Pedigree Theory - Introduction for Horse Breeders

Once you start looking at pedigrees in an in-depth way, you won't be able to stop seeing the power of the pedigree. The proof is already there in the top breeding and sport horses, breeders just need to learn how to see it and apply to their own programs.

Breeders are already familiar with the common important considerations when breeding horses - type, temperament, conformation, rideability and soundness.  And these factors are all equally important 

A breeder's probability of breeding better horses improves when they use all the tools at their disposal.

Do you look at the pedigree chart of your own mare before breeding? How many generations? Do you know what her mareline has produced? Do you know who her ancestors are? There are many questions that breeders can answer by looking at the pedigree of their own mare, but many breeders simply do not know what to look for, or the importance of it.

Pedigree theory and balanced breeding principles are valuable tools to help breed better horses. Breeders can then evaluate pedigrees and plan genetically compatible matings for each mare  -  as a starting point - to reach their goals. It allows for strategic planning , clear long term mating decisions based on research , and thinking in generations. 

Until technology is able to identify and trace certain genes and modes of inheritance, the best map of genetics we have for our horse is the pedigree.

There are very few in the world that have researched warmblood pedigrees in this way - made more difficult by lack of a central comprehensive, accurate warmblood database - and the fact that there is no information available on how to interpret pedigrees and analyse what you are looking at.   Once you start looking at pedigrees of top sport and breeding stock  in an informed way,  it can be clearly seen that pedigree structure and patterns have an effect on producing successful individuals.

Pedigree theory does not surpass conformation, temperament and soundness - a horse with a beautifully balanced genetically compatible pedigree will not compensate for poor conformation, unwillingness to work or unsoundess. All these factors are equally important and should stand together when evaluating any horse - and when considering which stallions go on the shortlist for each mare.

Balanced breeding principles and pedigree theory expands on the age-old techniques of inbreeding,  line breeding and out crossing -  which have traditionally been the only tools available to breeders to fix the most desirable traits and bring in new blood to improve weaker traits. It includes  the building blocks of colt and filly factors -  which are pedigree analysis tools to evaluate a horses performance and breeding potential based on gender specific ancestral lines.

It gives breeders tools and a framework to build genetic potency into their horses - and clearly shows  how and when to use the out cross mating for maximum effectiveness.

It indicates how to  design matings to have desired ancestors in key positions in the pedigree, how to sex balance bloodlines, how to decipher the buildup of ancestors in the background of the pedigree and strategically line breed to that power.

It shows breeders how to use the great horses of today and yesteryear as a road map to construct our own matings based on the same successful patterns and gene groupings.

Pedigree theory can help breeders achieve their breeding goals - whether that is breeding a GP dressage horse, a 1.60 jumper, a show hack, a horse to excel in young horse classes, a foal to sell, a filly to keep for breeding, or a band of top broodmares.

It can be used to upgrade the quality of your foals - understanding the genetic makeup of a horse helps the breeder to select mares and stallions to make desirable traits more likely to  manifest.

It can also help buyers understand the theoretical genetic potential of a horse - in deciding which foal to buy, which mares to buy  for breeding, or which horses are suitable to buy for top sport, or a suitable stallion prospect.

It can be used to determine which stallions  will suit your stud farm based on the genetics of your mares - or what mares will suit your existing stallions.

It can help predict which foals or horses are best to buy based on your goals and intended purpose. 

It helps breeders plan for future generations and gives the opportunity to build in or tap into powerful mare families with superior mtDNA and valuable sex-linked genes.  These elements can be built into a pedigree in the correct way for the foal to have the greatest chance of receiving the power of the bloodlines.

It adds a very exciting dimension to breeding -  to see a foal that is genuinely the result of months of study and long term planning  -  and  how we can shape the future of our breeding choices in a way that just wasn't imaginable before.

Many of the  questions I had pondered for many years - that had previously been unresolved or  gone unanswered -  can be explained by a detailed study of the pedigree:

Why do 90% of stallions fail at stud?

Why are some stunning award winning mares indifferent producers?

Why are some nondescript mares outstanding producers of foals every year, to a variety of stallions?

Why doesn't having a collection of GP stallions on top of each other in a pedigree reliably produce GP horses?

Why doesn't using stallions and mares  that have competed at GP reliably produce GP horses?

Why doesn't using stallions who have competed at the Olympic games, or their sons, reliably produce GP horses?

Why don't two top champion parents mated together reliably produce GP progeny? Breeders have been mating champions together for centuries in all sports to achieve this end with no better result.

Why do many champion GP  horses fail at stud?

Why do many GP horses come from non-performed mares?

Why do some stallions who have never performed, or show little ability themselves, become successful producers of GP horses?

Why do some stallions good dam sires but are not able to  found a line of successful sons? and vice versa

Why do some stallions produce better colts than fillies?

Why do top stallions only have a tiny percentage of top performers and far more unsuccessful ones?

What does thinking in generations mean?

What does it mean to return the best blood of the stallion to the mare?

How are nicks created? 

Breeders can learn answers to these questions and make more informed decisions by learning to evaluate pedigrees through the information put forward on this website.