. They were bigger, stronger, more mature than his stock. Hence his buy up at the Nz sales ever since. I agree that the physical enviroment is critical to how young horses develop and in Nz we are blessed with superb natural conditions. We have a temperate climate and an ability to keep young horses on good pasture for most of the year. I am sure that contributes to their development and longevity as racehorses.

[Richard prior]

Thanks Viv, yes Australia is not as blessed as New Zealand is with a perfect climate and and conditions to raise horses. We rely heavily on the rains to freshen our pastures, and as I have recently witnessed, country Victoria is on the brink of drought and this puts Australian breeders a little further behind our NZ counterparts. Correct feeding and supplements really come into play then and and it's not just a matter of throwing a young horse into a paddock and saying, she'll be right mate, horses only eat grass and expect it to excel on the track at a later age. Another factor is that young horses are pushed a bit hard to early.

[Bonnie]

Don't know where you received your information that Yankee Rockstar has broken down Richard. That is totally incorrect. As the breeder and part owner of this nice colt , I can assure you that he definitely did not break down due to work pressures or because he was pushed too early. He won his races on ability and the fact that he wanted to be there. He was unfortunately injured in a stable accident , hooking his shoe on a mesh divider and pulling away part of the hoof wall. A wonderful Vet, time and lots of TLC has him back at the stable in light work. We are all hoping for a successful return to the track as he is a colt with potential and breeding to match.

[Triple V]

G'day Anne,

Didn't know he had hurt himself & glad to hear he's Ok. He's one Hell of a colt. Very much looking forward to seeing him back & racing.