PROGRAM
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We’re certainly not experts on genetics or breeding and we don’t intend to dazzle you (or waste your time) with a brilliant (but yet incomplete) presentation on genetics. However, let us tell
you a little bit about what we breed for in a way that tries to answer the beginners' and experts' questions alike. If you are interested in a more serious discussion, specifically on genetics
and inbreeding, we’ve included some excellent links to resources provided by folks more knowledgeable than us.
What We Breed
When you're looking at our horses you can expect to see several consistent themes:
We breed ‘foundation’ horses and the phrase ‘foundation’ refers to what many consider the original breed characteristics of the American Quarter Horse. Originally known as ‘Bull Dogs’
and ‘Steel Dusts’ the breed was considered to represent horses that were natural, all around athletes: sound horses with good feet and muscle that could work all day every day in any
environment, intelligent, level headed horses that were willing and teachable. Of course many were recognized as great sprinters and they certainly are known for their natural aptitude for
working livestock as well. The important part is the type of horse it symbolizes – muscular, compact and willing. In reality, most people refer to ‘foundation’ blood as what’s left in the
pedigree if you take out Throroughbred blood. Its important to note that there is not 100% consistency about this. Three Bars, the legendary TB stallion that meant so much to the breed, is
referred to by many as foundation; others specifically exclude him. We go by the original AQHA records and exclude all thoroughbreds when we’re talking about foundation.
Its also important to understand there’s nothing snobby about discussing whether horses are foundation or not. The reality is that thoroughbred blood was bred into the original stock
based upon the premise of ‘hybrid vigor’ or the idea that breeding unrelated individuals can produce offspring ‘better’ than the parents. TB blood was added to increase the speed and
athleticism of the original stock. We simply have chosen to concentrate our breeding program on as purely foundation horses as possible. Partly we do this because we like them and
partly because to obtain true hybrid vigor you still need relatively 'pure' or inbred stock to breed with and so we see ourselves as providing a true preserve for the future.
Breeding for Hybrid Vigor
Our horses are heavily linebred – which simply means their ancestors are more closely related than those of the average population. Parents pass genes onto their offspring and by
limiting the number of individuals in the breeding chain, we can more closely control the genes that get passed. If done properly and consistently, the results are horses that carry a limited
number of similar, consistent genes and therefore exhibit similar, consistent characteristics. This lack of genetic diversity increases the chances that linebred or inbred horses will hand
down their genes to offspring, in effect copying themselves. Effectively, we ‘set the type’ of horse we want by limiting the number of ancestors (and gene variation) in our pedigrees.
Some people immediately get turned off when they hear about inbreeding and that’s fine but any serious student of breeding science knows that inbreeding is a valuable and necessary
technique. Inbreeding has valuable effects and it is many times visible in the pedigrees of some of the breed’s greatest individuals. Care certainly has to be taken to ensure that
inbreeding doesn’t lead to a condition knowns as "inbreeding depression"; that is, horses that are many times smaller, less athletic and less healthy overall as their more genetically varied
peers. Poor results from inbreeding stem from several factors. Obviously, one serious factor is the simple risk involved whenever an inbreeding program is followed and one breeds from
a small gene pool. Another, and perhaps more commonly seen problem, stems from breeding poorly suited individuals rather than an inbreeding program itself. Our program focuses
more on linebreeding than inbreeding per se and linebreeding is one philosophy that tends to skirt many of the effects of inbred depression. But it is important to remember that without
inbreeding you can not shape a horse’s genetic profile and give it the opportunity to achieve prepotency, the ability to consistently hand down certain characteristics to its offspring. The
'shotgun' approach of breeding the best to the best and hoping for the best certainly can be successful but it can not consistently be successful. Its this complicated relationship between
inbreeding and genetic variation that is behind the old breeder's adage, "Inbreds breed up and hybrids breed down". What we're after in our program is consistency - both in the foals we
produce and the breeding patterns those foals will exhibit themselves so our program makes the most use of linebreeding and inbreeding.
Hybrid vigor is the phenomenon resulting when two unrelated individuals are bred together and the result is a superior foal. Inbreeding makes an individual homozygous, or the same
across its genetic makeup, and gives it prepotency. Hybrid vigor is the opposite of 'inbreeding depression' and creates stronger, more athletic offspring. However, one of the keys is that
the maximum amount of hybrid vigor is obtained when a new line is introduced for the first time. Larry Thornton talks about this point in his article published in the January 2004 issue of
Performance Horse and made available via this B Bar C Quarter Horses link. There are a couple of ways to generate such a combination. One is introducing a completely new breed - this
is basically what was done when the first, 'original' foundation mare was bred to a TB stallion. However, a similar result can be obtained by staying within the breed and crossing
individuals that are intensely bred from two different bloodlines. As Mr Thornton points out in his article, breeding an unrelated inbred to another unrelated inbred should simulate the
highest level of hybrid vigor. Its this particular pairing that our program most commonly imitates.
So you may have figured it out, but our program is focused on providing just one part of that chain - intensely bred horses from the King, Joe Reed II and Hancock bloodlines. Its a funny
way to say it but we linebreed and inbreed to have success with hybrid vigor. We try to create horses that folks can use in a variety of ways. We breed for hybrid vigor and complimentary
pairings by breeding linebred horses from the different foundation lines we use in our program. This produces good performance and all around horses that you can take out and use in
the arena or on the trail. Yet, our horses are still genetically concentrated by all standards and you can take our horses and create hybrid vigor in your own program by crossing our horses
with the more modern TB based performing lines or just an unrelated foundation line like Driftwood or the King Ranch lines. Just like the original Quarter horses were famous for being
able to pull a plow in the morning and match race in the evening, we want our horses to offer a little of everything.
you a little bit about what we breed for in a way that tries to answer the beginners' and experts' questions alike. If you are interested in a more serious discussion, specifically on genetics
and inbreeding, we’ve included some excellent links to resources provided by folks more knowledgeable than us.
What We Breed
When you're looking at our horses you can expect to see several consistent themes:
- Our horses are linebred and we aim to put foals on the ground that carry at least 20% of the ‘blood’ of a specific horse or bloodline. 20% is the rough figure that a horse needs
to ensure that not only them, but their offspring will hand down specific genetic traits. - We work mostly with King, Joe Reed II and Joe Hancock horses. We personally like those horses and history and our own breeding results have shown that those lines
compliment each other. - We focus on all around athletes that are easy keepers with sound conformation. Temperament is a must for us. We don’t have or breed poorly mannered horses. We want
willing horses that are calm, relaxed and curious around us.
We breed ‘foundation’ horses and the phrase ‘foundation’ refers to what many consider the original breed characteristics of the American Quarter Horse. Originally known as ‘Bull Dogs’
and ‘Steel Dusts’ the breed was considered to represent horses that were natural, all around athletes: sound horses with good feet and muscle that could work all day every day in any
environment, intelligent, level headed horses that were willing and teachable. Of course many were recognized as great sprinters and they certainly are known for their natural aptitude for
working livestock as well. The important part is the type of horse it symbolizes – muscular, compact and willing. In reality, most people refer to ‘foundation’ blood as what’s left in the
pedigree if you take out Throroughbred blood. Its important to note that there is not 100% consistency about this. Three Bars, the legendary TB stallion that meant so much to the breed, is
referred to by many as foundation; others specifically exclude him. We go by the original AQHA records and exclude all thoroughbreds when we’re talking about foundation.
Its also important to understand there’s nothing snobby about discussing whether horses are foundation or not. The reality is that thoroughbred blood was bred into the original stock
based upon the premise of ‘hybrid vigor’ or the idea that breeding unrelated individuals can produce offspring ‘better’ than the parents. TB blood was added to increase the speed and
athleticism of the original stock. We simply have chosen to concentrate our breeding program on as purely foundation horses as possible. Partly we do this because we like them and
partly because to obtain true hybrid vigor you still need relatively 'pure' or inbred stock to breed with and so we see ourselves as providing a true preserve for the future.
Breeding for Hybrid Vigor
Our horses are heavily linebred – which simply means their ancestors are more closely related than those of the average population. Parents pass genes onto their offspring and by
limiting the number of individuals in the breeding chain, we can more closely control the genes that get passed. If done properly and consistently, the results are horses that carry a limited
number of similar, consistent genes and therefore exhibit similar, consistent characteristics. This lack of genetic diversity increases the chances that linebred or inbred horses will hand
down their genes to offspring, in effect copying themselves. Effectively, we ‘set the type’ of horse we want by limiting the number of ancestors (and gene variation) in our pedigrees.
Some people immediately get turned off when they hear about inbreeding and that’s fine but any serious student of breeding science knows that inbreeding is a valuable and necessary
technique. Inbreeding has valuable effects and it is many times visible in the pedigrees of some of the breed’s greatest individuals. Care certainly has to be taken to ensure that
inbreeding doesn’t lead to a condition knowns as "inbreeding depression"; that is, horses that are many times smaller, less athletic and less healthy overall as their more genetically varied
peers. Poor results from inbreeding stem from several factors. Obviously, one serious factor is the simple risk involved whenever an inbreeding program is followed and one breeds from
a small gene pool. Another, and perhaps more commonly seen problem, stems from breeding poorly suited individuals rather than an inbreeding program itself. Our program focuses
more on linebreeding than inbreeding per se and linebreeding is one philosophy that tends to skirt many of the effects of inbred depression. But it is important to remember that without
inbreeding you can not shape a horse’s genetic profile and give it the opportunity to achieve prepotency, the ability to consistently hand down certain characteristics to its offspring. The
'shotgun' approach of breeding the best to the best and hoping for the best certainly can be successful but it can not consistently be successful. Its this complicated relationship between
inbreeding and genetic variation that is behind the old breeder's adage, "Inbreds breed up and hybrids breed down". What we're after in our program is consistency - both in the foals we
produce and the breeding patterns those foals will exhibit themselves so our program makes the most use of linebreeding and inbreeding.
Hybrid vigor is the phenomenon resulting when two unrelated individuals are bred together and the result is a superior foal. Inbreeding makes an individual homozygous, or the same
across its genetic makeup, and gives it prepotency. Hybrid vigor is the opposite of 'inbreeding depression' and creates stronger, more athletic offspring. However, one of the keys is that
the maximum amount of hybrid vigor is obtained when a new line is introduced for the first time. Larry Thornton talks about this point in his article published in the January 2004 issue of
Performance Horse and made available via this B Bar C Quarter Horses link. There are a couple of ways to generate such a combination. One is introducing a completely new breed - this
is basically what was done when the first, 'original' foundation mare was bred to a TB stallion. However, a similar result can be obtained by staying within the breed and crossing
individuals that are intensely bred from two different bloodlines. As Mr Thornton points out in his article, breeding an unrelated inbred to another unrelated inbred should simulate the
highest level of hybrid vigor. Its this particular pairing that our program most commonly imitates.
So you may have figured it out, but our program is focused on providing just one part of that chain - intensely bred horses from the King, Joe Reed II and Hancock bloodlines. Its a funny
way to say it but we linebreed and inbreed to have success with hybrid vigor. We try to create horses that folks can use in a variety of ways. We breed for hybrid vigor and complimentary
pairings by breeding linebred horses from the different foundation lines we use in our program. This produces good performance and all around horses that you can take out and use in
the arena or on the trail. Yet, our horses are still genetically concentrated by all standards and you can take our horses and create hybrid vigor in your own program by crossing our horses
with the more modern TB based performing lines or just an unrelated foundation line like Driftwood or the King Ranch lines. Just like the original Quarter horses were famous for being
able to pull a plow in the morning and match race in the evening, we want our horses to offer a little of everything.
HAVENS FOUNDATION
QUARTER HORSES
QUARTER HORSES
