HGG Community Forums

Stone Silo Farm · Jan 7, 2019 8:29 AM

I've seen this mentioned a couple of times in a couple of places but I figured since I got a clear cut example of it this morning that I'd make a post about it. :)

Strict Breeding Advice does not guarantee that your foals are going to be better than, or even as good as their parents. For your consideration, I present Exhibit A, this filly who got run through SBA with her entire pasture-bred crop, and then papered with fillies that weren't automatically spayed in the process. Her sire is A-papered, tested superior to his B-papered sire. Her dam is Blue-papered, with an exceptional producing RS dam. But she came back as red-papered, which is an obvious step backward again.

So, remember. SBA is a great tool and it is fantastic for setting a high bar for breeding animals. However, it's not a fool-proof method of improving your lines...

LEAcres · Jan 7, 2019 9:20 AM

I'm confused... did you spay her or did SBA spay her?

Its not uncommon for a foal to be a paper level lower then their dam and sire... just means their breeding ability isnt up to par with their parents.

Right now looking at her page and seeing shes a spayed red papered filly with A/Blue parents makes sense.

Stone Silo Farm · Jan 7, 2019 9:23 AM

I spayed her myself: SBA let her pass intact. I know her breeding ability isn't up to par, but a lot of people seem to be under the misconception that SBA guarantees foals are at least as good as their parents.

ConfluenceStable · Jan 7, 2019 9:26 AM

The 'culling after testing' is the true test of your resolve!

I just went back through my ex perf pasture mares and decided to narrow my focus even more. Instead of accepting just ANY old Foundation Experf StySty Chestnut mare, they must now carry one of the genes I want (that foundations can have) be it brindle, DP, W20, Sb1, or minimal to light white factor. So look for a bunch of nice red Experf mares in tomorrows auction!

Forestshadow · Jan 7, 2019 2:05 PM

Indeed. I run a crop of foals (usually one pasture at a time) through SBA, then go through the ones that passed one by one to see if they meet my criteria. The ones that don't, get hand spelded.

Kintara · Jan 7, 2019 2:40 PM

I thought when SBA first came out the foals had to at least be as good as the parents to pass, but yes they certainly don't now anyway, for quite a few seasons now I get a number of B/Reds that pass with an A papered sire. I do wish SBA would require them to be just that 1% better to be at least as good as parents, otherwise as you say it's very easy for the mare lines to slip backwards