How laboratories compare DNA profiles to confirm a horse's sire and dam, what markers they use, and what a result can and cannot tell you.
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Breeding News
Research, records and field notes from the programme.
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How DNA Parentage Testing Works In Horses
Why Nigeria Needs Its Own Polo Pony
Imported polo ponies are costly and arrive unadapted to Nigerian heat and disease load. Here is the case for breeding the polo pony in Nigeria.
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Screening Polo Ponies For Trypanosomiasis And Piroplasmosis
What a Nigerian field study found in 304 horses, and why every polo pony in a breeding programme is screened for blood parasites before sale.
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What A Registered Polo Pony Actually Means
Microchip, DNA parentage, screening results and a start record. The documents that separate a registered polo pony from an unrecorded one.
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How To Buy A Polo Pony In Nigeria
A six-step buyer's checklist for buying a polo pony in Nigeria, from records and screening to your own veterinary inspection and handover.
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Why Thoroughbred Sires Suit Polo Ponies
Thoroughbreds bring speed and stamina to polo ponies, but temperament, conformation and inbreeding limit what a sire can offer. A plain review.
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The Horses Of The Sahel: Dongola, Barb And Local Types
Sahel and Nigerian horses descend mainly from Barb and Dongola stock. The names overlap and the written evidence is thin. Here is what is known.
Read MoreMicrochips And Passports: How Horses Are Identified
How microchips and passports identify a horse, where the chip goes, who can fit it, and why the rules differ between countries.
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Why Young Horses Are Started In Gated Stages
Early work is not harmful in itself, but dose and progression matter. Why staged starts with checkpoints suit young horses better than a fixed age.
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The Pre-Purchase Veterinary Examination Explained
What a pre-purchase vet examination covers, its five stages, what the certificate means, and what it cannot tell a buyer about a horse.
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African Horse Sickness: A Risk Map For West African Horse Owners
African horse sickness in West Africa: how midges spread it, how severe it is, and what antibody surveys in Nigeria and The Gambia show.
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What A Studbook Is And Why It Matters
A studbook is the official record of a breed's ancestry. Learn what it holds, how open and closed books differ, and why buyers should check one.
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When A Horse Is Skeletally Mature: Growth Plates Explained
Growth plates close in sequence, and timing varies by breed, nutrition and individual. What the closure data show, and why a vet confirms maturity.
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Equine Infectious Anaemia: What It Is And How Testing Works
What equine infectious anaemia is, how it spreads, how Coggins and ELISA tests work, and what a positive result means. Evidence summary.
Read MoreHow A Mare Is Assessed Before Breeding
What a mare breeding soundness examination covers: history, palpation, ultrasound, speculum, uterine culture and biopsy, and what each step shows.
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How The Argentine Polo Pony Was Built
The Argentine polo pony is a performance type made by crossing Thoroughbreds with Criollo horses. Here is what the sources say, and what they do not.
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How Frozen Semen Is Used In Equine Breeding
How stallion semen is frozen, why fertility varies between stallions, how insemination is timed, and what pregnancy rates look like. Evidence summary.
Read MoreHeat Stress In Horses: What The Research Says
How horses lose heat, why humidity matters, what raises heat stress risk, and where the research is still thin. A plain-English evidence summary.
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What Makes A Good Polo Pony: Conformation, Movement And Temperament
Balance, soundness, speed, agility and temperament: what extension and polo guides say a good polo pony needs, and where conformation falls short.
Read MoreThe First Year Of A Foal's Development
A plain guide to a foal's first year: the first hours, milk and creep feed, weaning, growth and the main health risks to watch.
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What Heritability Tells A Horse Breeder
Heritability for horse performance traits is usually modest and varies by population. Here is what published estimates show and what they cannot tell you.
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Inbreeding And Genetic Diversity In A Small Herd
Small herds gain inbreeding faster than large ones. Here is what conservation guidance and Thoroughbred research say, and where the evidence stops.
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The Polo Handicap System Explained
How polo handicaps rate players from minus 2 to 10, how team totals work, and why each national association sets its own ratings.
Read MoreFeeding Horses In Hot, Dry Climates
Water, salt, electrolytes and forage for horses in hot weather, drawn from extension sources, with honest limits on what applies to dry climates.
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