E6-Boarder & Trainer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 9, 2003
The Perfect Foal
(Continued from Page E 5)
netic makeup, or genotype, is
generally invisible to the mare
owner, we can gauge a lot about
the stallion by what we can see,
or his phenotype.
In this sense, phenotype means
the stallion’s outward appear
ance, such as his color, size, con
formation and movement. Con
formation traits tend to have
higher heritability than move
ment traits, and thus have a
higher correlation from one
generation to the next.
Phenotypic inform
ation can be obtained
from a visual inspec
tion of the stallion, in
hand and under sad
dle The phenotype of
the stallion can be
compared to that of
the mare, and poten
tial problems brought
to light
Breeders should be
cautious though, and
not assume that a stal
lion can fix serious
problems with a
mare’s conformation
or movement.
• Performance: An
excellent way to de
termine a stallion’s
abilities is to evaluate
his performance re
cord.
While much of a
horse’s potential can
be altered by environ
mental factors such as
training or nutrition,
stallions that consis
tently perform well in
high-caliber competi
tion generally pass this
aptitude on to their
progeny.
• Pedigree; Investi
gation of a stallion’s
pedigree will give the
mare owner back
ground information on
his genetic makeup.
Some bloodlines are
known for excellent
properties, such as
jumping prowess,
dressage ability, cow
sense, speed or a host
of other desirable qual
ities.
Breeders should
take note, however,
that the more generations they
travel from the stallion in ques
tion, the less influence those an
cestors have on a sire. Pedigree
evaluation is especially important
in young sires, who have not yet
accumulated performance win
nings or sired foals of their own.
• Progeny: While a particular
stallion may be outstanding in
terms of phenotype, performance
and pedigree, the wise breeder
knows it is not the stallion they’re
interested in, but rather that stal
lion’s offspring.
JE 6
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♦ VARIOUS MODELS OF CHARGERS
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Professh
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Phone; 814-239-5972
Pax: 814-239-0007
Breeders should attempt to
visit or evaluate as many off
spring as possible, and if possible,
obtain show or inspection results
for those progeny who are of ap
propriate age.
When evaluating foals, it is
also important to consider the
dam, as she contributed half of
the genetic makeup of the young
ster.
Every mating is like playing
the lottery. The element of
chance can never be eliminated,
but with careful consideration of
the four P’s of stallion selection,
mare owners can easily increase
their odds of producing the per
fect foal.
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When selecting a stallion, the mare owner can dramati
cally improve their odds of producing that special foal
by considerg phenotype, performance, pedigree and
progeny.
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