How to Read A Black Type Pedigree and a Magic Cross
A black type pedigree is a common sight in sale catalogs across the nation. Quarter Horse News utilizes the same formatting in our right-hand pages of our Stallion Register each year so readers can evaluate and compare the information to select which stallions to breed their mares to. In addition to the black type pages, EquiStat provides Magic Cross information for many stallions as well.
With so many accomplished stallions to choose from in the Western performance horse industry, it can be hard to separate one well-bred show stallion from another. Fortunately, there are tools available like the black type pedigrees and magic cross charts in the Quarter Horse News Stallion Register. The black type pedigrees and magic cross charts created by EquiStat, which like Quarter Horse News (QHN) is part of Morris Equine Group, make it easy to study each stallion’s record, as well as the records of the horses in his pedigree.
Though it may seem overwhelming at first, the right-hand page of each stallion’s listing is meticulously designed to ensure breeders have the information they need to make the best decisions for their program. Created by hand for each stallion, the black type pedigree page uses specific font styles to indicate the accolades of each horse. Use this guide, based off the 2024 Quarter Horse News Stallion Register cover sire, Metallic Rebel, and up-and-coming sire Maytheforcebewhizyou, as a legend to get the most out of your research.
Magic Cross Charts
Dual Smart Rey’s magic cross chart from the Quarter Horse News Stallion Register 2024. * QHN File Photo
EquiStat is the exclusive producer of Western Performance Horse Magic Cross charts. Much like the black type pedigrees, Magic Cross charts can be an extremely useful tool to determine the chances of your mare crossing successfully on a stallion listed in the printed Stallion Register or the online Stallion Register Directory.
To develop a Magic Cross chart, EquiStat database ranks the top crosses a stallion has on record. While a sire may have successful offspring from mares of many genetic backgrounds, certain crosses seem to produce exceptional results. The Magic Cross statistics are a way to identify these high-performing crosses.
A glimpse of Dual Smart Rey‘s Magic Cross (shown right) makes a good example of the information found in this type of chart.
The Magic Cross charts include the dam’s sire, and the average earnings produced from that cross, as well as the number of money earners produced and the gross earnings that the cross has produced. You can also see the top performers produced from a cross. The crosses are not evaluated by one mare, rather they compare mares from a specific sire (the dam’s sire).
Stallion Register Directory OnlineThe printed Quarter Horse News Stallion Register provides you with an in-depth-look at stallions from various Western performance disciplines. It’s a one-of-a-kind research tool breeders have referred to for decades.
Thanks to busy show schedules in the cutting, reining and reined cow horse industries, horses’ records are constantly changing. To find a stallion’s updated performance and sire earnings, along with additional photos and videos, visit stallionregisterdirectory.com.