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RE: [RC] stallion quality ratio? - heidiUnfortunately, there are all sorts of misguided notions like that
circulating that reflect little or no understanding of population
genetics. Additionally, who is the arbitrary judge of
"quality?" The people who pin Arabian halter horses with scrawny
necks, jacked-up legs, and skimpy bodies? The ones who pin QH
halter horses that look like beef-on-the-hook specimens atop
triple-ought feet?
In nature, a breeding stallion rarely has a herd of more than 4-6
mares. So if survival of the fittest is the determiner, about 1
in 4 to 1 in 6 is stallion "quality."
Personally, I'm more apt to side with the population geneticists
who get really disgusted at the loss of genetic diversity that occurs
when single stallions breed 100 or more mares per season and 1000 or
more in their lifetimes. Realistically, while we do need to do
our best to maintain quality in the breeding shed, we also need to
assure that genetic diversity does occur, being sure to maintain
stallions of diverse bloodlines that represent the best of what that
bloodline has to offer. There are many stallions that have
something to offer in limited breeding situations--but perhaps should
only breed a handful of carefully-picked mares. There are others
that have more to offer, but there are none that are a panacea that
should be bred to all mares, no matter how "good" they happen to
be.
A more realistic ratio would lie somewhere between 1:10 and
1:100.
Heidi
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