Breeding

Despite being an inexact science, the breeding of a thoroughbred is without doubt the most important single factor that determines its ability to cope with a particular going.

The genetics of flat racing can be traced back to the late 18th century and to two original horses. Since this time only one other horse has been used to supplement the stock, thus the gene pool has altered little from those original days.

This means that traits of the sire, the dame, the grand-sire and grand-dame, as well as influence from previous generations can be traced through family trees and in many cases, their genetic heritage will clearly define the characteristics of the latest rising star in terms of their suitability to the going (evidence of which can be found in the horses action), distance, even its liking for left handed versus right-handed tracks (a factor which often manifests itself in the ‘horses for courses’ maxim) and also whether it is an early or late-maturing type.

For 300 years breeders of race horses have attempted to improve the speed and endurance of their animals by blending the bloodlines of their best mares and stallions.

Stud farms will normally own a number of stallions, responsible for covering their own and visiting mares; a much larger number of their own broodmares; and possibly a number of horses of racing age, who may be in training with a racing trainer.

It the breeder wishes to breed for stamina, for speed, or for a specific combination of the two, it will match a stallion and mare accordingly in order that the foal might inherit its parents' abilities. If a breeeder owns a stallion and a broodmare, both of whom have superb bloodlines and a goodracin history, then the offspring of this pair will be highly prized. The stud may decide to keep the foal in the hope that it too will be a great racehorse, or they may decide to sell it as a foal, as a yearling, or even as a horse in training.

The average Thoroughbred today is a little over 16 hands, as opposed to the 14-hand average height of the horses from which the breed originated.

If you want to look for a horse that is likely to win you some money then first think of exactly what it is the horse must do. Four slender legs must carry more than 1,000 pounds of body weight over extended distances, traveling at speeds of 35-40 miles per hour, yet still have the strength and suppleness to respond to changes of pace or direction as dictated by racing conditions.

The main place where these characteristics tell, is in the shape and carriage of the head and the look of the eye. The head should be correctly proportioned to the rest of the body, displaying a good flat forehead and wide-set intelligent eyes. Carried relatively low, the head should sit well on a neck while power comes from the hindquarters and of vital importance is that the bone structure of the upper hind leg is the correct shapeas to accomadate long, strong muscles.

To provide a complete list of equestrian bloodlines and lineage is beyond the scope of this study. There are however many books published on the subject. The best known of these are probably An Introduction to the Thoroughbred, 1966 and The Classic Racehorse, 1981 – both of which were written by Paul Stanley.

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