Stats vs. Conformation vs. Color

I take into account a lot of things when breeding my horses.

Primarily, I try to couple horses that will improve upon the foal in multiple regions. My organization goes like so:

Same discipline > Stat no less than 400 (I don't want a foal with less than 250 stats) > conformation that will hopefully give me 55 or above > color (trying to breed out the bays) > high money earners crossed with high money earners, or crossed on lower money earners to increase the showing success > uncommon pedigrees > lots of chrome for markings


Soooo, yeah that's kind of my processes! I love a good horse with all great factors, including modifiers on coats. A high-earner horse is really important to me as I love showing my horses and seeing them do well, so that's a big part of my program, too!

Stats are always my primary goal - they're what help in showing, and what will definitely pass down to future horses, as such I think they're the best metric of continued effort and success. And I want the dominant stats for the correct discipline to be high, with the unnecessary stats to be low, as that's what makes them most competitive in shows. But since I do everything I can to up the stats on my horses (treat with stat-specific treats, train, school/show daily, etc), I generally don't have to worry too much about any of my horses not meeting my standards for stats; it only really comes about if I'm going to buy horses from someone else.

Color is second for me - I like pretty horses! And I have specific color and pattern goals for most of my breeds. Once I'm secure in the stats of my horses, I pair them based on what colors I want to get.
I don't like to use color randomizers/applicators on lined horses; it makes me cringe to see horses with colors impossible based on their parents. Not a deal-breaker for me, but I won't personally do it. I will gleefully use items to get nice colors on foundations, though!

Conformation is my last priority, but I do still consider it. It's part of what determines which foal(s) out of a pairing I keep, and may influence which horses I pair up. I aim to have all my horses with conformation above 50 (I have a few 40s left over from imported horses, ugh), and hope to eventually get my averages into the 70s and 80s.

@ Only the Wind : I have the same thought on using the color/marking applicators/randomizers. I throw them all on my foundies and then breed for color from there, because I don't care for the ++ parents who have TT foals. I will buy them from other people, but doing it myself... no thanks. Though I might do it on a foal with parents that could've produced that color but didn't; like two ee Aa Crcr parents who produced a crcr foal I might use an applicator to make it a cremello.

I love that about this game, that you can focus on whatever you want when you play. I breed for stats first, trying to get the non-specialty stats as low as possible. Then confo, I always try to breed with a horse that has a higher confo than mine. And color I don't care about too much right now but when I get my lines to the point that I'm going to sell foals I'll pay attention to what colors and patterns are less common in the breed.

With you on that use of an applicator, too, aglet! I try to breed for the colors I want, but if after my last foal from a pairing is born and I still didn't get the color I wanted, I might use an applicator. But like you said, only if I *could* have gotten the color "naturally".

I'm on the same page as Wind...treat, train, show or school daily to keep boosting those stats. I even go so far as to individually treat to try to balance a horses stats as best I can. I like to see the stats in the horse's 2 desired areas as even as possible ...all the unwanted stat areas, ideally should be 0 or as close 0 as possible...
I'm crazy about colour..like my flaxens and cream dilutes..huge lover of dunalinos! I use colour applicators or randomizers at times..especially with new foundation herds. Love lots of colour lol

I have this thing I call a C Score, which = 100 - all unwanted stats. The higher the C Score the better a horse is; when I am making foundations I choose to keep horses based on this C Score and their conformation. 40 is about the lowest C Score I'll keep, and 50+ means the horse will be a great competitor (for a foundation anyway). Occasionally I'll keep a horse with a score lower than this if the color or conformation is great. Then for color I throw a lot of applicators or randomizers on them to get the colors I want.

My two herds where I used the C Score and little else to choose horses are my Tekes and Friesians; so far my Tekes are doing amazing. I ignored the C Score with my Appies though because I'm focusing on color with them so they will not have the same competitive advantage; hopefully they won't be awful though. lolz

Oh wow, very interesting Aggie! I noticed that when I was looking at your stable in the past. ..l may see how it works with my horses...see if it provides any new info for me.

*checks pockets and finds 2 cents missing* Oh wait...I used them to get my car fixed...

*laughs*

I love the discussion my post brought out!!! :) I love to hear what your opinion is and it's been awesome to read!!! :)

Keep it coming!!

BTW - Got five foals due in 5 days from now, ought'a be some pretty ones, and some with good conformation, and all with good stats!!! ♥

Conformation, bloodlines, Stats, color

I breed for all, aiming to produce well rounded foals in a pretty package! though conformation,is the most important to me

one: because it cant be changed, where stats and color can be.

two: my mind and RL show and breeding exp I always end up thinking with a conformation of 40 what would this horse look like (just my silly views)

I love that this game allows each player to really branch out to what they feel is important in their herds!

wh00t! I just found my OLD account information and imported. I am a bit confused with my 'imported" horses and where to go with them sooooooooooo I started a BRAND NEW line of arabian dressage horses from foundation.
I kept the ones that had NO more than 2 poors in conformation and will be breeding for: stats / conf / color in that order!!
I want my horses to BE the BEST I can get them!!! I am not huge on color but I am NOT adverse to getting a nice surprise from the EC on creation either :)))

I breed for conformation, then stats. It's personal preference, because I showed livestock and competed in judging events during high school, and I therefore care a bit too much about conformation since it's pointless on EV; but I guess old habits die hard. I don't worry too much on stats because they can always be raised.

There isn't much fun to be had in DWB or TB colors, so I don't focus on that. I'll use a coat/marking randomizer on a foundation if they're overly boring, but I won't touch a lined horse because that's not true to their pedigree.

I prefer stats, then color, then confo. I honestly never look at conformation, but I guess when I do it's a small plus. I love color in my herds, however high stats are my main goal. c:

I breed for color, then stats, then conformation.

I mostly breed for color, as I can improve on stats over generations. I'm a newer player, and want the experience of making my herd a great herd, not just buying the highest stated horses to start with. I feel like I might move to trying to get higher stats, and finding horses with better conformation (maybe by breeding my horses to high confirmation studs) later in the game, but am focusing on color for now. However, just because my main focus is on color doesn't mean I'll breed my horses before the are at the best breeding age range. I still want high stat foals. I'm just not too picky about the stats of the horses I choose to be part of my main line. I've just started to look at conformation, as it seems to be a goal of some of the breeders around me. I want my foals to be sell-able.