"Nicks" in Pedigrees
What is a breeding Nick?
Nicking is where a certain stallion is known to work well with a particular dam sire or another key ancestor somewhere in the pedigree - and where this has occurred enough times that it is not just a happy accident. A nick produces a markedly beneficial cross between two bloodlines that can produce offspring that tend to be superior to either parent individually.
What is it that makes a particular nick work? It is not the phenotype of the horse or anything about their physical appearance - nor their temperament - nor their sport ability. It has to be the way the bloodlines blend and combine together- the way they supplement and complement each other. This of course brings us back to the genotype and the bloodlines in the pedigree.
Examples of successful nicks include - Argentinus / Grannus, Donnerhall / Pik Bube, Sandro Hit / Donnerhall, Sandro / Gepard, Jazz / Ulft, Jazz/Ferro, Fastnet Rock / Galileo, Doc Bar / Poco Tivio, Estopa / Shaker El Masri, Ibrahim / Ultimate, Ibikus / Impuls, Furioso / Alme, Joost / Anblick xx
Nicking certainly has its place and is one method that may increase the likelihood of breeding a top horse based on the successful blend of the two bloodlines.
Of course, this can leave out the highly important tail female section of the pedigree - and often the reason a nick appears to work actually has its power lines in that bottom quadrant
Nicking may help stallions that do not necessarily have a great genetic strength on their own, but they may be able to tap into the greater genetic power of another stallion, bringing more power to both in the process
The truth is that prepotent stallions are rare
Often very spectacular stallions - are simply be the result of a fortuitous combination of genes from the parents as a result of luck. These stallions will generally be unable to reproduce that same combination of genes in their progeny unless they meet the right mare or the right bloodline who can provide what is needed to activate or link into their own genetics.
Then there are those stallions who may not have a definite genetic strength, but they have a very useful collection of bloodlines - they may have certain lines coming through a daughter which usually only appear via sons. Or they may have a sister sibling in their pedigree that happens to pair up with a brother in another very important stallion line. Often this is what contributes to a "nick".
Sandro Hit & Donnerhall
An example would be Sandro Hit - he was a stallion in the right place at the right time, and this is important also for stallions. If Sandro Hit had been brought to Australia or Russia he would not have succeeded.
Sandro Hit does not have a great genetic strength of his own - nor is he from a top producing dam line. Yet he has managed to create an absolute dynasty of stallion sons and top broodmares.
In his pedigree he is 5 x 4 to the three quarter brothers Duhnen and Dominik ( Domitz 1 / Abendsport) - and while this does give strength to his producing power - he has a far more important element for nicking - he has brother - Lukas on his 4th generation - whose sister Landtanne only appears in Donnerhall.
These siblings are at 4 x 5 in Sandro hit / Donnerhall - this is reason for the super marriage between these two, and it is right in the "engine room" of the pedigree.
These are not just any siblings - they are by Dwinger and out of Der Lowe mares - with Dwinger being 4 x 5 and Der Lowe at 5 x 4 in Donnerhall - sex balanced.
Lukas in Sandro Hit directly energises these power lines in Donnerhall via his full sister Landtanne, and that is the connection of the two pedigrees that contributes to the success of the offspring, creating a nick.
Sandro Hit also brings in Miracolo xx (6th generation) who is a brother to Manolete xx (3rd generation ) - a major powerline in Donnerhall.
Without Donnerhall, Sandro Hit would not have risen to the same super stardom as a sire.
In summary, nicks are very useful to see pedigree patterns and can help breeders choose a stallion that may be helpful for upgrading the pedigree of the mare and/or stallion.