PETA - Big Brown

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Those people while probably not radicals dont know what they are talking about either. There is no soundness gene and genetics plays a very small role in the soundness of horses generally speaking.

Is there a fast gene? Is there an endurance gene?

I wonder why horses that win races are more highly bred than those that never break their maiden? If genetics plays no role in soundness, or a minor role, then it seems logical it should play a minor role in speed and endurance.
Yes?

Of course it is not an exact science. But honestly to say there is a minor genetic component...?
WE have completely changed horses in a very short time evolutionarily speaking. Especially for a mammal that takes longer than us in the gestation period.
Just like we have done with so many domesticated in animals and plants.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by pgardn

Is there a fast gene? Is there an endurance gene?

I wonder why horses that win races are more highly bred than those that never break their maiden? If genetics plays no role in soundness, or a minor role, then it seems logical it should play a minor role in speed and endurance.
Yes?

No because soundness is not the same thing as talent. If a horse steps on a nail he will be unsound for a period of time. If he is slow he will always be slow. There are certainly fast twitch and slow twitch muscles. Alot of what is passed on is size and shape. For the most part a heavily muscled, short cropped horse wont have the same amount of stamina as a tall, rangy horse. They can inheirit the size and or shape from either side of the pedigree.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

No because soundness is not the same thing as talent. If a horse steps on a nail he will be unsound for a period of time. If he is slow he will always be slow. There are certainly fast twitch and slow twitch muscles. Alot of what is passed on is size and shape. For the most part a heavily muscled, short cropped horse wont have the same amount of stamina as a tall, rangy horse. They can inheirit the size and or shape from either side of the pedigree.

So soundness has nothing to do with conformation?
And conformation is not genetic?

A horse that steps on a nail will also be slow.
I think what you are saying is that feet, because they take so much abuse, can have very random things happen to them. Things that are clearly not genetic, I agree. But to imply that all horses are born with the same hoof/foot durability is imho, not true. To say that genetics has very little to do with hoof/foot durability because randomness (nails, stones, etc...) plays a much larger role is a very different arguement.

-Humbly yours.
Dr. Phil Garden

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by pgardn

So soundness has nothing to do with conformation?
And conformation is not genetic?

A horse that steps on a nail will also be slow.
I think what you are saying is that feet, because they take so much abuse, can have very random things happen to them. Things that are clearly not genetic, I agree. But to imply that all horses are born with the same hoof/foot durability is imho, not true. To say that genetics has very little to do with hoof/foot durability because randomness (nails, stones, etc...) plays a much larger role is a very different arguement.

-Humbly yours.
Dr. Phil Garden

No conformation has a lot to do with soundness but conformational defects are not a given and there are degrees of which are critical. 10 horses with nearly identical conformation can have completely different soundness levels in their lifetimes due to a huge amount of outside influences including where they are raised, the weather and soil content, the manner in which they are raised including how much time they spend outside or in larger paddocks or with other horses, the diet they are on, the type of grass they consume, if they are prepped (worked) for a sale or left alone till they are broke, the way they are broken including different styles and the amount of time spent on each horse, the surface on which they train, the amount of time given when minor non conformational issue occurs (cuts, step on rocks, kicked by other horse), how hard they are pushed to make a race early in their career versus allowing them t develop at their own speed, etc...

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

No conformation has a lot to do with soundness but conformational defects are not a given and there are degrees of which are critical. 10 horses with nearly identical conformation can have completely different soundness levels in their lifetimes due to a huge amount of outside influences including where they are raised, the weather and soil content, the manner in which they are raised including how much time they spend outside or in larger paddocks or with other horses, the diet they are on, the type of grass they consume, if they are prepped (worked) for a sale or left alone till they are broke, the way they are broken including different styles and the amount of time spent on each horse, the surface on which they train, the amount of time given when minor non conformational issue occurs (cuts, step on rocks, kicked by other horse), how hard they are pushed to make a race early in their career versus allowing them t develop at their own speed, etc...

This was my etc...

I think you see what I am saying.
I am around people that are obsessed with horses feet.
When the youngsters are born, they are constantly looking at their feet
and commenting about being more careful with so and so because
the frog... blah blah blah I get bored... her feet are like Dad's she will
be fine blah blah blah... These are Hunter-jumper/Dressage types, so it
may be a very diff. concern. Also the soil around here is rocky.