Heartbreaking sale - which to choose? Advice Needed (long, sorry)

[arwenplusone]

Ok so please no-one shoot me down for this situation- just looking for thoughts to resolve.

I have a 12 yr old mare, Arwen - lovely stamp of a WB mare but has some issues (is very strong, weaves and can fret a lot if stabled for too long). Last year I bred from her with a view to her being my foundation mare for a small breeding venture. She has given me a stunning foal (Rags) and now she is in foal again to the same stallion.

My challenge is that the breeding venture is no longer feasible ( various personal reasons) and I have had various expenses recently that means I have lost my working capital.

Now, I have the mare who is in foal, the foalie, plus my competition mare who I want to concentrate on, to keep over winter (on DIY and I work full time).
Cost of keeping them is not a problem (time might be but can always get up earlier) but due to loss of capital I don't have the buffer of cash to support me if anything goes wrong.
Rags was v ill about a week after birth and really opened my eyes to the costs if anything goes wrong.
Basically I don't feel 'comfortable' enough to keep all three and I don't really want to get into debt.

So it comes to me to sell one of them. Question is, do I sell the mare as a broodmare in foal (this mare is v special, I worked so hard to get her trust and she helped me so much emotionally when my parents died suddenly) or do I sell the foal (who is special because it was a difficult delivery and shewas v poorly - also she is stunning and could go far in the future) and thus get my buffer of cash back...?

Horrible choice but I think realistically I have to face it. I don't want to be in a position where one of them is sick and I have to get into debt to pay for treatment.

Thanks - and well done if you got this far

 

[AmyMay]

Oooo hard one.

Morally I couldn't sell an in foal mare - and this one sounds very special to you.

I would sell the foal - but at this time of year it may be tricky.

Dont' make any rash decisions, sometimes something is around the corner that just may help.......

 

[WelshRareBit]

Sell the foal, that way you keep your precious bond with your mare and the little foalie will hopefully get a home with lots of spare cash for silly emergencies - both of you get to win then.
Sorry to hear you've gotten into this situation, its horrible when cash goes tits up..
x

 

[ESH_Jess]

have you thought about putting the mare on a breeding loan? that way you have a little more input to her future eg., who she goes to with contracts to protect both yourself and the loan person. and if its really not working from eother side you can have her back and re think.
difficult decision.

 

[magic104]

Sell the foal, an awful lot cant happen btwn now & when it can be started.

 

[the watcher]

Looking at it the other way, how would you cope with the one that is left? Whilst your in-foal mare might be happy to mooch around the field while you are schooling/competing the competition horse, would your foal cope with being left alone for up to a day at a time? Or it may be that your in-foal mare is less happy to be left?
Those considerations would shape my thinking as much as anything else.

 

[arwenplusone]

ESHjess, this would be my perfect ideal but she is in foal now and not due til the 28 May - In my opinion, someone loaning a broodmare would want them earlier? And without foal at foot? I have no experience of loaning so if anyone does - please feel free to chip in!

Thanks for your thoughts. Will be sooo hard to part with either of them.

 

[arwenplusone]

the_watcher - this is a very good point , but foalie will be with others her age on our yard so wouldn't be left. Broodmare also easy to leave alone or can put her with friend's horse. Interesting to look at it from that angle though, thanks.

 

[kerilli]

i think i would sell the foal. how is s/he bred? to make how big?

 

[Tempi]

I too would sell the foal, the mare is obviously very special too you.

 

[S_N]

Get a good pic of the foal and put it in H&H ASAP - also Horse Deals!! Sorry that you have to come to this decision - hugs!

 

[Fahrenheit]

Personally i'd sell the foal, keep the mare and foal her yourself, thenif necessary sell the foal she has next yeat as well.
Its what I would do if I was in your shoes.

 

[arwenplusone]

Thanks guys, Kerilli, foalie is dark bay to make 16.3 she's WB xTB (Pink papered Grade A WB mare (Lucky Boy) X Danish WB/TB stallion (medium eventer by May Sherif).
V well put together foal - been out to shows and done very well - fantastic trainable temperament. Also the first one I bred. But very sellable I guess.

Looking at the mare though, what would I do with her - She loves being a mum but I cannot afford to put her back in foal. She is totally rideable but a happy hacker/dressage and doesn't jump anymore - (sadly, jumping is my thing) she's 12 - it is a long time for me to keep her just as a pet and not doing anything? But I feel so disloyal selling her because she doesn't have a 'use'.

Soo hard. But selling foalie in some ways easier.

 

[the watcher]

There is a market for a safe happy hacker that will do some RC dressage, so please don't feel that she wouldn't have any future at all, especially if she has bred nice foals. i know that doesn't help your decision making process at all

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
There is a market for a safe happy hacker that will do some RC dressage

[/ QUOTE ]
There most certainly is - It's what I was after (and luckily found).

 

[volatis]

Sell the foal, and if you dont want to sell the mare you could put her on breeding loan next year after she has foaled down. The loaner could either recover the mare and collect her from you once you wean next year's foal, or if its someone who know/trust take the mare and foal and wean the foal for you, and cover the mare themselves.
I have done both with mares on breeding loan, one came with foal at foot that I sold for the owner and the other came empty. A third I covered before she came here and collected her once she had weaned the owner's foal

 

[reynold]

sounds daft but what about offering her to be used in embryo transfer next year

sell the foal this year - otherwise next year you'll have 4 !!

but if she's a good mum.....just think she could be 'mum' to a foal of e.g. Headley Brittania ....!!

 

[Pinkwellies2]

I had a similar dilema with my mare earlier this year except in her case it was soundness, I couldn't afford to breed from her myself and felt that at 8, she was too young to be retired to the field. I contacted Twemlows Hall Farm Stud and they took her on loan for embryo transplant. Loan period is a minimum of 18 months so it has given me a bit of breathing space financially, also i know she will be well cared for. Have attached link to website, might be a options worth considering.
www.twemlows.co.uk

 

[arwenplusone]

wow - pink wellies - I never thought of that - and I know someone who works at Twemlows too.

Not going to make too many quick decisions, (and current foalie is only 5 months ) but great to know there are options out there that mean I won't lose my beloved mare forever.

x

 

[Blackhawk]

Hello you! It's Nic! (had Jasper & Dorey at the same livery as you

)

I would say sell the foal. I know how special Arwen is to you and you have a bond with her. Foalie is very special too, and just utterly gorgeous, but it would be a shame for you to have to give up Arwen.

Let me know if you want any help. I know I mentioned it before but I'm happy to lend a hand with anything if you want. I'm at a bit of a loose end since Jasper died and I'm sure some mucking out over winter would keep me fit.