Pedigrees

Pedigree is the absolute essence of the Thoroughbred race horse, a breed whose origins lie in its name, being "thoroughly-bred" or "pure-bred", a translation of the Arabic word "Kehilan", used by desert Bedouins to describe the quality of their Arabian mares' ancestry, free from the taint of less noble ancestors. The idea of a "pure-bred" horse appealed to the English aristocracy who also tried to scrupulously maintain the purity of their own families, and so, the General Stud Book was born at the end of the eighteenth century, an equine version of Peerage.

While the modern Thoroughbred is not a truely pure descendant of its many Arabian ancestors, its own genetic background has been maintained over 300 years of rigorous selection for superior racing ability.

"The Thoroughbred exists because its selection has depended, not on experts, technicians, or zoologists, but on a piece of wood: the winning post of the Epsom Derby. If you base your criteria on anything else, you will get something else, not the Thoroughbred." [Federico Tesio]

What was Tesio talking about? Quite simply, he meant that the Epsom Derby has become the standard and the goal of breeders around the world, and those runners that achieve this highest of standard of performance have consistently proven to be outstanding breeding stock. The Thoroughbred is the result of breeding for racing performance and nothing else. Breeders that concentrate on any other criteria, especially those that breed strictly to sell an attractive sale yearling, are missing the point and are doomed to failure.

There are many factors involved in breeding racehorses. Every few years, someone announces a new theory or a new line of analysis. Some are effective and some are not. The truth of it is that there is no one single method that will guarantee success in this endeavour. Breeders are encouraged to study the various breeding theories carefully, find the ones that make the most sense to them, and try to engineer matings that satisfy theory from several different angles. I've provided a brief explanation of several of the most well-known pedigree theories and selection techniques, and the reader is encouraged to follow up the reference material for a more in-depth education on each.

Before you get started, be aware that there are three keys required to effectively study Thoroughbred pedigrees and breeding theory:

1.) You must have at least a layman's understanding of genetics and livestock breeding. Without this, you won't know whether a theory has a solid basis in genetics or is seriously flawed.

2.) You must be able to recognize the names in pedigrees and know what they represent. This is important in understanding which characteristics are coming down through the pedigree from which ancestors.

3.) You must be able to recognize patterns and interpret them accordingly. Without pattern recognition, you may miss inbreeding or nicking patterns that are significant to the genotype.

That said, read on, jump in, and have fun. Pedigree Theory.