Bratt Z

A Valuable Contribution to the Sport
Horse Gene Pool

This young stallion, Bratt Z, is a wonderful example of many of the breeding principles I have outlined on this website- so many, that I am having a difficult time knowing where to start.

When I add stallions to my database I usually notice when they have an interesting pedigree, but they quickly fade in my mind as I make more entries. So, it was only when I had a client that needed a sex balance cure for the male overload in her filly of Corde la Bryere lines that I remembered Bratt. The client had bred a filly that had many of the great Holstein bloodlines, but most were in the male only representation. This is common. A successful stallion will usually have many stallion sons- who in turn will have many progeny. The female side of the line will have fewer individuals.

As breeders of horses that we want to succeed at sport, we should keep in mind that continually breeding back to only the male side of the superior talent transmitters will deaden the transmission of sport and breeding potency. See Sex Balance Page for a full explanation.

Bratt Z and his amazing sire: Baloubet du Rouet, carry a potent sex balanced double of the premier jump transmitter: Rantzau, through a son- Starter, and a daughter- Perle de Norval. This sex balanced Rantzau is concentrated on the dam side, as Starter is the dam sire and Perle is 3rd dam of Baloubet. This configuration undoubtedly has "made" Baloubet as both a jump star and as a sire (sex balanced inbreeding to Rantzau). Perle and Starter have more in common than their sire, they carry opposite sex lines of Orange Peel and Karikal on their dam sides, making them close siblings. Therefore, their daughters are a strong filly factor and contribute hugely to both Baloubet and Bratt's success as a sire. The Orange Peel duplication is enlarged and reinforced by its presence on Baloubet's top line, and being the original super jump line in the Selle Francais, here in multiples, sex balanced, insures Baloubet would himself be a great jump star.

The Thoroughbred Industry discovered that inbreeding to siblings builds speed. In sport horses this would translate, not only as speed, but possible nimbleness- handiness. Baloubet, who carries Rantzau 3x4, would exhibit this by being able to take jumps, even at odd angles and make tight corners, all at high speed.

On his dam side, Bratt has strong linebreeding, 5x5x6 (engine room) to Ramzes, through three lines of two daughters who are 5/8 sisters (filly factor and sibling power) in his dam sire: Capitol I. These sisters, Vase- present twice through a son and daughter, and Retina through a son, making them both a filly factor and a colt factor 2x2x3. With this close up genetic power is it any wonder that the Capitol I bloodline is so enduring and potent?

Looking at just the 7 generation pedigree we might assume that there are several potency deadening all male lines in Bratt: Orange Peel, Loretto and Heintze. But in each case there is an unseen sex balance in the 7th through 10th generation. For instance, Tardive in the 7th generation is an Orange Peel daughter.

While Bratt is not inbred himself, he is out of two tightly bred parents. He would be classified as an outcross- or even a cross breed, depending on your point of view. To me he is a perfect example of how to construct an outcross successfully. As breeders there may be a time when you have already constructed several tight potent bloodlines into your horses, and want to bring in something new. If you use an outside stallion who is not tightly bred himself, you will end up with an inconsistent product, and possibly even unsoundness. Bratt's pedigree is beautifully balanced, and an illustration on how to outcross effectively. The super sire Landgraf is another example of successful outcrossing- see him on the Critical Mass page.

My client, whose need originally caused me to look closely at this young stud, had a filly with Constant and Calypso I close up- Corde sons. Baloubet's Rantzau lines were a cure and improver for this imbalance. The client's Ramiro male lines would be helped by Bratt's genetics also. Ramzes, Ramiro's grandsire, is here through two daughters: Vase and Retina, who with their respective Lorbeer/Loretto lines are also 3/4 sibling to Raimond, the sire of Ramiro. Further they are present through two sons and a daughter, which in turn makes the daughter a genetic sister to Ramiro. Capitano also is a genetic relative of Ramiro: Capitano is out of a Cottage grandson son and a Ramzes daughter, while Ramiro is out of a Cottage Son daughter and a Ramzes son- this is wonderful complexity.

The combination of Bratt with a mare that carries a Ramiro daughter line and a Corde line of any sex would put these genetics into high gear. The pedigree experts recommend that when one horse has a strong genetic concentration, that a successful breeding will result when the mate carries the background reinforcement to those strong duplications. This is the beauty of Bratt, for those breeders who have a strong Corde or Ramiro presence; this young stallion can only improve and expand those talents.

When I first recommended Bratt to my client he was still a young stallion and held a breeding license with the Canadian Warmbloods (still does), but now he also is approved with the American Holstein Horse Association. This is fortunate, for he is the perfect genetic compliment for many Holstein mares.

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