I'm also happy to see this, even if I don't have breeding animals at this time. Once I knew it was to be available, it changed my buying questions. I will be asking about test results, and a "none available" answer will result in a lot of "why's".
I expect that this will be like CA in Arabians. Some tested, posted results, and educated even if it hit their farm hard (Bazy Tankersley/Al-Marah are my idols for this!) Some tested, didn't share and dumped their carriers. Some didn't test, and unfortunately, some remained ignorant.
On a recent on-line auction, CA results were listed. Only one horse in the sale sold for less than $1750, there were no stallions offered. Those horses with negative results sold between $2000-$4500, depending on training level (all were under saddle.) The carriers sold from a low of $500-$2500. Broodmare with nice production record was the low seller--was her price affected more by the CA....or the fact that she was, by far, the oldest horse in the sale and wasn't under saddle? The other carriers were all under saddle, mares and geldings, and ONLY THE OLDER BROODMARE WITH NO TRAINING SOLD FOR LESS THAN $1750. (I'm writing this from memory, all errors are due to my own fault.)
The point to this? Marketing, education and training. Marketing and education go hand-in-hand. Many folks get interested by looking at the glossy print breed magazines. Some only look at the pictures/ads, and learn about inheritable faults in the content of those ads. Ads that share dwarf testing results will encourage buyers to question those sellers who don't list results. Education materials; I'd like to see at all shows, included in brochures and marketing materials that are sent from the registries, included in on-line content sponsored by the registries and by breeders, and member clubs holding meetings that cover just this topic. Encourage test results be included on registration certificates, and eventually (no more than 10 years) to be required for registry. In the absence of required DNA testing by the registry--even if both parents have no carrier results on file-- still require testing to register. Why?? Because it keeps the paper trail honest. *shrug*
Training, particularly in the last 10 years, is essential. This is true for the equine industry, not just miniatures. Flooded/depressed market means buyers want-and can get-more for their money. "But what can it do?" may be more common for us, however, I see it with all the breeds I have interests in. General observations....green at something seems to equate to about twice the sales price for unhandled animals. Solidly trained, or with modest show records, seem to sell for 3-5 times that base, unhandled animal price. There are exceptions, that's for another thread.
What to do with carriers? As many have said, that depends. And depends on many factors. How widespread is it? How does each strain affect the usability of the positive animal? Usability in this context is in relation to performance and general caretaking. For breeders, how does this affect their gene pool? If, as has been theorized, one registry will be more deeply affected than the other, it might require significant changes to be made. Again, more detail requires another thread.
As a buyer, IF I decide to buy an untested animal from a breeder, I may ask for a sales contract with a buy-back or refund clause. It's still early days for the test. By this time in 2016 though, I won't buy from untested stock. Why? A TRUE breeder, in my opinion, has the BEST INTERESTS OF THE BREED at the core of their program. Failing to test for inheritable faults is irresponsible. If necessary, test your stock in stages, stallions first since they "get around" more.
Testing positive for any one of these genes, for me with my breeders' heart, would take a tremendous amount of honesty and integrity to keep an animal in my breeding barn. Carrier + successful show/performance record + strong producing pedigree = breeding prospect. Non-carrier + successful show/performance record + strong producing pedigree = breeding prospect. Carrier/non-carrier - anything in the above formula = cull from BREEDING program. Keep for my own program, or sell to an educated buyer. If that buyer comes to me uneducated, I'll give them the resources they need.
Edited to add: Mary's (targets mom) post #51 above has, as it's root, breeder integrity as the basic question. And, in my opinion, Best Business Practices and TRUE breeder integrity don't often make comfy bed partners. So ask ourselves....are we BUSINESSMEN or BREEDERS????
