Foundation stock

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Foundation bloodstock or foundation stock refers to animals that are the progenitors, or foundation, of a breed or of a given bloodline within such. Many modern breeds can be traced to specific, named foundation animals, but a group of animals may be referred to collectively as foundation bloodstock when one distinct population (including both landrace breeds or a group of animals linked to a deliberate and specific selective breeding program) provides part of the underlying genetic base for a new distinct population.

Contents

Terminology

The terms for foundation ancestors differ by sex, most commonly "foundation sire" for the father and "foundation dam" for the mother. Depending upon the species in question, more specialized terms may be used, such as foundation mare for female horses, foundation queen for female cats, or foundation bitch for female dogs.

The offspring of genetically dissimilar parents or stock, whether of different species or different breeds are technically called hybrids. [1] In Mendelian genetics, the foundation generation is the first set of unrelated parents ("P") to be mated to one another. A first generation hybrid descendant from these parents is called a F1 hybrid (F1) or filial 1 hybrid, with subsequent generations designated F2 and so on. [2]

Related concepts include:

Dogs

In dog breeding, the process of becoming a standardized, officially recognized breed in the United States requires keeping meticulous records for several generations. To facilitate this process, The American Kennel Club operates a breed registry for over 60 nascent and experimental breeds, called the Foundation Stock Service Program (FSS), through which breeders can seek to establish full AKC recognition of their new breeds. [7]

Horses

In horse breeding, there are usually a much smaller number foundation sires than foundation dams. In some cases, named foundation mares are not always identified in old pedigree records at all. Conversely, in other cases, such as in Thoroughbred breeding, pedigree families are traced to the tail-female line. Breeds that require that all members trace to specific foundation stock have a closed stud book and prohibit or strongly limit crossbreeding to other animals. The Thoroughbred, [8] Andalusian and Arabian are examples of breeds with a closed stud book.

Some breeds with an established phenotype and named foundation stock may still permit outside bloodlines, usually from the foundation breeds from which they came, to contribute further to the genetic base of the breed; these thus have at least partially open stud books. An example of a partially open stud book is that of the American Quarter Horse, which still allows limited registration of animals with one Quarter Horse parent and one Thoroughbred parent. Newer breeds, such as many of the warmblood breeds, may have mostly open stud books, where horses that are registered may be of a variety of bloodlines, but must first pass a rigorous studbook selection process.

Some breeds, such as the Morgan horse, have a single named foundation sire, while others, such as the Lipizzan, or the American Quarter Horse, [9] may have several. In some cases, particularly with older horse breeds, some or all foundation sires may be unknown. However, in breeds with a well-documented breed registry, all or nearly all foundation animals may be identified. For example, there are three major foundation sires of the Thoroughbred, and another 24 or 25 minor foundation sires, along with 74 foundation mares. An example of a foundation bloodstock pedigree line within a breed are the Crabbet lines from the Crabbet Arabian Stud farm in England. These animals were bred by the same program for 92 years, were exported worldwide, and had a substantial impact on the breed. Some Arabian breeders today specialize in horses descended only from this breeding program. Similarly, in the Standardbred, the Clay Trotting Horses constitute a distinct foundation line within that breed.

An example of a breed formed by foundation stock from other breeds, but not necessarily all from named individual animals, is the Hackney horse, with bloodlines contributed from Thoroughbred and Norfolk Trotter. In other cases, where a breed or landrace is older than any written records, the foundation bloodstock is sometimes described by myths or legends, such as the mythical horses of Mohammad, known as Al Khamsa ("The Five"), claimed in legend as the foundation mares of the Arabian horse breed.

The word "foundation" is also sometimes applied to horses of a phenotype that resembles that of the original foundation stock, particularly when the modern look of the breed has diverged from the original stock. The word may refer to animals tracing only to a select subset of the oldest foundation bloodlines, particularly when newer breeding has been added that changed the original phenotype.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Quarter Horse</span> American horse breed

The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at speeds up to 44 mph (70.8 km/h). The development of the Quarter Horse traces to the 1600s.

A horse breed is a selectively bred population of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a broader sense to define landrace animals of a common phenotype located within a limited geographic region, or even feral "breeds" that are naturally selected. Depending on definition, hundreds of "breeds" exist today, developed for many different uses. Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament: spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance; "cold bloods," such as draft horses and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work; and "warmbloods," developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods, often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse breeding</span> Human-directed process of selective horse breeding

Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses. Furthermore, modern breeding management and technologies can increase the rate of conception, a healthy pregnancy, and successful foaling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darley Arabian</span> One of three dominant foundation sires

The Darley Arabian was one of three dominant foundation sires of modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock. The other two founders were the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk. This bay Arabian horse was bought in Aleppo, Syria, by Thomas Darley in 1704 and shipped to Aldby Park in England, as a present for his brother.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byerley Turk</span> 17th- and 18th-century stallion and one of the foundation stallions of the Thoroughbred breed

The Byerley Turk, also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabian horse</span> Horse breed originating in the Middle East

The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses in the Middle East that resemble modern Arabians dating back 4,500 years. Throughout history, Arabian horses have spread around the world by both war and trade, used to improve other breeds by adding speed, refinement, endurance, and strong bone. Today, Arabian bloodlines are found in almost every modern breed of riding horse.

Purebreds are "cultivated varieties" of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be "pedigreed". Purebreds breed true-to-type which means the progeny of like-to-like purebred parents will carry the same phenotype, or observable characteristics of the parents. A group of purebreds is called a pure-breeding line or strain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossbreed</span> Animal with parents of differing breeds

A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. Crossbreeding, sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to maintain health and viability of organisms, irresponsible crossbreeding can also produce organisms of inferior quality or dilute a purebred gene pool to the point of extinction of a given breed of organism.

A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders while they are young. The terms studbook and register are also used to refer to lists of male animals "standing at stud", that is, those animals actively breeding, as opposed to every known specimen of that breed. Such registries usually issue certificates for each recorded animal, called a pedigree, pedigreed animal documentation, or most commonly, an animal's "papers". Registration papers may consist of a simple certificate or a listing of ancestors in the animal's background, sometimes with a chart showing the lineage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crabbet Arabian Stud</span>

The Crabbet Arabian Stud, also known as the Crabbet Park Stud, was an English horse breeding farm that ran from 1878 to 1972. Its founder owners, husband and wife team Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and Lady Anne Blunt, decided while travelling in the Middle East to import some of the best Arabian horses to England and breed them there. They maintained the Sheykh Obeyd estate near Cairo to facilitate this. Their daughter Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth carried on the stud until her death. The stud was sold up in 1971, but its bloodlines continue to influence the breed worldwide in the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth</span> British peer, Arabian horse breeder and real tennis player

Judith Anne Dorothea Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth, also known as Lady Wentworth, was a British peer, Arabian horse breeder and real tennis player. As the owner of the Crabbet Arabian Stud from 1917 to 1957, her influence on Arabian horse breeding was profound, with over 90 percent of all Arabian horses in the world today carrying lines to Crabbet bloodstock in their pedigrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skowronek (horse)</span> 20th-century Arabian stallion

Skowronek was an Arabian stallion foaled in 1908 or 1909. He was bred by Count Józef Potocki who owned the Antoniny Stud in Poland. He was imported to England as a young horse. Upon purchase by Lady Wentworth, Skowronek became a foundation stallion at Lady Wentworth's Crabbet Arabian Stud. He was most often crossed on mares who were daughters or granddaughters of the stallion Mesaoud, another foundation stallion for Crabbet, who had been bred by Ali Pasha Sherif and imported from Egypt to England by Lady Wentworth's parents, Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt.

Driftwood (1932–1960) was originally known as Speedy while he was a rodeo horse. Driftwood was known for siring rodeo and ranch horses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thoroughbred breeding theories</span> Breeding theories to produce better Thoroughbred racehorses

Thoroughbred breeding theories are used by horse breeders in an attempt to arrange matings that produce progeny successful in horse racing. Bloodstock experts also rely on these theories when purchasing young horses or breeding stock. A basic understanding of these theories can also help the racing public understand a horse's theoretical genetic potential. The breeding theories stem from the belief that careful analysis of bloodlines can lend predictability to breeding outcomes. A well-designed mating increases the probability of the offspring's success, although many other factors also come into play.

The Tersk Stud is a horse breeding farm, and it was used to restore the Russian horse population, which suffered heavy losses during the 1917-1923 Revolution. It was officially established on 11 February 1921, on the orders of Marshal Semyon Budyonny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thoroughbred</span> Horse breed developed for racing

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered "hot-blooded" horses that are known for their agility, speed, and spirit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jersey Act</span> 20th-century British Thoroughbred horse regulation

The Jersey Act was introduced to prevent the registration of most American-bred Thoroughbred horses in the British General Stud Book. It had its roots in the desire of British horse breeders to halt the influx of American-bred racehorses of possibly impure bloodlines during the early 20th century. Many American-bred horses were exported to Europe to race and retire to a breeding career after a number of U.S. states banned gambling, which depressed Thoroughbred racing as well as breeding in the United States. The loss of breeding records during the American Civil War and the late beginning of the registration of American Thoroughbreds led many in the British racing establishment to doubt that the American-bred horses were purebred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gidran</span> Breed of horse

The Gidran, Gidrán, or Hungarian Anglo-Arab is a horse breed developed in Hungary from bloodstock that included the Arabian horse. All members of the breed are Chestnut. It is an endangered breed today, with only about 200 living representatives worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Part-Arabian</span> Breed of horse

A part-Arabian, partbred Arabian or, less precisely, half-Arabian, is a horse with documented amounts of Arabian horse breeding but not a purebred. Because the Arabian is deemed to be a breed of purebred horse dating back many centuries, the modern breed registries recognized by the World Arabian Horse Organization generally have tightly closed stud books which exclude a horse from registration if it is found to contain any outside blood. However, Arabian breeding has also been used for centuries to add useful traits to countless other horse breeds. In the modern era, crossbreeding has been popular to combine the best traits of two different breeds, such as color, size, or ability to specialize in a particular equestrian discipline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeguada Militar de Jerez de la Frontera</span>

The Yeguada Militar de Jerez de la Frontera, known outside Spain as the Yeguada Militar, is a military Spanish stud farm headquartered in Andalusia, Spain, dedicated to horse breeding of purebred Andalusian horses and Arabian horses. Founded in 1847, it became the state military stud farm in 1893. In the 20th century, as need for cavalry horses declined, the stud's emphasis shifted to become a genetic reservoir to preserve the bloodlines of the Pure Spanish Horse and to continue to breed high quality Arabian horses, with stallions of both breeds being made available to private horse breeders to improve the horses of Spain. Today, there are two facilities located in the Jerez de la Frontera area, one primarily for stallions, the other for mares and foals, as well as multiple stallion depots across the country.

References

  1. ↑ "hybrid — definition, examples, related words and more at Wordnik". Wordnik.com. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  2. ↑ William Ernest Castle and Gregor Mendel (1922). Genetics and eugenics: a text-book for students of biology and a reference book for animal and plant breeders. Harvard University Press. p. 101].
  3. 1 2 "Bottlenecks and founder effects - Understanding Evolution". University of Californat, Berkeley. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  4. ↑ Provine, W. B. (2004). "Ernst Mayr: Genetics and speciation". Genetics. 167 (3): 1041–6. doi:10.1093/genetics/167.3.1041. PMC   1470966 . PMID   15280221.
  5. ↑ Reece, Jane B. (2011). Campbell biology, AP edition (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education/Benjamin Cummings. ISBN   978-0-13-137504-8. OCLC   792861278.
  6. ↑ "Founder Effect". Genome.gov. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  7. ↑ "Foundation Stock Service® Program Home". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "Foundation Sires". www.tbheritage.com. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Bloodlines of the Breed - AQHA". www.aqha.com. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
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