[xoxoxoBruce]

Farming has always looked for ways to make it easier, more efficient, and less of a gamble on what they'll eat next winter. Rare breeds are rare because some people decided they were not as favorable as some other breed, or they were cross bred shooting for the best of both.

There used to be dozens of breeds of dairy cattle, but today serious dairy farms herds are almost entirely Holsteins(black&white) because they made more milk for the feed eaten. The same for beef cattle, chickens, sheep, hogs and anything else that's raised commercially. More efficiency, more return on investment, no room for sentimental traditions, mo money!

The farmers around here who use horses, rather than keeping them for sport or hobby, usually have mixed teams. Pulling equipment that requires a 3 to 7 horse hitch, they'll often throw a mule or two in the mix. Not much interest in keeping the blood line pure, just looking at, and breeding for, performance. Only the guys raising teams for sport, for competitions, for show, are concerned about bloodlines and breed characteristics.