THE PHILOSOPHY

3. Mare more important than stallion
   Demonstrated by the family of the legendary "Ratina Z"

For several years the superior importance of the dam line got more and more attention of the sport horse breedership and the connected media. Latest highlight in this development of explanation is an article in one of the leading German Horse Magazines (Reiter Revue Nov. 2002), which explains the surplus value of the female line not only with the situation of the x and y chromosome (the female x chromosome is the biggest horse chromosome and carries much more genetic information as the male y chromosome, which is the smallest horse chromosome with in comparison few genetic information), but also with the mitochondria, which are cell organelles, which themselves carry genetic information. Most body cells contain up to 10,000 mitochondria, which are passed on to the foal almost only by the dam. These genetic information seem to contain especially performance related components like heart capacities, lungs capacities and so on.
The results of molecular research are explaining the ongoing success of certain mare families over decades and supply the scientific proof for the unlimited importance of strict mare selection for the successful sport horse breeding, which was up to now only known in many areas by statistic numbers and good breeders instincts.
A useful demonstration of the most convincing kind is the mare line of „Heureka Z“, known for everybody through the legendary „Ratina Z“. Heureka Z was born 1960 out of the Holsteiner mare line 8145. Under Hermann Schridde she was one of the most successful international jumpers in the period 1969-71, where she had many wins in Hamburg, Aachen, Bruxelles, Vienna, Berlin and Noerten-Hardenberg. After having won the Grand Prix in Aachen and getting second place in the Hamburg Derby, she got sold to Leon Melchior, founder of the Stoeterij Zangersheide, who again could celebrate with her impressive success (for example winning the Grand Prix in Berlin) before making her a foundation mare in Zangersheide.