The breeding world has gone mad

[skeenan]

Yes, interesting discussion!

I think the same number of breeders would simply redistribute around the country.

For example, breeder #1 has 5 mares and a budget of $5,000 each (simplifying it). Maybe they live in an outlying state in the East. With AI, instead of the decision being based on shipping costs (limiting things to a geographical region), breeder #1 picks a stallion out of CA, TX, WA, etc. (assuming they'd be a better match than a closer stallion).

Point being, the same thing would probably happen all over the country... same number of breeders & mares, same budgets... just moving around the country more! It would open up the chance to improve pedigrees—if you're looking for a Seattle Slew son, maybe the best match is too far away... institute AI and it wouldn't matter!

In poking around looking at Warmblood stallions, the thought that I can pick any stallion I want, anywhere in the country (or even some in Europe!) is pretty exciting to think about!

Sure, there are probably a few stallions whose books would increase, but for the majority of breeders who have a stud fee limit, it opens the doors to many more choices and hopefully, the best match in that stud fee range, as opposed to the best match within shipping distance...

And, as someone mentioned, it would (I'm guessing) weed out the stallion population some...

JMO...

[BenB]

The problem is gonna start, when a supposed to be breeding champ turns
out in mare owners nightmare, specially when is having some 400 sibblings gooiing around the corner. So when his race records from his sibblings are less than the production of other boys.
The AI prevents in our country, a lot of ungooiing diseases etc when the orders are taken very strict.
So it could be very helpfull in this way.
But no matter what, the numbers will go up for the best sires around, and of" thought "the best sires around. Therefore one does not need AI, only better equipment.
In our country is also used, insemination from frozen sperm with more or less great results so restoring old fahionable bloodlines within the half (warm) blood. (Any stallion station has to be certificated on a number of very strict rules. If it fails to any of the rules than the whole ( pretty large)
investment will worth not a penny)
And embryo transplantation, but this is much more difficult, and very expensive so you need to know on forehand the results from a mating
gooiing on like this. It is done with supreme mare,s sportshorses who already are ageiing a bit although in our country.
I have a dream gooiing to Rainbow Quest (great brittain) if the old man stays a life but without AI it will stay a dream i am afraid off.

[summerhorse]

It won't take but a few seasons for the market to even out any greedy people breeding 400 mares a year, esp. since you can look up that info. before hand. Just don't breed to any horse bred to that many mares. The SMART stallion managers will limit their crops to a certain size so they can still get the high fees.

And AI would enable people to not have to ship their mares and foals around so much and still be able to breed to any stallion in the country. It will put a few regional sires out of business but that isn't a bad thing necessarily. There will still be private stallions though, they won't all go away.

[Brandonp]

Are stallions owners really breeding thier stallion to 400 mares? I have to agree that is pretty outragous. I know most of the top QH stallions are limited to 100 at the most (that i know of). I never realized that TB breeders could not AI. I do have lots of TB blood in my QH's but i admit i really dont know much about the breed at all. AI just makes it possible for me to breed to a top stallion that is thousands of miles away instead of the one next door that would be a great gelding.

[skeenan]

The other AI breeds certainly have rules and guidelines... the JC just needs to follow suit...

Regardless of if, say A.P. Indy, had an open book without any limits, how many breeders have the funds to breed to him? Stud fees will still be a governing factor for most... it may redistribute choices within that stud fee range, but again, while also giving breeders more choice opportunities...

And I also agree with the point made that if faced with competing with 400 other offspring in the yearling sales, hopefully most breeders would turn away from that situation in the first place. So I don't feel those numbers would ever reach that point, for that reason...

[summerhorse]

If you count SH and NH seasons some stallions have come close (maybe exceeded) 400 a year in some years. Even if they are in different hemispheres planes fly in both directions. I don't recall names but several stallions were bred to well over 200 mares last report year. As you see by the very first post Fusaichi Pegasus bred almost 350 mares.

I think for many of these stallions the numbers will tail off severely has their crops either make it big or bomb which may even out the damage they might cause if they ARE bombs. (when their books and prices plunge) Storm Cat bred a lot of mares but nothing like that and he gets $500,000 for 125. Tale of the Cat gets to jump every mare in sight and he gets $50,000. How many multi-million $ selling tale of the Cats have there been?

[BenB]

There is a damn good article from tony morris in the pacemaker today,
which confirm that the percentage of good ones will very sharp go down, and stay on numbers at about the same level with very limited books.
In every country there only a number of group races availible in a certain part of racing distances and no more, so in a economic way of studing to those facts it does not matter whether a certain sire puts in 100 runners for reaching his goals or 300 runners. So if there are only 10 gr 1,s at 10 furlongs he can reach a 10% in the first case but, a 3.3% rate in the next case.
It will only harm his stats and a lot of money lost by the owners of his stock