1758 King Herod was a bay horse of about 15 hands, three inches high; he was a steed of substance, great speed and power. His figure was uncommonly symmetrical. Page 267, 268 Antecdotes of Horses, and the Allied Species by Captain Thomas Brown 1830

It came with little surprise where new science research establishes St Simon ‘Y’ ‘links’ with more Herod variants, than those to Eclipse: (*further reference & credit below)

St Simon line-bred places duplication’s – Herod 55x, to Eclipses 41x.

To the infinite subject, what keeps the pedigree fires going because of dying-down diversity to a fixed Northern Dancer/Mr Prospector/Native Dancer prototype, the assessments must be made by way of other strains.  In-breeding and line-breeding determinations as rhyme n’ reason totality, can find the action is going elsewhere.

The map, is not the territory.

It is an exercise to unravel how ancestral ‘close’ incestuous like, breeding relationships (strains, genealogical ties) come tied deep, through the breeding. It clearly places the HOW.

The important depths, of the genealogical body established well before a classification to split-like designations represented as family numbers indexed to race-name individuals.

Aside from in-breeding, or line-breeding preferences, the complexes go deep into detail WITH a long view to ‘outer’ supporting ‘strain’ players of the contemporary pedigree, which seemingly, come from a very similar but oblique genetic pool.

Identifying what is adept breeding, is at best, ascertaining to where the ‘jewel’ fits not to pedigree but to its guide, purpose & trigger for an appealing pedigree. Whilst we know things aren’t done that way anymore as due to bloodstock commercial enterprises, the correct stallion choices are to be well-considered.

So…

What was Federico Tesio thinking – breeding through St Simon lines, to the distinguishing features he so esteemed.

 Tesio describes –

       – the idea was to produce and grow a racehorse that compared to its rivals, would run through space, mounted with the highest weight, covering any distance in the shortest time. I knew this would be a difficult task but not an impossible one, since I had seen many horses and read many books. I knew I had knowledge to succeed.

The truth of matter was that I had learned to read and to see, but had not yet, learned how to think….about why things happen.

from, Breeding the Racehorse, Federico Tesio

“In the year 1867 at a Napoleonic Exhibition in Paris, a competition was organized for horses which would carry the largest load in proportion to their own weight. The unexpected result (i.e. not that of a draught horse bred (size) but was to a light breed of small well proportions…..” Horse breeding Theory & Practice – B. Von Oettingen

By viewing fascinating footage: Blenheim, Mahmoud, Winx, at best view the necessary quadruple locomotive action: power and unique gait/action. It’s the unique energy-efficiency to its ‘saving’ of energy where today’s finest racehorses have the ‘physical’ difference & cuts a superior performer from others.

“Gait patterns and their efficiency are equally important for both types of energy production (i.e. anaerobic/aerobic performance)” – Australasian Throughbred Science Review

Take examination, experience, understanding, skill acquired…. to observe an animals intricate mobility to its placement of feet, the light, effortless traction to rhythm ‘timing’;   its ‘carriage’ of head not separate BUT to shoulder/leg ‘oiled’ to an oblong perfect frame, pieces together a silk/glide ease. It is the kinetic motion of walk, as 1st quality to a finesse of gait.

Phenotype and unseen conformation means…..

“The biomechanics of the vertebral column, although very complex, are of vital importance because they form the basis of all body movements” – ScienceofMotion.com

“Each horse is designed to “vibrate” at is own frequency” Jean Luc Cornille

“The chestnut Hyperion, a son of the WW1 Triple Crown winner Gainsborough and the top-class staying mare Selene, was one of the most sweet-tempered and also one of the smallest horses to gain the highest honours….no more than 15.1½ h.h. when he won the Derby in 1933, but he made up for his lack of size by absolutely perfect conformation nd sweeping action at the gallop……” The Classic Racehorse – Peter Willett

 St Simon– close observers spoke of his ‘electricity’ and said that he moved ‘as if made of elastic’.

He was never extended, let alone beaten, in any of his races, and he had that aptitude, possessed burst of speed that left even top-class opponents reeling within a few strides.

Long times ago there from a particular small horse pony breed of attributes/ characteristics to those collective genotype/phenotype qualities as described above. This enigmatic breed & individual, mare of traits (to her breed) had surely special significance throughout horse-breeding of those ages; there she goes, conduit to Herod’s pedigree.

Our on-line sources supply little detail, other than Shields Galloway, she the dam of Tartar, Herod’s sire. However….The Horse-Breeders Handbook of 1898, details: This mare was bred by Mr Curwen of Workington, Cumberland. She was the most famous galloway of her time, notwithstanding which her breeding has not been preserved.

The Curwen galloway link to thoroughbreds  conveys a wonderful historical truth.

There is further Curwen breeding “the pedigree of the dam of Spot, who was bred by Mr Curwen, not preserved – daughter of the White-legged Lowther Barb.” ref. as above HBH

Curwens Bay Barb “this Barb brought into England by Mr Curwen who also imported the Tholouse Barb, both of whom he obtained in France from Count Thoulouse, a natural son of Louis XIV. They covered few mares besides Mr Curwen’s.” ref. as above HBH

– foundations to Herod’s grand-sire Crofts Partner, he the sire of Tartar, attributed to  family 9

Another Galloway footprint – The Bald Galloway is the ancestral maternal tap-root to St Simon 

Is it, these characteristic features, of the ancient Galloway breed which Tesio ‘triggered’ as his plan, via St Simon, as he described?

He explains: “nature’s attempt to return to their original pure state” thus having acquired his use of Mendelian principles first hand, knowingly applied, at-origin-purity Principle to the best of his matings.

*****

**TBL side notes: My research re-examined  1)Winx  2) So You Think (NZ) – with attention to their phenotype gait-gallop style – ascertaining genotype, the traits of breeding may have evolved from. 

Further….the historical – The Horse-Breeding in theory & practice B. Von. Oettingen reads (ref. Winx’s  family index – f.f. 5-b)) **an ancestral dam named Marigold by Herod, female family 5-b. OF Marigold foundations, details: a Sister to Silver, i.e. Silver (by Mercury from Herod) Miss Cantley, (viz. a Mercury dam from Herod, Belvoirina (a Mercury dam, from Herod) Platina (a Mercury dam, from Herod) plus another sister, unknown

     – n.b. pedigreequery.com  has Marigold by Herod to the (ff. 9), She has 3 fillies, sired by Mercury , attributed to f.f. 9, plus another filly sired by Mambrino f.f. 9

**[the point to note: Mercury-Herod cross, inbred to Tartar, plus the family 5 & 9 are akin, close.

the affiliation is where Winx’s ancestral grand-dam is a Herod dam, a pedigree inbred to Herod/Tartar 3x’s.

So You Think (NZ) – ancestress Olympia 1815 (5 strains to Herod, within 5 generations) n.b. there is much more SYT detail to share… possibly Later date…

 

Research & on-line reference – credits:

http://www.tbheritage.com/GeneticMarkers/mtdnaintbdamlines3.html

the fell pony museum

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/age.12580 –

http://www.scienceofmotion.com/

https://archive.org/stream/curwensofworking00jack/curwensofworking00jack_djvu.txt

http:// /stream/biographicalsket1830brow#page/268/mode/2up

http://www.kirkcudbright.co/historyarticle.asp?ID=349

http://www.scottishmultimedia.co.uk/galloways

https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2015/04/14/gait-keeper-genes-influence-cantering-standardbreds/https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2019/04/25/secrets-horse-y-chromosome/

The Horse Breeding In Theory & Practice – B. von Oettingen

Horse-Breeders Handbook 1898 Joseph Osborne

The Classic Racehorse – Peter Willett

 

Copyright/Fair-use