Genealogy

The window for a horse's genealogy. Its title says “genealogy”, but it is in fact the centre of breeding: you look there at where the horse comes from, and it is also from here that you have it bred.

At the top: the sire and the dam

Two cards side by side. For each parent: its name, which leads to its card, its owner — a player, or a clan if the horse belongs to a clan —, and its genetics.

The genetics are given twice, and that is the most precious information in this window:

• The current genetics: what the parent is worth today, training included.
• The birth genetics: what it came into the world with.

Comparing the two tells you what training has brought, and that is exactly what you need to know in order to judge breeding stock: what is passed on is genetic potential, not the work accomplished. A spectacular stallion whose birth genetics were modest has been well trained; that will not make him give good foals. See breeding.

A parent whose genetics are hidden is so for a reason: its owner does not display them. See Genetic display.

In the middle: the horse itself, and what can be done with it

Its own genetics, current and at birth. Then the breeding actions, which depend on its sex.

For a stallion: his quota of matings, his matings already for sale, and two actions — sell a mating and breed a mare directly. See My stallions.

For a mare: Breed with a stallion and Breed with semen. These actions only appear if she is born and if she is expecting fewer than two foals — a mare does not carry more than two foals at a time. See My mares.

At the bottom: three tabs

Descendants, displayed by default. All the horse's produce, separated into active foals and retired foals. It is the balance sheet of breeding stock: a stallion is judged on what his foals have done, not on his own races.

Matings for sale, which only appears if there are any. For each one: the deadline, the quantity, the price, and what you need to buy it on the spot. It is the short way between “this pedigree interests me” and “I am buying” — see Buy a mating.

Notepad, reserved for the owner: the tab does not exist for the others. It is the breeder's notepad, where you record your mating intentions. See Notepad.

What this window is really for

Two precise moments. Before buying a horse or a mating: going back one step and looking at the parents' birth genetics is worth more than any record. And before having a foal born: checking that the two lines do not have the same weaknesses.