When delving into the world of horse breeding and genetics, a specialized vocabulary emerges, unique to those who study equine bloodlines. Understanding these terms is crucial for building sale catalog pages, offering breeding consultations, and comprehending the intricate tapestry of a horse’s ancestry. This guide aims to demystify some of the fundamental words and phrases commonly encountered in pedigree discussions.
Key Pedigree Terms Explained
Core Relationships
- Sire and Dam: The sire is the father of a horse, while the dam is the mother.
- To Produce and To Sire: A mare (female horse) produces foals. Stallions (male horses) sire foals; they do not produce them.
- Out Of and By: A horse is always described as being “out of” its dam and “by” its sire. For instance, Hollywood Dun It is by Hollywood Jac 86 (his sire) and out of Blossom Berry (his dam). Blossom Berry, in turn, was by Dun Berry.
Sibling Definitions
- Half-Sister or Half-Brother: This designation applies only to horses that share the same dam. Horses sired by the same stallion but out of different dams are not considered half-siblings.
- Brother or Sister: These terms always refer to horses that have the same sire and dam, meaning they are full siblings. For example, stating “Dry Doc, brother to Doc O’Lena” signifies that Dry Doc is a full brother to Doc O’Lena.
Ancestral Designations
- Broodmare Sire or Dam’s Sire: This refers to the sire of a horse’s dam, essentially the horse’s maternal grandfather.
- Tail Male Line: This is a listing of a horse’s male ancestry, traced through its sire. For example, the tail male line for Hollywood Dun It would include: Hollywood Jac 86 (sire), Easter King (sire’s sire), King (sire’s sire’s sire), Zantanon, Little Joe, and Traveler.
- Tail Female Line: This traces a horse’s female ancestry through its dam. For Hollywood Dun It, the tail female line would be: Blossom Berry (dam), Regina Bella (dam’s dam), Tina Regina (dam’s dam’s dam), Little Dunny 2, Anna’s Little Dunny, and Anna Wilkens.
- First Dam, Second Dam, Third Dam, etc.: The first dam is the horse’s mother. The second dam is the mother of the first dam (maternal grandmother). The third dam is the mother of the second dam (maternal great-grandmother), and so forth. This terminology consistently refers to the tail female line.
Pedigree Page Slang
- Top Side: This is informal language for the sire’s side of a pedigree page.
- Bottom Side: Conversely, this refers to the dam’s side of the pedigree page.
Advanced Pedigree Concepts
Influential Mares and Breeding Strategies
- Blue Hen: A mare recognized for having a significant and enduring multigenerational influence on a breed, often through both her male and female descendants. Notable Quarter Horse examples include Royal Blue Boon in cutting and Do Good in racing.
- Inbreeding: This involves breeding closely related individuals.
- Inbreeding Quotient: These numbers quantify how often a particular horse appears in the pedigree of another. In a genetic pedigree, the first generation includes the horse’s sire and dam. For instance, stating “Leo is 2×2 to Joe Reed” means Joe Reed P-3 appears twice in Leo’s pedigree within the second generation (grandparents). Leo’s parents (Joe Reed II and Little Fanny) are the first generation, and Joe Reed P-3 is found in the second generation, appearing twice.
- Linebreeding: This practice involves breeding individuals that are distantly related, typically with ancestors further back than the fourth generation. Learn more about linebreeding here.
- Outcross: This refers to breeding two unrelated individuals, or individuals whose shared ancestor is many generations back in their respective pedigrees. Learn more about outcrosses and hybrid vigor here.
- Nick: A “nick” occurs when specific bloodlines consistently produce outstanding performers when crossed together. These successful crosses often persist through several generations, with a stallion’s male-line descendants continuing to perform well when bred to the female-line descendants of another stallion. Learn more about nicking here.
Reading a Pedigree Chart
Pedigree information is often presented concisely. For example, a pedigree might be written as “Freightrain B — Sinuous by Mr Jess Perry.” This notation indicates the sire (Freightrain B), the dam (Sinuous), and the dam’s sire (Mr Jess Perry). Remember, a horse is “by” its sire and “out of” its dam.
In Quarter Horse pedigrees, the sire’s lineage is typically displayed on the top, and the dam’s lineage on the bottom. The chart progresses from left to right, with each subsequent generation branching out. The dam’s mother is referred to as the second dam, her mother as the third dam, and so forth, tracing the tail female line.
Pedigree Resources
The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) provides access to free pedigree records. Additionally, more in-depth pedigree research reports are available from QData.
