1963-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1963 March Voice | Page 17
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Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse
Why Full Sisters Differ: A Billion Reasons
Dr. E.:
My question is this: I have two
mares that are full sisters, but they
are quite unalike. They differ in size,
temperament, conformation, and in
almost every conceivable character.
Why is this so?
J-J-
Dear J.J.:
Parents sometimes transmit to one
offspring much better inheritance
than they do to another, simply as a
result of chance differences in the
genes that go to different sperm and
eggs at the time they are formed. It's
this way: In the body cells of an
animal, there are a number of pairs
of bundles, called chromosomes.
In turn, the chromosomes carry
pairs of minute particles, called genes,
which are the basic hereditary ma
terial. The nucleus of each body cell
of horses contains 30 pairs of chromo
somes, or a total of 60; whereas there
are thousands of pairs of genes. When
a sex cell (a sperm or an egg) is
formed, only one chromosome and
one gene of each pair goes into it.
Then when mating and fertilization
occur the single chromosomes from
the germ cell of each parent unite to
form new pairs, and the chromosomes
and genes are again present in dupli
cate in the body cells of the embryo.
Billion Possible Samples
Thus, with all possible combina
tions of 30 pairs of chromosomes (the
specie number in horses) and the
genes that they bear, the total possible
kinds of samples which are capable
of being transmitted are 1,073,741,
904 kinds of sperm and 1,073,741,904
kinds of eggs. Thus, any stallion or
mare can transmit over one billion
different samples of its own inheri
tance; and the combination from
both pa rents makes possible one
billion times one billion genetically
different offspring. It is not strange,
therefore, that full sisters (except
identical twins from a single egg
split after fertilization) are so differ
ent. Actually, we can marvel that
they bear as much resemblance to
each other as they do.
Because of this situation, the mat
ing of a mare with a fine track rec
Kent mare dropped a fuzzy-haired
colt. With such an unpretentious
background—a crippled dam and an
incorrigible sire—no wonder Jonas
Seely smiled when his poor hired
man, Bill Rysdyk, cast a wistful
glance at the colt. Soon a horse trade,
an offer of S125, on credit from his
penniless hired man; and proud new
owner Bill Rysdyk led his crippled
The Story of Hambletonian 10
mare and her colt down the road.
Whatever may be said of Hamble
Hambletonian 10 was trained for a
tonian 10—patriarch of the Standard- few weeks, at which time he trotted
bred breed of horses—he was the re the mile in 2:48. It was claimed that
sult of a chance mating; one of na in stud condition he could trot a
ture’s secrets for which there is no 2:20 dip. But he was placed in service
breeding formula. In fact, had senti- as a two-year-old, never to race in
competition.
So famous did Hambletonian 10
By Dr. M. E. Ensmiger
become by virtue of the speed of his
Clovis, Calif.
get that his service fee was upped to
S500—comparable to a SI0,000 stud
fee today. During his 21 years in
ment not caused the acquisition of stud, he sired 1,321 foals. Today, 99
a crippled mare, had an evil-tempered per cent of all racing Standardbreds
old stallion been sold to a fish peddler trace directly to Hambletonian 10,
a year earlier, and had a hired man and most harness horses show cross
not had an eye for superior horse after cross to him.
flesh, the Standardbred breed might
never have been born.
While delivering cattle to Charles
Kent, a New York slaughterer, Jonas
‘HIalLing