It's broke, lets breed it!

LollyDolly

LollyDolly

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Ok, am I the only one who is sick to death of seeing broken down mares being advertised as broodmares? It drives me crazy!
A lot of the time the horse has broken down due to a conformational defect and yet people then go on to breed foals from her, thus exposing them to the same defects that ruined the mother! And let's be honest, when somebody pays £300 for a broken down mare they aren't going to be using a graded stud, chances are it will be their mates back yard stallion.
It's just so wrong because they are breeding more babies with bad conformation who struggle and then break down in later life and are passed from pillar to post, or end up with the meatman. In those scenarios PTS by a vet is pretty much the best outcome! I think you should have to sit a test on horse conformation or something before you breed because a lot of these people just don't have a clue and think that just because a mare has a functioning womb then she clearly needs to be bred.
I have nothing wrong with someone breeding off a nicely conformed mare who was broken due to an extraneous injury such as a kick in the field etc., however it's when you see these horses with long, spidly pasterns or straight hocks or upright shoulders etc. which are being advertised as broodmares! It's ridiculous! I think that the amount of 'back-yard' breeding needs to be severly cut down, that way there wouldn't be anywhere near as many broken horses hobbling round fields or on their way to the meat man.

Sorry for the long post but just thought that I needed to vent!!
 
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I have one 'broken' broodmare, who has great conformation and was my first advanced eventer, who would have been bred anyway. These adverts annoy me too, and stallions for sale for $500 - I pay more for a stud fee!
 
Annoys me too. I know of a mare bought for a mother and daughter to share . . . reasonably well put together, very pretty but had a serious number of screws loose. She ended up utterly unrideable - scared the pants off the owners and everyone else who plucked up the courage to either handle or ride her - so they put her in foal. Sigh.

P
 
I agree! As i seem to have one of those poor said mares who is broken and seems every Tom, Dick & Harry has tried to breed from her and mistreat her in every awful way possible.
I've had her 6 months an'd we've only just reached the point that she will allow me to put a headcollar on and touch her with a "fake arm" without her turning herself inside out.
Sometimes I wish mares could be "sterilised" like geldings.
 
yep, im seeing it too :( adverts for broken down mares who would make a "good broodie" :( I had a mare in which i was gifted, to either back or use as a broodie. She had excellent breeding and good conformation and had stood at stud as a guest mare due to this. However once i got to know the horse and her offspring i realised that her personality and behavioural problems were passed on to her young and i really didnt want a youngster who would rear in hand, barge about, bite or try to double barrel you in a stable. To me a good horse must have an excellent temprement as well as confo and breeding
 
nixxyz said:
To me a good horse must have an excellent temprement as well as confo and breeding
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Of course a broodmare needs a good persona because this can be passed to the foals however I am going off what I can see on the advert, sadly they don't tend to be very upfront and honest about the mares disposition! But there is no hiding the conformation! :cool:
 
nixxyz said:
yep, im seeing it too :( adverts for broken down mares who would make a "good broodie" :( I had a mare in which i was gifted, to either back or use as a broodie. She had excellent breeding and good conformation and had stood at stud as a guest mare due to this. However once i got to know the horse and her offspring i realised that her personality and behavioural problems were passed on to her young and i really didnt want a youngster who would rear in hand, barge about, bite or try to double barrel you in a stable. To me a good horse must have an excellent temprement as well as confo and breeding
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This. Adding that it should also be free from things like sweet itch and other allergies.

Why, oh why would you breed from a nutjob . . . particularly if your market is the leisure rider rather than for a specific sport like racing where nutty behaviour can be managed and channeled?

P
 
Kat said:
Love the polo shirt, might buy one and go for a walk round the local housing estate..... :eek:

DH is currently working on the drawing he donated for the "Draw The Line" Campaign.
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I want audience tickets to Jeremy Kyle so I can wear it there :D
 
I agree, I did breed from my broken down mare but her conformation was pretty good and she'd passed her fab temperament onto a previous foal (before I got her). I bred for myself, her filly is now 4 and (unless hell freezes over) will be with me for life, I didn't put her in foal again and had no plans to (sadly she was pts with colic).
Too many people breed because foals are cute, they're also bloody expensive, it cost me more to breed her than I've paid for any other horse I've ever had, and it's a hell if a wait from birth to backing.

Same goes for everything though, horses, dogs and chav children :-/
 
dafthoss said:
But then you would have to brave going to norwich :eek::p


This thread reminds me of a conversation we had a little while ago ;)
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:D I think we've had this conversation repeatedly over a number of different circs ;) I also think I've mentioned my Jeremy Kyle - think before you breed polo shirt ambitions in every one of those conversations :D
 
Kat said:
I think I'd actually watch the show if you did!
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You'd probably see me get beaten up by "Gazza, father of 27, lives off benefits in 27 bedroom council-provided mansion".

Would make good TV I reckon :D
 
dafthoss said:
Nah you missed out the inbreeding :p
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That wouldn't make good TV :eek: Nobody wants to see Gazza getting down to it with his first cousin :eek:


(oh god I've created and named an imaginary nemesis chav-benefit scrounger. I do despair of my sanity sometimes :o )
 
JFTD said:
You'd probably see me get beaten up by "Gazza, father of 27, lives off benefits in 27 bedroom council-provided mansion".

Would make good TV I reckon :D
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You forgot the fact that his benefits are supporting his drug habit, the fact that his 27 children have 4 different mothers, who also live in his 27 bedroom mansion, and that despite him having 27 children by the age of 30 he is also a grandfather.
 
Kat said:
You forgot the fact that his benefits are supporting his drug habit, the fact that his 27 children have 4 different mothers, who also live in his 27 bedroom mansion, and that despite him having 27 children by the age of 30 he is also a grandfather.
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Oh you know him too? Did you meet him at the STD clinic? - he seems to spend a lot of time there these days :p


[not incinuating Kat has STD problems :D]
 
I have a friend that had a very sucessful hunter show mare. However as she got older she became more and more difficult, and eventually got too aggressive to ride.

Rather than retire or pts, she then started breeding from her. And the foals she has bred are stunning......but the majority also impossible to ride or handle.

My friend would never put the mare to sleep, and justifies keeping her by breeding from her. To give her her due, one did turn out ok and went to HOYS, but only with a very experienced home and a lot of money spent.

Year in year out this mare is put back into foal and the owner now has a field of very beautiful but unsellable horses......
 
Kat said:
So what was I doing at the STD clinic then???? :eek:
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Social research? errr... I didn't think this through... Maybe the STD clinic is right next to the tack shop and the parking's cheaper? You met in the car park when he backed his pick up (converted by nailing rows of seats into the truck to carry his offspring) into your car?


[oh god, now I've invented a whole imaginary retail and chav-health park?!]
 
PolarSkye said:
This. Adding that it should also be free from things like sweet itch and other allergies.
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No I disagree. My mare has hideous sweet itch - neither her sire or dam are sufferers. Neither is her son that I got as a surprising BOGOF. Allergies are too hit or miss to simply exclude an otherwise very good breeding prospect.
 
Minxie said:
No I disagree. My mare has hideous sweet itch - neither her sire or dam are sufferers. Neither is her son that I got as a surprising BOGOF. Allergies are too hit or miss to simply exclude an otherwise very good breeding prospect.
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It is widely believed that sweet itch has a genetic link. Until it is proven otherwise I would not breed from a sweet itch sufferer. As with all genetic conditions, it is perfectly possible for a horse to be a symptomless carrier which is why is can appear to 'skip' generations. Personally I wouldn't take the risk and wouldn't buy from a breeder who thought otherwise.
 
How many foals have you bred then OP?

I'm relatively new to breeding but my 'broken' broodmare (on so many levels) has just produced me the most outstanding foal I (and everybody else that's seen him) has ever seen. Her initial issue was suspensory as had been evented from 5 (not great for a 16.3 MW/HW Warmblood). If I look closely then yes, conformation wise there is a slight turning out of the foot on that leg but foal is as straight as a die.

My other 'perfect' broodies, one a Saddlers Hall TB, one a Clover Hill ID have produced pretty average, and in one case very cow-hocked youngstock.

Its not that simple unfortunately. What is far more important is how the breeder invests time and money into all offspring regardless and takes personal responsibility for their futures.
 
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