The PAers Quest
by Amber Berdie

I've had an on-again/off-again relationship with PA for the last few years; sometimes ignoring it for stretches at a time, then later looking back at my s/d list and deciding to totally revamp it. I've found that the more I learn about bloodlines and pedigrees, the more a stickler for realism I am, almost to the point of holing my stable up and not letting any other people use my stock. Some of this, I'm sure, stems from my increasing involvement in realistic model racing through the Express and the MRF. I find it comforting that everyone uses the same system, the same rules.

This "sticklerism" has caused me to reassign different pedigrees to the same model, sometimes multiple times. On my list now, there are only two models that have survived with the same name and identity since my original list; I have one Arab stallion on this third (and hopefully, his final!) pedigree.

Most of the old pedigrees, though perfectly adequate, failed to meet my ever-raising standards of realism. I have tried as best I could to place them in a loving homes, usually with a breeder just starting out, or one wanting to expand their herd on the cheap. At first, I "leased" them out; now I have decided to give them away as Details Only horses. I tried as hard as I could to prevent them from disappearing off the face of the planet; I know how annoying it is to breed a foal for someone and never hear about it again. (IPABRA, I think, does a wonderful job preventing this.) Unfortunately, I'm sure a few did fall through the cracks (and if you suspect you bred one of these, don't hesitate to inquire!)

I find it frustrating when an unknown breeder send me a request with seeming disregard for the guidelines I choose to implement with my stock. Some stretch the limits of genetics, some assign improper or sometimes ridiculous names, others simply don't consider the outcrosses they make (this irritates me the most with careless crossing of Arabian strains and Quarter Horse types - one of my pet peeves!)

To me, pedigree assignment is almost like a personal quest. I'm constantly trying to find "the perfect pedigree", and sometimes what seems perfect one month seems less perfect the next. But I push on, and I keep hoping that I'll finally reach a point where I can read my list and say, "There- these pedigrees all fit. I don't need to change a thing." That point seems closer all the time.

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