Corner By Judy Wardrope Improving your Mare’s Weaknesses
a gamble, but informed breeding is aimed at improving the odds. That said, let’s assume that you have a mare and that although she has some qualities you want to retain in the offspring, there are one or two things you would like to improve. If you can assess your mare objectively, selecting a stallion to strengthen her weak areas becomes an easier task. Here are a few areas where you might be seeking improvement and what to look for in a stallion to help with that.
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What if your mare suffers from a stiff or sore back? If she has a lumbosacral placement (LS gap just in front of the high point of the croup) that is well rearward of a line drawn from the point of one hip to the point of the other hip, as shown in Photo #1, then she will be less athletic and less likely to be supple through the back. She will be prone to developing a hunter’s bump or jumper’s bump and may show signs of ridging along the spine in front of the hips, especially when heavy in foal.
1 A stallion 2
who not only possesses a good LS, as shown in Photo #2, but also sires a high percentage of offspring with
good LS placement is a must for this type of mare. However, be forewarned that it is difficult to find a
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ue to the nature of genetics, there is never a guarantee that a stallion will improve your mare or vice versa. Breeding is always
stallion that consistently improves LS placement and that the further back the LS is on the mare, the less likely her foals will be strongly coupled.
What if your mare is lacking in scope or the ability to extend? There are a few factors that contribute to a lack of scope and/or the ability to extend. Stifle placement (where the visible protrusion of the stifle joint is located in relation to the bottom of sheath level) is most often the limiter of scope and stride length. In general, the higher the stifle is, the shorter the stride, the less scope and the quicker the stride rate (Photo #3). Conversely, the lower the stifle is, the longer the stride, the more scope and the slower the stride rate (Photo #4). This is true because stifle placement affects range of motion. Breeding these two would not necessarily result in something exactly in the middle. One of the major
3 exceptions to the stifle
Conformation
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