UNDERSTANDING ‘BLOOD PERCENTAGES’ IN SPORTHORSE BREEDING

What ‘60% blood’ actually means and why it matters Browse HorseTelex or any European Warmblood breeding site, and you will encounter descriptions like ‘this mare is 55% blood’ or ‘this stallion brings 42% blood to the cross.’ For many of us, these percentages seem mysterious - arbitrary numbers attached to expensive horses, but blood percentage…

BylizzieMay 20, 20260Comments

Breeding Horse Health

THE FUTURE OF EQUINE BREEDING – GENETICS, DATA AND ETHICS

The next frontier of sporthorse breeding isn’t just about bloodlines; it’s about information. Across the world, breeders are increasingly using genetic testing, artificial insemination (AI), embryo transfer (ET), and data-driven analysis to predict, enhance, and preserve equine athletic potential. But as the science accelerates, so do the ethical questions that come with it. Artificial insemination, embryo…

BylizzieMay 10, 20260Comments

Breeding

MARE FAMILIES THAT MADE THE SPORT – QERLY CHIN

The Qerly Chin effect: how one mare shaped a dynasty From a talented mare in Belgium to a dynasty of champions, the Qerly Chin line has become one of the most powerful forces in modern showjumping breeding. The foundation When the Belgian mare Qerly Chin (Chin Chin × Kerly by Pachat II) first stepped into…

BylizzieApril 29, 20260Comments

Horse Channel Horse Health

NEW LIFE – FOAL DEVELOPMENT

With so much to look forward to as the New Year begins, and foals taking their first wobbly steps all over social media, we felt it was an excellent time to look at how these extraordinary creatures come into being. From day zero Any discussion about the development of a foal has to begin on day…

BylizzieApril 10, 20250Comments

Horse Breed Horse Channel Horse Health Know How

ANTICIPATING THE NEW ARRIVAL

Mares have a long gestation period, with the average pregnancy lasting between 335 to 350 days or roughly 11 months. However, gestations can last anywhere between 320 to 360 days, so being able to recognise the signs that a mare is nearing her foaling date can prove invaluable. As your mare approaches the end of her…

BylizzieNovember 11, 20240Comments

News Updates

DAY ONE OF THE KPC LEAGUE – TOP SHOWJUMPERS OUT WITH THEIR YOUNGSTERS

Text: Amelia Campbell-Horne Photography: @kayeanp Day 1 of the first leg of the KPC league saw a myriad of SA’s top showjumpers aboard their future champions. Dominey Alexander jumped some classy clear rounds on two of his future prospects. One on One Coach's Cellehof Pirelli, at only his second show, revealed his exceptional temperament, cantering around the 90cm…

BylizzieMay 20, 20230Comments

Breeding Horse Health

FRAGILE FOAL SYNDROME

By Amelia Campbell-Horne With breeding, so many things can go wrong, so any risk that can be eliminated should be! Fragile Foal Syndrome (FFS) is one such risk that can be easily avoided. In this article, HQ chats with Dr Mareli Smalberger, South Africa's local FFS expert, to help us understand how we can eliminate this risk…

BylizzieMarch 11, 20230Comments

Horse Breed

PEDIGREES – AN OVERVIEW

To understand breeding decisions, you need to learn how to examine the ancestry of a horse. Knowing bloodlines can help you to predict a horse's potential. Pedigree research often becomes a lifelong pursuit, or sometimes even an obsession for many top breeders, and involves an understanding of genetics. Speaking to horse breeders can often, therefore,…

BylizzieApril 21, 20210Comments

Ask HQ Horse Breed Horse Channel Horse Health

ASKHQ: STALLION FERTILITY

Q: When is a stallion most fertile? A: Fertility in stallions is highest from six years of age until they are somewhere between 12-15 years of age. After this fertility tapers off through their late teens and drops again more dramatically once they are over 20. It should be noted, however, that this does vary greatly among…

BylizzieApril 3, 20210Comments

Ask HQ Horse Breed Horse Channel Horse Health

THE MAJESTIC KNABSTRUPPER

Dr Marna Smith, an animal scientist specialising in genetics and the owner of The Majestic Knabstrupper Stud, is obsessed with breeding the ‘perfect’ coloured sport horse. Marna imported South Africa’s first KNN-approved Knabstruppers from Denmark in 2011. Because Marna strongly believes in genetic diversity, she bought a young, baroque-type colt to fit two sport horse-type…

BylizzieFebruary 7, 20200Comments

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