08/07/07 Line breeding

Line breeding, Inbreeding and out cross breeding, I'm Jeff Keane and I'll be back with a little information on this necessary evil. Pull out any purebred lineage and you are certain to find where our ancestors opted to line breed. Here's Becky with a little insight on how the process can either improve or hinder a breed. We've all been taught that too much inbreeding can be detrimental and that is absolutely right but selective line breeding can greatly increase desirable traits and breed vitality. The problems occur when inbreeding becomes the foundation of your program. Many world-renowned breeders such as the Texas King Ranch have perfected the process of line breeding. Yeah Becky, these horsemen definitely recognize the benefits of refining their bloodlines by carefully improving their stock with like bred horses. And, through some trial and error, they continue to line breed and inbreed horses. The important thing is these ranches seem to understand just when to out cross and infuse new blood into the gene pool, thus creating the sought after hybrid vigor. This constant management of bloodlines continues to whittle out negative traits, but at the same time poses a concern of breeding down a bloodline and creating unwanted traits and issues. Well from where I sit the positive outcome of well-planned inbreeding with selective out crossing, strongly out ways the negative possibilities, often with out a little risk nothing is gained, I'm Jeff Keane.