[Arabians4ME]

I was thinking about this today and wanted to get some replies to see what others thought.

Is SCID something that can be bred out? I dont' think so but I am not sure.

Arabians that are SCID carrier's what do you think should they be bred? I don't see a problem with it if the other horse is tested negative. Because they can add to the breed.

Just thinking and wanted some feed back. I mean it is but it isn't like HYPP. I know you AQHA breeders are always breeding to get rid of HYPP but I dont' think us Arabian breeders can breed to remove SCID.

Thoughts anyone?

[MyBelgianAzzy]

Yes, I have a thought- what is SCID?

[Arabians4ME]

I 'think' it's a immuno disorder. I rarely can find 'good' info on it. Let me see what I can find and I'll get back to ya'!

Here's one of the best links:
SCID in Arabian Horses

[MyBelgianAzzy]

That's very interesting- thank you for the education. I hope someone can answer your questions concerning breeding it out.

[Jenje!]

I think that SCID is probably more easily compared to Lethal White syndrome in Paints. It doesn't produce a horse who will have life-long problems and be a real danger to handlers... the babies don't live long enough.

Testing for SCID should be mandatory in ALL Arabians IMO... I think that would go a long way towards controlling it in our registered horses. Page has not been tested... it's something I just forgot about in the excitement of finally getting her bred. I think I held my breath for the entire last two weeks or so of her pregnancy and could have died of relief when everything turned out okay.

She (and Allure) will be tested before she's bred again to make sure she's not a carrier. If she is, I will still breed her, but only to stallions tested negative for SCID. I think we can control it if we expand our knowledge of it and keep good records.

Isn't Versace a carrier? I forget.

[Arabians4ME]

Oh Ididn't even think of OLWS when typing that. DUH! Good comparison!

I haven't had Touch tested yet. I'm not standing him to the public and my mares are all tested negative so I haven't worried about it really. I do eventually plan to though.

However can OLWS and SCIDS be bred out? For some reason I swear I read that SCID couldnt' be. It seems like they should be but I'm not sure.

Jess! had a thread about this long back that I did some research for her on. I am going to see if I can find it.

[Jenje!]

This might be a good question to ask on ABH, and then bring the answers over here. Tons more Arab people over there, obviously.

I bet they've hashed it out at some point or another... I'll go search.

[Shannon]

Originally Posted by Arabians4ME

However can OLWS and SCIDS be bred out? For some reason I swear I read that SCID couldnt' be. It seems like they should be but I'm not sure.

OLWS can be bred out...but that would be eliminating the Overo color. A Lethal White horse is "just" a horse that is homozygous for the Overo gene.

So yes, you can breed it out of individual horses....Just not breed Overos. (However, it can be "hidden" in horses that do not appear to be Overo)

[Little Red Dun]

Another site with information on SCIDS: VetGen: Veterinary Genetic Services - Equine - List of Services - SCID

I agree with Jenje!, LWO is probably a better comparison as it acts the same way. Two copies of the gene is lethal, but a single copy is harmless. HYPP can affect a horse even with a single copy, but neither LWO or SCIDS does that. Carriers are 100% healthy.

I too think all Arabians should be tested. And I think their SCIDS status listed on their registration papers so it can never be "lost" or "forgotten" (things I've heard of happening).I don't think a SCIDS carrier should be "banned" from breeding as long as they are always bred to a non-carrier and are of excellent quality.

As I understand it, a lot of very nice Arabians are SCIDS carriers, but are otherwise exceptional horses. It would be a shame to loose their finer qualities when the SCIDS gene is easy to find and control. I'm certain it can eventually be bred out, but I see no reason to "toss the baby out with the bath water" as the saying goes.

[Arabians4ME]

This is a quote from a quote on my old post.

By the by, many of our greats, and a tremendous number of National Champions, were SCID carriers, including Bask, Raffles, Silver Drift, Tornado, Padron, Versace and the immortal Muscat. Most of the Russian stock were carriers, which is why Aswan was brought in to try and clean up the mess. Imagine, if we gelded them all what a hit our gene pool would take, especially when only the double recessives are affected. As long as folks are smart, and USE the knowlege at hand ie; the SCID test, it is no different than breeding a horse with any flaw. For example, you wouldn't breed a horse with clubbed feet to a horse with clubbed feet. The only difference is that you have to see the flaw with a test. Sounds like a few of the folks on the list are living in the dark ages. Any responsible breeder should be aware of their horse's status, just as they are aware of their horses conformational flaws.