Thoroughbred Mitotyper
By Loren Bolinger, Tuesday, August 02, 2005

"I am a Thoroughbred horse breeder.
I believe in breed improvement through
scientific, selective mating."

This blog-entry was created to support my Thoroughbred mitochondrial DNA project. The mtDNA study was contemplated for twelve or fifteen years before I got brave enough to think I might be able to make some kind of positive contribution in knowledge toward the Thoroughbred horses that I dearly love.

It was Charles Bruce Lowe in 1895 whose writings and difficulties gave me inspiration and confidence to at least make the attempt. I have prepared myself by operating a Thoroughbred breeding farm for 34 years, immersing myself in pedigree theories, conducting breeding experiments on my farm, breeding research, biological research, and a background of extensive historical research.

Our mtDNA study was started by, financed by, and matured with a horse breeder interested in selective mating, maternal inheritance, and the expression of performance traits. I have tried to NOT bring to the table any baggage of stubborn opinion or "know-it-all" closed mindedness. I hope I have the open mindedness that objective science requires. Academic pursuit of knowledge while important is parallel to the potential benefit of pragmatic application of modern, biological science for the horse breeder's benefit.

Mitochondrial investigation must be more than a tool of identity in order to be incorporated by the interested horse breeder in his breeding program. I am happy and willing to acknowledge the great, ground-breaking contribution made by Hill, Cunningham, Bowling, et al. I have no intent to duplicate their efforts - why would I want to do what has already been done?

Our interest in identifying matrilines is just an initial step because how can legitimate research be done if you cannot identify that which you are studying? How can you trust any conclusions if you don't know from where you started? Obviously, therefore, the research must start with identity.

In Mendelian inheritance the DNA is the scaffolding or structure. There are little differences at the level of DNA between a horse, a human, or a hamster. What goes on is going on beneath.

Researching the nuclear genome is so large and complex that it would take millions of dollars and far more elaborate facilities, years, and resources to make any kind of meaningful contribution - Far beyond my limited means.

The much smaller mitochondrial genome of "Equus caballus" [ACCESSION X79547] is 16660 bp [base pairs] in size. It is monoclonal [that is it replicates or clones from dam to progeny. The mitochondrial genome does not split, divide, and recombine as in nuclear processes]. It is somewhat simpler to understand and research. PLUS, it has to do with maternal inheritance which is where my interests have laid for thirty years. Long live the ladies!!
-Loren Bolinger

Loren Bolinger said...
"Relationships"

    Casual contemplation of relationships between causality, genetics, racing performance, and breeding theories deserves caution. In fact, a breeder should be very cautious, lest he become fooled by false cause-and-effect.

    Discrete events can occur in close proximity along the historical timeline. Proximity may seem to indicate a temporal relationship, so therefore there must be causality? In fact there may or may not be any real relationship. The discrete events may have occurred randomly. Causality is not implied nor proved. Don't be fooled. The author, T.S. Eliot said,

"We had the experience but missed the meaning."

    Among contemporary Thoroughbreds, the range of decline or deterioration from the best of today's Elite performers to the worst of today's failures may be greater, more significant, and more worthy of research than any questionable, historical trend of decline or deterioration in the breed from Thoroughbreds in the seventeenth century compared to those of today. The modern obsession with speed, the breeding strategy of greed, the failure to sufficiently cull the failures, the long term, historical trend of heterozygosity (125 -150 years) combined with the extreme reproduction variability inherent in the hybrid may be more likely implicated as possible causes for unsoundness, lack of stamina, weight carrying ability, than any limits to the gene pool or the closed breeding population.
    8:14 PM   
Loren Bolinger said...
Relationships

    Casual contemplation of relationships between causality, genetics, racing performance, and breeding theories deserves caution. In fact, a breeder should be very cautious, lest he become fooled by false cause-and-effect.

    Discrete events can occur in close proximity along the historical timeline. Proximity may seem to indicate a temporal relationship, so therefore there must be causality? In fact there may or may not be any real relationship. The discrete events may have occurred randomly. Causality is not implied nor proved. Don't be fooled. The author, T.S. Eliot said,

"We had the experience but missed the meaning."

    Among contemporary Thoroughbreds, the range of decline or deterioration from the best of today's Elite performers to the worst of today's failures may be greater, more significant, and more worthy of research than any questionable, historical trend of decline or deterioration in the breed from Thoroughbreds in the seventeenth century compared to those of today. The modern obsession with speed, the breeding strategy of greed, the failure to sufficiently cull the failures, the long term, historical trend of heterozygosity (125 -150 years) combined with the extreme reproduction variability inherent in the hybrid may be more likely implicated as possible causes for unsoundness, lack of stamina, weight carrying ability, than any limits to the gene pool or the closed breeding population.

    - Loren Bolinger
    9:54 AM