to breed or not to breed? help please

[izzyxxx]

well i have a 14hh appaloosa x welsh cob mare she is a little angle and has the lovelyest nature and the best character but she is not responsive due to being mistreated in the past so just plods around bless her she is 6 now and i have had her since a 3 year old.....so heres the bit i need help on !....we went to look at a horse the other day but it wasnt what i was looking for the man also showed us his stallion an beautiful black 8yr 16hh standard bred trotter used for racing and he again had a loverly temperment and was as soft as muck so my mum is set on the idea of breeding her with him the man is very good and it is a stud farm he charges £250 stud and then he would take my mare in get her scanned by the vet and then before she is ready to foal she will stay on his yard and he has a foaling box with cctv and he said because its her first he will make sure that the foal is feeding and every thing is ok after the birth befor leaving them to bond for free all together it would cost me £400 pounds sorry for it being so long but what do you think good idea or not!?

 

[0]

the only thing i would say is that for her first foal you would probably be better matching her with something which is a bit closer to her height!!

 

[izzyxxx]

yeah thats what i said but the man said that she would be ok i wanted the stally to be around 15hh because i am not sure whether the foal would be too big for her

 

[sillygillyhorse]

Do you need another horse? What job do you want the horse for?

there are lots of questions to ask yourself, such as confirmation wise does the stallion suit the mare? Do you have safe grazing for the mare and foal, what about provisions for weaning, livery costs for the foal etc.

Don't forget you if you keep the foal you have all the costs to incurr until it can be ridden.

Personally I would rather go out and have my pick of 3/4 year olds that someone else has had the expense and heartache of rearing.

I think you mum may be thinking "how cute would a foal be". Realistically they take up loads of your time and hard earned money.

My vote would be no, don't do it.

 

[Capriole]

having had the expense of keeping a foal (which is basically a useless eating machine) i wouldny advise you bother...as MrsT said its best to spend your money on one thats already out there

 

[izzyxxx]

i know they are quite expensive (well very expensive) but i want to breed when i am older and i was looking at a 6month old the other day that would cost me £1000 my livery is very good i pay £10 a week for an acre field (he has just given my another bit of field as well) and a stable my horse is a real good doer as well but it will always stay £10 a week whether i have my 1 pony or 10 lol(thats another reason why we are thinking know while we have this deal) the only other problem is the field is hilly do you think that would also cause problems?
thanks for replying though it gives me things to think about!!!!

 

[Sooty]

Forgive me if I am wrong, but it sounds a little bit as if you have only started thinking about breeding from your mare since this visit, where you saw the stallion. I think it is something you want to think about long and hard as it is a potentially expensive and time consuming thing to do, and in the meantime you would have no horse to ride. You might possibly be better off either having lessons with your mare (apologies if you already do this) or looking for a horse that can do what you want it to do. As I have no idea of your age or situation, this answer is a bit vague, but you come across as quite young.

 

[izzyxxx]

well i am 16 but we have thought about breeding her ever since we decided to buy her she is a little angle but i won't be riding alot at the minute any way gcses and all that jazz but i spend at least an hour with her every day just being with her if you know what i meen? we do alot of ground work and have a really good bond and we only hack out as i am not into compeating but i am taking your coments on board and will be talking with my mum about it as it is nothing definated i am trying to weigh it up which i think is better than falling into it insted of doing it properly!

 

[Capriole]

dont underestimate the amount of time you will need to spend with a foal by the way, its hard work

 

[Covdale]

I would say think seriously before you do, it is not unusual for a larger stallion to cover a small mare but breeding itself carries many risks. Consider the build of the mare and stallion as well as the height difference.
You have plenty of time to make your decision(I assume you will wait until next year?) and it must be YOUR decision at the end of the day. Above all, ask yourself 'Am I prepared for the heartache of losing mare, foal or both!', I know its a worst case scenario but it does happen.
I don't mean to sound as though I'm trying to put you off as breeding a foal when it all works out is the best feeling in the world!
Good luck whatever you decide

 

[Chambon]

Ok, Im not out to win any popularity contest so I have nothing to lose by being totally honest with you.....

Don't do it.

You do not have the time, facilities or experience to breed a foal. You have seen a stallion that you like and have fallen in love with the idea of having a cutesy foal for a while. However the reality is, 1 acre of hilly pasture is not enough to support a mare and foal, and one stable is not enough once the foal is weaned.

It is too late to put your mare in foal this year anyway. Your mare is an appy x welsh - does she have papers? Does she have excellent conformation and a 1st class temperament without any issues? Is she sound? What sort of foal would you hope to get from her crossed with a trotter (bearing in mind the foal would be appy/welsh/trotter)?

Breeding is not for the feint hearted. Yes it does have its rewards, but there is often a lot of heart ache too, it's a lot of work, a lot of money and a lot of worry.

If you are not able to do anything with her at the moment, why not put her on loan? There is no point in breed a foal just for the sake of it.

Sorry if this appears harsh, you asked for opinions and I am being honest.

 

[spottysport]

couldn't agree more with Chambon!

 

[Onyxia]

IMHO no, but its too late to do it this year anyway so spend the time thinking long and hard about it.
Talk to your vet to get an idear of costs if things go wrong, check that your insurance will cover it.Talk to the stud farm guy again and get as much advice as poss about breeding and seroiusly think about what you would do with the foal.
If you will sell it then its going tocost a LOT for not much in return, if you keep it its going to cost a lot anyway to keep it untill its old enough to ride and if you/your mum cant back it yourselfs thats extra expence.

TBH, I think you would be better to buy a 3/4 year old as already sugested or get some extra lessons.

 

[izzyxxx]

i am not sure if i have explained myself well enough... i am quite happy with my mare the way she is we are going the charity show next week and we potter around quite happily and it would be next year as i know it is too late i have been thinking about it for 3 years and worked with a woman that bred her race horses her yard is on the back of my field so there is help there i just wanted to experience it and i like the hard work getting my mare how she is wasnt a picnic but i am taking on board what you are saying 100% its food for thought !!!! and there are three more stables including an indoor one sorry for not beeing clear and i have just been given an extra half acre, although i am taking every ones suggestions on board!!!!!!!! and i dont want to do it badly so if its not right then it wont happen and i will happily potter along like i have been for the past 3 years lol i appreciate every ones advice as thats the reason i put the post on hear so thanks and feel free to be as brutally honest as you like i do not want to make any mistakes that will put my mare at risk!!! thanks every1

 

[Weezy]

I could see absolutely no gain in breeding an appy x WC with a Standard bred - that just screams WRONG to me - sorry!

 

[izzyxxx]

ok well she has only got a bit of cob in her to be honest you wouldnt really notic and we were just thinking it would make a taller faster horse with a great temperment as my pony is soooo slow you can walk faster lol

 

[peapod]

But the thing is - you might NOT get a taller, faster horse. Your foal could take the attributes of your mare - you could end up with something that is completely not what you expected.

Our stallion is the most laid back pony you will ever meet - however his first daughter is very headstrong, and not an easy horse. Why? Because she took attributes from her mother, and more specifically from her grandmother.

You really cannot predict what you will end up with when breeding - especially when the mare and stallion are different breeds/types.

If you want a faster, taller horse, than I would strongly recommend buying one, rather than trying to breed it.

 

[Iestyn]

Please don't breed just for the sake of it. The mare has no competition record and is just an "ordinary" family cob, and the stallion is not a very popular breed. If you want another horse there are thousands for sale out there. If you think it's only going to cost you £400 then you are way out. It will cost you a couple of grand I should imagine, and that's if it all goes well. The deal also soudns a little dodgy and I would be very wary.

 

[Blizzard]

In my opinion breeding, just as with dogs, should only be done to improve the breed! Not just for the sake of it or because you want to.

1. you should have a breeding quality mare with excellent confirmation and temperment, with something to offer her foal in the way of talent preferably.
2. why would you want to breed her with a huge trotter? Have you actually ridden one and felt how they move? What benefit would you be getting from combining a app X welsh cob, and a trotter!
3.Sorry but that is just pointless in my opinion, if you want to breed her with someone then choose something similar to her, maybe a full welsh cob? but bear in mind breed attributes, welsh cobs are very clever but can take the pee and are very stuborn!
4. Just because the stallion is fast doesnt mean the foal will be and this stallion could be a maniac under saddle, just being good on the ground doesnt count for everything.

5. and most importantly, you dont even have the time to ride your own mare, why on earth would you bring a foal into the world that needs loads of attention and care?
1 acre isnt even enough for one horse in my opnion! But a foal aswell!
And finally at 16 it does sound like you are thinking oh a cute foal, what will you be using him for, are you experienced enough to break him in and give him all the discipline he needs as a youngster, when he is ploughing through you, biting, kicking or generally being a loopy youngster?

Please dont do it, wait a few years and then decide. Tihs is a life you are talking about.

I want to put my mare in foal, she is a well bred welsh sec D and we have ample grazing and facilities, but Im not rushing into it, I want the right stallion, and I wouldnt even think of doing it until I knew I could cope with absolutely anything, and of course also the possible loss of both mare and foal.

 

[izzyxxx]

thanks yeah i understand what you mean but the other thing is i think i need to clear it up i am not doing it for the sake of doing it at all i am exploring possibliities and from what everyone has said i will proberbly leave it untill i have qualified as i am interested in that area of horse man ship and i think it would proberbly be nicer to breed her with another appaloosa! its just possibilitys that i am looking at and my mare has a good comformation but not perfect as i find it hard to get a perfect conformation she has the best temperment children of 18mnts and a 2 yrold have ridden and handled her i am personally not into jumping but my brother is and she will sail over a jump with him even though he is a novice and the jumps are about 1 meter i know that it will most likely be more like my mare and i would love to have a bigger version of my mare slow and all as it would make a loverly pleasure horse i have looked into all out comes and aspects of it and i know it costs more god i know! that price is just the stud fee getting her in foal and the costs of keeping her at the stud farm and after care but i compleatly understand and i do not think that a standard bred would be the best thing to breed her with thanks every 1 for helping me make up my mind i am sooo glad that i havent jumped in head first!

 

[calon]

i wouldnt breed from a trotter unless i wanted another trotter even a part bred can have a trotters gait and it wouldnt or do well in show ring if it paced

 

[MagicMelon]

Id say dont breed. Why? You dont WANT a foal as such and why breed from a horse who isnt quite right. I think horses should ONLY be bred from if the mare and stallion are excellent horses AND you actually WANT the foal. Too many people breed foals just to give their mare something to "do" and then dont know what to do with the foal.....