Breeding Quarter Horses

Hey all! I use to play this game years ago, and I see that much has changed... looks like it's for the better, though. 😁 

Anyway, since my heart and soul belong to the stock horse breeds, and I own Quarter Horses in real life, I decided to raise them here (plus I really enjoy the artwork for them). 

I decided to go with 12 mares and 3 stallions to get my herd started, I full-on plan to incorporate fresh bloodlines from new foundation stock and from other breeders in the future in order to continue to build my lines.. but I do have some questions.

First, in regards to conformation : Is it genetic within this game, or luck of the draw? Is good conformation highly marketable / desirable on EV? 

Second, in regards to color : In real life, Quarter Horses with pinto markings are not typical/desirable... that's why we have Paint Horses. Are colored Quarter Horses highly sought after on this game, or are solid horses more desirable?
What colors are highly marketable, and what aren't? What about horses with multiple patterns, as I've seemed to manage to get? Don't get me wrong, I love a good, loud-colored horse just as much as I love a solid one lol. 

Third, Overo : Is lethal white overo a risk? I have a few Frame mares that carry one copy and none that carry two, so I assume it's like real life where a horse carrying two copies will die?

Fourth, what about stats? Training? What's the best way to have successful show horses?


Sorry for the truckload of questions lol. Thank you for any help, it's greatly appreciated. 

Hey ShowLowRanch, welcome back! I've recently returned from a hiatus too so I'm just getting into the flow of things. I'll try my best to answer some of your questions since I have a herd of 20 foundation quarter horses. I'd just be careful if I were you with the 3 stallions because inbreeding is no longer allowed (or desirable when selling) so it may be difficult for that 2nd gen breeding.

1) Confirmation is a bit of luck and a bit of genetics. It's around an average because the two parents in each category but it can be a little lower or higher depending on your luck. High conformation doesn't really affect anything on this game but it is something that some breeders go for so it's always a plus if you're looking to sell.

2) Modifiers such as cream, champagne, silver are pretty sought after in this game. Flaxen and pangare and sooty are also rare but I'm not sure if this applies to quarter horses? As for the pinto markings, I'm not really all too sure but I don't mind them, I think that colors matter more than markings imo. 

3) Homozygous whites and overo don't exist in this game as far as I know. So they don't really die, they just are impossible to breed.

4) Low non-specialty stats are desirable when showing because it means more stats in the correct areas when showing against similar overall statted horses in their grades. I train every day because 1) every 10 trainings, the horse gets a stat boost according to their grade and 2) it allows them to gain experience and level up (up to level 5) so they have more of a "luck factor" when it comes to showing. Personally, I only show my horses once they're in the top half of their grade because it allows to them win most of the time and get the stat gain. I just put the rest of my horses in the riding school.

hope this all helps! 

Last edited on 2019-05-19 at 09:00:57 by cazoo

Thank you! Are there not enough Quarter Horse lines to breed to in order to bring in that "fresh blood"? I had planned on going about things like a ranch would in real life by introducing outside horses to my lines while simultaneously introducing my lines to the public. I remember always trying to create lines solely from my stock years ago, and it grew old quick lol.

Yeah there is, quarter horses are the most popular breed on here. I just wasn’t sure of your plans, haha

Welcome back! Cazoo has answered your questions thoroughly but I thought I would throw in some info having dabbled in the QH breed for a few years now.   :)

1) conformation: has no affect on showing currently, people say it is desirable but I have yet to see it have much of a monetary gain, meaning a high confo horse doesn't really sell for a better price, thus, has minimal benefit. I keep confo in mind when I breed, but it is lowest on my list of concerns as it has little actual value, money and show wise

2) I know there are some breeders who do prefer solid QH's but I think most prefer patterns? At least in my experience.
Cazoo is right, modifiers are sought after. Flaxen is allowed and desirable in the QH breed as well as brown-base colors.

3) Cazoo answered this. No lethal white in EV though I think it has been suggested...

4) Eliza D has written an AMAZING guide on understanding showing on Ev. You can see it HERE. There is a lot of information there in an easily digestible format.
As Cazoo said, low non-spec stats are most desirable in a show horse. Horses with lots of stats all over the place DO NOT make good, reliable show horses.

Also, there are a lot of QH's for stud and brood. As Cazoo said, direct inbreeding is prohibited. Overbreeding is also frowned upon, so if you are looking to maintain decent herds, my advice is to avoid overused lines and overbred horses.

Best of luck to you!