wpsellwood
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Do you feel that continually breeding the same lines to each other contributes to dwarfism?
Line breeding
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Arion Mgmt
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"Do you feel that continually breeding the same lines to each other contributes to dwarfism?"
wpsellwood,
To strictly answer your question yes, it is now and will continue to contribute to dwarfism.
Why?,
It is due to the same inferior genetics being stirred continuously in a festering pot, so to speak.
Line-breeding or in-breeding can be really, REALLY good and it can be really, REALLY bad. That said, the really bad resulting horses years ago were not culled from the programs, because the ones that were small and most likely not that good of quality were quite possibly dwarfs. The small size was strictly the goal. If they had been culled due to their poor conformation, we might not have the problems as bad as we do today.
I am going to preface this with in my opinion.
As I said in another thread, there are a small number of small (height) homozygous normal horses being kept, but the taller homozygous normal horses that might be over 34" are kept OUT of the largest registry. Therefore, only half of the homozygous normal horses are kept in the largest registry, AMHA, this INCLUDES all other international registries, except the AMHR.
I hope some of them are reading this. We really need to learn as much as we can about the genetics of the Miniature horse and not some arbitrary height limit set by some breeders in the US(not all of them) that had goals that were not for the best conformed smallest horses, just the smallest animal that kind of looks like a horse. The original "Midget Pony Association" was to measure the horses at the withers 36" and under, from what I know from the past. So I would think if our forefathers were able to "compromise" in the foundation of this "breed", then I would think they would have an interest to compromise even today knowing the genetics of today, not in 1978. This "breed" has become a world-wide love of the small equine. We have the ability to actually make what was started MUCH better. I step will down now.
John
wpsellwood,
To strictly answer your question yes, it is now and will continue to contribute to dwarfism.
Why?,
It is due to the same inferior genetics being stirred continuously in a festering pot, so to speak.
Line-breeding or in-breeding can be really, REALLY good and it can be really, REALLY bad. That said, the really bad resulting horses years ago were not culled from the programs, because the ones that were small and most likely not that good of quality were quite possibly dwarfs. The small size was strictly the goal. If they had been culled due to their poor conformation, we might not have the problems as bad as we do today.
I am going to preface this with in my opinion.
As I said in another thread, there are a small number of small (height) homozygous normal horses being kept, but the taller homozygous normal horses that might be over 34" are kept OUT of the largest registry. Therefore, only half of the homozygous normal horses are kept in the largest registry, AMHA, this INCLUDES all other international registries, except the AMHR.
I hope some of them are reading this. We really need to learn as much as we can about the genetics of the Miniature horse and not some arbitrary height limit set by some breeders in the US(not all of them) that had goals that were not for the best conformed smallest horses, just the smallest animal that kind of looks like a horse. The original "Midget Pony Association" was to measure the horses at the withers 36" and under, from what I know from the past. So I would think if our forefathers were able to "compromise" in the foundation of this "breed", then I would think they would have an interest to compromise even today knowing the genetics of today, not in 1978. This "breed" has become a world-wide love of the small equine. We have the ability to actually make what was started MUCH better. I step will down now.
John
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