A FEW THOUGHTS ON BREEDING
By Karen Brown
Spring is almost here and with it comes another breeding season. You can find
advertisements for stallions just about anywhere you find horses or horsepeople.
The idea of having a little colt romping around in the pasture seems romantic.
There is something magical about those fuzzy little whiskers and perky ears that
inspires people to want a cute baby for themselves.
I can tell you from my own experience it’s fun and entertaining to watch these
beautiful creatures grow up, explore their world, take naps in the sun, and kick
their heels overhead in sheer pleasure. I can also tell you they are only little and
cute for a few short months. Before you know it they weigh several hundred
pounds, eat as much as the big boys, and are a handful to manage.
If you are thinking about breeding your mare, do yourself and your pocketbook,
as well as the foal, a fvor and cosndier all the ramifications of creating a life.
That life doesn’t stop at 5 months old. With the availability of good quality feed
and preventative health care, horse are surpassing normal lifetimes more often
than not. That means the horse you produce is likely to live anywhere from 30 to
40 years assuming he is always lucky enough to have a good home.
There are lots of books and articles that will guide you through the basics of
breeding horses. Study these materials. Get advice form professional breeders
and your veterinarian. Learn about the sport you wish to breed for and what
types of horses are most successful in that sport.
There are a few things that I believe should be minimum requirements in any
breeding decision. So, I give you my:
Top Ten Rules of Breeding:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Always breed for the purpose of improving on quality.
Never breed a mare or stallion with genetic faults of any kind.
Never breed a mare or stallion with personality faults of any kind with the
hope of selling that foal to anyone other than a professional trainer/rider.
Producing an athlete should be the first consideration in the breeding
decision. Producing color, size, pedigree, or any other non-functional trait
should be a distant second to producing a horse capable of adequate
performance in some sport.
Never breed a mare that’s too difficult to ride or handle.
Never breed a mare without consulting a veterinarian.
Determine what the foal will be used for prior to breeding. Make sure your
mare is capable of producing a foal for that sport. The stallion CANNOT
make a winner by himself.
8.
9.
10.
Seriously consider your facility’s qualifications as a nursery. A large
turnout area is a must for a young horse to develop properly. Safe fencing
and stabling is doubly important for young ones.
Make a list of projected costs of breeding, raising, and training a horse.
Be willing NOT to breed if you mare is not truly a candidate for
motherhood.
Briefly, let’s talk about each of these rules. First, you need to know if your mare
is of sufficient quality in terms of conformation, movement, and temperament to
be reproduced. Get opinions from professional breeders, (preferably ones with
no financial stake in the evaluation), on your mare’s qualifications as a
broodmare. It will take an expert in reproduction to accurately assess your mare;
just because she is “a good horse” doesn’t mean she should reproduce. Thre
are just as many mares that should be spayed as there are stallions that are, or
should be, gelded.
Number 2. It is impossible to improve on the species if we continue to breed
horses with genetic faults. The fact that many champions have major faults is
not an excuse to perpetuate the practice. Every champion that overcomes a
defect has dozens of siblings that could not. Ignoring genetic faults in the
breeding decision is good insurance that your foal will suffer from physical
deterioration.
Number 3. Any foal produced should be of a personality and temperament to
be handled by amateurs. Professionals rarely buy horses; in any case they
make a tiny percentage of the market. A horse that is too dominant, has a
difficult nature, or is high strung or “hot” will not easily find a good home and will
be a strong candidate for neglect and abuse.
Number 4. Lots of horses are bred every year in the hope of producing a
certain color, blanket, markings or body type. If the foal doesn’t have the desired
trait, his only hope for a useful life to to have enough athletic ability to provide a
function other than looking pretty. In respect to pedigrees, mutual fund
companies say it best, “Past performance is no guarantee of future results”.
Number 5. 100% of the foal’s environmental conditioning comes from the
mare. If you mare is cranky, bossy, or temperamental, you foal will learn these
traits from her. If she has rough gaits, the foal is likely to inherit her manner of
traveling. If your mare is not a nice horse to ride or handle, don’t breed her.
Disposition should be the number one factor in whether or not to breed your
mare. A good temperament is critical to the success of selling the young horse.
A horse that is difficult or a challenge is best left to professional riders and there
aren’t enough of those around tomake a good market for your special foal. In
order to have a chance at getting your foal a good home you must breed for the
amateur owner. While precocious foals are very entertaining, the same foal can
be a danger to unskilled handlers by the time they are just a few months old.
Under saddle, that same horse will need a confident, bold, and skilled rider.
Number 6. Have a veterinarian evaluate and examine your mare. You need to
know if she is even capable of safely conceiving, carrying, and delivering a foal.
Older mares have greater risks during pregnancy and maiden mares may have
unknown abnormalities which may cause problems during pregnancy or birth.
Before breeding your mare, a veterinarian should examine her reproductive
system, evaluate her previous breeding history, and current physical condition.
Number 7. 70% of the foal comes from the mare. Look at other foals your
mare has produced to see what they are best suited for. What sport is your mare
most talented in? Research stud prospects thoroughly to be sure his attributes
will complement the mare’s. A quality stud can boost the quality of the foal, but
he cannot completely overcome a poor choice of dam.
Number 8. A natural setting with lots of room to frolic is essential for foals. The
skeletal structure and soft tissue require the stresses from running and playing to
reach full growth potential. Foals hve no experience with a man-made world and
learn early lessons the hard way. Splintered wood, sagging fences or other
potential hazards can inflict considerable damage on a young body. Horses with
blemishes seldom make it to the show ring and young horses with old injuries are
significantly devalued. Life-long behavioral problems can develop from lack of
exercise and mental stimulation.
Number 9. By the time you project all the costs involved with breeding, raising,
nd training a horse to match your riding skill level, you may be shocked to find
out how much money you have invested. You just might decide it’s more wise to
locate a horse that suits your needs that is already of riding age and has the
training you want. If you are not experienced in riding young stock, then saddle
training fees will be much higher because you horse will be in training for severl
months. Any trainer will tell you, there’s a big difference between riding older
horses and young horses. By the time your young horse is ready for you, you’ll
have several thousand dollars invested in making him a safe riding horse. And,
even then, his education is just beginning. It takes YEARS of riding and
exposure to the world for a horse to become solid and a joy to ride. If you plan to
sell your foal for profit, research the market in your sport to see how much horses
are selling for at different ages and levels of training to determine if it’s even
possible to make money.
Finally, but most importantly, after you have completed your research, if you
conclude that your mare is truly not a candidate for motherhood, be responsible
and don’t breed her. Choose another mare that is suitable or purchase a foal
that meets your criteria. Breeding should be a practical decision, not an
emotional, romantic notion. Do your homework then make a decision that is in
the best interest of the foal.
Copyright, 2007. Karen L. Brown