Pedigree Research – From Hand Written to a Click of a Button

As we rush toward breeding season I am overrun with some of the fondest memories of my grandpa pouring over his stud books and writing out pedigrees.

Grandpa had a set of stud books; I think it was very close to complete. He also had a subscription to what I think was a monthly report on AQHA stallions and their progeny.

The room in their house that he used had been converted from my aunt’s bedroom and it was crammed with trophies and saddles she had won as well as Breyer and other types of horses. When I was really young it was the room that I slept in when I was there but later the bed was moved out and grandpa used it for his book keeping and research.

Checking Out His Research

He would scrutinize his books and write out pedigrees on his horses or of possible crosses. The technology of today makes finding pedigrees or possible pedigrees as easy as clicking a button.

He would make his choices and then arrange to go look at the stallions. If I was lucky I could go along on these trips. I saw many great stallions and many beautiful farms with grandpa. Somewhere there is a picture of me at about 12 years-old holding Alamitos Bar the sire of Ala Secret Sue and grandsire of Raise A Secret. We saw Easy Jet, Special Effort, Bully Bullion, Moon Lark and many more. We went to Oklahoma Stud, Belle Mere Farms, The Lazy E and many more farms.

Pictures May Not Tell The Whole Story

On my last trip with grandpa to see stallions I learned a very important lesson. We were at Lazy E and they got out Coup De Kas. I had seen pictures of him and I couldn’t understand why he was so popular but wondered if his age was the reason that his picture didn’t impress me. When I saw him I was struck by how well balanced he was, he was a very impressive stallion despite his age. Obviously photographs could be deceiving.

Another time a friend had been to Granada Farms and had seen Runaway Winner and Ronas Ryan. This was when Runaway Winner was a relatively new sire and it was hard to secure a breeding to him. She said that Runaway Winner was nice but there was something special about Ronas Ryan. Looking at their photos I just didn’t see anything extraordinary about Ronas Ryan. Then I had the chance to see him in person. She was right. Ronas Ryan was an exceptional individual and it wasn’t something that showed in his pictures.

In the Digital Age Can We Market Stallions Better

From those two experiences I have been trying to figure out ways to show those exceptionalities in stallions. With the changes in technology like artificial insemination it is harder to meet every stallion that you would like to breed to in person because there are great Racing Quarter Horse stallions spread all over the country.

You also don’t have to rely on single pictures and hand written and researched pedigrees to choose your stallion. There are many options for a stallion owner to use to showcase his horse to mare owners. With the Internet it’s easy to have a lot of full color pictures and/or videos to promote your Quarter Horse Racing stallion along with their personality. Many views can be used to show all angles of your horse but make sure your pictures are uncluttered. If possible capture some great candid shots or short videos of him that show his personality.

Supplement your print advertising with an easy to use Web site where mare owners come to get all the up to date information they would like on your stallion. Then keep them in front of mare owners by using social media to complete that impression we get of your stallion by showing his personality setting that emotional hook to catch the best mares to pair with your stallions. After all isn’t it the emotional highs we all want from Quarter Horse Racing? I know I do.

That’s my quarter’s worth. Let me hear yours by leaving a comment below.