I’ve always asked why. I was that kid. Questions that lead to more questions are my favorite puzzles to ponder, and I received one question after the publication of my last piece that’s been turning in my mind ever since: Why don’t I buy domestically bred horses?

With some exceptions, I find that many U.S.-bred horses are not of the same quality as their European counterparts. Why? Two primary reasons stand out to me: One, because breeding is routinely done as a hobby in the U.S. by amateur horse owners with little to no knowledge of sport horse breeding. And two, because we don’t have the same depth of purpose-bred genetics from our mares. Why? Because importing mares is more expensive, and many Europeans aren’t willing to sell good mares. And when we do get to import a good mare, the cost of breeding her via embryo transfer so she can continue her competitive career are prohibitively high. We either can develop, compete and sell our imports, or we can breed them. To do both is financially jeopardizing for those of us who must pay our own bills.

I’ve just imported what might be the best young hunter I’ve ever thrown a leg over. She has an impeccable pedigree, clean radiographs, unmatched movement, incredible jump, gentle character and two gorgeous foals in Europe. She is the type of mare that could contribute in a meaningful way to American sport horse breeding, but it’s too expensive for me to produce her and do an embryo transfer this spring. Unless I find an investor interested in partnering with me, I have to choose one lane, and producing and selling her seems like the wiser move.

So who are many of our broodmares in America? Congenitally unsound horses. Difficult horses. Horses that for one reason or another are not contributing to the sport. This is reverse evolution. We are reproducing the weakest links in our system instead of the strongest. And frequently, the most readily available mares are Thoroughbreds. Why? Because they are cheap; there’s a lot of them, and they’re usually sold off the track during their prime reproductive years. That’s fine—if you’re breeding race horses.

There’s a myth that a stellar stallion can “fix” a mare’s shortcomings. We somehow forget that he only provides 50% of the genetic material. In an era where anyone with resources and a smartphone can order semen from just about any stallion in the world, we have unlimited options for his 50% contribution, and yet so often that 50% is paired with a substandard mare. I’ll be the first to admit that, early in my career, I bred a mare who was substandard by most metrics.

Her strengths: She was my first jumper that I brought up the levels when I was utterly unqualified to bring a horse up the levels. A lovely, kind horse with an excellent character.

Her weaknesses: She maxed out at 1.20 meters and had little business jumping the tracks that she took me around. She was hot, short-strided and small. Her pedigree was unverified on the dam side and unremarkable on her sire’s side.

Why did I breed her? Because I was emotionally distraught when she had a soft tissue injury at age 8, and I thought a stallion could fix what she lacked as a sport horse. Why was she bred herself? Because her father broke his leg as a foal, and his owner left him a stallion because he would never be riding sound, and he was bred to an un-papered Thoroughbred mare to produce my horse. So her sire, who had no performance record and an unremarkable pedigree, has more offspring than I can shake a stick at.

This story is all too common in American breeding. One emotional decision made after the next to produce what? Pets? Lower-level horses? Which, if your focus is creating that type of horse, then perhaps it’s not as foolish an endeavor as it sounds. But it costs the same to produce a pet as it does to produce a proper sport horse.

The real issue to me seems to be lack of focus. It seems like we’re making more horses just to make more horses, without a goal or standard in mind. Which again, if you want to breed a pet, then sell it as a pet. Do not try to convince me or anyone else that your pet is an upper-level sport horse prospect.

I do not say these things to disparage the thoughtful career breeders that are producing top quality animals in the U.S. despite working in a country that does not foster or incentivize the industry. The common theme I’ve noticed when talking with these breeders is their education. They recognize that the European system has selectively bred horses for sport for at least a century longer than we have. And instead of being threatened by their European counterparts, they’re inspired. They’re the ones who can change the American system for the better.

Let me put it another way: Do you want to try wine made by your neighbor in his bathtub with some fermented apple juice that, he says, theoretically has the same alcohol content as a merlot? Or would rather go to a local winery where the producers studied in the Loire Valley and uses specific varieties of grapes to produce actual merlot? The vineyard’s merlot might not be great at first—few first attempts are—and could use some tweaking, different soil, et cetera, but it is working toward a specific goal to create a specific product.

For the American system to improve, we should support the breeders who are working diligently to produce a quality product. This is where there is dissonance between what we say we want and what the industry will support. We say we want U.S.-bred horses competing in sport—but professionally producing, campaigning and marketing a young horse from birth to age 7 is prohibitively expensive for most breeders. We can either breed horses, or we can produce them.

A few larger groups are able to bankroll both simultaneously, but I’d be interested to know how profitable these outfits actually are. By the time a horse has been produced to 7, so much money has gone into that process, the horse is inevitably underwater financially unless it’s the next coming of Sapphire. In turn, the breeders have to price the horses accordingly. Which makes “Made in America” very, very expensive. And thus, my dilemma; even with the flight, it’s still cheaper for me to buy abroad.

American breeding, as it stands now, doesn’t make sense for business-minded individuals looking to make a profit. It makes sense as an emotional exercise for someone who loves their heart horse and would like to make more of her. But the standards for being someone’s heart horse vary greatly, and we all know matters of the heart are fickle at best.

I am passionate about sport horse breeding, and I want to contribute to the betterment of the American system, but like most things with horses in our country, a key prerequisite for success is very deep pockets.

So how do we change the system? Is it even possible? Again, I look to Europe as a model. Creating accessible, affordable schooling shows for young horses with realistic course design and quality footing would be a start. You can do two courses (from 0.90 to 1.40 meters) at a world-class facility in Belgium on an unrecognized training day for 20 Euros. These training opportunities are available for horses of all ages almost every week throughout Europe, in addition to the young horse programs (which are also very affordable at around 30 Euro per class and are nationally recognized, with no additional hidden fees).

I can do one division at a well-run, unrecognized local show in Pennsylvania for $110. If I want this to be a recognized experience, it’s $400. Minimum, if I ship in. Before braiding. There are attempts to make the system better. Some shows are waiving entries for young jumpers (but not young hunters), yet after all the other fees, it’s still a several-hundred-dollar affair to show in three classes. The Young Horse Show Series organization is also making a valiant effort to provide opportunities for development, but their events are geographically far apart (There’s value in offering events in different regions, but it makes consistency and repetition nearly impossible) and often conflict with U.S. Equestrian Federation shows, which makes them harder to attend for professionals like myself who divide their time between young horses and clients. Until USEF and the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association step up in a major way and make young horse development a priority, we are trapped in a spiral of mediocrity where U.S.-bred horses cannot access the experience they need to compete with their European counterparts.

Because I love an underdog story and I’m a glutton for financial hardship—or maybe because she is my heart horse—I did breed a mare last year. But this time around I considered my choices much more carefully than I did a decade before when I created a very sweet but unathletic horse. The mare I chose to breed this time did not need fixing. I imported her as a 6-year-old and developed her through the 1.40-meter level. She has a fantastic performance record. For the past six years she has consistently been the winner at or above 1.30 meters (with me in the irons, which is an achievement on her part). She has an impeccable pedigree, very good conformation and the best character I’ve ever known.

I am very fortunate that her Belgian breeder was willing to sell her as young horse and not retain her for their breeding program. I selected a proven stallion with a strong performance record through 1.60 meters, quality offspring and fresh availability in the U.S. I researched his pedigree in combination with hers extensively. I may still produce a pet. That is always a risk. I’d like to contribute to a brighter future for U.S. breeding and try to push the needle in the direction of progress. And perhaps, when it’s time to compete the foals created today, strides will have been made to facilitate their development in sport without bankrupting those of us striving for better horses with American passports.

Paige Cade has operated her training, competition and sales business, Country Fox Farm Inc in Middleburg, Virginia, since 2015. She specializes in European imports and takes pride in finding her clients the perfect match. Paige has developed young horses through the grand prix and international hunter derby level and enjoys training riders of all ages. Follow her on Instagram (@paigecade) and Facebook.