Searching by Pedigree Position
Gen Search finds pedigrees carrying an ancestor at a specific generation. Where H and Q searches ask which part of the pedigree an ancestor sits in, Gen Search asks how far back it sits.
Where to find it
Open Pedigree Search and click the Gen Search tab. The panel is headed Search by Generation.
How the fields are laid out
Six fields, in two groups of three.
The upper group covers the sire side, with fields for Gen 2, Gen 3 and Gen 4.
The lower group covers the dam side, with the same three.
The two groups are colour-coded so you can tell at a glance which side you are filling. Between them sits Search Entire Pedigree, which removes the side restriction.
What the generations mean
Generations are counted outwards from the horse.
- Gen 2 The grandparents. On the sire side this is the grand sire and the paternal dam sire.
- Gen 3 The great-grandparents.
- Gen 4 The great-great-grandparents.
The pedigree chart alongside the fields labels these positions, so you can see exactly which slots a generation covers before you search.
Why depth matters
The same ancestor at different depths is a different proposition.
An influence in the second generation is contributing roughly a quarter of the pedigree. The same horse in the fourth generation contributes a sixteenth. Both appear in a search that ignores position, and they are not comparable.
Depth also tells you about timing. A close-up ancestor is a recent decision by a breeder. A distant one is inherited from decisions made generations ago, and is far more common across the breed.
Using it well
Testing a close-up influence. If you are considering a mating that would put an ancestor in the third generation, search Gen 3 to find horses where that already happened.
Filtering out background noise. A widely disseminated ancestor appears in almost every pedigree if you look far enough back. Restricting to Gen 2 or Gen 3 finds the pedigrees where that influence is actually doing something.
Comparing depths. Run the same ancestor at Gen 2, then Gen 3, then Gen 4, and compare the strike rates. If the results weaken as you go further out, the influence needs to be close up to matter.
Combining both sides
Filling a field in each group finds pedigrees carrying one ancestor at a given depth on the sire side and another at a given depth on the dam side.
That is a precise question, and it is the closest the platform gets to describing a specific cross. It also returns fewer results than a broader search, so check the runner counts before reading anything into the percentages. See Strike rate, and how to read it.
Search Entire Pedigree
This option searches for the ancestor anywhere rather than within one side.
Use it when you want volume, or when you are not sure which side an influence sits on. Turn it off when the side is part of your question, since a cross between sire side and dam side is a different thing from the same two ancestors sitting together on one side.
Gen Search or Standard Search?
Use Gen Search when depth is your question. How close up does this influence need to be to work?
Use Standard Search when the pathway is your question. Does this influence need to come through the sire line or the broodmare sire line?
They answer different questions about the same pedigree, and neither replaces the other.