b4breeding

We can become familiar with the most common breeding theories, and use free Tesio pedigree charts on the studs’ websites to look at a future foal’s family tree.

But how many of us feel confident that we understand the significance of what we are reading?

A Tesio chart is like getting a contour map of 50 hectares. It might identify some key features and the slopes, but it doesn’t tell you the climate or soil type or what has been proven grow most successfully on similar blocks of land across the country, or where potential springs of water might be hiding.

It gives you useful data, it identifies double ups, and it points you towards some classic mares. Is that enough?

So there are some good reasons to get advice from a breeding or pedigree consultant, or others who can shed light on the basic contour map of a pedigree chart:
• to save you the time it takes to do extensive research
• to access information not easily available to you
• to identify successful patterns
• to spot small but significant ingredients
• to get advice that is outside immediate fashions and opinions. 

I don’t take anything as ‘gospel’ – but it all adds to my knowledge and ability to hopefully breed more successfully. And it’s certainly more interesting that putting on a blindfold and sticking a tale on the donkey!