Anybody else considering

[Ashley]

I am really starting to consider not breeding my mares at all after this year. I currently have 6 mares, and have bred 3 for next year. I was only gonna breed two but the stallion got out for a few hours and the other mare was in heat and has not been back in heat(that was 2 months ago).

I am finding it hard to sell the foals these last couple of years. I feel the foals are getting better and better each year, to the point its hard to pick and chose who to keep and who to sell, but at the same time its harder to sell them.

I also plan thou to get back down to about 4 horses. And should I decide not to breed, well then Mr. Boo will for sure become a gelding this fall when he comes home. Just dont tell him that

:

 

[Minimor]

Yep, us too. We're planning to breed 2 mares this year, with the intention of keeping those 2 foals, then we will be done, except maybe for one foal here and there. I never have liked parting with horses & find i won't sell them as babies. We've got more than enough horses for ourselves, so there is no point in continuing to raise them if we don't want to sell them. :bgrin

 

[kdbj]

Minimor - ditto!

No more breeding here. Three mares and three foals this year. But no more breeding, will try to sell a couple more to get down to an "enjoyable" number for us and then to enjoy them that we keep to the fullest! Love the babies, but hate parting with them. A guy/gal can only have so many minis right?!?

:

 

[kdbj]

Minimor - ditto!

No more breeding here. Three mares and three foals this year. But no more breeding, will try to sell a couple more to get down to an "enjoyable" number for us and then to enjoy them that we keep to the fullest! Love the babies, but hate parting with them. A guy/gal can only have so many minis right?!?

:

 

[mountain_waif]

We are not breeding either. It is just too many things that can and do go wrong.

 

[MBennettp]

We are planning to let Lady have one more foal then that is it. We don't sell any horses so that will give us just about the maximum that we can spend quality time with on a daily basis. Besides that, that will fill the stalls and I am NOT building another addition on the barn.

Mary

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

We're only breeding two possibly three mares this year. One's foal is presold for 2007 and the other two we're breeding only as the clock is ticking on their fertile years left!

We're not giving up breeding - I just want a break. I want a year off from foaling and being sleepless for months! It's not just waiting for them to foal, it's caring/training the foals, weaning moms (they're worse than the foals here!), and just the plain worry.

My daughter wants to show - we've missed too many shows based on foaling season over the years. We've wanted to go to Nationals, but haven't been able to the past couple of years.

Plus I want to seriously reorganize our ranch, evaluate and reduce our herd numbers to a manageable number.

Not having more coming in 2007 will allow for all of that to take place.

We're actually toying with the idea to going over to breeding every other year. That way we know we have one year to breed/do what ever else we want , one year to be home foaling mares.

 

[Danielle_E.]

I am not sure what I am going to do yet. We had two foals this year, a filly which I am retaining to show, and our colt that sold at 3 days of age. I would like to re-breed Abby, the one that had the colt to my junior stallion, he produced the colt and try and get a filly out of the same cross but then there are no guarantees. My other mare, Crystal (Hawk daughter) I would like to breed to one of my stallions because the filly we have was not from one of our stallions and I think that either of my stallions crossed with this mare will produce extremely well. If I do go again with the re-breeding for next year I will be doing it in the next month. Having April foals here, like what happened in Crystal's case this year is not something I want again. Our weather and temperatures are too unpredictable at that time of year. I prefer end of May foals or early June foals for here.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]I am breeding 5. This farm is a business for me. The IRS wont look kindly on not breeding when that is what you have listed to do. Even when you breed your mares that doesnt mean thats how many foals you get! Last year I bred 4. two mares died as did their unborn fillies. One mare turned up open, and I have one of the orriginal 4 left to foal. HAd I not been given a mare and purchased another , I would have only 1 provinding there are no problems with that delivery.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[maryann]

We are looking at our program also. Our plan is not to breed after foaling season next year. We

have three mares bred for 2007. We are going to keep at least two of our foals from this year and

two from next year. We wil sell our mares and one of our stallions probably. WE will also offer stud

service to the stud we keep to select mares. Slash's get will be trained

in all aspects of showing. He has put some real atheletes on the ground for us and they will be trained

for our grandchildren to show. Regretfully we sold one of his babies , that had huge potential in cart and

hunter, and jumper. He was resold again. I hate we

sold him and that is one reason we want to quit breeding and selling. You never know where the babies

will end up. When you sell your babies you are really careful as to where they go. It seems that when they are resold that same concern is not there. Hopefully we can round him up again and get him home and on the" Slash Brigade ". The other

reasons, are being tied down and worring when you are gone, and the possibility of loosing the baby and /or mare. There is a lot of risks with breeding, and a lot of heartbreak. We used to think we would sell a few a year just to make the ends meet but really after all the vet care and general care fees like feed and shelter, you aren't going to make a profit unless you are doing it on a large scale, and we aren't large scale. The babies are cute cuddly and fun , but I am sure some of you big breeders out there will let me play with your babies onece in a while.

: Please Please!! :new_shocked: Cause I will miss the little snuggles I get from them. Mary

 

[Frankie]

We only bred 1 for this year, she aborted just over 300 days. So zero babies for us in 2006.

We have only bred 1 for next year, and not even sure she took,,,,,but if she didn't, will not rebreed this year.

Next year,,,,,,,,,,not sure, may be none.

If we all went to 1,,,,,,,,,,,,,,might chane the supply and demand thing. :lol:

 

[Greystone]

Have 3 due this year (someone better tell them; tired of waiting). I started slow and have maintained that speed. 5 years ago bred 1 mare. Then let her have a year off. Then bred two (one was a breech that didn't make it). Let them have the year off. Trying for 3 this year and will give them next year off. I am looking forward to showing Lady Di. If my one mare that had a breech her first breeding has trouble this year I think will let her be old auntie Ebony for the rest.

 

[Marty]

If Jerry had his way, every single mare on this place would be bred right now!

He loves to come home from work and lay outside in the grass and watch and relax. He said he wants fields full of foals! Because he love to play with them.

Oh yea????? But what about me? I'm the one doing the horse work!

Two foals a year or three at the most will be fine with me and more than enough.

I still have to give that one on one attention every day and I am not about to spread myself that thin.

 

[justjinx]

We (my daughter and i) had one this year and that is just fine by me. one or two would be the most i would want. We are keeping our filly from this year.

There are so many weanlings and yearlings that go at auction for meat prices that it is less expensive to buy one for $100-$200 than to raise one. I know it is not the same as breeding your own but it saves them from the meat market/fur clothing market...they may not be halter stock but they can still be very useful for pleasure driving, trail, jumping.....

jennifer :saludando:

 

[Joyce]

I haven't bred for 3 or 4 years now and don't plan on breeding again. After many years in the business, I've started to scale down and still have some to find good homes for.

Joyce L

 

[Bess Kelly]

I have 30 broodmares.......will probably breed 6-8. Past five or six years I have only bred one or two a year (prior to that about 20 a year). I don't like to have only a single foal -- needs a playmate! This year I will have 3-8, didn't ultrasound to see who caught but, am certain at least 3 did! A couple of the more senior ladies may be foaling next year, in the hopes of having a filly to keep.

I'm not retiring

: just not wanting to have months of foaling either. Probably won't do more than 6-8 a year anymore. Ones I've had have sold quickly and well, plus I've been keeping a few of the fillies for a "new" herd. :lol: Some of my gals will want to retire in a few years and can do so with no problems from me --- they will still be loved and cherished.

04 had no foals, and bred only 1 mare for 05.....sold colt at 3 weeks. And, a 2nd to same buyer for a companion. Oddly, I rarely sell locally but they have a wonderful home and I get to see them "whenever"!

He's gelding the now yr old colt, and will come to me for breeding, if he wants the companion filly to foal in the future. :aktion033: PLUS, if he ever decides to stop owning them, he brings them back to me. How much better can it get?????

 

[nicole]

NO more babies here either. I enjoy the horses and the showing. I do like the babies they are soo cute but to many people want a horse for nothing. There is to much time and money invested in the babies to be selling them for cheap.

 

[SunQuest]

Well, not breeding any this year either. This will be the third year that we haven't bred any mares. In fact, I sold one of my 2 breeding stallions because I am not planning on breeding any time soon. So nothing new here.

 

[clpclop]

I had my first and only breeding experience this year and helped deliver 2 beautiful darlings. After reading so many heartbreaking stories and realizing that I am putting my 2 mares at risk, we have decided to forgo any further breeding. Basically quitting while we're ahead! It was the experience of a lifetime and I'll never regret it. Also...I could never give up my "babies" and I don't have room for more!

 

[ChrystalPaths]

I'm with Frankie, I'm taking this year off and maybe next year too, I think it could help the market balance.