http://campaign.r20.constantcontact…1-cb2b0773721f
Kudos to Hilltop!! I hope all the breeders with mares out of those lines will be resonsible as well and test their mares… And then I hope that there will be no witchhunt and everybody is acting responsible.
And of course I hope that the stallion will return to the breeding shed. He looks lovely and thanks to genetic testing this is really no problem at all…
How refreshing! I’m still annoyed that HYPP wasn’t rapidly and efficiently stamped out. That could have been gone in a generation if they’d really put effort into it, but, no.
I got that e-mail, too - and commend them for their ethics and leadership.
Any of you warmblood peeps “know” any more about the origin of this gene? Not to offend anyone but warmbloods are certainly not a pure blooded population. It has to have originated in/continued in a fairly popular gene pool or as a recessive trait it would be almost non-existent with the large genetic diversity of the warmblood population.
As some of you may know we deal with an autosomal recessive genetic issue in Connemara ponies - but we have a small gene pool which is trying to maintain it’s genetic diversity.
Well done to Hilltop! Bringing to light WFFS will hopefully diminish a lot of heartache and propel the future of responsible breeding.
There is exactly half of this story that is missing but I agree that Hilltop deserves major kudos.
Good! This is what all breeders should do, be responsible!
I had never heard of this disorder until last month… now this is the second time within the month that it has come up. I hope with genetic testing and education it can be eradicated quickly.
Please tell the other half of the story!!
If breeders are smart and responsible it can be avoided to breed any affected foals and during the next Generations it can be reduced and maybe eradicated…
It’s not my story to tell but obviously there is a sire and dam involved.
not sure what you mean. I know the sire of Sternlicht is dead so cannot be tested anymore.
It will never be wiped out because of all the “backyard” breeding, and because there were SO many horses with it by the time it was discovered, much less by the time it had a test for it 
I agree the AQHA fell down by not just disallowing any new ?H registrations as soon as there was a genetic test. Money trumps integrity. APHA has fallen even harder as they still allow even HH horses (unless there’s a very recent change).
WFFS has a better chance being wiped out but only if there’s a global decision to not allow carriers into the registries. Theoretically that’s desirable. Is it a realistic desire? I don’t know.
I take (rightly or wrongly) Hilltop’s comment of "as we investigate the ramifications of this " to mean what I hope it means, which is to do and allow more investigation into any long-term health risks of even carriers. If this is truly a mutation which is totally benign in the hetero form, then it’s no different from the Frame Overo gene. But if there is any link to the increased risk of things like heart attacks from weakened connective tissue, that’s a very different issue. That could take a long time to uncover
MAJOR KUDOS, Hilltop!
A huge, positive step forward in dedicated and responsible breeding practices, and being open and transparent about their decision.
Now to have others be so forthright…
I love Sternlicht but unfortunately, I think in light of the fact he is a carrier, that he should be culled from the breeding pool. I do not agree that he should go back to stud, @Manni01 - it is too wide a breeding population and there are plenty of horses that have similar bloodlines. It’s not a “no big deal” situation - if he is allowed to continue breeding, he will continue perpetrating carriers. Responsibility is very hard to enforce in a big pool of people.
so you think he is the only one in the population who is a carrier??? Estimates are that 10% of the population are carriers… I think everybody needs to test and then you can make decisions… To blame this horse is not ok and honestly you punish Hilltop for their honesty… this will not encourage other stallion owners to test…
Good for them! Transparency is the name of the game, people cannot make responsible decisions unless they know the facts. Facts about the condition and facts about the breedings they are considering.
If you’d like to see a very good discussion of all the issues around carriers and some communications from the scientist who identified WFFS, read:
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/f…isease-carrier
Now, time for other warmblood breeders to step up and test and then post the results of the test.
that’s not what I said.
my concerns is that since he is not the only carrier in the population, that he should not go back to stud.
there’s too many variables, too many people, too many cooks in the pot - there’s no way for an ethical stud farm like Hilltop to ensure or guarantee that other people are practicing ethical breeding practices except to, simply, remove him from the equation.
which is a shame because he is a very nice stallion.
I 100% agree that at least for now, all carriers should be removed from breeding until more is known about the disease. Clearly this is a connective tissue disease, and nobody knows yet whether hetero/carrier horses are at a higher risk of complications as they age.
I don’t see how that is punishing Hilltop - they’ve already stated he’s removed from breeding until more is known.
IMHO, a high profile operation coming out with this may easily be the catalyst for MOs to test their mares, and for many SOs to test so they can lay claim to clear stallions. SOs who find a positive stallion may or may not make that known.
Hilltop may be the catalyst for having registries start requiring testing, just as AQHA requires 5-panel testing for breeding stallions who breed more than 25 mares (why not any mare, and why not the mares as well, I don’t know).
The mare, she’s talking about the bloodlines of the mare that inspired Hilltop to test. Hilltop has been commendably open about their stallions, now how about the mare owner being as forthright about the bloodlines of the mare.
not sure if that is what Laurierace was talking about… I believe BTW that the mare who is the dam of Sternlicht was tested and was clear, And that makes the thing really interesting IMO… And I am not sure why you even attack the mare owner without knowing facts… Thats for sure not the way to deal with a genetic problem…
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