Breed a foal or buy a youngster?

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Bangagin

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Advice needed please. I am contemplating putting my mare in to foal next year - she has had a couple of foals previously (not with me), and she will be 17 next year. The main reason to breed from her is her superb temperament, and general all round "niceness".
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However - I am now wondering whether it would be better to buy a youngster rather than breed from her. I want something as my next riding horse, but would prefer something that I can bring on from scratch.

If I decide to buy, what sort of age would be best to go for?

Help me decide please. I know all the pitfalls of breeding, but it would be an experience for sure.
 
If I had the choice, I would probably go for a colt rather than a filly. And I'm not sure I would want someone else to have handled it for 2 years.

Rather than have suggestions for a particular youngster to buy, I would prefer to have a bit of a debate about buying vs breeding.
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Breeding can be heart wrenching and stressful and very expensive (as with everything horsey I suppose!)
If you are considering the options I guess you're not 100% determined to have a foal by your mare and so I would recommend buying a youngster instead and cutting out 2yrs of turmoil!
 
I too have a lovely Mare that I dream of breeding from. My vet said that it is far better to spend your money on a "live foal", that is the sex, colour and size you want, rather than risk your only horse on breeding something that could be rubbish.

There are loads of foals out there for sale, at very good prices, very well bred and probably very well handled.

My mare is a big strong, good looking TB, who takes after her sire. The man who bred my Mare, knew her Dam, he described the Dam as a whippety little thing. I would be gutted if I bred a whippety TB from my mare.
 
You get what you breed, you buy what you want. Lots of very nice youngsters out there and no guarantee that your mare will pass on her nice temperament. These days, unless I had a proven competition mare with good breeding where the foals would be worth something, I'd always look to buy. That's not because I want to sell them on but to give them some kind of insurance policy should I be forced to sell.
 
Fools breed horses for wise men to buy.............!

If you are after a certain type then buy, you can't guarantee what you are going to get (if anything), if you breed.
 
I bred from my mare a few years ago. I wanted a filly and a coloured - I got a bay colt! Would I have preferred a coloured filly - yes, do I regret breeding my boy - NO way!!! I wouldn't part with him for all the world, I loved every second I spent with him when he was a baby and I love him with all my heart.

If I could turn the clock back I'd do it again. Having said that, I do still sooooooooooo want a filly and if I had the money to keep another horse I'd probably buy my next one to ensure I got exactly what I wanted.

If you do decide to buy let me know as I know of some fantastic youngsters for sale.
 
Thanks everyone. In some ways my facilities are putting me off - I rent a field so have no stabling, and also no other youngsters around to socialise the foal with.

However - one thing that is a real pull is the fact that this will really be my only chance to breed a foal, and I would love to do it for the experience. I don't really mind whether she throws a filly or a colt - but if I was buying I would choose a colt.

If I do decide to buy, I probably won't look for another year or so.
 
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Thanks everyone. In some ways my facilities are putting me off - I rent a field so have no stabling, and also no other youngsters around to socialise the foal with.



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Simple - buy 2 youngsters
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or if you decide to breed then buy another foal for company when they're weaned
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See this is why I am totally bankrupt..........
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It is cheaper to buy then breed, plus you get to see the end result, without any gambling on sex, colour, risk to mare, etc. Lot of very nice foals being bred, so unless it is because you want something from your mare, I would buy.
 
You have to decide which is more important...

Financial - Its more economical to buy a youngster.
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Passion/Experience - Breeding can be heartbreaking but it can also be the most amazing experience in the world and its what keeps alot of 'fools' breeding for 'wise men' to buy
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I have 2 super colt foals for sale, so I would say BUY! PM me if you'd like details.

Also, you have to imagine that the worst points of your mare and the worst points of whichever stallion you chose all came out in a foal - would you still want it? If the answer is no, then I wouldn't recommend considering breeding.
 
its not to bad if you own the stallion as you dont have stud fees to find, which is why this year i can offer my foals at a slightly lesser price as my outgoing were a minimum, having owned the stallion. less hassle to buy though!!!!
 
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Thanks everyone. In some ways my facilities are putting me off - I rent a field so have no stabling, and also no other youngsters around to socialise the foal with.

However - one thing that is a real pull is the fact that this will really be my only chance to breed a foal, and I would love to do it for the experience. I don't really mind whether she throws a filly or a colt - but if I was buying I would choose a colt.

If I do decide to buy, I probably won't look for another year or so.

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If this is your situation then I would buy. Breeding is wonderful and heart wrenching all at the same time, but doing it 'for the experience' is not a strong enough reason to do it.

Some good advice given already, but save your money & in a year you will be able to buy something really exciting.
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For example. I bred mouse last year - after her stud fee, her keep and we had a few issues as a newborn requiring the vet, I am probably looking in excess of 3000 to have her here today & she is only a yearling. I could buy a very nice 2 year old for that sort of money and a whole lot less trauma!
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Would buy rather than breed - far cheaper, no risk to your own horse and you buy what you want rather than potential pot luck from breeding, and after spending heaps of money getting a mare in foal you still may not get a live one at the end of it!! At 17 I wouldn't risk a pet mare for the sake of a foal as although they can still breed at that age the risks are higher and the fertility lower. We have a few friesian and friesian cross youngsters for sale - pm me if interested!!!
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BUY! I bred from my mare and ended up with a lot of problems. The youngster cost me a fortune in vet's fees and as I am a one mare owner, I had to send him away to be weaned......more expense! As others have said, you can CHOOSE the youngster that you really like, but if you breed from your mare you will have what you have and there will be no choice!!
 
In your situation I would buy a youngster. Although your mare sounds nice, you haven't said there is anything exceptional about her other than her temperament.

If you buy a foal then you avoid the expense and risks of breeding, you can choose something that is exactly what you want rather than gambling and you can have something now rather than in a year or two.

There are loads of foals out there right now that have very nice temperaments and will make very nice riding horses, and in this current climate its probably not sensible to breed yet another foal if you just need a nice allrounder.

Also you can probably get something really nice for cheaper than it would cost to breed your own of that quality.
 
in your position, buy.

your mare sounds very special to you but is not world beater- do you really want to risk her dying through complications?

if you are looking for a good temperament then you would be better buying as you can see the horse's attitude- despite your best intentions you may breed a grouchy grotbag from your lovely mare!

i prefer to buy youngsters as weanlings straight from the breeder so there are no horrible habits to break from bad handling or being spoilt!
 
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its not to bad if you own the stallion as you dont have stud fees to find, which is why this year i can offer my foals at a slightly lesser price as my outgoing were a minimum, having owned the stallion. less hassle to buy though!!!!

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People always say that - but not usually stallion owners!
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I have my own stallion and use him on about 10 mares. Yes, I save on stud fees and keep away at stud, but there's the cost of the stallion, his upkeep, his CEM/EVA etc. It all adds up - I'd say I break even on 10 mares - and do a bit better if he gets 8-10 outside mares (which he usually does, although this year has been quieter!)

Certainly it's a lot cheaper to buy than to breed - and you can select sex, size, colour etc when you buy (although my vet is getting very good at pinching the grey colt and leaving the bay filly!
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In some ways my facilities are putting me off - I rent a field so have no stabling, and also no other youngsters around to socialise the foal with.

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That's a strong argument against breeding you own! You CAN foal a mare in the field - but if she decides to foal when it's p***ing down for days, it will be a miserable experience for you all! And if you have to send her away to be foaled down, that's more cost and you miss the joy of seeing your foal born. You'll then run into more poblems at weaning!

I would suggest you consider buying two well brought up weanlings, preferably fom the same stud that know each other, and run them on. You get all the pleasure of bringing up your own youngster, you can then pick the one you like the best at backing time and sell the other. FAR easier - and more manageable! And almost cetainly cheaper to buy 2 weanlings than to breed one!
 
Is it cheaper to buy than breed? I have worked out for me approx cost for the stallion of my choice,vets etc £1300.

I have looked at cost of buying and they are more than that...
 
I too am looking to breed from my mare. She's my horse of a lifetime, with BE points, BD points and BSJA winnings, BUT I don't want to stop competing her. I would be delighted with a carbon copy of her, but it seems so expensive. Oh dear, only I can decide!!!
 
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Is it cheaper to buy than breed? I have worked out for me approx cost for the stallion of my choice,vets etc £1300.

I have looked at cost of buying and they are more than that...

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A year's keep for the mare, EHV vaccinations, and then a relatively 'minor' foaling complication can add £500+ in a couple of days! I had one last year bled into the broad ligament - £700 and we wee lucky to save her! Another retained part of the placenta and despite very prompt treatment, got toxic laminitis - another £600!!

And the year before, a foal with Neo-natal Maladjustment Syndrome - about £800 to keep him alive for the first week - luckily he survived. If you've got a number of mares foaling you can spread the cost of the odd disaster - but for the single mare owner, you could be several thousand pounds down and end up with no mare and/or no foal.

Don't get me wrong - breeding your own foal can be the MOST rewarding thing! But it can also be a total disaster in every way.
 
No competition - if your mare is at livery and you dont have access to stables then DO NOT BREED go out and buy. Again stongly advise against a foal as they dont tend to fit into a livery situation. 2yos are normally the best value for money as foals and yearlings sell on potential, 3yo as they are nearly ready to work - 2yos fall in between.

If by next spring you have won the lottery, have your own land then go ahead, put your mare in foal and enjoy the experience of breeding your own foal.
 
Not at livery as such - I rent half a field. There would be no extra cost for having another horse on the field. Lots of natural shelter, but I have been toying with the idea of buying a field shelter, and would definitely get one if I decided to breed.

Money isn't really an issue - although of course I wouldn't want to go throwing it down the drain!!
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You really need a stable - a shelter is fine for the field but you need somewhere to bring mare and foal in if anything goes wrong or the weather is bad. You also need really good grazing so the mare has plenty of milk and the foal gets plenty too. You need good fencing - no electric and no barb wire - foals are accident magnets. You need to have another foal for it to play with and socialise and also be weaned with - if you have a colt you need to think about gelding it and you need another colt to wean with as technically they can cover at 6 months old. Insurance companies often won't cover a foal until 6 months old so do have money set aside for emergencies.
I own my own stallions and it still costs me a fortune to breed a foal - I am lucky if I break even and that is with mine and my sisters wages thrown into the pot too!!!! And in this current climate you need to breed from top notch mares to start with as if you ever did have to sell the resultant foal would need to be marketable - there is no point adding to the thousands of average horses out there.
 
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