Its about uncovering pedigree to examine the female lines.
Many discussions I had with father and friends towards ideals: breeding genuine lines/genuine families.
Old days, Dad was a reputable breeder of stud Friesian cows, 40 years +. Add to that, a number of beefies, and the few thoroughbreds.
The breeding technique where his guiding principle – endlessly screening ‘purity’ direct, near as to ‘roots’.
Understandably one might wonder what dairying, farming practices, has to do with today’s thoroughbreds. Well, its these breeding dynamics which breed stock.
Its the diligence to understand.
No technology, repeatedly read history, breeding books, analysing, read-between-lines, deduce and come upon ancestral relationships. Out to the paddocks and observe ‘type. Its the yarning over a back-fence where many ‘unscripted’ understandings towards breeding finds its breadth, breed-to-purpose and performance.
– onwards strength as specie.
The thoroughbred is still and always hybrid: its composite strains through bloodlines.
There are favourable ‘family’ strains: come stronger to the thoroughbred population.
Breeding goes through its cyclic, the selection on going & hopefully to appropriate sire. The selection decision has the next generation to; it becomes broodmare sire and its influences to next generations thereof. This is selection: the infusions, the capacity to build the desired effect.
Sir Patrick Hogan said something how, breeding-is-not-racing, racing-is-not-breeding.) Thoroughbred Breeding: A MASTER OF TIME
Father often commented: “what a magnificent animal but as a breeder, he is a disaster down the track. You’ll get into trouble with the likes of these.”
On tour, a woman lightly commented, where mares had gotten too big. This might also suggest, where is the TB going….?
To breed is not to only aim at esteemed bloodlines, but the depth, with its optimal phenotype: constitution, ‘gait’, flexible.
Multi-faceted criteria’s take due consideration, what factors breeding to the racehorse ideal ?
Though we recognize breeding landscapes change, and more genetic material is increasingly available, I suggest the core-fundamentals don’t.
And, every now & then we might reflect and be reminded some caution applies.
Such has been the improvement in the anaerobic capacity to todays thoroughbred and the total absence of aerobic improvement or it may even be decline of aerobic performance. These change of the last 30 years must be appreciated in any scientific study of todays thoroughbred. Because the thoroughbred has changed, the training and breeding management may no longer be applicable. The anaerobic horse is better, but as a consequence more physiologically fragile.
credit: Australasian Thoroughbred Science Review Jan. 1987
