What is you definition of an indiscriminate breeding?

Indiscriminate breeding - breeding without due care and attention to the conformation, soundness, use and temperament of the parents.

Not the only way for breeding to be bad or unnecessary, of course - breeding for a nonexistent market, without the funds to do it properly, for profit alone, or on the basis of faulty logic (my horse is an awesome sports horse and therefore should pass on his genes, even though he's a quirky little **** to ride and his offspring will probably kill anyone he encounters - but I love him so I can't see that) is all equally flawed.
 
When I decided that I wanted a youngster my first thought was temperament and second conformation. I had no intention of breeding from my own mare. She is a well bred arabian but would I breed from her? No. I knew what job I wanted my youngster to do and chose accordingly. He is growing into a lovely young man. Not a world beater but that was never my aim. Good bone and a level head will more than handle my mid life asperations.:)
 
I haven't read the whole thread so apologies if I'm repeating anything but for me, indiscriminate breeding boils down to either of two things:

1. breeding from an unsuitable mare with conformation and/or temperament issues which compromise her physical or mental soundness, who hasn't stood up to a reasonable level of work and is ultimately only being bred from because she's not good enough or capable enough to do anything else and has a uterus. Doubly so when the requirements for the foal are to be twice the height of the mare, a completely different type and with 20x more talent in a particular sphere.

2. any mating where the breeder hasn't carefully considered the strengths and weaknesses of each individual mare and chosen, with due regard for the intended job of the foal, the most appropriate stallion to compliment those strengths and compensate (so far as possible) for the weaknesses and who hasn't carried out all recommended health checks as part of the process.
 
Breeding without a market for the foals to go into, I would say this applies more to failed sport horses and an excess of racehorses than to purpose bred all rounders, but then there will always be some flash mug who wants a horse with competition lines that they can barely get out of the stable without being flattened, possibly to get 'sold from field' a year or so on. There will also (and more sensibly) always be a market for nice riding club allrounders of varying abilities that can be ridden and handled by a novice, and be kept or sold on for moderate amounts of money between respectable homes.

A blanket ban is completely unrealistic, of course there will be people in 5 years looking to buy young horses, its the low low end 'breeders' on dragon driving that need to be stopped, and they're the ones that won't be touched by trying to make breeding more costly or difficult, because they'll say it happened naturally.
 
When you breed, even for yourself, your objective should be a saleable horse. You never know what life is going to throw at you. Someone breeding from unproven stock, stock with poor confirmation or simply to give the mare a job is breeding indiscriminately. I have a good friend who has a really sweet ISH mare, only 6. Mare is a really sweet horse but has sadly had lameness issues, unresolved despite all vets efforts, scans and a year off in a field. On the basis that a, this mare has no breeding b, no competition record c, ok confirmation she will now have a new job as a surrogate mare. Vet now believes the lameness was due to an injury before my friend had her not hereditary. In times gone by, this mare would have been a good candidate for someone to breed a "sweet" foal out of.

I have another friend, who does breed quality sports horses. However, having seen the horrible and heartbreaking downside she has had to deal with, I now see past the lovely cute photos of foals out in the fields as having a view into her world has allowed me to see how easily and quickly it can wrong. And is why, despite having a mare who easily ticked all the boxes as a possible broodie was never bred from.
 
Not read all the replies.
To me it's breeding just because you can! "oo I've got a mare lets have a baby from her from the cheapest stallion..."
I plan to breed from ONE of mine in the future, but only because they're both well bred, both good temps etc AND whatever I breed I'll keep, if I go ahead with it. And the potential sire is a very, very good stallion.


Did your swimmers ever turn up?! :D
 
They did turn up :D but bought a new batch - just in case ;)

heard back from the PO concerned - they had a new driver who failed to deliver half his round and was seen in the pub when he was supposed to be working!!! When i have some freetime i shall be chasing them!

These are all veyr interesting posts and interesting to see others perspectives... LOL'ed @ the tax comment :D
 
Delicious_D said:
They did turn up :D but bought a new batch - just in case ;)

heard back from the PO concerned - they had a new driver who failed to deliver half his round and was seen in the pub when he was supposed to be working!!! When i have some freetime i shall be chasing them!

These are all veyr interesting posts and interesting to see others perspectives... LOL'ed @ the tax comment :D
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:eek: Goodness that is awful.

Have been waiting for an update all day! What size follicle today?
 
Spring Feather said:
:eek: Goodness that is awful.

Have been waiting for an update all day! What size follicle today?
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I actually dont know, worked 12 hours today :( left mum in charge.

Aparently dee has made two pony friends and they all get turned out together....that was my update today ;) I asked mum and she said 37ish but tbh i think she was just picking numbers out of thing air as quickly changed the subject :rolleyes: ill phone vets tomorrow :)
 
Some of the best bred horses have gone on to be expensive faliures - some of the worst matings have gone on to be world beaters.........
I have been guilty of breeding horses, because I was breeding myself at the time, so wanted the mare to be doing something as well.......of the two I bred the potential racehorse (TB to TB) was 14.3HH, and the potential pony racer (2nd mating) to an Arab turned out at 16.2.......
 
I think of indiscriminate breeding as breeding something you don't have a use for & for which there is no market.

I bred from my quirky but talented mare. Twice. She's not what a professional would consider an ideal brood mare as she is far too sharp and has a bit of a sense of humour, but I don't consider it to have been indiscriminate breeding.

The first foal (a colt) went on to do very well at dressage (I sold him to my trainer). The second (a filly) is still with me at 10 years old and isn't going anywhere. She is very much her mother's daughter and has attitude in spades, but suits our family. At some point, I'd like to breed from her, because I want her foal and can afford to breed rather than buy. I'm sure I could buy something better, but it wouldn't be the same.
 
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