Bettering The Breed

How do you go about producing better quality horses? This question is mainly for conformation. I am wanting to get higher conformation scores on my quarter horses, but it seems as though I have hit a wall. Today I bred 2 horses with 98 conformation, and got a 98 conformation foal. Slightly less then the sire, slightly more then the mare. 

Is there a way to go about producing a horse that can be better then the sire and dam, if both parents are the same? 

Nothing is 100% - there is a random component inserted in the breeding mechanism so you just have to make the best match that you can and hope you will reach your objective.

I initially started out with improving conformation but my focus has changed recently and am concentrating on NSS as both factor when competing in shows.

Congrats on your conformation success - I am still a long way off you achievement.

Like Kryssyn said, it’s all about chance (especially at higher percentages for conf). I personally try to breed an appropriate number of foals to maximize my chances of getting one that is above the average of the two parents. (I go for 6-8)

Last edited on 2022-01-03 at 18:44:10 by Saditome

I took a look at your foals, and maybe you talked about Mad Effort? 
Both of its parents are only 4 years old - it's better to care/train/compete and only breed them when they are at least 16+ as the more work you put into them, the higher is the chance that you get better foals from them. As Saditome said, it's also worth to breed them more times before they turn 21 - then you have more foals to get and choose the best suited for you.