COVER 1 - NMHBA SUMMER 2017 low res

increase its ability to generate offspring,
that is going to decrease the genetic pool
that is reproducing. Additionally, when you
increase inbreeding and reduce diversity,
you increase the incidence of undesirable
genes making an appearance.”
The breeding industry has been
denying Mother Nature her natural course
of events for a very long time. Nature says
foals shouldn’t be born until winter is
gone and the sun shines most of the day.
Well, we figured out that the length of the
time of light in the day influences a mare’s
breeding cycle. But we didn’t want babies
born in June, so we decided to preempt
nature by bringing mares into the barn
and turning on as many lights as possible.
Soaring electricity bills? Who cares! Those
mares thought they’d found an endless
summer.
We certainly disrupted nature with
multiple embryos. Some mares produce 20
or more foals by the time they’re 15. And
what’s the natural course of a stallion’s life?
He’s born. He competes. He breeds. He
dies. After that, it’s up to his offspring to
continue his genetic influence; with each
succeeding generation increasing the level
of genetic diversity. Instead, we’ve opted
to continue putting that deceased stallion’s
lines back into the gene pool ad infinitum.
Dr. McQue also said something that’s
impossible for many, if not most, to
swallow. “Breeders should consider stepping
back,” she said, “from popular sires and
‘top’ bloodlines…and add diversity back
into their breeding programs by choosing
individuals that have complementary traits
that can serve as an outcross.
“It’s important to have this scientific
evidence that demonstrates inbreeding
is happening and we can see it in the
genomes. And it is increasing over time.
I hope it (the scientific information) gets
some people to think harder about the
breeding choices they make.”
As a result of the study’s input, as well as
feedback from the membership, the AQHA
stepped back into the arena of frozen semen
during the March, 2015, convention. A
new rule was approved that affects ONLY
those horses born in 2015 or later. The rule
states that sperm, embryos, and oocytes
from foals born in 2015 or after can only be
used for two calendar years following that
horse’s death or sterilization.
The rule obviously cuts into the profits
derived from the unlimited use of frozen
semen, embryos or oocytes but, on the
long-reaching positive side, it should
promote more responsible breeding
practices. In turn, those more responsible
practices should serve to broaden the
Quarter Horse gene pool. As with
everything else, research and the passage of
time will bring in the final verdict.
Remember: The new rule, which is now
in its second year, has no effect on horses
born prior to 2015.
As expected, some breeders, mare
owners and stallion owners feel the rule
change creates an uneven playing field;
giving the pre-2015 horses a decided
advantage over those that fall into the
2015 or later category. But, like parentage
verification and DNA testing, a beginning
point had to be determined. The playing
field will become level again after a very
few years.
In the meantime, we can accept the
challenge to reach out for greater diversity
and, in the process, create new families and
new lines that will shape the future of the
Quarter Horse industry.
“Any time we take a single individual and increase
its ability to generate offspring, that is going to
decrease the genetic pool that is reproducing.”
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