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Which I think is a good thing on one hand, and perhaps a not so good thing on another. Because of this, many feel is one reason the gene pool is tightening so much. More locally or regionally located horses are not being utalized because now you can be in opposite ends of the continent and transportation is not an issue.
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Why would you feel it will limit the gene pool further? If anything, I think it would broaden it, where before, most mare owners were limited to their local stallions. I would definitely breed to a local horse if it was the best horse I could find, and I would breed to one clear across the country if he was the best I could find. But I'm not into breeding to the leading sires for the sake of that, either.
I said many feel it tightens it because some regionally located horses are not utalized. With shipped semen, the name brand hot fashionable sires get all the action, and the other sires who are good horses, maybe just not as promoted, go un used.I'm all for it, just stating what some think just for the sake of thoughts to ponder
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As far as embryo transferes go, I think it's a good thing, but I also think a mare should be limited on number of registerable offspring per year. This is another thing that can also lead to the tightening of the gene pool, and it cheapens the foals out of the super mares because now there isnt just one yearling each year.
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Why would you limit the number of foals a mare can have per year, but not the stallion? What difference would it make? For example, at Los Alamitos, there are races where every horse running is by the same stallion; what difference would it make if they were all out of the same mare? (Highly unlikely, but possible).

Actually, I think there should be a limit on stallions also. Used to be if a stallion had 50 foals a year, he had a big year! AI has made it much easier to breed to horses no matter where they are and semen split between multiple mares. I think 75 or 100 these days is plenty from one sire. Do we really need 200 a year?
As far as the mares, laws of nature tell us she is supposed to have ONE a year. Maybe it's my growing up in the TB industry talking with some of this, but for someone screaming about outcrossing, I cant believe how you cant see some of the problems with all of this.


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As far as cloning, I'm against it.
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I am on one hand, and for it on another. Not for the increase of numbers of a certain horse or bloodline, but for the wonder of being able to do that. I would certainly clone my 16yo cats if I could.