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Re: [RC] To breed or not to Breed - Karen SullivanPlease Reply to: Jody jody.buttram@xxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== . When they turn 3 I bred them. That way the 3 to 4 year old year is productive. They aren't old enough to race, but you still get some use out of them while they are growing up. *Hi Jody, I have a few opinions on this, and I hope some other folks can comment too....I feel that breeding at age 3 is NOT a good idea for some various reasons..... 1. You really have no idea what you have! Until this mare is trained under saddle, conditioned and fit, you have really no idea what the gaits are like, how the horse holds up under hard riding and miles, how the metabolics are...what the "riding" disposition will be (lazy under saddle, loves to go, or maniac), in other words...you are dealing with a pretty blank slate based only on the bone and conformation you see at age 3...and whatevery disposition the horse has BEFORE it has gone out in the world and done anything.....things like, is this a horse that is steady in an emergency situation...or will tend to panic??? 2. Many 3 year olds are not finished growing.... 3. ....and the problem with THAT, is that they still maybe rump high, unbalanced......and so...should they be carrying a baby that young? Also....I still think our 13 year old Arab mare has a slightly dropped back...becuase she was bred when she was 4, as an unfit horse. I think a mare should have good, fit muscle tone and a very strong back before being asked to carry a baby. Now, maybe it doesn't matter if a horse is destined to run in the wild forever, or be a broodmare for life....but for a potential mare with a good riding career ahead of her...I would NOT chose one that had been bred as a youngster.... 4. Makes more sense to breed a mare that has proven, through a lot of miles, at whatever discipline you deisre, that they are manageable and sound and somehow superior in some way. I am sorry, but I have seen far too many extremely poor quality mares bred just because the owners were so emotionally attatched to them! Including a Kahahty sister, who I felt had extremely bad conformation. karen ============================================================ It is how we "feel" deep inside that matters, cause each of us knows the truth, regardless of how we try make it complicated. It just isn't. ~ Frank Solano ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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