| Basic Guide to Reading Pedigrees
This web site offers complex pedigree reports. Knowing how to read them and understanding what everything means in a pedigree can really help you out. Because it is a good example of many of the aspects of understanding a pedigree, Real Quiet's pedigree will be used as an example.
Inbreeding
Cross Duplicates
Siblings
Grade I/Champion Horses
Racing Records/Earnings
Chefs and Dosage
Genetic Strength Values (GSV)
Genetic Strength Values are another system to evaluate a horse's pedigree and try to quantify the pedigree. Below Believe It's name, you'll see a number in braces "(54.30)." This is Believe It's Grasp Rating. Above the pedigree, you'll see the GSV number "GSV = 71.10". GSV ratings and Grasp numbers were developed by George William Smith and you can find out more information about using these numbers at his Understanding the GSV page.
Reines De Course
Ellen Parker is a pedigree researcher who has spent lots of time studying famous mares. She's comes out with a list of the 500 or so most influential mares of the last century. These Reine De Course (Queens of The Turf) mares are highlighted in the pedigree with a green star. For instance, Gay Hostess is a Reine De Course mare. If you are serious about pedigrees, check out her site for some good articles and also some great books about famous broodmares.
Conduit Mare Profiles
Bill Lathrop's Modern Conduit Mare Profiles are also added to the pedigree printouts. His system is similar to Steve Roman's Dosage indexes in that it attempts to measure speed and stamina influences in a pedigree. However, it differs from Roman's approach in that it uses female families rather than influential sires to analyze the pedigree. Bill publishes a book about the subject if you want to learn more about it. The conduit profiles will appear below the pedigrees for subscribers to the site only.
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