Greetings!
This is our first attempt to create a Key Ranch newsletter to promote and inform our clients and thoroughbred industry in Texas about the pressing issues of the day. Many of you may not know that I spent 14 years at Oklahoma State University, developing the farm and support for the Veterinary School. Our claim to fame was breeding barren mares and put on continuing education seminars for graduate Veterinarians and for the industry at large.
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The Key Ingredients
The Cambridge Dictionary defines "synergy" as "the combined power of a group of things when they are working together which is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately". Nicks, inbreeding, broodmare influence, and physical compatibility are all important aspects to consider in a prospective mating, and the goal in an optimal breeding scheme is to combine these individual components in such a way as to achieve synergy... Click Here to Continue Reading
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Beyond the Basics
Advancements in technology, combined with the vast wealth of information available via the internet, have proven to be extremely valuable assets in the consideration of Thoroughbred breeding. The great breeders of yesteryear were remarkable, in that their breeding decisions were based upon instincts and principles, and upon the limited number of accurate statistics available to them. Breeders today still adhere to their individual instincts and principles, but also have at their fingertips access to accurate and timely statistics, we well as opportunity to incorporate modern technological advancements into their own breeding schemes... Click Here to Continue Reading
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Putting It All Together
There is no way to guarantee that any given mating will be prosperous. No secrets, no magic formulas. We are, after all, dealing with Mother Nature. There are many ways, however, by which we can improve our chances. The first step toward producing a quality racehorse is the objective evaluation of the broodmare. Her strong and weak points, both physically and in pedigree, must all be taken into account. A mare who has produced foals in the past give us a bit more information than does a maiden mare... Click Here to Continue Reading
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