I don't think I've ever heard a discussion about horses from the same dam (assuming she carried, nursed and raised them until weaning) having some of the same behaviors unique to or characteristic of their dam.
Don't foals learn a lot by watching their moms?
Foals of a dominant mare, for example, might be all or mostly confident and good racers.
Any observations and/or opinions?
Half siblings: the significance of Mama?
Moderators: Roguelet, hpkingjr, WaveMaster
Half siblings: the significance of Mama?
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----Arrested Development
----Arrested Development
I remember reading a quote from back when the large farms were family-owned & employed their own trainers for decades, that it helped the trainer when he got a new horse in, that he'd trained the dam & 2nd dam & their respective half-siblings & foals, to know the personality he could usually expect & what had worked in the past with other members of the family. (And that modern trainers are at a disadvantage, having to start from scratch with each horse whose background they don't know.)
We do see foals out of the more alpha mares who all but say, "Do YOU know who my mamma is?" when they push their way into the weanling herd. We also see extremely well-mannered colts out of alpha mares, because their dams believed in a good bit of "mamma discipline" for the unruly.
We do see foals out of the more alpha mares who all but say, "Do YOU know who my mamma is?" when they push their way into the weanling herd. We also see extremely well-mannered colts out of alpha mares, because their dams believed in a good bit of "mamma discipline" for the unruly.
There is a good article in the T. Times 12/4 on clones and it talks about how the clone acts just like the DNA donor even when they've never seen each other. This is not quite what your thread deals with, but it does prove that DNA plays a major role in behavior.
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Re: d
tbrace wrote:"Prove" is a strong word. But at least that is their opinion.
Sire and dam each give the baby 50% of its DNA. Being raised by the dam has to be an influence, though.
How much is hardwired by DNA is anyone's guess.
Comparisons of human twins raised separately indicate that a lot of behavior is hardwired.
The hardwired behavior is one reason why I am quite careful about the stallion's temperament when selecting a horse to breed a mare to. I have also experienced that, more often than not, most hardwired behavior comes from the sire. A horse does not have to be a maneater to be a good racehorse.
So Run for the Roses, as fast as you can.....