looking for adivce from breeders...

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show_jumper

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hi there.

i currently sell a lot of young competition horses - and am experienced with breeding as my sister in law breeds top arabs, and am looking to get into it myself... those of you who breed for a living... how do you find it??? what adivce would you give someone whos starting up???

thanks!
 
Buy the best mare you can; choose your bloodlines carefully to accommodate the sort of horse you are hoping to breed. Then find the best stallion available to compliment the mare.

Don't do things "on the cheap", go for quality every time, within your breed of choice.
 
Hi my advice would be to select the best possible mares that your budget can allow, pay particular attention to the paperwork, the damline and grand dam line, a top named stallion doesn't make a good horse, of course the mare that stands infront of you has to match the quality of the paperwork.
Try to identify your goals, your market, and bear in mind that breeding is an expensive business and things don't always go to plan. Accidents happen and can make or break a years profits. If your breeding to sell then be sure that the resulting foal will cover your costs. If you have your own land, your own straw and your own hay, can bruise your own barley and make your own chop then costs can be drastically reduced. Good grazing is also the key to success, mares and foals thrive on good grazing through the spring and summer. Check out your local veterinary practices and AI centres to see what they charge in the way of insemination costs. Everyone has to start somewhere and changes can be made along the way, we have changed our herd and will continue to do so focusing on adding in better quality mares as time goes by.
I myself prefer to breed from young mares, and have chosen the Dutch Predicate system as a guide, then hopefully the younger mares can be replaced by their fillies if better than their dams but then go onto compete after having had a few foals. Everyone is different and wouldn't say one system is better than another just different. Its very rewarding but you have to have a strong heart as the hi's and lows as many a veteran breeder will tell you, will test your emotions to the hilt!

If your thinking of breeding Arabs then I know someone who will be delighted to hear about your plans............
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If your thinking of breeding Arabs then I know someone who will be delighted to hear about your plans............
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LOL Opie - I'm guessing that means me?!

But it sounds as though showjumper is thinking of getting into breeding, rather than specifically breeding Arabs!

Hi showjumper - I can't really add anything to Opie's excellent advice, but you might find it interesting to look at a thread on here entitled 'how did you start?' (or something like that). This has everyone's stories of how they got into breeding - makes fascinating reading and you should pick up a few tips!

(Can I be nosey and ask the name of your sister-in-law's Arab stud?)
 
Echo Opie again. The right mares are essential. If you are thinking of buying 5 mares, use that budget to buy 2 brilliant ones.

It is very hard to make money from breeding if you dont own your own land and you have to think long term with your goals and breeding decisions, so dont expect to make any/much money when starting up. Also be true to your dream/ambition at all times, and over the long term you will build up a good reputation which will be the making of your breeding program.

Also do as much research as you can (assuming you want to breed sporthorses) into the different stud books and their systems and find the one that works for you. If you are passionate about your 'breed' that will come through in your stock.
 
Agree with volatis on the having your own land really helping with costs. As others have said, go for the best, as breeding (as i am sure your aware) is expensive, but hopefully when you you do spend the money you get a fair amount back financially, besides all the non financial rewards involved
I hope to breed again in the future when i have the funds, i would be looking to breed dales.
Good luck to you
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