[Sonny-Dee-Girl]

This is an old thread, but I thought I would bump it up for all the newbies (like me!) Fantastic info. I think it is crucial that we all consider this before breeding. Maybe before doing any human reproductions too. Better the species, right.

[RiddleMeThis]

This is another thing for everyone to think about

"I mop up. I clean up the mess left by morons who just have to breed their mare." - Kill buyer Manny Phelps

[quariesianrider]

hello all,

i think this is a really, really, really good post! i just joined today and i am glad to have joined just because of this!

my friend is a reining trainer in ohio. every summer for the past 5-6 years i spend my summers working for her and spending time at shawn flarida's and roseland farm reiners. anyway, i find it amazing how people will breed, breed, breed to try and get the next futurity winner. i completely understand breeding bronze earning mares and winning studs, but most people just breed junk, no offense. also, most of these owners "HAVE" to keep their colts as studs. one of the horses that she has in training is a 3 year old stud. this stallion is hideous, has horrible conformation, and has a bad temperment. yet the owner pasture breeds him to all of his mares to make "4-H and Therapy Horses". Yes, he said that.

anyway, i am glad for this post. why people breed just to breed fascinates me. there is an auction about an hour south of me that i go to every month. REGISTERED, young, healthy, beautiful, well-bred horses go for as cheap as $50. Why not just rescue one of these guys? or better yet, think about how this is where your foal might end up... i love this post... i definitely think people should seriously think through their decision before standing their stallion or breeding their mare.

[quariesianrider]

this was just published two days ago...
DON'T BREED YOUR HORSES... look where they end up!

http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/spec...ry_for_horses/

[Ron Sr]

Originally Posted by Bailey-Boots

I think it would be good to have a thread that outlines all the implications and considerations that people should undertake when wanting to breed their horse. (the good, the bad and the ugly)

Please try to make this educational for horse owners.


1. Vet fees - Regardless of a stud fee you will always have vet fees when breeding your horse. there is the pre-breeding checkup to ensure your horse is healthy and then the scan for testing they have taken. Durring the birth it is important to check the that foal is healthy and that the mother has passed all the afterbirth. These fees are just the ones incurred when everything goes right. Pregnancy is a high risk and there is always a possibility that things can go wrong. It may lead to a) a huge vet bill b) the loss of the foal or the mother.

2. The reason why you feel the need to breed. A foal isnt going to stay cute forever. If there ever the chance you have to sell the foal it has to be marketable, either by its bloodlines, conformation or the look at me factor. Or even better...all 3.

3. Do you have the experiece and facilites to train a foal? A foal is born without knowing any better. It's first few months of handling and training can make or break it for its later stages or life.

4. Do you have the facilites, money and PATIENCE to wait til the foal is grown up before breaking into saddle.

5. Could you cope with the death of the mother or the foal if anything happened? Finicially and emotionally.

6. There is no guarantee that you will have a healthy foal - have you thought about the implications of what will happen if you horse is born with health of confo issues.

7. If you want to have a young horse, then have you thought about buying a foal, at least you will be able to see and judge it at 6 months old.

8. Is your mare suited to breeding. Does she have good structure, performance record? Not that you have to have a show winning mare but there are plenty of mares out there that will pass good quality to a foal. A good broodmare is expensive and sometimes your pet mare will not make such a good broodmare prospect.
-----------------------------------
Please think of anything you can that is going to help.

Thank you

There is always going to be vet fees even if you bought a well trained 15 year old horse. I have raised and trained a lot of colts, horses do not always have to have the best pedigree, r even the best looks to make good horses. One of the best calf roping horses I ever saw was ugly eough to make a buzzard ****, but he won a lot of money for his owner. He was a grade horse from texas. I owned a colt with good blood lines but was not registerable that was a very good cutting horse, won some good money off him 40 years ago. I broke and trained a grade QH mare that was as good a trail horse as was ever on a trail. Blood line are ok if the horse has what it takes. I love to work with colts, they are a lot of fun.

[Ron Sr]

I do not agree with your article, if you like the mare you will probably like the foal better, and working with something you raised is a lot of pleasure. If I owned a mare that was fugly, long eared, bucket headed, narrow chested,short necked and apple shaped in the rear, and I liked her I would take all those chances and breed her.

[County]

DON'T BREED YOUR HORSES look where they end up. Ah well ya thats true for about 1/2 of 1% the other 99.5% end up somewhere else.

Good advice on the thread but hardly any of it set in stone in any way.

[kmdstar]

Thank you, this was a great idea.

I must say, when I first got my mare I was like "Ohhh! I wanna breed her, I wanna breed her!" but I've completely changed my mind. I could go out and buy a foal anywhere, without putting my mare/the foal at risk.

The huge thing with me is I could never handle losing my mare because of something I chose to do to her.

Someone posted the thread with 100 something horses sitting in the feedlot, these horses were all 2 & 3 year olds - because people breed for s**** and giggles, then when it's time to train UH OH!! then the horse is just no good, so where does it end up?

It's horrible that no one even thinks of this. I had no idea, that's why I wanted to breed. When I realized what the market was like & the risk...I couldn't believe I wanted to breed her at ALL!

[Peteysmom]

great post. kudos to the OP.

[lilbit11011]

I love this post....even though I own a gelding and never plan to breed at all. I am heartened to see that not everybody is into breeding for quick cash. I see too many good animals get put down all to lack of homes. Thanks.