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explanation
of terminology and benefits
When viewing various screens and/or reports you will notice
some (or all) of these indicators:
Chef-de-Race Sires
are sires that are
used in the dosage theory (utilizing the Dr. Roman method of calculation). These
sires are designated on the Pedigree
report with indicant letters after
their name: B (Brilliant); C (Classic): I (Intermediate);
S (Solid); P (Professional). Split chefs will be shown with dual
indicators. A chef split between Brilliant and Classic will appear as B/C,
etc. Note: This is the only subjective item in the entire program!
Coefficient of
Inbreeding (if
applicable) appears
on the Pedigree report
compares the percent of inbreeding of the subject horse, to the remainder
of the removes 5-6-7 or infinity.
Color Coding
is a convenient
visual aid within this program. Some names on your
Pedigree report may be in blue or red. This simply denotes that the
duplicated ancestor is either a sire (blue),
or a dam (red). You may sometimes disable
this feature, but with it enabled you can see at a glance if your inbreeding is
to sires or dams.
Dam Female Lines
(DFL) - the percentage of 1st and 2nd tier FF# (see
FF#) found in the dam’s side (or bottom half) of the pedigree.
Duplication Count
Comparison, (34/33)
appears on the Significant Ancestors report under
Siblings tab. This is a specific term referring to the number of
ancestors duplicated, comparing the sire side of the pedigree to the dam side,
taken out through the seventh remove. The figure 34/33 translates to 34
duplicated names in the sires half of the pedigree, and 33 duplicated names in
the dams half of the pedigree. The ideal as put forth in
UltiMate 2000©
program is to have a balanced ratio (34/34, no variance) with a variable (or
difference) of no more than 10 (34/44 or 44/34) for the best results. Thus in
this example we have a near perfect balance between the sire’s half of the
pedigree and the dam’s half of the pedigree of the actual horse, or the
projected breeding!
Female Family Number
(FF#) follows YOF on the Chalkboard Screen
and Pedigree report. In the mid-to-late 1800s, the female families that
consistently produced winners were each given a designation (or number) that
each dam passes on to her foal. The current listing of FF# contains over 124
designations of which 27 predominant families consistently produce
superior performers and are considered the most powerful female families in
the world. Split into two groups, they will appear on your pedigrees as
green (1ST
Tier, most powerful) or red (2nd
Tier, second most powerful), those FF#s are:
1st Tier 1S, 1W, 1N, 2S, 2D, 4M, 5H,
8C, 8F, 9C, 9F, 13C,
14C, 21A, 23B
2nd Tier 1C, 1L, 1K, 3L, 4D, 4R, 5F,
8H, 9E, 9H, 12C, 14F, 16C, 20
(These numbers are listed on
each Aptitude Chart underneath the dosage information.) Inbreed to these Female
Lines whenever possible, attempting to have the sire and dam tracing tail-female
to the same family, preferably inbreeding to a great mare within the first 4 to
6 removes. An analysis of the FF#s within the top and
bottom lines of a pedigree truly shows the breeding potential of a mare.
Gender
of each subject
horse is displayed on the Chalkboard Screen and
Pedigree report after the name and is represented as
♂
for male, and
♀
for female (or an
abbreviated form of these symbols for geldings and non-productive females).
Gender Balancing
in the quadrant report
is simply the achievement of having an equal number of male and female
offspring of the inbred names. If males carry the major ancestors only,
a high risk follows that plodding colts can result. Gender balancing is an
important part of breeding superior bloodstock.
Inbreeding
refers to a common ancestor in the first 4 removes that appears in both the sire
and the dam.
Line Breeding
is simply inbreeding in the 5th, 6th, and 7th
removes. Duplications further back are not considered line breeding, but are
considered coincidental inbreeding. Line breeding is the equivalent of
combining the blood of the dam of the sire (Grand Dam) and the sire of the dam
(Broodmare Sire). The technical jargon goes on, but you get the point. These
duplications are illustrated on many of the reports and pedigrees.
Nicking
(or a ‘nick’) is a term used to describe the above average frequency whereby
mares of one given male bloodline would produce above average runners when mated
to the sires of another male bloodline. It should be understood that this is
only one of the many factors that play into the analysis of the pedigree.
Simplistic pedigree analysis,
such as the rating of “nicks,” is just that, too simple to have any great
value. It should be noted that an analysis of nicks should be based on history,
not projection.
History shows us that the
percentage of graded stakes winners is less than 3% worldwide using this nicking
system (sire line / broodmare sire line). We refer to this as Traditional
nicking. All of these statistics are published weekly in The Bloodhorse and
other publications. Traditional nicking is included in
UltiMate 2000©.
Outcross percentage,
(OC: 83%) appears on the Significant
Ancestors report under Siblings tab and is based on the ratio of
duplicated names to unique (or non-duplicated) names within the fifth, sixth and
seventh removes of a given pedigree. Because one has to stop somewhere, the
seventh remove is a reasonable genetic limit at which to make the calculation and allows
for easier viewing of all the relevant ancestors, which
UltiMate 2000©
has used to make the calculation. A minimum of 70% is best, however this is just
one of the four indices, a balance among all four is
desired.
Percent
of Blood: Each generation
contributes 100% of blood (or genetic influence) divided evenly among the total
number of positions (or ancestors) within a given remove. A given sire
contributes 50% to the blood. With 4 positions in the second generation (25%
each), for a grand sire to have equal influence as the sire, you would need a
2x2 inbreeding, (grand-sire & brood-mare sire being one and the same) or the
mating of a half brother to a half sister. With 64 positions within the sixth
generation, each position contributes 1.56% of blood in the foal being
analyzed. If a the same name appears four times in the sixth generation, that
inbred horses’ genetic influence is multiplied to 6.24%. This is the same
influence exhibited by a horse present only once in the fourth generation. If
you are a believer in the concept of multiple occurrences of distant ancestors,
measurement of the percent of blood will provide a comparative numeric reality,
which you may evaluate from one potential mating to another.
This can be easily achieved
with
UltiMate 2000©.
Running Numbers
(R#) – Computer
analysis of the female families has identified those that consistently produced
the best runners. They are:
1-2-3-4-5 (Note:
These are the FF#s, but used as numbers only without any Alpha
designation or branching.)The co-mingling of S#s and R#s is needed to produce
runners of exceptional ability, much like a catalyst. Using this as a guide, one
wants to breed a foal in which the 3rd remove of the pedigree
contains a recommended minimum 12.5% of S#s, with a higher percentage (the
higher the better) of R#s.
Second Generation Balance,
(Gen II: 0) appears on the Significant
Ancestors report under Siblings tab and refers to the degree of balance
of the line breeding of a horse taken from the second remove only. Gen II =
abs {(PGS, MGS)-(PGD-MGD)} This formula evaluates the outcross percentage of
the paternal grand-sire (PGS), the outcross percentage of the maternal
grand-sire (MGS) and the outcross percentage of the paternal grand-dam (PGD)
and the maternal grand-dam (MGD). The abs (no plus or minus sign)
is taken to give a figure that is at its theoretical optimum as it approaches
zero and should not exceed 17 (yet as with all
general rules, there are exceptions).
Sibling Inbreeding
(or
inbreeding to siblings,
that is ½, ¾, and full siblings that cross over both halves of the pedigree).
This method works incredibly well. Keep in mind that any inherited qualities
will appear in the resulting foal with the same physical strengths or weaknesses
as the duplicated ancestors.
Sire Female Lines
(SFL) - the percentage of 1st and 2nd tier FF#s
(see FF#) found in the sire’s side (or top half) of the pedigree.
Sire Numbers
(S#) –Computer
analysis of the female families has identified those that consistently produced
the best sires. The best sires either traced directly tail-female, to
these 5 S#s, and/or were inbred to them.
They are: 3-8-11-12-13-14. (Note:
These are the FF#s, but used as numbers only without any Alpha
designation or branching.) The co-mingling of S#s and R#s is needed to produce
runners of exceptional ability, much like a catalyst. Using this as a guide, one
wants to breed a foal in which the 3rd remove of the pedigree
contains a recommended minimum 12.5% of S#s, with a higher percentage (the
higher the better) of R#s.
Quadrant refers to a particular branch of the
pedigree. For simplicity: Quadrant A=Sire’s sire; Quadrant B=Sire’s dam;
Quadrant C=Broodmare Sire; Quadrant D=2nd dam. The
best inbreeding typically comes from the B and C quadrants. A majority of
the time the strength of the mare’s pedigree comes from her sire, whereas the
sire’s strength comes from his dam.
Year of Foaling
(YOF) if available, is displayed as part of the name
on the Chalkboard Screen/ Closest Name Window, and
other reports as a four-digit number (i.e. 1999).
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