b4breeding

I believe that genetic traits can endure through many generations, if they are kept strong by correct matching. That depends on whether the breeder helps increase the odds by putting pedigree matching as one (not the only) factor into sire selection.

This is the approach of Equinex Breeding Service Ltd, the Australian pedigree consultancy I’ve used on several occasions as one part of selecting a sire. Mike and Ricky Goode are quick to acknowledge all the factors that go into producing a good racehorse including conformation and a good feeding regime for the mare and foal, but their service advices on one key factor – the genetic capacity of a breeding match to produce a quality offspring, specifically a match that maximizes your chances of getting a performance enhanced X chromosome from the sire or dam.

They use an extensive computer database of horses, both good and poor performers, to evaluate what is a poor, fair, good, very good or excellent genetic source for any horse (standardbred or thoroughbred) in the world. They assess your mare’s genetic strength and where it lies, i.e. her X chromosome sources from her paternal and maternal sides, and then search for stallions that have ‘genetic affinity’ with those sources. This affinity, they say, increases the chance of inheriting her excellent X chromosome source. Without this, you are pretty much “subject to the random and lucky spin of the genetic wheel”. It’s an opportunity to reduce the odds of breeding to a genetic source that doesn’t complement your mares and will in fact weaken the genetic structure of your breed in future.

The fact Equinex is based in Australia doesn’t bother me a bit. I am not looking for local knowledge, but rather for unbiased advice based on analysis and comparisons of a huge number of pedigrees that I have neither the time nor resources to examine. You need to set clear parameters about the commercial nature of the sire or his location so you don’t get a recommendation for a sire that isn’t available or is not commercial here – but that’s just an indication that they are evaluating purely on genetic structure and compatibility.

Another Australian based pedigree consultancy I’ve used is the online service http://www.equineexcellence.biz. They also focus on the Jim Squires’ elements – a sound and persistent genetic structure and the importance of the maternal contribution, but acknowledge the need for the breeder to look at other key factors like conformation and temperament. Like Equinex Breeding, they place importance on the X chromosome. The company has a matrix of factors that have helped them develop an algorithm they can run through their database that will identify genetic excellence characteristics in your mare and a range of potential suitors, and hopefully “genetic excellence affinity © “ between particular  recommended sires and your dam.

A load of codswallop? Are they taking your cash in exchange for mere opinions or weird theories they don’t have to explain? Or are they experts who can give you insights well beyond your own reach – the baking powder for your cake?

Both these consultancies have websites that explain their approach in more detail. The low cost discussion papers put out by http://www.equineexcellence.biz are provocative reading and show the emphasis they place on research and hard evidence. If you have an open mind, they will take you to some interesting places!

In both cases, you can get information directly relevant to your mare/s for around $300 to $500 – about the same as a working fee or the GST on your stud fee. A frustration arises from the commercial nature of their businesses which prevents them from sharing the detail at the heart of their analysis of a match, the specifics of a “genetic affinity”. But returning to the cooking analogy – it’s no different from buying KFC and getting a box of fried chicken but not the secret recipe for the herbs and spices.