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F - Level, What is it?

F - Level:  Refers to the "filial" generation of the Appaloosa. 

The Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada, incorporated under the APA in 1999 involved in its' EVOLVING BREED status, the generational requirement are referred to as F - Levels:  

            P1 - Founding parental generation (any ApHCC registered animal
                    before if it has not been advanced, and any acceptable 
                    outcross – AQHA or Thoroughbred)
            F1 - first generation,
            F2 - second generation,
            F3 - third generation,
            F4 - fourth generation - Which becomes the first level of animals in
                   the “Distinct Breed Book” to be opened when a sufficient
                   number of F4 breeding animals have been identified.

Because of the tumultuous and unrecorded/unregistered history of the Appaloosa horse, plus the use of outcrosses to help re-define the animal after that history, it has been determined that a specific method needed to be implemented in order for the Appaloosa to be recognized as a "Distinct Breed" in Canada under the APA.

As such, at this point in time the ApHCC Canadian Appaloosa is classified as an "Evolving Breed". In order to achieve status as a "Distinct Breed", a specific format has been developed so that Canadian Appaloosa horse bloodlines can be traced and advanced to their appropriate F-Level, should their owners choose to do so.

In short, there needed to be a clearly defined starting point in the Canadian Appaloosa Registry where a horse is evaluated, approved and advanced in the ApHCC records. The candidate horse, to achieve F3/F4 levels must be inspected, approved by an ApHCC Inspector or licensed Veterinarian and meet all the Breed standards and requirements. Offspring of advanced animals will be 1 level above the lowest level parent.

The F - Levels are F1 thru to F4, with F4 being the highest level at this time. The foundation parental breeding stock is classified as P1 and then thru the breeding program and mating appropriately, the resulting foal may rise up an F - Level from the parental stock. At the level of F4, a horse would be considered a "Distinct Breed Appaloosa starting animal.

The term purebred has not been used to this point, because the ApHCC has yet to define purebred for the registry. AgCanada and the APA would allow a 7/8’s animal to be called a purebred. While other definitions claim 8 generations to be purebred. As the “Distinct Breed” book requirements are now being worked on, the ApHCC definition of purebred will come in the future.

Definitions:

ApHCC - Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada

AQHA - American Quarterhorse Association

APA - Animal Pedigree Act of Canada

Monochrid - only one testicle dropped into scrotum, one retained in the abdomen

Cryptorchid - both testicles retained in the abdomen, none in scrotum

The following is reprinted by permission of the Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada in description of F-Levels and how they work.

The ApHCC Book of Parental Stock defines the horses that are accepted as the "starting blocks" for the Appaloosa Evolving Breed process; the starting genetics resources.  

Eligible mating from within the Parental Stock population will result in the first generation (F1) of Appaloosas identified within the Evolving Breed parameters.  

The ApHCC Book of Identified Appaloosas (By-laws, Section VII) defines the matings that will produce F1, F2, F3 and F4 Appaloosas.

These Identified Levels indicate successive generations of breeding through which the Appaloosa breed is evolving toward Distinct Breed recognition.

It is important to note that the "F1, F2, F3 and F4" designation is a genetic term referring to the filial generations following the parental generation, as defined in Webster's Dictionary:

                "filial" 2. Genetics designating or of any generation following the
                                parental: the first filial generation is designated F1, 
                                second (produced from the first) F2, etc.

The Book of Parental Stock includes the following:

"a. Appaloosa horses for which an ApHCC Certificate of
Registration or Certificate of Pedigree was issued dated prior to Ministerial approval of the Articles of Amendment adding the Appaloosa Horse as an evolving breed".

Simply put, this means that under the ApHCC By-laws, any Appaloosa registered by ApHCC between 01 January 1954 and 31 December 1998 will be considered, at the absolute minimum, Parental Stock, even though their parents may not be horses included in the Book of Parental Stock (e.g.. Grade, unknown, Arabian).

Other Parental Stock may be ApHC (Moscow, Idaho) horses which do not have Arabian or unknown parents, AQHA registered or Appendix Horses, Canadian Quarter Horses and Jockey Club or Canadian Thoroughbred Society horses.

However, some of the Appaloosas registered prior to the 1999 recognition as an Evolving Breed, may have the "pedigree background as well as the 'phenotype' characteristics of multiple generations". So how do these Appaloosas fit into the Evolving Breed process?  

The ApHCC regulation for Evaluation of Appaloosa Horses for Identified Appaloosa Classification allows owners the option of having their Parental Stock Appaloosa evaluated for identification into one of the four Levels of Identified Appaloosa Horses.  

This process includes an evaluation of the "pedigree background", to determine the degree of Appaloosa lineage, and a physical Inspection by an ApHCC Inspector to determine "phenotypic characteristics", the Appaloosa breed standards.

To explain the pedigree evaluation process, Diagram 1 illustrates the process of determining the "starting point".  

The dam, JEANETTE B #1763 ApHCC has one ApHCC registered parent, the other parent is a "bay mare".  Since unregistered horses are not included in the Book of Parental Stock, "bay mare" may not be considered a "starting point". 

 However, JEANETTE B was accepted by the ApHCC in 1963 and an ApHCC Certificate was issued for her. Therefore she is eligible for Parental Stock recognition in accordance with the Book of Parental Stock definition.  JEANETTE B is therefore the "starting point" for determining Appaloosa lineage.

 
A Parental Stock horse bred to a Parental Stock Horse produces a Level 1 or F1 offspring. Successive generations are numbered one higher than the lowest parent generation.

The physical inspection by the ApHCC Inspector will determine if the horse meets ApHCC Breed Standards.  For example, height of the horse, whether the horse is monochrid or cryptorchid (stallions), whether the horse has an overbite or under bite (stallions and mares) and other information such as base colour, coat pattern, body type, cannon bone circumference, etc.

As Appaloosas are bred and the offspring registered in the books of the ApHCC, there will be a natural progression through the Identified Levels 1 - 4.  

If owners elect to have their horses evaluated, a more rapid transition to Distinct Breed recognition may be achieved.  

As more Appaloosas have their pedigrees evaluated and physical inspection completed for breed standard verification, more horses will be identified at the higher levels (F3 & F4) and purebred individuals will be identified toward Distinct Breed recognition.  

F - Level Determination Chart

Use this chart as you would a mileage chart.  Select the dam from the left column and the sire from the top row.

Where the two columns meet indicates the level of the identified Appaloosa that would result from this mating.

A foal would receive identification one level higher than its lowest parent.  Please note that there are other requirements that must be meet when achieving the higher levels of identification. If these are not also meet, than
foal would remain at the same level as its lowest parent.

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Painting by Wendy Risdale,
graciously donated for the 2005 CRAC Raffle Fundraiser