Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

The risk in breeding your own to replace the horse you have is that what you get may not be suitable for what you want to do.  Now - I did this myself, nearly 30 years ago, and I kept the foal, broke & trained him, and rode him until his death at 25 years.  However - I didn't get what I had planned on, and had to make adjustments.  

I was interested in a horse I could use for dressage.  Shadow had the gaits - very flashy - but not the temperament.  He was WAY too volatile in a show setting, especially in his younger days.   I didn't have the expertise to correct it, or the money for professional training.  They don't give you points in dressage for bucking exhibitions.  :)  So:  I switched to trail riding and endurance.  Endurance suited his temperament, but not his conformation.

The point being that when you breed, you take the chance that what hits the ground may not be what you need / want.  Your options then are to sell the result, or live with it.

On Sep 9, 2008, at 6:58 PM, SandyDSA@xxxxxxx wrote:

Maybe she has a mare who so meets her desires and needs that it is worth it. It appears that she has thought this out, and frankly, I think we should be putting our "over-producing" energies to work convincing the ranches breeding dozens or even HUNDREDS of mares a season that THEY are the biggest contributors to the problem. Sheer numbers. If I had a chance to get one more foal out of my treasured girl who passed in 2005, I would do it in a heartbeat - with the understanding that the foal is mine to raise, love, grow old with.

 

I agree with Heidi - there are so few people producing quality Arabians with athletic ability and quality conformation that in general, I would plan to breed our own as replacements. One reason there are so many throw aways is because people are breeding crap and dumping them. Multiply it by the bigger breeder numbers and... "Houston, we have a problem". I am SO THRILLED that registrations for Arabian foals is down for the third year in a row!!!! The dumkaufpts at AHA are bemoaning this as a catastrophe and I am trying to figure out HOW to make them see that this is a GOOD thing - and something inevitable after decades of breeding anything with plumbing - and allowing crap to be promoted as good - halter horses with cow hocks, parrot mouth, SCID, too flat croups, to name a few problems. Western horses with bad hips, English horses who have to be REELED out of the barn for their long backs... sigh!

    

If there are quality Arabians out there with classically good lines, I say if you can AFFORD it, BREED it - there.

 

In a message dated 9/9/2008 6:03:36 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, greenwoodann@xxxxxxx writes:

Jessica said:  I am planning on breeding my mare next year for a baby to replace my gelding when he gets older.

 

My immediate mental response was this:  Why would anyone breed anything during this terrible time when wonderful horses are going to slaughter by the truckload?  I know it’s tempting to breed your own and get this darling, tiny baby to play with; but, you NEVER know what you’re going to get and it’s really expensive to breed and bring a youngster along to riding age.  (I know, I know….  I did it myself but hay was cheaper then.  And I ended up with one OK foal and one crappy foal.  L)   Anyway, wouldn’t it make more sense to find a youngster that’s really what you want than take a chance on breeding??

 

JMO

 

ann

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