Thoroughbreds and live cover

I have always thought the exact same thing??

Most people argue it's about the law of supply and demand, keeping the high-end TB industry in Kentucky alive. The industry couldn't support $10k-$100k+ stud fees if suddenly you could offer AI and the books of top stallions weren't limited to ~100, locally situated mares. Stud fees would drop out of a need to remain competitive, there would be no need to keep quality mares in Kentucky next to quality stallions, everyone would breed to Storm Cat and A.P. Indy, and soon the diversity of the TB gene pool would crash and crash hard. Personally, I think the diversity argument is the strongest one, but even that could be circumvented with a combination of AI and limited books.

Well that kinda makes sense. What about AI in say QH's do you think that limits the gene pool? Honestly I have wondered about that in the past...

I don't think QH AI would impact the breed as much as TB AI. The QH breed has so many variations, types and "specialites" related to specific bloodlines that I feel it will always remain diverse. The TBs, usually bred specifically for racing, have mainly that goal in mind: winning. Winning BIG. This is why the horses who do well in the more prestigious races command such high stud fees and selling prices. Everyone wants "the next" great racehorse, just like the last one.

My friend's trainer stands a TB eventing stallion and offers both live cover and shipped semen (for those wanting eventing foals). I guess that means the ones with shipped semen can't be registered but it does not matter in eventing.

The diversity argument is the one I've always heard quoted, but it does not hold up. The racing TBs suffer heavily from inbreeding, and it is becoming a crisis. Opening up to AI could ease the bottleneck.

As for holding up prices, there is a reason "Cinderella" horses like Funny Cide and Mine That Bird are so popular; the lack of outstanding wealth their connections have (comparatively) makes them accessible and sympathetic to a public who really cannot relate to the big money guns out there. Making racehorses more accessible to more people can only help them. Opening up to AI would at least be a step in a direction, any direction, for a sport that is slowly collapsing.

[quote="admin"]Well that kinda makes sense. What about AI in say QH's do you think that limits the gene pool? Honestly I have wondered about that in the past...[/quote]

Only in that everyone races to breed to the flavour of the month...if people actually bothered to learn conformation, learn nicking, etc., then there would be a wider variance in the gene pool.

Diane