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Re: [RC] Scid, and other post.. - heidiWell, you've heard of one now, in 2004. I think this was my point. She new SCIDS existed, she new there was a test but she decided to play the odds, which were pretty good considering that 75% of the horses she bred were non Arabians. There certainly are still apt to be some here and there, due to the very sort of people that breed this way. But they don't come in waves the way they used to, when no one knew what the problem was... I personally have no problem breeding a carrier, provided every one is informed and your not breeding a carrier to a carrier. You're right, you can't dictate ethics or morality. So, it's up to us to not be stupid like me and trust ANYONE, even a "friend". I might have bred to him anyway, he s 98% Crabbet and VERY athletic and correct, but I would have preferred to have been informed. Yes, that's an important concept as well--you CAN'T legislate morality. Being an educated "consumer" is the best defense. I know that Heidi knows the people at Bend Equine. They are the ones that diagnosed the foal. There were apparently some nasty words exchanged between the sires owner and them. It was apparently their position that he should never be bred again. I'm not sure on what grounds, that a SCIDS horse should never be bred or that she was clearly an unethical person in having allowed even one to hit the ground when it could have been avoided. If the second, I'm not sure I don't agree with them. Veterinarians in general are very weak with regard to knowledge of population genetics. Time and time again I've seen veterinarians diagnose a problem as being "genetic" because it occurs on the farm of a breeder and all the horses are affected--if ALL the horses on a place are affected, it most likely ISN'T genetic, since genetic traits tend to segregate, so that you get a 50-50 split, or a 75-25 split, or even a much smaller number of affected offspring, depending on the inheritance pattern and the gene frequency in a given program. If ALL are affected, it is usually an environmental or management issue. In vet school, we are taught lists of breeds and the genetic diseases one can encounter in those breeds, but very little about actual inheritance. Ambar (who has posted here) says that this is beginning to change--and I'm glad to hear that. That said--yes, if their thought was that the PERSON should not be breeding due to their lack of ethics, they might well have a point! Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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