Clones

Smart Little Lena clones

The following is an article concerning clones, by Tom Reed of Morningside Stud.

Pink Flamingos or Pink Horses?

What do you think? Would you breed to a clone or purchase a clone or the offspring of a clone? Would you clone a horse yourself if finances were not an issue?

This issue slowly makes its way to the forefront considering many clones are now attaining the age of competition and breeding. Yet we have much to learn yet as it pertains to cloning.

Here's an article concerning Smart Little Lena's clones

An article concerning clones in the NCHA

The clone of Quidam de Revel

Do you think it's cheating to compete the clone of a highly successful horse?

Does the success of a clone - reproductively or competitively - rest solely upon replicated DNA? This is one issue facing scientists, and a seemingly insurmountable one in some regards. As it concerns the developing embryo, one must consider epigenetics, which "refers to functionally relevant modifications to the genome that do not involve a change in the nucleotide sequence", "heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence whose genetic modifications are inheritable". More on epigenetics and evolution here. Neither can we neglect the impact of the behaviour of mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited from the mother's ovum. Proteomes also play a role by changing in response to intra and extra cellular environmental signals. These are only a limited number of factors that can impact the developing foal; we have much to understand and learn yet and some knowledge that potentially will never be realized. Then we also have to contend with the environment in which a foal is raised once born. Human handling (incorrect versus correct, amount of, etc), disposition of the mare, whether or not the foal is raised in a herd environment or not, turnout... the list of factors that may impact the future "success" of a clone are substantial and not to be taken lightly. Further on that we also have the impact of training; how many times have we experienced or seen a trainer able to work with one type of horse but not another? Or a horse who has passed through the hands of several trainers, unsuccessful, before realizing its potential in the hands of one particular trainer? Sometimes the Greats, those horses highly successful in sport, are such in spite of particular handling, or are a direct result of their handling and training.

So is it truly cheating to compete a clone? While a certain edge or advantage is obviously not to be discounted, is it enough to ensure true success? Success that measures that of its original?

What about using clones solely for reproductive purposes? To pass on the genetics of a highly successful gelding? Or a stallion who died too young or who was only able to reproduce a limited number of foals? Or a highly successful mare?

There is much to learn yet but it is time to start considering all these points (if you haven't already) as it pertains to cloning as it increasingly impacts our industry. Should we be tracking clones? Or allowing their registration and competition? While cloning may not impact you directly today, it certainly has impacted our industry and will continue to progressively do so.

How to make money breeding horses

Disclaimer: this is just my opinion, based on what I have observed and discussed with successful breeders. This blog is written with the intention of maybe enlightening a few, particularly those who are struggling to breed - maybe here are a couple tips that might help you tweak your program, from I have learnt thus far.

Ok, first off, yes. It is possible to make money at breeding, contrary to what some naysayers will tell you (don't believe me, just go talk to some of the successful breeders out there and you will find ones making money who worked their way up from the bottom). I am not saying that breeding horses will ever fully provide you a proper income, particularly if you have a family, but they can certainly pay for themselves, your ranch, and earn you a little profit. Are you ever really making enough money to cover all your time? Probably not. However we donate our time to such endeavors not because we want to be rich, but because we can make enough money and because we love the lifestyle and being around our horses. I do not have enough fingers to count the farms out there who obviously are making money at breeding horses, including friends of ours. The key is to do it intelligently and according to the market. This usually means you are breeding high-end, in-demand horses such as (but not restricted to) Warmbloods, Sportponies, racehorses (as per the current market), and western performance horses (ie, cutting and reining). Racehorse breeders who are making money though are ones who are already established, who put in great investments over the years, and who are raising the great horses - I definitely do not recommend the average person go into horseracing intending to make money because you most likely will not. The successful ones are out there, but as I said, they already had the start-up money and are well established in the industry so the gambling risk is lower. As it pertains to breeding Warmbloods, while I am not knocking the Clyde/TB, Perch/TB, etc 'Warmblood' or 'Sporthorse' crosses (love them, actually), most individuals are not going to make money raising these horses - it becomes instead an expensive hobby. To make money, you really have to cater to what the high-end market demands. Figure out a niche and what the high-end market demands, and you've got it made. So on that note, here is the criteria I have drawn up, that is necessary for one to create a profitable business:

1. You have your own property and facilities
Facilities that include, as the bare essentials, good fencing, paddocks, shelters, and preferably, a barn. Sufficient grazing pasture and hayfields is a plus that will greatly increase your profit margin and that could make the difference, dependent upon your area and local hay costs, between making money and not. On a related note, the ones who are paying for these $50,000 or even $10,000 and $20,000 horses are coming to your place expecting a place appearing 'worthy' of raising a $50K horse, regardless of whether or not your place is just as suitable to raising such a horse as a multi-million dollar facility. If you have just the bare essentials, consider boarding your sale horses out locally at a nice facility that creates a good impression. Good fencing, shelters and barns that are in good condition, etc, are a must.

2. Breed only the best to the best
With the goal of creating a foal better than its parents. You might not have the dollars to invest in a 50K or 20K mare to start, however you can start small and 'breed up'. Start with what you can afford but invest in the best quality possible - well-conformed mares suited to the discipline you intend to breed for (ie, Thoroughbreds to breed to Warmblood stallions). You can also choose older mares who can be purchased at a deal at the end of their breeding career, but who still have a few years left to produce a few premium foals for you - choose broodmares who consistently produce high quality foals. Choose stallions who are in vogue but also who have the bloodlines that count and who have proven to pass on their abilities, who have progeny successful in their respective disciplines and who test well in their registries. Keep back the best and breed those to the best. Don't be afraid to cull a mare if she proves she cannot successfully produce high quality progeny - do NOT settle and accept less! Eventually your goal is to obtain fillies with breeding at the top of the game, whether initially bred by you or not. By 'breeding up', you ultimately create a decent broodmare band for yourself and you create horses who will sell for a decent dollar and thus afford you the ability to go out and buy the quality mares who are worth top-dollar. Pay attention to current trends and what is winning in the rings. Talk to BIG successful breeders to gain wisdom as to what bloodlines mix best, which are the most successful competitively, etc.

3. Make your horses stand out
This includes picking the best bloodlines carefully, the bloodlines others are going for and maybe cannot get. Watch the up-and-comers and get foals out of them before others do (this takes a good eye and a lot of knowledge!). I know breeders who put in orders on quality semen of top-of-the-line stallions who have recently died, just prior to said semen becoming unavailable. They pay attention to the market, much like a stockbroker would, and buy what is 'in' and purchase semen that will increase in value quickly. They either sell the banked semen later or breed their mares later for a foal out of "So and So" who is now deceased, whose foals are in demand.

4. Compete
The best way (maybe the only way, at least when you are first starting) to make a profit is to do this yourself rather than paying others to do it. Compete your horses - your mares, your progeny, everything. Get your own name out there, your farm's name, and your mares' names and those of their foals. Take your mares and foals to the top of their discipline, if possible. This means winning multiple Championships, Grand Prix, etc.

5. Breed for amateurs
While your foals might have what it takes to make it to the top, most of your purchasers are amateurs and that means breeding good, amateur-friendly minds. You or I might be capable of dealing with the difficult, challenging horses, but if you want amateurs - which make up the majority of your market - to purchase your horses, they have to have solid, easy-to-train-and-ride minds and temperaments a.k.a. rideability. They need to have solid basics, which means your foals are handled throughout their time with you. For your babies 0-2 years of age they should be used to being clipped, bathed, shod, trailered, stalled, asked to stand in cross-ties, blanketed, tacked-up, touched all over, etc. They should be well-behaved, mannerly, respectful, quiet being longed, used to weight across their back (2 and 3 year olds), free-jumped (if applicable and age-appropriate), and should lead and tie well. They should also be registered and tested/inspected in an appropriate registry, accustomed to the show atmosphere, etc. Make them stand apart or at least on par with other high-quality babies their age.

6. Look for the deals
Like quality proven broodmares who can no longer be ridden and who are going for a decent price, quality mares who are being sold cheap because their owners do not realise what they have, quality mares who are being dispersed because their owner went under, 'problem horses' who have great temperaments underneath but have simply been mis-handled or mis-managed. Foals in-utero or on the ground or weanlings that are going for a more affordable price (say, 5-10K) but whose value will increase exponentially later.

7. Gather the knowledge
You need to have knowledge of the industry(ies), have a good eye for horses (and for the potential in horses), and know your bloodlines. You need to know your business inside and out. This is not a business for the faint of heart, the inexperienced, or the non-equestrian. Do your research, do your time in the industry, and consult with the successful and wise.

8. Buy only the best
Buy the best you can afford and work your way up. It costs just as much to feed and train 'crappy' and non-marketable mares as it does the quality ones, so feed and train up the quality ones who are going to earn your money back.

9. Do not try to use your own stallions
As a whole, and not at first. Eventually you might produce something of exceptional quality, but your best bet really is to sell it to someone who is going to make use of that quality and make a name for you (or do so yourself). Unless you are going to take that stallion to the Grand Prix or Olympic ring, there will always be another stallion better than him. Furthermore, there is no absolute guarantee your stud will pass on his talent. Instead, breed to the stallions who are proven, have top-notch bloodlines, and who have strong competition records. If you are going to compete a stallion and he does decently well, you can of course still be successful (and save some breeding fees), however your room for error and your profit margin will be smaller unless you have absolutely outstanding mares and your stallion somehow really stands out. You want to breed to stallions that complement your mares specifically, which will likely require outside stallions. If you are going to stand your own stud, make sure he is outstanding!! As in, he possesses all the aforementioned qualities and can command a high stud fee because he is in demand.

10. Be prepared
This includes being prepared to put in a financial investment and being okay with not seeing your return for awhile (it will take many years for the average person to build up a quality self-sustaining herd that actually turns a profit), as well as surrounding yourself with the appropriate mentors, contacts, and people who will and can help you - people who are successful themselves. It pays to be personable and to be a sponge open to learning! Research your market - watch advertisements of horses bred and sold within the market you intend to target. Take note of not only what is offered for sale, but what sells - take note of what type of horse sells and at what price. Budget your costs to raise your foals and plan accordingly - choose your focus according to what is successful in the current market.

As in any business, the best way to make any money is to do all the work yourself - the breeding, the training, the raising, the marketing, the competing. When you consider all the time you put into it you really probably do not make enough to cover all your time however most people do not expect to be paid to do their hobbies anyway! If you can make enough money to pay for your farm and live comfortably, you are doing a great job. Another thing to consider is professionalism: it's a small world, so it pays to always stay professional and be honest, and to make a good impression on those you meet.

A couple of successful examples I wanted to provide:
Some family friends of ours worked their way up from the bottom. She competes all her horses and currently has horses who sell in the high 5 figures, including foals who sell in-utero and on the ground for $10,000-$20,000. She started with Thoroughbred mares and gradually bred into the Warmbloods. She now has some of the top foals at inspection in Western Canada and some outstanding foals who are bred to the hilt and worth their weight in gold. These horses pay for their ranch and for the purchase of the next broodmares.

Another friend currently breeds sportponies. She stands her own quality pony stud who is not only accomplished himself, but is also very marketable (ie. in colour, temperament, type, etc) and breeds him to quality Thoroughbred and Warmblood mares for sportponies that sell for 5 figures across North America.

If you think about it, if you purchase, just for example, a mare for $10,000 who throws a $10,000-$20,000 foal next year, she has paid for herself by year one. By year two she has paid all her upkeep expenses and possibly has also caught up on her foaling and vet expenses. By year three or four, she is potentially earning the profit to help build your herd. By the time you have built up a quality, established herd, you are turning mostly profit. Be prepared for it to take a lot of years though, this is not a business that turns a quick profit, but rather an investment with long-term profit goals and benefits.

Cloning

Clone of Gem Twist, the Thoroughbred jumper

Researchers Give Clone Health Warning - a little outdated now, but still interesting.

Champion Horse Cloned

Cloning & Horse Racing

Cloning Open to the Public

Pacific & Prairie on Horse Cloning - Feb 2009

Interesting... scary?!

Why do people do it? I think it can be for a number of reasons:
- the chance to have "ol' lucky" back (particularly as cloning becomes more accessible)
- the same conformation and thus physical ability, but breedable (ie, gelding versus stallion)
- a younger version of the original is created - missed competitions, races, etc may be completed
- preserve particular bloodlines

I suppose I can understand at some level. For example, there is validity in wanting to breed a horse who was gelded at a young age but that possesses excellent bloodlines and proves to be athletic and talented and successful in his particular discipline. Cloning such a gelding and keeping the resultant clone a stallion that may pass along the original gelding's genes could have an impact on the industry. In regards to mares, it could be extremely useful to be able to have a clone of hers maintained as a broodmare at home whilst the original mare continues to compete, as an alternative to embryo transfer. If the mare is highly successful, there could be some merit in having a copy of her producing foals simultaneously with herself, producing a greater number of progeny from that mare's genes. On the other hand, I cannot possibly imagine wishing to have a twin of one of our horses - I already have my boys, I don't need carbon copies of them! I would much rather start a new partnership with a new horse than try to 'relive' a life with a copy of one of my deceased horses.

Conversely, as far as the preservation of bloodlines go, my personal opinion is that while losing certain bloodlines is certainly disappointing, it is part of the business and a part of life. It is what happens. Instead of relying on specific bloodlines, we are then forced to create, develop and experiment in new potentially successful and revolutionary lines.

Furthermore, a cloned horse will not necessarily exhibit the same temperament, personality, drive, heart, or sheer luck of the original. Other variables also impact a clone's success or lack thereof:
- nutritional practises (both in-utero, as a foal nursing from a specific mare, and as a growing horse), which can affect bone density, growth, and muscle development
- illness/disease/other (including worms)
- handling/human interaction
- general training
- under-saddle work
- individual experiences
- how the foal is raised (in a herd, in a stall, with older horses, with only younger horses)

Nevermind the fact that the health and longevity of the 'carbon copy' is still questionable. Remember Dolly the sheep, cloned in Scotland? She had to be euthanised at roughly half the age she should have lived to. Is it fair we pre-destine an animal to an early and undetermined fate?

On the subject of ethics, where do we draw the lines at what is ethical and what is not? For example, would a person having a 'brood/stud copy' at home be tempted to over-race or over-compete the original or the clone, or take risks they would not normally take should they only have 'one copy' of the horse in question?

Current cloning prices run in the low six-figures, but researchers and companies hope that as the process becomes more efficient and available, the price will eventually be dropped to a level acceptable to mid-incomers. However as it stands in 2009, cloned horses are not (to my knowledge) eligible to be registered by any governing bodies. They may still compete in non-sanctioned shows and competitions, but their use is rather limited.

On the other hand, 'clone-type' work and research can definitely be beneficial...such as using stem cell therapy to repair injuries to horses. So where do we draw the line?

Obviously my personal opinion is clear - cloning just somehow sits wrong with me and while I recognise the benefits of the research that yields cloning, I cannot side with cloning itself. I think by attempting to rubber stamp our horses we risk damaging the breed, bloodlines, and the species in general. I also resent that people with the money to throw at this think that they can simply purchase a 'champion' with so little work and effort. I mean, essentially, the way they are looking at is: hey, I can spend thousands breeding, buying, and training horses in the hopes that one becomes a champion, or I can just skip the 'line' and buy a 'pre-made champion'. They are taking away all the creativity and intelligence that comes of breeding and training horses. We had might as well race/compete robots!

What do you think? Would you do it if you had the money?

Breeding

Sorry these blogs were a bit delayed - I was busier than I anticipated last week prior to leaving for work, and did not have the internet access I was supposed to have on my computer once at work to post these blogs this past week!!

I found the following reader letter, from Horse & Rider (Sept 09, p14), interesting:

June's Mail Call asked what readers thingk about those who are taking in unregistered horses and planning to breed them. The obvious answer is that these grade animals should not be bred, and that doing so will only add to the unwanted-horse burden.

But if these owners shouldn't be breeding, where do you draw the line? No one should be breeding? Only pedigreed horses should be bred? Only winning show horses should be bred? The problem isn't so much one of breeding, but rather one of imposing judgement: If we judge others, then they have the right to judge us for something they think we shouldn't do. Already have three children? You shouldn't have any more. Watching TV? You should be volunteering at the homeless shelter instead. Buying a new farm truck? You should be buying a smaller, more efficient vehicle. You should/you shouldn't.

There's always someone with an opinion on how we should live our lives. Certainly there's a line where we need to interferere, such as in cases causing pain or permanent harm. But this is America, and Americans do have the right to breed their horses, whether others think they should or not.

I am the first to say that breeding should always be done responsibly: breed the best to the best with the goal of producing a foal exceeding its parents in quality. However, this reader, I feel, is right – who are we to judge? It is not so black and white…

Some arguments both for and against to consider:

With registered/pedigreed horses, you can be aware of any genetic/health problems that could arise in bred foals and thus make an educated and fully-informed decision. You also know the bloodlines and genetics that might enable you to breed for a specific goal - for a foal best suited to a specific discipline or purpose for which you are breeding.

Knowing a horse's genetic past can aid you in creating a foal with the correct conformation to ensure it a successful career and life (hopefully one outside of feedlots and slaughter houses).

In my opinion, I think a registered horse has a better chance than a grade horse at staying in a good home and out of a slaughter house. That is just my opinion.

Who are we to judge who breeds what? Some of the best horses have come from unknown or unremarkable pasts, and grade horses can be bred to create horses with just as much talent and ability as a registered/pedigreed horse.

How many of us have seen conformation-train-wrecks - of both grade and registered? Or high-quality animals that were grade?

Maybe the problem does not lie within grade/registered, but within individuals breeding or not breeding with adequate conformation and general knowledge? In that case, perhaps the answer is education, rather than criticism. One part of me wants to have some type of program, like in European countries, that regulates breeding - to ensure only the best are bred and thus that every horse has a standing chance. On the other hand, the larger half of me wrestles with over-regulation and control. For one, I am sure a good many horses are "missed" simply because they did not pass the correct tests and were not given the appropriate opportunity. Furthermore, there are likely others who pass the appropriate testing but do not positively impact - or who even negatively contribute to - the gene pool. The judges at tests are only human, after all.

Food for thought!

Crossbreeds

Why is it that people look down on crossbreds? They're often looked down on, particularly in the show world, like some worthless mutt, without taking the individual horse and its abilities into consideration. For every fugly grade horse someone can dig up, I can also dig you up a hideous registered fugly - bred with just as little thought as that grade horse. Personally, I think more emphasis should be placed on the horse itself - on what it can do. How do you think all the breeds we have today came about?

On the other hand, this isn't to say though that crossbreds should not be carefully thought out and planned; they should be just as carefully thought out as any purebred, perhaps even moreso, because some crosses just do not yield successful results. Also, this is not to advocate for the breeding of every Heinz 57 - by any stretch of the imagination. I strongly believe that you need to do your research when breeding. This includes knowing your horse's background (having a pedigree) - health genetics, conformation faults, etc, as well as examining current crosses on the market, so that you can determine the best cross for your horse. In a world with so many surplus horses (and now, a dismal economy), we owe it to our horses to breed carefully. Breed the best to the best and make sure there's a niche in the market for the type of cross you're breeding (unless you're breeding for your own uses and anticipate on keeping said foal for life).

So, let's take a quick look at just a few of the successful crosses out there (some of my personal favs):

Belgian x QH - These guys can make great cow/ranch horses with nice bone, without being huge horses. I knew one mare that stood only 14.2hh and could cut as well as any cutting-bred QH.

Clydesdale x Thoroughbred - this usually makes for a good sporthorse cross when you cross the athleticism of the TB with the substance and cool-as-a-cucumber brain of the Draft.

Friesian x Thoroughbred - another great sporthorse cross often particularly suited to dressage. Again the focus is on combining the best traits of both breeds - the athleticism of the TB and the brain and movement of the Friesian.

Holsteiner x Westphalen - of course you've got your warmblood x warmblood crosses as we refine and adjust our warmbloods to create better sporthorses to better suit our specific and current needs.

Morgan x Arabian - these guys make great crosses by toning down the energy of the Arabian, combining the good brain of both breeds, and adding substance to an Arabian/adding more athleticism and a lighter build to a Morgan.

QH x Arabian - another fantastic cross whereby the build of the QH is refined and energy is perhaps even added to the equation, while still maintaining the QH brain and keeping the horse cowy (when bred to cowy QH's).

Warmblood x Thoroughbred - another very popular sporthorse cross, though I hear a rumour Standardbred x Warmblood crosses (when done carefully) can make even better crosses that are perhaps less likely to break down. With this cross you lighten the Warmblood build and perhaps create a quicker, cattier horse with the quieter mind of a WB.

Percheron x Thoroughbred - these guys can be excellent movers and are bred with the intention of creating athletic sporthorses. Sort of a North American emulation of European Warmblood breeding, in its infant stages.

As with any breeding - crosses between breeds need to be done with much deliberation and research.

Last note, here's a site I found with a variety of successful crosses - Benbar Farm. They have a lot of QH/TB/draft crosses that I wouldn't have thought of - they look fantastic! And those studs...*drool* (lol).

Breeding based on bloodlines

I recently ran across the following ad, which prompted a spill of my thoughts on breeding based on bloodlines.

The title of this ad advertises that this 5yo APHA stud is a homozygous son of Strait from Texas. I have to admit that I know very very little of paint bloodlines (okay, nothing), but a quick google search revealed this stud to be top of the APHA world with a lot of winnings and some absolutely gorgeous get. Which also leads me to the thought (completely off-topic), because I also found some very poor quality horses sired by this horse - as a stallion owner, are you particular about which mares your stud breeds? Do you only breed best to the best with the intentions of turning out the best possible foal that exceeds its parents in quality?

Anyway, back to the ad. The ad went on to point out that Strait from Texas stallions, top-of-the-line in the APHA world, are difficult to find in Canada and that therefore this is a very valuable breeding. Going to their website, this stallion has not been started under-saddle yet and has no accomplishments of his own. He is also homozygous to black, but not to the pattern.

Okay, so here is the dilemna. This horse has no accomplishments of his own (yet) and to my eye, is not what I would deem "the best". There are so many horses out there and at this time, with the economy the way it is combined with the closure of slaughter plants in the US, there is a huge surplus of horses. Regardless of the current situation even, we should always be only breeding the best to the best with the goal of a foal exceeding its parents. That is why Europe is known for turning out the best horses in the world. Their breed standards allow only the best of the best to be bred, the cream of the crop, and the result is high quality horses. On the other hand, this horse does possess fabulous bloodlines. So, do you breed for bloodlines regardless of conformation? Or do you breed based on conformation first, achievements next, and bloodlines last? Personally, I would never breed to this stallion and had he been mine, I would have gelded him long ago. He certainly has some quality characteristics about him (balanced frame, nice hind, straight legs), but he would definitely make a better gelding than stallion. First off, this angle of photo makes it difficult to determine accurately his exact conformation, but he looks to be bum-high (something he is unlikely to grow out of after 5) and his eye, head, shoulder, neck and withers all make me cringe. I strongly believe that, despite bloodlines, a stallion should be judged on its own merit. That means it has flawless conformation, excels at whichever discipline he was bred to do, and also has great bloodlines (stress on bloodlines being dependent upon the stallion's own accomplishments). Then, of course, you look for him to be proven by way of his offspring. To me, successful bloodlines provide a stud a greater chance at being successful himself and also at creating successful offspring, but they should not supersede all else. This Strait from Texas has some amazing offspring - some of the best looking ones being geldings (!)...there are a number of stallions much better suited to carrying and passing on his genes.

This 7yo paint stallion is one I would possibly consider breeding to. He is balanced proportionately, his legs are straight, his back is nice and short, he has a great shoulder and excellent hind, his head is proportionate to his body...he just looks like an all-round athletic stallion with great conformation.

The ad reads that he is double homozygous (for the black gene and for the tobiano colour) and he boasts some top QH bloodlines. His website shows off some fabulous looking foals. No accomplishments to date listed though... but he is proving he can produce the right conformation in his get. Unlike the ranch standing the above stallion at stud, this ranch displays some gorgeous mares and great foals, demonstrating a lot of careful thought and knowledge behind the breeding.

Different bloodlines though and different discipline than the stallion above. This stud is bred more as a cow horse and to produce cowy paint offspring.

Here is another stud, this one a 5yo bred by the same individuals who bred Strait from Texas, and by that same stud (same as the top stallion). He is double homozygous and is very correct from a conformational standpoint. I'd like to see him more evened out (ie. bum a little lower) but otherwise I cannot complain - nice shoulder and hip angles, very balanced proportions, strong back, straight legs, neck ties in nicely into the chest, nice topline overall. He has sired some good-looking offspring and you can only expect him to succeed in the show ring. This stallion definitely has it all and is definitely one I would consider breeding to. Something else I found neat about this ranch is that they do not allow any mares with hereditary or genetic disorders, which seems to be rare to find a ranch ensuring.

These thoughts have crossed my mind countless times before. I can recall two Thoroughbred mares specifically who had not been successful on the track and who were brought back home to be used as broodmares because of their great bloodlines. The one mare was actually very good looking (otherwise) but had very crooked legs. Perhaps if you bred her to something with very correct legs you could get a nice foal, but I wouldn't be trying more than once if the first foal turned out with crooked legs. To breed her once even involves quite a bit of contemplation. The second mare had extremely light bone (so light that she obtained fractures from light training as a 2yo) and was fraught with conformation flaws - she was not built to last whatsoever. But, she had great bloodlines so her owners were taking her back home to breed her. This occurs throughout the equine industry, individuals breeding a horse based almost solely upon bloodlines (or "well we just want to have a little baby foal around!"...but that's another maddening subject altogether). Is this line of thinking successful? Or does it simply add to an industry already teeming with too many horses, many of which possess conformation worthy of banging our heads against a wall? What about all those grade stallions? I'm not referring to those bred with purpose, some of the successful sporthorse or warmblood crosses, for example. What about all those grade mares being bred to another breed not within their breeding already? This is not to say either that grade horses are not valuable - to the contrary, I find them extremely valuable. Most of our sporthorses (or other breeds) even are not the result of one breed being bred down through centuries (such as the Arabian or Thoroughbred), they're the result of careful mixing of a number of similar breeds to create the ultimate sporthorse. Belgian/Quarter Horses, Percheron/Thoroughbreds, Friesian/Thoroughbreds, all are fabulous crosses with great potential. But cross-breeding should still be done just as carefully as breeding within a breed, perhaps moreso because of the risk (breeding two breeds of two different backgrounds, thus there is some unpredictability) and so grade stallions and grade mares being bred...does not seem to ring well (as a whole) to my ears. They are also less valuable within the industry, and thus usually start out near the bottom. Add to that poor conformation and poor performance and the horse is most likely destined to exist at the bottom of the pile, one day ending up in a truck headed to Mexico. Keep in mind I am neither referring to the individual who breeds one or even a couple horses for their own purposes and breeds with responsibility and caution, I am speaking in general.

Another off-topic point, is why it is cheaper with some stallions to breed a grade mare to that stud? Why wouldn't you instead be encouraging the breeding of purebred mares to a particular stallion over grade mares? Just a thought and perhaps there is a good point for this, I just have yet to find it and was unsure as to the reason. Certainly breeding grade mares to a quality stallion can produce some amazing get, however the risk is higher at obtaining a quality foal and thus very careful planning is required. I find that those wishing to breed grade mares are often of the type that are not looking to improve a breed or produce a quality foal, but are rather simply looking for a pet foal, a foal for their kids to grow up with, a foal to entertain them for awhile. Of course this is not always the case and sometimes it is it even turns out well, but it seems to often be the case, the result is often negative, and so it makes me wonder why stallion owners would encourage this. Like I said, just another random thought to consider.

Taking a break from this whole breeding buzz...it could be so much more in-depth even lol.