Developing a horse breeding program requires extensive education and training, and can take years to establish a good line of horse stock and a solid reputation. Like any business, you'll need a thorough business plan. more »
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Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. While feral and wild horses breed successfully without human assistance, 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.
Terminology
The male parent of a horse, a stallion, is commonly known as the sire and the female parent, the mare, is called the dam. Both are genetically important, as each parent provides half of the genetic makeup of the ensuing offspring, called a foal. (Contrary to popular misuse, the word "colt" refers to a young male horse only; "filly" is a young female.) Though many horse owners may simply breed a family mare to a local stallion in order to produce a companion animal, most professional breeders use selective breeding to produce individuals of a given phenotype, or breed. Alternatively, a breeder could, using individuals of differing phenotypes, create a new breed with specific characteristics.
A horse is "bred" where it is foaled. Thus a foal conceived in England but foaled in the US is regarded as being bred in the United States."Montgomery">Montgomery, E.S, “The Thoroughbred”, Arco, New York, 1973 ISBN 0-668-02824-6AJC & VRC, "Australian Stud Book", Vol. 31, Ramsay Ware Stockland Pty. Ltd., North Melbourne, 1980 In some cases, American-bred horses may also be described by the state in which they are foaled.
The "breeder" is the owner of a mare when it gives birth. That individual may not have had anything to do with the mating of the mare."Montgomery"/>"Stratton"> Stratton, Charles, The International Horseman’s Dictionary, Lansdowne Press, Melbourne, 1978, ISBN 0 7018 0590 0
In some parts of the horse breeding industry, the term "half-brother" o read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse+breeding
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