Is it wise to breed a 14.2 Welsh Dwith a 15.2-16hh?

[aimeeparr12]

I have a 14.2 Welsh D mare that I plan on breeding in the near future but as I am 5,10 I don't think it would be wise to breed her with another Welsh D of a similar height. I have received advice from other people and they have suggested crossing her with a larger breed e.g KWPN or TB but I can't help but worry about how carrying and birthing the foal will affect her!! Any advice or past experiences to share??

Thanks!!

 

[Fides]

Unless she is exceptionally bred and also proven in her field - why breed at all?

 

[aimeeparr12]

Unless she is exceptionally bred and also proven in her field - why breed at all?

Unfortunately she is no longer rideable due an injury that she has sustained. However, she is well bred and she is also a cracking little mare with a lot of talent which hopefully would be passed onto her offspring.

 

[Fides]

Unfortunately she is no longer rideable due an injury that she has sustained. However, she is well bred and she is also a cracking little mare with a lot of talent which hopefully would be passed onto her offspring.

So she is at the top of her game? Has bsja/be/bd points? Won regionally/nationally showing? If not, it would be irresponsible to breed her.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

So she is at the top of her game? Has bsja/be/bd points? Won regionally/nationally showing? If not, it would be irresponsible to breed her.

I think that is a tad unfair, not to say highly opinionated, OP is wanting one for herself and is planning for the future, not breeding for the meat market.
If everyone stopped breeding there would be a dearth of youngsters, and those who would benefit most [financially] would be the irresponsible ones.

 

[twiggy2]

OP breeding is always a gamble what you were hoping to produce is not always what arrives, it is a much safer bet to buy a foal or weanling or even a 2-3 year old, it is much cheaper too and you still get to do all the work for yourself an added bonus is there is no risk to a much loved mare

 

[Dry Rot]

Old saying, "A wise man (or woman) buys a horse. A fool breeds one".

Beyond that I will not say on the grounds that I might incriminate myself.

 

[Fides]

I think that is a tad unfair, OP is wanting one for herself and is planning for the future, not breeding for the meat market.

There are plenty of horses ending up at the meat man without breeding more from unproven mares. Just because it has a uterus downs mean it should have a foal. Then there's the whole thing of if the horse isn't sound enough to ride, it it going to be sound enough to take the weight of a foal

 

[Rollin]

So she is at the top of her game? Has bsja/be/bd points? Won regionally/nationally showing? If not, it would be irresponsible to breed her.

The top stallion at the SHGB gradings was out of a mare who has never been ridden owing to injury. Her half brother is this years EU Breed Champion.

Good conformation, paces and temperament are the beginning of any breeding programme - why bother with Tattersalls is only proven performance matters?

OP I have always been told not more than one hand higher for the stallion. However, that does depend on the bone and pelvis of the mare. My CB mares can carry and foal big boned babies. I would not put a small TB mare with no breeding history to my 16.3hh CB stallion.

If your mare is well built then why not a less than 16hh TB?

 

[aimeeparr12]

The top stallion at the SHGB gradings was out of a mare who has never been ridden owing to injury. Her half brother is this years EU Breed Champion.

Good conformation, paces and temperament are the beginning of any breeding programme - why bother with Tattersalls is only proven performance matters?

OP I have always been told not more than one hand higher for the stallion. However, that does depend on the bone and pelvis of the mare. My CB mares can carry and foal big boned babies. I would not put a small TB mare with no breeding history to my 16.3hh CB stallion.

If your mare is well built then why not a less than 16hh TB?

Thank you very much for your advice! This was the sort of thing I was hoping to get out of this post! Our vet is coming out this week for one of my other horses so I shall see what he thinks! Much appreciated!!

 

[ester]

I think you could but will have no guarantee of producing something big enough for you, you could end up with another 14.2

 

[Laputyn]

I would breed with conformation and temperament being paramount. Then I'd start thinking about colour, but nowadays it takes little to no brain power to add something different while keeping good lines and a good stamp.

I don't agree with breeding anything sub standard or "cloney" if the sole intention is to sell the foal in the hopes of making a profit.
If OP wants to breed for herself then what's the issue?

To OP, I've always been told to stay 1hh to 2hh within the mares height, so you could consider a TB or similarly lighter stallion at 16hh. At my current livery yard they have a 16hh WB stallion by Secundus standing and he's covered from 14hh+ with success.
Not my cup of tea and I'd never use him. No performance record due to not employing a capable rider but graded and is a nice stamp and his foals are gorgeous and show amazing potential when they're with the right rider. While I wouldn't use him, I'd consider buying one of his foals as an Eventer/Allrounder as they all seem to be that particular "stamp".

I'll be in the same boat as you in 2015 or 2016 as I wanted to put my mare in foal if she proves herself in competition. I've already picked my stallion though

 

[Spring Feather]

It's not so much the height difference you need to take into account, it's more the type. If you are hoping for taller offspring and the mare is small and stocky then you look for tall and lw type stallion. I've bred lots of times to stallions much taller than the mares, never had a problem with any of them, except at some of the foals did not quite make the height I had hoped for. But then I've had others who grew taller than I expected, so you just never know.