Breeding the Best

The National Stud Farm has its own band of broodmares as well as those of clients who have retired their race mares for breeding.

The pedigree of the mare is evaluated before covering takes place as bad mares can make even an outstanding sire look bad. However there are no guarantees what the result will be even if the match is good. As mares contribute 50 per cent to the gene pool, the basis for selecting the broodmare is important.

The following criteria should help you select a broodmare:-

• Pedigree
• Performance (racetrack)
• Conformation
• Age
• Reproductive soundness
• Progeny performance