should i put her in foal?

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sallypops

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my highland mare is just coming back into work, but just plainly doesn't seem to be enjoying it anymore, after being ridden she is grumpy, but if she has just spent the day in the field or if i take her out for a walk(leading) she is perfectly happy and cuddly. there is nothing wrong with her physically so i get the feeling she is just fed up with it!!

i have always wanted to breed from her and i have found some very attractive stallions, should i put her in foal?? we want to keep breeding from her if we do and show her babies. my mum is prepared for me to do this financially, but i am finding it hard to make the decision HELP!!

if i don't and keep riding i get a grumpy pony, if i do i get a happy pony who would make an excellent mum!!

what do u all think

thanks xxx
 
Don't you want to get to the bottom of why she is grumpy? You have said there is nothing physically wrong with her, so I assume you have had her checked, I along with plenty of others have gone down this route, been told everything is fine, when in fact it wasn't. I think I would rather know that everything has been ruled out. As to breeding from her that depends on your experience, facilities & understanding very few people make any money out of breeding, so what are the reasons for doing so? What is it you are trying to breed? A sports pony or are you going to stay pure & breed Highlands? You have to remember things also go wrong & this can cost 100's. If you are going to sell foals at weaning then your costs are going to be lower & the market is better for foals then yearlings anyway. Without seening the mare it is difficult to comment on whether you should breed or not.
 
its not like she is completely grumpy on her back its more that she feels bored she used to be really sparky and crazy whereas now she just plods along happily enough but i just get the feeling she doesn't want to be ridden.

if we breed from her we want to breed highland poppy would be our starting point.
 
You should not consider breeding from your mare without giving this decision serious thought. Your mare should have a good temperament and excellent conformation. She should be registered with the breed society and up to scratch healthwise. It is a huge commitment to breed a foal and can be fraught with problems if you are not experienced. Of course it can also be a wonderful thing to do but you need to go into it with your eyes fully open and not be sentimental about it. Too many 'poor' foals are bred just because people fancied it and poor foals turn into 'poor' horses. At the end of the day the animal you breed must have a useful life. The whole thing is also very expensive. Using AI my mare took five attempts to get in foal (she had bred before) and so far it has cost me £1000 over the last two seasons. Regarding breeding to sell, the foal and yearling markets are difficult as most people want 'made' animals and don't have the time or facilities to put the work in with a foal or youngster. I don't want to be negative but just to make sure you think carefully. Have you thought about breaking her to drive? This might be a way of getting her interested in work again. If you do decide to go ahead, good luck!
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we have been thinking long and hard about it for a few years now, she has no health issues and is you perfect example of a highland pony, perfect confo etc. if we were to breed her the foal and its mother would recieve the best care in the world he he i love her even tho she's not the best for riding the now
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