Breed a foal or buy a youngster?

looks like you lot are on the wrong forum!! i bred my 14yo gelding and have a 5yo and a yearling and am trying to get a mare in foal again... i could never have afforded to buy my 14yo when he was 5,6,or 7 and the same is looking likely for my 5 yo which is a great advert to breed ... but the yearling is not worth a lot of money at the moment .... what im trying to say is it takes a long time to get the benifit from breeding financially if not impossible so breed for yourself and put it down to fun, but aim as high as you can.
 
Interesting topic to read. I would like to breed with one of my mares so have started reading all the breeding posts to learn as much as I can. I am scared for both myself and my mare as will be both our first times. However, I stable with someone who is very experienced and would be on hand all the time to help and advise. I do wonder though if it would be easier to get a yongster but the reason I would breed the one in particular is to keep a piece of her so to speak as I love her to bits.
 
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Interesting topic to read. I would like to breed with one of my mares so have started reading all the breeding posts to learn as much as I can. I am scared for both myself and my mare as will be both our first times. However, I stable with someone who is very experienced and would be on hand all the time to help and advise. I do wonder though if it would be easier to get a yongster but the reason I would breed the one in particular is to keep a piece of her so to speak as I love her to bits.

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I know just what you mean. My mare is very special to me and I am not breeding to ever sell on.

At the end of the day, I am going to think things over for a year, and make the right decision for me.
 
Buying and breeding both have advantages. I have a 3 year old who i breed (well was an accident really) he has no breeding but i don't think i could of bought a horse like him, he is a joy to own and has alot of his mums good points and doesn't seem to have any of her bad points. The upside of breeding is that you have a completly clean slate and they are what you mold them into, the bad side is if you do something wrong you only have yourself to blame but this is the same for buying a youngster, you also have to wait 3 years before you can even consider starting to ride and spend alot of time and money in the meantime. If you are inexperienced with breeing you have alot to learn and need some experienced people around you to help you through the difficult times.
If i were buying i would buy a yearling or a 3 year old. With a yearling you still kind of have a clean slate but it will have been weaned, handled a little, halter broken hopefully etc and you can do the rest. A 3 year old is ready to start work with, they are still a baby and you will still have a big impression on his outcome but without the 3 years of feeding and cleaning. Personal choice really and only you can decide what you want to do. Good luck in whatever you decide.
 
"The upside of breeding is that you have a completly clean slate and they are what you mold them into," - You would have that with a foal. The debat is Breed a foal or buy a youngster, well buying a youngster is far less of a risk all round, then breeding. The ave mare owner will never recoup their money unless they sell as a weanling. By the time livery, vet bills, farrier, dentist, worming, feeding etc are added you dont stand a chance unless you have an outstanding youngster. As satisfying as it is there is nothing to gain but that from breeding. So unless it is because you feel your mare is good enough to reproduce or/& because you want "a piece of her" it makes more financial sense to buy a youngster.
 
Financialy, yes its better to buy!

But, i have bred a few, and providing it all goes to plan it is a wonderful experience to watch them come into the world and bring them up.
 
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Financialy, yes its better to buy!

But, i have bred a few, and providing it all goes to plan it is a wonderful experience to watch them come into the world and bring them up.

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Any sign of yours arriving yet?? I have all mine now
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