HYPPocrites

The HYPP debate has always been something that rattles my cage. Today's blog is about the idiocy/stupidity of horse breeders and uneducated horse buyers that are both connected to and responsible for HYPP.

Before we get into it here are some facts on HYPP:

HYPP or HYperkalemic Periodic Paralysis is an inherited equine muscular genetic disorder all stemming from a single American Quarter Horse stallion named Impressive. Impressive, a chestnut Appendix Quarter Horse (QH x TB), was born on April 15th, 1968. No one knew that he would set out to become one of the most notorious and famous Quarter Horses in history, not because of his amazing breeding or because he won this and that, but because of the genetic disorder that he spread over much of the American Quarter Horse breed. At just 6 years old he already had 48 halter points and became the first World Champion Open Aged Halter stallion. Due to his show-ring wins and his thickly muscled physique he was all the rage in a sire that everyone wanted. He produced nearly 30 world halter champions and overall sired around 2,250 live foals. His foals and their descendants make up of over 100,000 AQHA registered horses. He died in 1995 at the ripe old age of 27 (a very old horse by today's sickening short-lived halter horses). It seemed that he and his progeny would go down into history as the best of the best in the equine halter showing world... that is, until it was brought to light that he was the horse solely responsible for the genetic disorder we call HYPP.

Under detail HYPP is a genetic disorder that causes muscle tremors, 'tying up', stiffness, weakness, collapse, paralysis, and death. It is a dominant disorder which means it only needs one copy of the defective gene to be physically present and to pass on. Yet another symptom of HYPP positive horses is the one thing that keeps breeders producing HYPP positive foals for the show ring: overactive constantly spasming muscles lead to very thick sometimes overmuscled horses that do phenomenally in the halter show ring. Due to the fact that the muscles in affected horses are nearly always contracting even if not seen by the naked eye the horse puts on double the muscle that a normal horse his age would and thus makes it look to have a 'bodybuilder' physique, which the judges in the halter ring reward with many ribbons and trophies.

So why keep breeding horses that have such a potentially deadly disorder? Because in the showring it's what is winning.

Yes... Breeders, small and large, are breeding horses with a serious deadly genetic disorder simply because it wins in the show ring. They're not only showing but breeding, training, and selling these genetically defective horses. What's worse, is the uneducated people that are buying these horses for themselves or for their children. There are quite a few documented cases of HYPP horses being bought for young riders that have an episode while under saddle. Catastrophic. There's nothing more terrifying than the horse underneath you seizing up and going down while at a canter or a full gallop. It's happened more than once, and it can happen at any time on an effected horse with absolutely no warning. Still these horses are being bred, shown, and sold. As of 2005 39% of the registered AQHA horses are either N/H or H/H... That means almost 40% of the registered population of Quarter Horses carries and reproduces this fatal disorder. More than one-third of all registered Quarter Horses. Even worse, it's being bred into other previously unaffected stock breeds such as paints and appaloosas.

What makes it fucking ridiculous is that HYPP could be wiped clean out in a single generation if people would just stop breeding horses that are N/H and H/H and only breed clean horses (N/N) without the defective gene. Yet so long as these overmuscled freakish horses are winning in the show ring asshat breeders who only care about money and ribbons and not about the horses will keep churning out foals with the potentially fatal disorder. It's all about the money and not about the horses. What does it matter if they are churning out thousands of genetically defective foals year after year if they are winning and taking the show ring by storm? This is the mindset of people who breed and show HYPP positive horses. Breeders, STOP BREEDING THEM. It's unethical to breed or sell HYPP horses, especially when you are selling them and the danger they pose to unsuspecting buyers. And buyers, DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE you buy a Quarter Horse! Judges, STOP PLACING THEM well in the show ring! Registries, STOP REGISTERING THEM! Business. It's all about the business of what's wining and selling and not about the horses, it never has been, it's all about the money. HYPP could so easily be eradicated if stupid people would pull their heads out of their pompous asses and make it about the horse and not about the money/show wins.

Yes, you can get horses genetically linked to Impressive, even line, double, or triple linebred back to him that are not HYPP positive and cannot pass it on to their foals. Those are the only offspring, great offspring, great great offspring, etc that should be bred with his bloodlines. Those that are HYPP N/H (Positive, 50% of foals will also have HYPP) or H/H (Positive, 100% of foals will have HYPP) should never ever be bred. Avoiding Impressive bloodlines altogether is foolish though. He was a great long-lived horse, but I would make sure that any and all horses linked to him that someone might want to buy, sell, or breed are tested right off the get-go. HYPP can easily be avoided and eradicated. Do not breed HYPP positive horses and do not buy a stock horse without seeing current proof of a HYPP negative test. Encourage the AQHA to halt the registration of all HYPP positive horses and their offspring. This would stop them from winning in the show ring and their prices would drop considerably. If horse people can't make money off of HYPP positive horses they would quit breeding them. That along with educating people about HYPP would eventually curb the problem and eliminate the majority of the disorder. I say majority because looking at the facts there will always be people too ignorant/cheap to test their horses, and for those that don't care, they will continue to breed/sell them. Still, the show-rings would be clean of the disorder and that would make a world of difference to the American Quarter Horse and all stock breeds.