[bnttyra]

OK, spring is approaching and I am looking for reasons to give to my husband's aunt that she should NOT breed her mare.

1)Nothing fabulous about bloodlines, at least that is what I was told, I have not looked at them myself
2)Mare is 16 and may be a maiden, she wasn't certain if she had a foal or not, was purchased at 6 yr old.
3)I think the mare has 2 club feet (front) if not true club then definitely something not right, she hasn't been sound for more than a month over the last 2 years.
4)Mare is very high strung, paces all the time unless is penned with my mare and she is the dominate mare so is mean to all the others.
5)Not horrible conformation but definitely not great.
(these are all things that I have already pointed out to her)

The thing is that she wants to breed this mare because she wants another horse. She can not afford to buy one and can barely afford to take care of the mare. We usually pay for all hay and she gets the farrier. If something were to go wrong, there is no money for a vet. I know that she would ask me to give the shots and etc., but there would be no vet care throughout the pregnancy. I know she would not be devasted if the mare were to die in pregnancy or delivery, she really isn't that fond of the mare mainly because she did not pick her out herself. I am trying to find a good way as to not destroy family relationships to let her know that we will not breed our stallion to her mare. While I understand that she wants another horse, I just don't think she can afford it and for that matter, she is boarding at our house for nothing and never does anything with the mare she has now.

If she was a stranger, no problem, just say no, but she is family that is why I am looking for more reasons to give her so any and all help is welcome. I really like this woman so that is why this is so hard.

[imacowgirl2]

Tell her you have a contract in place for breeding your stallion that requires the mare owner show proof of ability to cover all pregnancy vet care (or certain cultures prior to breeding, etc -- which is actually a good idea if you don't already do it)...or something along those lines that you know she can't meet. Devious, but it works, and usually keeps family relations in tact.

Also, sit down and write out for her all the expenses involved in a foal, and show her that its actually CHEAPER by far to just buy a horse than raise one from foal.

[Haas Horse Farm]

Originally Posted by bnttyra

The thing is that she wants to breed this mare because she wants another horse. She can not afford to buy one and can barely afford to take care of the mare. We usually pay for all hay and she gets the farrier. If something were to go wrong, there is no money for a vet. I know that she would ask me to give the shots and etc., but there woul

You can ask her how she can afford to take care of the offspring? Tell her that you cannot afford it, especially not knowing what the future hay prices are going to be like. Have the math all down for her on what it costs you to feed her mare... and that you cannot afford the feed bill on another horse. You are also concerned about where the mare will be kept since she cannot be kept with your mare while she is pregnant and after she foals.

1) Not enough money
2) Not enough room
3) Possible high dollar vet bills as she is not a proven brood mare
4) Do not want to contaminate your stallion by breeding to a mare who has not been tested clean (more vet expense)
5) Do not want to have him seriously hurt if the mare decides that she does not like being bred i.e. a kick in the right spot can ruin a stallion for life.

[bnttyra]

Originally Posted by imacowgirl2

Tell her you have a contract in place for breeding your stallion that requires the mare owner show proof of ability to cover all pregnancy vet care (or certain cultures prior to breeding, etc -- which is actually a good idea if you don't already do it)...or something along those lines that you know she can't meet. Devious, but it works, and usually keeps family relations in tact.

Also, sit down and write out for her all the expenses involved in a foal, and show her that its actually CHEAPER by far to just buy a horse than raise one from foal.

While this is a great idea, the thing is we don't breed to outside mares and have made a commitment to only breed 1 of our own mares per year if that, depending on the market and if we feel the mare we choose is ready, if any of that makes sense. So there is no contract and she knows that.

I think she is well aware of the costs involved since they did attempt to breed this mare several years ago, AI that didn't take. I think that she believes that she will be able to get one cheap, no stud fee and I know that she would not spend any money on the vet care for the mare, she doesn't now. So she is thinking, basically no cost at least she wouldn't spend any money.

I may put some stuff down on paper anyway, just to maybe get her attention as to what it may cost US.

[bnttyra]

Originally Posted by Haas Horse Farm

You can ask her how she can afford to take care of the offspring? Tell her that you cannot afford it, especially not knowing what the future hay prices are going to be like. Have the math all down for her on what it costs you to feed her mare... and that you cannot afford the feed bill on another horse. You are also concerned about where the mare will be kept since she cannot be kept with your mare while she is pregnant and after she foals.

1) Not enough money
2) Not enough room
3) Possible high dollar vet bills as she is not a proven brood mare
4) Do not want to contaminate your stallion by breeding to a mare who has not been tested clean (more vet expense)
5) Do not want to have him seriously hurt if the mare decides that she does not like being bred i.e. a kick in the right spot can ruin a stallion for life.

These will definitely help! Especially the not enough room since I have another yearling we are going to get in 2 weeks and my mare should foal around the middle of February. I don't know if she will go for the "we can't afford it" especially since my husband should be getting a supervisor job with lots more money and they know about that. Maybe I can send my boy off to the trainers! I have been wanting to do that and if I am not gona breed to any of my mares, it would be easy to do. That way he can finally learn to do the sliding stops I have not been able to work with him on.

Thanks guys, you got my brain working!!

[Haas Horse Farm]

LOL But it is not that YOU cannot afford it... it is that SHE cannot afford it and you choose not to... You can share your better bred offspring if she wants one to play with.

You do not want to overwhelm your pocketbook ... it is great that he is getting a promotion but what if that job suddenly goes away... Is there truly any such thing as job security.

You are only breeding one of your own mares and will not be breeding any outside mares because you do not want to add another horse to the too many horses in the US already. Nothing personal... just not willing to change your previously made decision about it.

If she had her own place and was taking care of her own horses ... you would still not do it because you will not breed to outside mares as you do not want your stallion hurt.

You want to spend any extra you might have getting him trained and possibly showing him... that will make his offspring more valuable in the flat market...

[bnttyra]

Some more great points!

These are good people and I don't want to hurt their feelings. When we told them that we would be selling my Quarab mare (I am still trying to talk my hubby out of it since we found out she is really well bred on the Arabian side) and the baby, they said that they wanted them! Now I know what I would sell both of them for and they could not afford even part of one of them! (And I am not talking $10,000 here) I think the aunt wants a horse that she can enjoy especially since she doesn't really like this mare. We suggested selling her and getting a well broke one for her to ride but they just won't do it. They are the Sanford and Son of the horseworld!! Never want to sell anything!

[BuckinAround]

Just reading along....love to ride, groom and care for my horses. I'm by far not the expert. I have a vet, farrier and personal trainer when needed for my family and horses. We are learning. We have an unexpected foal coming very soon. $$$$. BUT why in the world would someone want a foal from a mare they do not even like? I bet after 2-3 years the foal would be wild from not being handled. Sounds like very irresponsible family. Sometimes hearing the truth hurts but in the long run is thankful.

Good luck..........I know how family is, as we all I'm sure do!

[canadianlover]

tell her if she wants to breed the mare then the mare will need to leave your property- simple as that

[bnttyra]

Originally Posted by BuckinAround

Just reading along....love to ride, groom and care for my horses. I'm by far not the expert. I have a vet, farrier and personal trainer when needed for my family and horses. We are learning. We have an unexpected foal coming very soon. $$$$. BUT why in the world would someone want a foal from a mare they do not even like? I bet after 2-3 years the foal would be wild from not being handled. Sounds like very irresponsible family. Sometimes hearing the truth hurts but in the long run is thankful.

Good luck..........I know how family is, as we all I'm sure do!

See, our stallion has a great temperament, good bloodlines, good at what he does (reining, in training, hopefully showing soon), and has very nice conformation for what he is bred to do. They are hoping that they would get a foal that has lots of his characteristics but they also think the mare is "pretty". She does have a nice head and can be worked with and handled, she is just very high strung and because they already have a mare, like lots of people out there, they think she should be bred. The aunt can acknowledge all the mare's faults but is so insistant on breeding her. I can not even tell you how excited they are about my mare having a foal, they are counting down on a calendar! I love these people but they really don't need another horse or a foal for that matter, they are in their 60s and neither one is in great health so I know I would end up doing everything with the foal. They have 10 acres next door to us, but can not afford panels or to build a pen for the mare so she is living with my horses.