
Argent Offline
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Closed Studbooks?
Will these be a thing?

larissar Offline
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Re: Closed Studbooks?
Yes, possibly only for user-created breeds though. I don't want to prevent new players from being able to register their (game created) cross breeds. This kind of feature does need some careful thinking to implement.

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Re: Closed Studbooks?
Users could petition for registry of newly created purebreds, and there could be appendix registries for partbreds, and horses being bred up to pure. For example:
If I produce a first generation Andalusian from a Carthusian x NAB-Sorraia cross, I could petition the registry to allow me to register the horse. Because it is a purebred, the registry could send the horse directly into the main studbook (if perhaps it scores high enough in breed evaluation, or just because). If there was a minimum number of generations required to be in the main book, they could place it in the appendix studbook under something like "purebred, not yet approved." Regardless, new members are able to register their self-made horses, and the gene pool gets some added diversity. This horse's foals from other purebred appendix horses would be registered as "purebred, not yet approved" until the minimum generations were met, at which point the horses would be sent to the main book by default.
For partbreds, the purebred parent would have to be in the main book, and the other parent could either be of any breed, or a particular approved breed, or a percentage horse that has been registered in the appendix book if the horses are being bred up. Partbreds would be registered to the appendix book by default if they have a parent in the main book and a parent in the appendix book. Once the blood percent is high enough that the horse is considered purebred, they would fall under the same rules as a first generation self-made purebred.
Purebreds could only be registered to the main book by default if both parents are already in the main book.
I would say, for fairness, that no self-made first generation purebred could be denied some form of registry unless it carries a color/gene banned from the registry (if you remember, I suggested that the only colors/genes a registry should be allowed to outright ban are those that are not found in the ancient breeds that make up the extant breed). Partbred horses as well should not be denied registry into the appendix book if their purebred parent is in the main book and the other parent fits the registry's requirements (correct breed, color, registered, etc.). This leaves only the issue of breeding up to pure, which due to all self-made first gens and most partbreds being registered in some way, should not be an issue; the only obstacle would be the minimum generations of pure breeding to enter the main book, if that feature is added.
As far as real breed registries go, I think all but two are entirely closed and do not allow any horses of mixed or contested ancestry to be registered as purebred, no matter how many generations of pure breeding. Many registries have an appendix for partbreds, but again, no matter how many generations of pure breeding, the horse will never be allowed into the purebred registry. Breeds that allow partbreds to be registered as pure are the Quarter Horse and the Trakehner (the only warmblood that is an actual breed, all others are simply types with open stud books). The AQHA allows part-Thoroughbreds to become full QHs if they pass the same performance requirements for pure QHs, and a horse can be registered as a Trake if it meets breed and performance requirements. And then there's the color registries, the ApHC and APHA, which allow partbred horses of particular crosses to be registered as pure (I think only if they carry the appropriate patterns). In all cases, the other parent must be registered by their own breed registry. For AQHA at least, horses with one parent in the appendix book cannot be registered unless the other parent is in the main book; appendix to appendix, and appendix to other do not qualify for registration.
If I produce a first generation Andalusian from a Carthusian x NAB-Sorraia cross, I could petition the registry to allow me to register the horse. Because it is a purebred, the registry could send the horse directly into the main studbook (if perhaps it scores high enough in breed evaluation, or just because). If there was a minimum number of generations required to be in the main book, they could place it in the appendix studbook under something like "purebred, not yet approved." Regardless, new members are able to register their self-made horses, and the gene pool gets some added diversity. This horse's foals from other purebred appendix horses would be registered as "purebred, not yet approved" until the minimum generations were met, at which point the horses would be sent to the main book by default.
For partbreds, the purebred parent would have to be in the main book, and the other parent could either be of any breed, or a particular approved breed, or a percentage horse that has been registered in the appendix book if the horses are being bred up. Partbreds would be registered to the appendix book by default if they have a parent in the main book and a parent in the appendix book. Once the blood percent is high enough that the horse is considered purebred, they would fall under the same rules as a first generation self-made purebred.
Purebreds could only be registered to the main book by default if both parents are already in the main book.
I would say, for fairness, that no self-made first generation purebred could be denied some form of registry unless it carries a color/gene banned from the registry (if you remember, I suggested that the only colors/genes a registry should be allowed to outright ban are those that are not found in the ancient breeds that make up the extant breed). Partbred horses as well should not be denied registry into the appendix book if their purebred parent is in the main book and the other parent fits the registry's requirements (correct breed, color, registered, etc.). This leaves only the issue of breeding up to pure, which due to all self-made first gens and most partbreds being registered in some way, should not be an issue; the only obstacle would be the minimum generations of pure breeding to enter the main book, if that feature is added.
As far as real breed registries go, I think all but two are entirely closed and do not allow any horses of mixed or contested ancestry to be registered as purebred, no matter how many generations of pure breeding. Many registries have an appendix for partbreds, but again, no matter how many generations of pure breeding, the horse will never be allowed into the purebred registry. Breeds that allow partbreds to be registered as pure are the Quarter Horse and the Trakehner (the only warmblood that is an actual breed, all others are simply types with open stud books). The AQHA allows part-Thoroughbreds to become full QHs if they pass the same performance requirements for pure QHs, and a horse can be registered as a Trake if it meets breed and performance requirements. And then there's the color registries, the ApHC and APHA, which allow partbred horses of particular crosses to be registered as pure (I think only if they carry the appropriate patterns). In all cases, the other parent must be registered by their own breed registry. For AQHA at least, horses with one parent in the appendix book cannot be registered unless the other parent is in the main book; appendix to appendix, and appendix to other do not qualify for registration.

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Re: Closed Studbooks?
And there could be stipulations as to when a studbook could be closed. So, if 1,000 horses were needed in order for a breed to appear in the adoption center, then you could have a Level 1 Closure where adopted horses are allowed into the main book and self-made and bred-up horses must petition for main book status unlocked when the population reached 2,500, then Level 2 closure would allow adopted horses into the main book and bred-up and self-made horses only into the appendix book unlocked when the breed population reached 5,000, and finally a Level 3 closure where only horses whose parents are in the main book can be registered into the main book and foals from adopted horses can gain main book status with enough generations would be unlocked when the breed population reaches 10,000. Until 2,500 horses were reached, all purebreds, self-made or adopted or bred-up, would be registered into the main book automatically.
While 10,000 horses doesn't necessarily mean the gene pool is exceptionally large, it should be substantially diverse enough to support the breed for generations. And it's a large enough player base (47 accounts, or minimum 24 players) that new players shouldn't have too much trouble finding horses to buy if they don't want to start with adoption center stock.
While 10,000 horses doesn't necessarily mean the gene pool is exceptionally large, it should be substantially diverse enough to support the breed for generations. And it's a large enough player base (47 accounts, or minimum 24 players) that new players shouldn't have too much trouble finding horses to buy if they don't want to start with adoption center stock.