Have you ever found full siblings to your horse? How similar/dissimilar are they?

[Linden]

I have found two full siblings to my own gelding, and certainly there are some big similarities, but what's curious are the differences from one to the next. I was so intrigued when my Google search came up with the videos, I thought it would be a very interesting topic. Anyone have a similar experience? 

( I mean "full" as in by the same sire and out of the exact same mare, not just identical bloodlines)

[DJR]

I just bred a full sister to my 4-yr-old Hano/Shire gelding. We’ll see how similar they are as the filly matures, but so far they are very similar in terms of temperament, brain, and head/neck conformation.

[piedmontfields]

That is an interesting question! I would love to see photos/videos.

I have found similar breedings (Lusitano x Trakehner) and they were remarkably like my horse (very Lusitano in appearance/size/faults). However, there are no full siblings to her. I will say that this cross seems to yield something different than Andalusian-Thoroughbred crosses IME.

[Chisamba]

I did work for some time at breeding farms, that re bred a successful match so i have seen quite a few full siblings. Just like families of human full siblings, there is no reason to assume that they will be similar.

[AmityBee]

My horse has three full siblings. Two older brothers and a younger sister. All four are the same color with very similar markings. The geldings also have quite a similar disposition, the filly was a bit different (in a good way) all the geldings had some (again similar) issues. They differ in type though. One brother is the perfect pony/cob type. The oldest was a bit more sturdy on shorter legs and Crispin turned out to be more of a riding horse type. I don't know what his sister turned out to be.

[exvet]

I worked for a farm that repeated the same breeding 3 times. The first two were colts and the third was a filly. They all 3 were VERY similar right down to color and markings but each subsequent was better than the one before which was reflected in their scores at approvals. The filly was exquisite. The 'breed' was holsteiner.

I have repeated the same breeding and found the same to have occurred in my case although it was 2 fillies and then a colt. Junior is 'that' colt and is definitely the nicest in overall movement and conformation though the previous two aren't anything to shake a stick at. Both similar to Junior just one has a wee bit shorter neck than I'd like (thanks to a great great grandpa) and the other has a much more common head (thanks to a great grandma). All 3, are dark bay with similar markings. All 3 have the best darn hind end conformation that I could have wanted. The breed, of course, is welsh cob. Junior is the tallest at 14.3 (just sticked him with the others being 14 and 14.2). I will say that since my breeding program is 4th generation, it's much easier for me to see where the differences come from in the bloodlines. I also will say that to get the size range that I did the sire had more influence on size. He is 15 hands and the dam is 13 hands; but, the sire too is from a C x D cross so his size/height is coming straight through from the Llanarth bloodlines (section D). Type was also stamped with the Llanarth influenced riding type on all 3 - though they're still very much Welsh Cobs that are built like brick sh!t houses with a post on each corner.

[Chisamba]

I worked for a farm that repeated the same breeding 3 times. The first two were colts and the third was a filly. They all 3 were VERY similar right down to color and markings but each subsequent was better than the one before which was reflected in their scores at approvals. The filly was exquisite. The 'breed' was holsteiner.

I have repeated the same breeding and found the same to have occurred in my case although it was 2 fillies and then a colt. Junior is 'that' colt and is definitely the nicest in overall movement and conformation though the previous two aren't anything to shake a stick at. Both similar to Junior just one has a wee bit shorter neck than I'd like (thanks to a great great grandpa) and the other has a much more common head (thanks to a great grandma). All 3, are dark bay with similar markings. All 3 have the best darn hind end conformation that I could have wanted. The breed, of course, is welsh cob. Junior is the tallest at 14.3 (just sticked him with the others being 14 and 14.2). I will say that since my breeding program is 4th generation, it's much easier for me to see where the differences come from in the bloodlines. I also will say that to get the size range that I did the sire had more influence on size. He is 15 hands and the dam is 13 hands; but, the sire too is from a C x D cross so his size/height is coming straight through from the Llanarth bloodlines (section D). Type was also stamped with the Llanarth influenced riding type on all 3 - though they're still very much Welsh Cobs that are built like brick sh!t houses with a post on each corner.

How much do you attribute to breed characteristics and how much to familial similarities? Breeds with tight type are more easily predictable

[Fatcat]

My favorite horse of all time had a full sibling, she was the splitting image of him, exact color, size, conformation, movement. I never met her in person, so couldn't speak to her disposition.

[kande50]

I have a pair of full sibling mules, born 10 years apart. The younger one has much better conformation than the older one, but pretty much the same disposition.

[heddylamar]

I rode the full sister of the Polish Arab stallion I bred my QH mare to. They were both alike (temperament, athleticism, nearly identical too) and nothing alike at the same time (temperament again, ability to injur themselves ...) Except for the lack of white stockings, the female offspring is nearly identical in appearance to her sire and aunt, very little of my beloved quarter horse came through physically.

[khall]

I have been breeding off and on since '89, mostly WBs but a few that were not. My TB mare I raised 5 out of her, 3 full siblings. Kept the first born (she is buried here on the farm) sold the next two. She and the colt who was sold at 5 months old were the most similar. I lost track of him. Full sister is still alive and in FL. She was considerably smaller. The fourth was a Connemara cross and was typical pony tude but quite large at 16.1. Last was Anna my filly's dam. She was not quite a full sibling to the first 3 but not far behind. By a son of their sire. She was the nicest moving of the lot with a different more in your pocket temperament. Smaller and lighter in build, way more of the TB came out than with her older siblings.

I have a pair of full siblings now, Rip and his sister Gaila. They have similar temperaments but Gaila is about a 1/3 of the tester that Rip is. She is a hand smaller, easier to sit with a better set neck than he does. They are short coupled strong in the loin with large bone and good hip, good hind leg.

[exvet]

Chisamba, the only way I can answer that is when you can look at the offspring and know immediately who the sire is then you know (1) that he truly stamps his get and (2) the traits are more likely familial than just being from a specific breed and adhering to the standard. It's an interesting question though because when I think of the dam, the colt resembles the dam far more than the fillies do; but that is because despite having his father's face he has more of the head/neck/chest of his dam while the fillies appear to have it all coming from their sire's lines.

I don't think I'm alone in my thoughts because I received a painting of Junior as a Christmas gift. I opened it up in front of family and friends. Two thought it was a painting of the sire and one thought it was a painting of one of the fillies; so, it's not just me that see's the resemblance as more familial than breed. I have and had multiple other welsh cobs and they are definitely different despite also being true to type.

[Linden]

I find Jazz stamps his offspring almost perfectly - I can point them out from miles away

[Ryeissa]

Riot has a full sister that looks similar (pinto) but very very hot/not as personable. He is also a much better mover.

[Hayburner]

Not to my now deceased gelding, that by the way is very similar in looks to Riot.

But, I would love to find one and my guy was the BEST! From temperament/personality to health I could not have found a better horse.

My mare has many full siblings. I have only seen her full brother and yes, color wise they are very close but my mares looks are way nicer.

[silk]

My WB mare was by a stallion who threw very typey foals. Almost every horse I met/saw photos of who was by that sire, looked physically similar (body type and shape, as well as markings). Reportedly, they all had the same sorts of hot/fire-y temperaments and tended to be "one-person" horses. I only ever met one of them, coincidentally owned by another UDBBer. Also - Linden, for interest's sake, the sire had Jazz in his lines.

The filly I bred out of the mare is also by a stallion who throws very typey foals - I've not met any but they all look similar and move in similar ways, despite varying dam lines.

I also had experience of two related TB geldings. We didn't know they were related until I researched the bloodlines of the second one and realised the sire was the same as the first. We knew most of the lives (at that point, ~15 or 17 years) of the two, and they had been wildly different. #1 had not grown like all of his full siblings (he ended up 15.3hh, they were all close to or more than 17hh) so although he was put into training to be a racehorse, he never trialled and was sold as a sporthorse at age 3. He was bought by my friend age 5 and she trained him correctly (back to front). #2 was 16.2hh, had raced and then steeplechased until age 10 or 11 then trained poorly, backwardsly (front to back) by an amateur dressage rider. However, they had very similar temperaments and ways of interacting with their humans, and even though trained to move and respond to the rider differently, both moved in similar ways ie similar expression, stride, etc.

[Koolkat]

Two full siblings, the bay mare (and moi) and Lexus, a gray gelding, ridden by Tracy Lert. Although the color is a distraction, they are very similar in type, with long, typey faces and very kind eyes. Both have the same less than ideal neck with similar movement and good hind end mechanics. Tracy said Lexus was one of the sweetest horses she had ever known, they were similar in temperament then - also rather spicey. . . They are Dutch warmbloods (bred by DG Bar), by Wanroij out of Famous (by Volkmar).

Lexus Tracy Lert.jpg (104.76 KiB) Viewed 15597 times

Kat works.jpg (40.63 KiB) Viewed 15597 times

[Kelo]

There is one full sibling to my horse, and he came available at a sale.

I went to look at him, and he was like a clone to my horse. Exact same size, build, color, down to very close markings. It was kind of eerie.

I tried to buy him but didn't get it done. I think about it sometimes, with as talented as my horse ended up being....

[SnowHorse]

Yeah, my youngest has a full brother, and they're only one year apart in age. They look exactly the same, like horse twins.

[goldhorse]

My Morgan gelding has an older full brother who's Cremello. He was sold to an Arab breeder to make colored Morabs and he has sired some colored Morgans. Recently, I found a purebred Morgan gelding son of his (nephew to mine) and he was the spitting image of my boy. I'm on the market and damn, I didn't find him fast enough to go and try him.

[blob]

They weren't my own, but I worked with a set of twins from a well known breeder. Other than color ( solid black) and height (fairly short, though the gelding was also slighter and finer boned than the mare) they were not especially similar. The similarities they had in movement were the same as any two horses from that breeding program and temperament was very, very different. It's an interesting case because not only were parents the same, but their time in vitro and early handling/care was also the same, so their differences were truly nature and not nurture. I re-started them both under saddle after someone had tried unsuccessfully. The poor gelding had a lot of issues.

I also started another set of full siblings--from the same bloodline as the twins. They were very similar in look and movement. One was a stallion though, so it's hard to say how much their temperament was alike because young stallions are very much young stallions.

[Hot4Spots]

My horse has a full brother. He's by Aul Magic (Arabian) out of Confetti's Red Rose (90% foundation bred Appaloosa). My horse is chestnut/snowflake blanket/socks/blaze. His brother is a chestnut leopard. My guy is 16.2, hs brother 17 hands. Both are/were very good movers. I don't know about personality. I get the impression that the older brother is in general calmer than my horse, who is hyper alert. Breeder tried to get more full siblings, but wasn't able to get dam pregnant again prior to Aul Magic's passing.

[Xanthoria]

My guy has two full sibs.

Mine is a 2012 gelding, black, 17.1h
His 2013 sister is a 15.2 chestnut mare - she's for sale apparently! I bet she is amazing if she has the same temperament as my guy.
His bay 2014 brother was 15.2 at age 2, and projected to make 16.2-3.

Parents were 16.2 and 16.3.