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THE LEGACY CUP ENCOURAGES
BREEDING HUNTERS IN THE U.S.
Diana De Rosa Chats With Colleen McQuay

If you want to buy a hunter, you go to Europe and you find what you want and need. However, shouldn't we be trying to do some of that breeding here in the United States? Colleen McQuay, one of the key players behind the formation of the Legacy Cup, thinks that we should and that this event is one example of how we can encourage the breeders to focus on breeding performance horses, but she doesn't expect that to happen overnight. Colleen was a key reason for the formation of a program for breeding reining horses - called the National Reining Breeders Classic. Now, four years later that event is key to the reiners because they now have events that pay back those who breed quality horses. While she knows it also will work in the hunters, she sees it taking some time. I chatted with Colleen about how and why this would work, but also about the difficulties she sees in implementing the program initially.

"I'm concerned about the people in this business in how they approach breeding in this country. Right now we are relying on European countries to supply breeding for this sport. I'm not sure people in this country want to invest in the breeding. But there is a demand. I'm just not sure how to sell it so that the breeders will work together in organizing and funding a program that supports breeding in this country.

"In the reining world we started a foundation with the support of the stallion owners, since they are the ones that generally would benefit from breeding their stallions. We then created an event to showcase their offspring.

"It was started by a group of reining horse breeders that organized a program where the stallions are enrolled on an annual basis for a $1000. For that money your horse is promoted and marketed through this program and his foals are now eligible to compete in the National Reining Breeders Classic. The NRBC is an annual event put on by the Breeding Program. It started four years ago and today it has the largest added money of any reining horse show.

"It worked for them and it can work for the hunters. But, right now I don't know exactly what our contact is to the breeding world and how easy it will be to initiate and build this program. I know it works. We had nearly ½ million dollars in one class at the NRBC. The reason that program works is because the stallion owners and the mare owners are involved. There are about 250 stallions annually and this year we are up to 1700 foals (which translates to approximately 1700 mares).

"We need to recognize that it can work it the hunters and that it is important. We need an incentive for people to have breeding programs in our country and we want to create that incentive with the Legacy Cup, by creating financial rewards for stallions, mares and their offspring. If the industry can provide a financial benefit then the breeders will come. There are not enough breeding programs in this country and we need to encourage more breeders to breed performance horses and why not start with the hunters. We can still buy the European horses and involve the people in Europe because we do spend a lot of money there and in fact their offspring could be eligible to win at the Legacy Cup. However, we also need to encourage our own.

"For the Breeders Classic, the beauty is you have to be enrolled in order to be considered and then you've got a pot of money to work with. That same concept could work with the hunters first through the Legacy Cup.

"In the NRBC, first you have your stallions who pay their $1000 membership fee and then the foals are enrolled in September of their weanling year. They pay a one-time fee of $200 for their lifetime. That foal money stays with that foal crop. It goes in the bank and then it gets added to the pot with that year's stallion money for the NRBC (which is for 4 and 5 year olds). A total of 30% of the stallion money is used to run the office and to put out an annual yearbook, which gives basic info about the reining horsindustry. Then the NRBC is where the reiners get some big money prizes, which also gives them the incentive to be part of the NRBC.

"The problem in the hunters is how do you sell it. It's harder in this business because you don't just have one group or breed. You have a lot of eligible breeds (dressage, x-x, etc.). To get them all to come together with one thing in mind won't be easy.

"So, this, the Legacy Cup, is the beginning - proving we can showcase the breed and win money. So, focusing on the hunter breeders in this country is a beginning. The same formula would work; you just wouldn't have as big a number. But, anything is a start. Whatever the number would allow us to add a class to this event and then grow from there.

"Even if we just did it as an extra specialty class and the original Legacy Cup would still be the main draw. Hopefully, we would add some sponsorship money to where it would become more appealing. The more they get, the more interest will be generated. Then we could also help the stallion owners with marketing the program and also give them a reason to raise these hunters. Nowadays there exists the 3 year old futurity for hunters - this would give something for the 4 and 5 year olds. The breeders would be interested in giving money to a program if they knew their stallions, mares and their offspring would be eligible for a class that gives out big money. And if the NRBC is any indication of the amount of money that could be won, the breeders will eventually be coming to us to be a part of the program."