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RE: [RC] stallion quality ratio? - heidi

Unfortunately, there are all sorts of misguided notions like that circulating that reflect little or no understanding of population genetics.  Additionally, who is the arbitrary judge of "quality?"  The people who pin Arabian halter horses with scrawny necks, jacked-up legs, and skimpy bodies?  The ones who pin QH halter horses that look like beef-on-the-hook specimens atop triple-ought feet?
 
In nature, a breeding stallion rarely has a herd of more than 4-6 mares.  So if survival of the fittest is the determiner, about 1 in 4 to 1 in 6 is stallion "quality." 
 
Personally, I'm more apt to side with the population geneticists who get really disgusted at the loss of genetic diversity that occurs when single stallions breed 100 or more mares per season and 1000 or more in their lifetimes.  Realistically, while we do need to do our best to maintain quality in the breeding shed, we also need to assure that genetic diversity does occur, being sure to maintain stallions of diverse bloodlines that represent the best of what that bloodline has to offer.  There are many stallions that have something to offer in limited breeding situations--but perhaps should only breed a handful of carefully-picked mares.  There are others that have more to offer, but there are none that are a panacea that should be bred to all mares, no matter how "good" they happen to be.
 
A more realistic ratio would lie somewhere between 1:10 and 1:100.
 
Heidi


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [RC]   stallion quality ratio?
From: "Dawn Simas" <dawnsimas67@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, December 22, 2006 10:11 am
To: "ridecamp" <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

<<Did anyone read an article in Western Horseman, I think, that said only about 1 horse out of 100,000 are stallion quality? ... Could it really be that high a chance to have a good stud prospect?>>
 
I wonder what whoever decided 1:100,000 studs are good enough to breed thinks about the ration of quality of the mares we breed them to.  They are 50% of the DNA after all... 
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