Genetics

Genetic potential

The genetic potential of a horse is calculated according to the genetic potential and the BLUP of its parents.

Once a foal is born, its genetic potential can no longer increase

Innate skills and skill progression from playing and conducting missions are not included in the genetic potential. This means a horse's skills can exceed the values listed in their genetic potential.

Stars awarded for excellence

The award for excellence is a green star that you will find under a horse's genetic potential. It indicates that the horse excels in that particular skill. It is rare, as it is the culmination of a breeder's extensive work in terms of training and careful selection of breeding stock. It is awarded to exceptional horses!

To earn a star of excellence, the horse must have reached 100% of the genetic potential in the skill in question. It is possible to obtain additional stars in a skill for every 10% of additional genetic potential reached in the skill.

Excellence stars are awarded at a foal's birth only, because a horse's genetic potential cannot change once it is born.

Inborn skills

These are skills that the horse has right from birth. All foals do not necessarily have inborn skills. They are dependent on the foal's parents, their genetic potential and their BLUP. Thus a foal may be born with 10% stamina, for example.

A foal cannot be born with negative skills. If the average BLUP of the parents is below 0, then the foal will have no inborn skills.

These inborn skills are set at birth. They are added to the genetic potential.

Note that inborn skills are integrated to the skills, therefore it is possible to exceed the value indicated in the genetic potential. This effective value is what will count for the minimum skill requirement for competitions.

The BLUP

The BLUP value is a genetic index. It plays a role in breeding since the parents' BLUP values affect the foal's genetic potential and skills at birth.

It is calculated according to:

• the horse's training level in their three best skills
• the number of competitions the horse has won, with the ideal number being 20 wins.
• the horse's age, the BLUP can reach 100 only from age 10

Based on these parameters, the BLUP value will always be somewhere between -100 and +100, -100 being the minimum value and +100 being the maximum value a horse can reach.

The higher the parents' average BLUP values, the higher the chances for the foal to have a high genetic potential and innate skills.

Moreover, if the parents' average BLUP value is below 0, the foal will have no innate skills.

In order to get the best possible foals, it is advisable to choose horses with a high BLUP value as breeding partners, or at least a positive one, i.e. horses that are well-trained and who have performed well in competitions.