She reminds me a LOT of a mare I had many many years ago, also purchased at auction, who turned out to be a horse of a lifetime for many reasons. Not exactly in appearance, but in her presence. Hard to explain.
That mare died more than twenty years ago, and I’m not ashamed to admit that every horse I’ve sat on since has been compared to that particularly special one, in hopes that the feeling and connection I got when riding her could be repeated.
Is anyone up to date on horse DNA search services? And what companies offer that service?
I am under the impression that the primary purpose is to identify a horse’s parentage – IF the parents have been input into the DNA database. But I don’t know details or what companies might offer this service.
If I understand it correctly, it isn’t a breed identification, like dog dna services. It’s to verify and/or find the sire & dam. Which could, of course, lead to a breeder.
I’ve wondered how helpful that might be with horses coming from auction. If the sire & dam are not in the database, I’m guessing there is no result.
I’d start with the breed registry.
@2bayboys (sorry link won’t link), you mentioned in the first post …
I may have missed it, but it seems that she is halter broke after all? And you said you could pick up her feet and groom her. So she isn’t completely feral at all, it seems.
That’s a good sign! Someone put some time into her. She has such a warm, lovely eye.
I wonder if DNA testing might find where she comes from. I guess that without it, you don’t even know for sure if she’s TB. Just what the auction guy said.
FWIW, I have heard first-hand that Bowie is one of the better auction houses selling all horse stock to the gp in this way. Takes better care of the horses, is more fair in their presentation to buyers. As far as that goes.
[In case people don’t know, correct pronunciation is “BOO-ee”. If you converse with people who buy from auctions, they may refer to it that way. The town is named after one of the early TX pioneers/frontiersmen from the U.S.]
She was beautiful.
I chatted with someone at the Jockey Club on Friday who said that if the sire and dam are registered and in the database then the parentage can be verified, but the filly herself can’t be positively ID’d unless her own DNA was submitted by the breeder.
So they are able to do a database-wide DNA match now? I could be wrong but I was under the impression that, like a lot of registries, they could/would test to match to specific names only. Being able to do a blanket search would be a huge benefit for all the “grade” unidentifiable TBs that end up out in the world!
Hm, that was my understanding, but I admit I may not have been asking the right questions. 
That’s great. Hopefully by the process of elimination based on the years the mare has had a foal, you should be able to figure it out.
I would think if it’s true that Bowie got half a dozen or more from the same place, that means they were breeding enough thoroughbreds that they should have all the information up to the date with the Jockey Club. Fingers crossed.
I don’t feel like that. At all. That day I scrolled through the Bowie site and saw a bunch of babies. And I picked the one with chrome and the best mover, not the plain dark bay that was just average. And I’m a bit haunted by that.
It’s like the old story of the kid on the beach throwing starfish back into the ocean. You can’t save them all, but you could save that one.
You picked one. That’s what matters.
You seem to have a good eye - don’t feel bad for recognizing potential and having the courage to take a chance.
I can’t wait to see Nosey glow up. You have such a talent for discovering hidden gems.
Thank you for sharing your experience with Bowie sales and I know you are going to share Nosey’s story with her Aunties on CoTh.
Nosey is going to have the best glow up! I’m here for it.
That face is precious looking over her stall door. She looks incredibly kind and wise at such a young age.
Yes, exactly this. 
Fingers crossed she has a chip and it’s a non-issue.
Don’t beat yourself up about all the ones you didn’t pick. We do what we can within our means, one horse at a time.
Exactly what all said above, re picking this one. She is the one that spoke to you – you said you had a dream about her. She is the one.
None of us can drain the swamp. Because the swamp can’t be drained. Unfortunately.
That is a very sweet face.
Serious question - if DNA testing identifies sire and dam, with an age range of 1 - 3 years, I would think you could pretty much identify her, even if she isn’t chipped or registered?
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
