When you breed horses, the resulting foal will inherit traits from both the mare and sire. It is good to know what genetics you are breeding with if you are breeding your horses in a strategic way.
DNA certificates will give you some insight into a potential stud in the stud farm. It will give you information about their strength, endurance and track likes so that you can optimise your breeding selections.
Horses have a number of inheritable traits, some of which are visible to players and others which are ‘hidden’.
Inheritable traits (visible)
- Strength
- Endurance
- Track likes
- Colours!
Inheritable traits (invisible)
- Maximum strength
- Maximum endurance
- Trainability
Trainability can be enhanced by the use of saddles/training horseshoes and treats. But each horse will train at a different level, some better than others. You might notice in training, some horses will improve “greatly” or “exceptionally” more often than others. This is an indication of a higher trainability stat.
Maximum strength and endurance are often overlooked as an important breeding trait. Players tend to focus on the more visible “birth stars” in order to get to the next pedigree at the expense of other traits. In theory it could be possible, through careful breeding, to create almost “super” horse with very high maximum strength and endurance that would ‘peak’ much later. Ideally a high trainability stat would also be an advantage to reach their maximum strength and endurance potential.
It is not possible to identify “Maximum strength and endurance are often overlooked as an important breeding trait” until a horse has fully developed and at that time it is close to or most likely dead, so how do you suggest we identify such traits in younger horses to take advantage of it and breed it into future generations?
Hi Will, it would not be possible to identify in younger horses, but the idea would be to selectively breed with horses that do have high maximums exclusively, thereby there is some assurance that the offspring will also inherit these traits.
What about a horse that’s 0-20 in wins.
Is that in the breeding or is it the owner’s fault?
Didn’t see you mention anything about running ability in the genetics.
Hi Tim, 0-20 is not a good track history! It could a number of things – poor breeding or if the horse is being run on the ‘wrong’ tracks or against much stronger competitors. Running ability is determined by the horse’s current strength/endurance and track preferences.