Author: Duman Bazarbayev, leading specialist in breeding racehorses of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The key to a horse’s victory on the racetrack starts before he is born. That is, before the mare and stallion are selected to produce the future champion. In the racing industry, selection plays a special and very initial role. After all, it is an irreversible process that will be an integral part of the horse and can never be changed. That is why for centuries, as soon as there is a sport horse breeding people have been working hard on it, sometimes giving their whole creative life. Today we are going to talk about breeding long distance racehorses. Much longer than classic racing. It’s an average distance of 25,000 meters. It’s a distance you don’t see very often. However, it is very common in Central Asia. Especially in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. These nations have a national sport, horse racing, with distances from 8,000 meters to 35,000 meters. The name of this race in the Kazakh people is baige. And today we will talk about it, or rather about the selection of horses for this type of racing. In this region, almost ninety per cent of horse races are held at such distances. Although it differs from the classic races, which are familiar to the whole world, we see mostly descendants of horses that have raced at classic distances on these tracks.
If when selecting horses to produce offspring for classic races, where the maximum distance reaches up to 4000 meters, the main desired criterion is sharpness or in simple words speed, then for long distances you also need endurance, i.e. to gallop for 20-25 minutes without reducing the necessary speed. In the world of the racing industry there are a lot of materials about the selection of horses for short or classical distances, but for the distance of 20,000-25,000 meters gallop there is practically none. That is why we have chosen this topic today hoping that it will be of interest to our readers. So how to choose the balance between speed and endurance? How to choose the right pairing? The answer to this question is a very long one, and it will not be possible to fit it into one article, but we will try to cover this topic as much as this article will allow us to.
The beginning of breeding starts with the selection of pairs to produce offspring. Mare selection and stallion selection. Stallion selection is the most important part of breeding, because the stallion is more likely to produce good offspring. Yes, there are arguments about this, but the study of centuries of breeding history and many years of observation show us that the stallion plays a bigger role in strong offspring than the mare. That is why there are many cases when a high-class stallion mated with an average mare produced good racecourse fighters and sometimes champions of prestigious races. And this was not observed in the reverse mating. Here we are not saying that the class of the mare is not important. Он важен, но если нет хорошего жеребца, то вряд ли из этого получим что-то стоящее. It is important, but if there is no good stallion, we are unlikely to get anything worthwhile out of it. In our observation over the years we have even seen good horses from a purebred riding stallion mated to an ordinary mare, i.e. not a racing breed. So why does this happen? If we look at the process in nature, in the natural environment, we see that the number of males is the same or in some cases greater than the number of females. If we take wild horses in the natural environment, there is an average of 15 mares per stallion. So there should be more females. But there is a pattern in nature. A larger number of stallions than it is required for the natural continuation of the species is due to selection for the right to leave offspring. That is, the strongest of them win in the struggle for the right to become a link in the generation. Which is not the case with mares. If not all stallions get the right to become fathers, all mares equally become mothers. Hence the natural law: stallions are carefully selected, because this is more important than selecting mares to continue a healthy and strong offspring. Nature itself shows us the way. And whenever possible we should stick to what she teaches us. Many examples can be added to this. For example, locating horses by season. Follow the principle of wild horse migration in the wild. In the winter period move the horses to a place with a milder climate, and in the summer period vice versa, if possible. For example, this is how the most outstanding horses in the history of the thoroughbred breed, such as Ribot and Nearko, were bred. And here I would also like to mention a very important rule, also taken from nature books, to avoid mating where there is even the slightest manifestation of reluctance or lack of desire from one of the mated horses. This problem mostly occurs in mares. When the stallion and mare are in peak hunting condition, it is the right time to mate. There is no need to rush to mate them, but wait as long as nature demands it. But, unfortunately, you can sometimes find some horse breeders who start mating mares prematurely. They tie the mare’s legs. They put them in special boxes. It should be remembered that it is the full readiness, and the very peak of attraction that produces an explosion, an explosion of energy, which later passes to the future foal, and shows in it the character and firmness of a racecourse fighter. The horse races with his lungs, fights with his heart and wins with his character (Frederico Tesio).
STEPS IN SELECTING A STALLION FOR PRODUCTION
And so there are two stages to selecting a stallion. The first is selection, the second selection. At selection all available stallions in the neighborhood are considered, or more correctly all stallions that you can bring or take a mare to him. Here it is important not to be afraid of distances, long journeys and expenses, because it depends on what you get in the end. Missing even the slightest opportunity can turn out to be a waste of money, and even more, your precious time spent in the hope of getting a future champion. For the best results, the number of selected stallions should not be in the order of seven to ten. But it is not advisable to increase more than this. More choices, more thinking, more thinking, more thinking, more chance of losing concentration.
“FIRST SELECTION”
Rule of Four
In selection, as in all schools of breeding, the ‘rule of four’ is applied, that is, to select by following four traits These are Phenotype, Genotype, Achievement, Quality of Progeny. For better understanding, each of these points requires detailed disclosure
The phenotype includes the construction of the stallion: legs, chest girth, neck, etc Here the specifics of the exterior of a horse ‘adapted’ to long distances are already revealed The difference between the exterior of a classic race horse and a long distance horse can be discerned in specific body parts.
While tall, moderately large horses are better suited for sprinting, less massive horses should be chosen for the baiga . As a rule, extra weight at a fast gallop for 25-35 minutes does not bode well. Horses for long distances should preferably not be large and with a dry construction. Here we already see the first differences between ‘classic’ horses and ‘bay horses’. The back should not be concave in any way. If the behavior of such a back does not show itself negatively at short distances, it will immediately make itself known at a multi-kilometer race. Such a back is quickly subject to fatigue. Here we can mention the backs of Arabian horses, such as the Koheilan and the Hadban. Their shape and construction are the ideal combination for a race even lasting several hours.
It was previously thought that horses with long backs would tire more quickly in the lower back over a long distance. But according to observations over the last twenty years, horses with long backs have won prestigious races. It is therefore safe to say that the theory of the long back as a disadvantage is erroneous.
Here we would like to dwell a little on the horse’s coloring. Unfortunately, the stallion’s suit, which is one of the genetic traits, is largely ignored, although it is worthy of deep study. And if one searches and studies this area, one can exhaust deep knowledge. And here I could not overstep this topic, but let’s dwell just a little bit on the horse’s suit. In thoroughbred riding, horses there are two breed colors. Bay and chestnut. The other colors including grey are a consequence of deviation from the true breed color for several biological reasons. But, grey does not in any way diminish a horse’s athletic ability. For example, this has been proven to us by such outstanding horses as Native Dancer (1950). We will not go into detail on this subject, but will only talk briefly about the bay and chestnut colors. People for centuries, one might even say since the time when the horse was domesticated, have ponde bays over which color is better, that is, in its display of strength, stamina or speed. If we check the figures of any country in the world from the middle of the 18th century onwards, when records of thoroughbred horses racing began, we see that there are far more bays than chestnuts. Although General Studbook records show us that, almost all thoroughbreds in the male line descend from these three stallions: Eclipse, a chestnut, Herod, a bay, and Matchem, a bay. There were 1435 horses born from the chestnut Eclipse, 401 from Herod, and 204 from Matchem. And in addition to this, currently 90% of all Thoroughbred riding horses can be traced back to the chestnut Eclipse. But on top of that, the number of breeders is much higher than the chestnuts. This clearly proves to us that the genes responsible for the color of the bay horse dominate over the similar genes of the chestnut horse. But these are only genes responsible for the color, you will say, and it doesn’t matter what color the foal is born, the main thing is that it inherits sporting abilities. Yes, to some extent you are right, but still, the almost constant dominance of certain types of genes in the horse gives reason not only to think, but also to conduct practical and scientific research. Although it is not yet fully proven, but for the time being I would advise that when choosing two equal stallions, one with a bay and the other with anther color, to give preference to the former.
The genotype is the set of genes a horse has inherited from its parents and from other ancestors. Here, as important as it is who the ancestors were, it is just as important to inherit the necessary and desirable abilities that are passed on genetically. As a rule, the first thing we do is to study the pedigree on the father’s and mother’s side. Here I would like to point out that we take into consideration the two higher ancestors, i.e. father and grandfather. Many horse owners have an erroneous theory, when they see in the pedigree of more than two ancestors, one of the famous horses, they try to immediately grasp this horse. According to my many years of experience, study and observation, I want to firmly assure: the vivid expression of the qualities of the horse are manifested in two generations, that is, a son or daughter and a grandson or granddaughter. Let me give you a simple example: if we take a glass of pomegranate juice and mix it with a glass of apple juice, we will not get pure pomegranate juice, but the share of pomegranate juice will be contained by half. If we repeat this with the second glass and mix it again, say, for example, with orange juice, the share of pomegranate juice in the composition of the drink will be even less. And if you continue this experiment, then each time the proportion of pomegranate juice will become smaller and smaller, and at some point it will be lost in the other flavors altogether. It’s a law of nature. And we humans can change it. That’s why in breeding, when crossing one horse with another, its qualities can be expressed up to two generations. And then, as they say, it will gradually dissolve as other bloods flow in. It’s a general rule. And it works in 90% of cases. The other 10% are phenomenal producers who are the ancestors of the line, such as St Simon (1881), Dark Ronald (1905), Teddy (1913), Phalaris (1913), Gainsborough (1915), Man O’War (1917), Tourbillon (1928), Prince Rose (1928), Hyperion (1930), Nearko (1935), Nasrulla (1940), Ribot (1952) and others. , also in this list can be included such manufacturers as Granite II (1930), Tagore (1944), but not Montcontour, Monsun, Loco or for example Raut. I am not saying that these horses are bad producers, not at all. They are very good, but they are not the kind of sires whose qualities last for many generations. It follows that when selecting a sire for your sires, you should not go back more than two generations. If a high quality sire is further back than two generations, you should look for other bloods in his pedigree, e.g. on his mother’s side or on his father’s side not further back than two generations. The exception is, as mentioned above, line ancestors. But sometimes there are stallions that pass their qualities on to their grandchildren, but this is very rare, and one should not have high hopes for the probability of coming across such a horse.
Another made-up theory. Most horse breeders who breed and train racehorses for long distance races believe that there are certain lines or sires that produce offspring of long distance racehorses. This is because over a period of time they have seen the offspring of the same horses win races over these distances. And subsequently try to mate their mares to the offspring of those stallions or to those who are related to them. But I’m going to disappoint them. And I can say with certainty: there are no lines that produce long-distance foals. All the best horses at absolutely any distance, come from those who have shown a high racing class at classic distances from 1500 to 2400 meters. It is sometimes thought that a fast horse cannot have sufficient stamina, and vice versa – distance ability does not imply fast potential. But this is not the case. The two most important components of the racing class are not antagonistic at all; it is just that usually either one or the other quality prevails in individual horses. And in a stallion sire, sharpness is favored. It follows that one should avoid stallions that did not show their seed in the best way on the classic sprint distances, although they were the best on the ‘bay’ distances. It is possible to allow stayers in the mare, but the stallions must be sprinters. Unfortunately, a very large number of horse breeders neglect this rule. The reason for this is the lack of knowledge of this law of breeding.
Hence, there is one important rule in the selection of sires for long-distance races: to be convinced of the necessary athletic ability of a stallion to produce offspring for long distances it is necessary to test him several times at distances from 1500-2400 meters. Unfortunately, horses born in Kazakhstan, which almost all participate only on the “baiga”, do not get the opportunity to test themselves on classical distances. And by the end of the racing career I advise to select them for breeding, after testing by the above method.
Another very important factor is the variation of genes in the stallion. As we know genes are dominant and recessive. All the productivity of the sire depends on this. There are many cases when a stallion with a very good racing class, being a descendant of high class horses could not pass their data to the offspring. This, firstly, indicates that he has recessive genes. The stallion simply plays with the mare and dissolves into her. Accordingly, the foal inherits more traits from the mother. Let me give some examples. In Kazakhstan produces two stallions (decided not to mention their names) from Loko (1994), a son of the famous Sadlers Wells. One of them has been producing offspring for 10 years, but neither of them has not only taken prestigious places, but has not been particularly noticed on the racetrack. That caught my eye. So I started watching him. Even the foals that inherited his color had not quite noticeable grey hairs after mating with grey mares. The stallion is recessive. And despite his fine pedigree and excellent racing career, I think it is necessary to remove him from production. Another son of Loko, also in Kazakhstan, also had no success in production. Only two mares from him managed to take prizes. It would be possible to try him still as a sire. But I would try him only with chestnut mares. And there are many such examples in our country.
Along with this, there are stallions whose recessiveness can be called phenomenal. In the history of the baiga, I can confidently name the grey Talisman as the outstanding transmitter of his qualities. He was half-Thoroughbred and half Arabian. I do not claim his racing class as outstanding. But I do want to talk about his transmitter phenomenon. He was born in 1978, and after a brilliant racing career, he was a producer until 1993. And right up to the end of his life until the age of 15, he was used in production. And we see with great admiration that even now, when about 30 years have passed, there are still born grey foals very similar to him by design.
All the above-mentioned about genotype selection should be combined with the homogeneous and heterogeneous theory.
Hence another important rule, a high racing class shown in a racing career or a good pedigree does not mean that such stallions will necessarily produce future champions.
Achievements in the racing career is also one of the important ways to select a stallion for production. How many starts in the first group. The amount of wins. As well as the distance of the breakaway from the next horse in the race where the horse came to the finish line first. The quality of the finishing throw. And also data should be collected on the time of recovery of breath after the finish, if this stallion is planned to be used in production. The faster the horse recovers from the start, the greater the lung volume. Big lungs are a very valuable quality and one should try to pass this on to the next generation.
The quality of the offspring is another criterion for selecting a stallion for production. But this method is not always available. It can only be applied to stallions that have produced at least two litters. As practice shows, the first litter can be deceptive. That is, you cannot reject a stallion if the first foals do not show their best side on the racetrack. I advise you not to write him off and give him a second chance. After the second one his productivity will become clear. In some cases, wait for the third litter for the final conclusion in the productivity of the stallion.
“SECOND SELECTION”
And so we come back to the beginning of our article. As we said the selection of a sire through two steps. We have tried to understand the selection, that is from all available stallions we select a few of them. Once we are done with that, it is time to select only one of these selected stallions to mate with a particular mare. And here I will try to explain it in one sentence, applying the words of the great Frederico Tesio from Dornello, all the knowledge in genetics, physiology of the horse you can apply only in the first selection of the horse, and in the second selection only intuition and what your heart tells you.
