> >I think that might be an ideal goal, -It´s the ideal goal for all breeds!
> I think we'd have to rule out a lot of good > horses in order to eliminate it totally. -I don´t think you have to weed out that many good stallion´s as they are judged and are weed out then in judging if they are abnormal at age 4 & 5 and I don´t think any seriuos breeder would continue with he´s young colt (1<) in the breeding program if it had some genetic deffects. >Now, another direct and specific question: does anyone know of any Icelandic >colts who've had permanent cryptorchidism - meaning the testicles weren't >descended by age three? -yes as I said before I had one in for training(2000) he was then 5 yo a beautifull blue dun,he had been to 1 surgery and they only succsed to take 1 testicle , he was at Hólar for surgery and they almost lost him ,bleeding to much. the surgery was not that expensive 25.000 ISK (do pay only 2000 ISK for a regular). He was to much of a hormon bomb to train so he was in the end put down to the owners sorrow. > Considering the high percentage of colts in >Iceland that are slaughtered for meat before their first birthdays, I don't >expect to get meaningful statistics from Iceland. - don´t you think that half of the 5 thousand foals that are born each year and "saved" for riding is enough amount to do a research on? But for research I think Germany would be a good country as they do have both old bloodlines and new and do produce even more foals than we Icelanders do, we do own the same amount of Horses (80 000 or something) Their foals are at home all the time also. I mean ,ours goes up in the Highland in the middle of July (6 weeks old) and don´t come back until beginning of October I have seen one "colt" at my neighbour place that at age two did not have any testicels when he was suppose to geld him and he decided to slaughter him and the veterinary Egill who was supposed to geld him went with him to the slaughter house ( the same veterinary works for us farmers and also in the slaugher house) and took a good look and research the body as we before thought the colt strange no stallion behavior and very slim and long neck. And guess what! there where no testicles at all nothing that has to do with a stallion equippment at all ! The colt had a penis a urinebag finito nothing else. and Egill that are 70 yo told me that he has never seen nothing alike it and never heard of it either. Regards Malin in a rainy Iceland
