Anyone else NOT breeding this year???

[Danielle_E.]

Well I wasn't going to breed this year. I didn't re-breed Abby last year after she had Jagger (sire is Flash) and Crystal was bred to Flash and is due in a couple of months but I dearly want a foal from Dancer. Abby lost the foal two years ago that was Dancer's sooooo, I want to breed Abby to Dancer because both have awesome confirmation and both have awesome movement and I truly think the foal would be AWESOME :bgrin. Breeding those two together truly is a challenge, to say the least. This time I won't do it by myself :new_shocked: . We have Abby who truly doesn't like Dancer, she loved Flash, and Dancer who is the "bad boy" type, well you usually get "fireworks", ROFLMAO.

 

[bevann]

After almost 20 years of breeding I am taking a year off.Not planning to breed any mares for 2008.I will probably be sorry when spring 2008 comes and there are no babies out in the pasture.I may change my mind, but I am really concerned about the glut of Minis at auctions and the low prices.I can't raise a nice foal for $300 range.I am even selling some of my top producing mares, but I have to find the right homes for them.Too many breeders just throw them out in a field with a stallion and they are on their own to breed, foal and raise the baby.My girls are not used to that kind of treatment.

 

[Minimor]

It's doubtful that we will breed anything this year. We have two foals due next month, and that is it for 2007. Since we don't want to sell anything, and since we are out of room & since it already takes too long to do chores for the horses we have, there is no point in raising any more foals. I know we will miss having a baby around next year, but that can't be helped.

We should sell some mares, but don't want to part with them either. :lol:

 

[Danielle_E.]

Minimor, we feel the same way. There aren't any I would sell at the moment and the one that is coming, well perhaps.... but too early to tell, depends if colt or filly and it's a secret at this point :lol: :lol: but it it's a "she" well "she" will be travelling quite a distance :bgrin

 

[RockRiverTiff]

Well we cut down from almost 30 to 12 a couple years ago, and it would have been less except a majority of those have been promised lifetime homes here. We didn't have a homebred foal for five years until our last homebred gave us our newest homebred in 2006. This year we are also expecting only one, out of another maiden homebred mare. We are planning to breed two this year, and that's only because we have a "maiden" 13 year old homebred stallion that is more than due his chance. Regardless of sex, we will be keeping his foals to carry a line that's been here for over 20 years. We've never had trouble selling, but with the exception of the reduction sale we very rarely have something to sell. We did buy a yearling last month, and plan to get one or two more fillies, but they won't be breeding for several years. It's nice to watch the young ones grow and play, but right now it's cheaper and easier to buy them than to breed them.

 

[starleemay]

I have 5 mares. The only one I'm breeding this year is from an auction I won for a stallion service. I have 2 2006 fillies still here. My stallion is leaving by the end of the month. I won't be replacing him. I will be dwindling my minis down to 4 when I find homes for them. :saludando:

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

NOPE I'm not, for 2007, but I MIGHT breed a very few for 2008. I do have plans on who I would bred with who, but I still have alot of thinking to do on that. I have been lucky and have always managed to sell my few foals,without having to advertise,but I rarely have something to sell. I have 20 mares, so I COULD produce 20 foals a year, but there is no way I would ever want to do that. When you look at the market..imo..if alot more breeders would just not have ANY foals for a year or two it might help. It seems like some in Wisconsin, and I am sure other states as well..are more interested in producing QUANITY over QUALITY, there stallions get turned out to a pasture with "there own" group of mares...and that is that! I dont want the reputation of having a mini mill. But for some , its strictly a business, and the more they can produce the better they like it, those are the "breeders" who produce QUANITY over QUALITY, and those are the poor foals who suffer at the breeders expense. My girls are pampered, and I will not let them produce a foal, that could possible end up in a auction situation, or be sold with a "auction price tag" ( I am not referring to your GOOD well run auctions here, but the auctions where colts are only bringing a few hundred dollars!) I'm also fussy as to the homes my babies go to, and if I dont think the home is right ~~they make there permanent home right here on our farm, in my barn! No mini mill or auction babies being born here! Corinne

 

[crponies]

Nope, I am not having any mares bred this year. I don't even have a stallion any more, just 2 geldings and 4 mares. I love having babies around and have had inquiries about selling but am not ready to do any breeding yet. I know there are always people with some for sale for those that want to buy.

 

[spellcasterminis]

Being we only have 1 broodmare right now we will probably breed her to River this year. We are anxious to see what he is going to produce. I am looking at purchasing another mare thou and if we do I will probably breed her to Prince. Right now we have 3 outside mares booked to the boys.

I'm not sure what the answer is to the over population problem of animals. I do know that stopping the breeding of quality animals is not the answer thou. Otherwise the market will be flooded with junk and we will lose everything so many have struggled to gain. Although I fully agree with not breeding if you don't have the room to keep what you produce.

 

[FairytailGlennMinis]

Nope, not breeding here. I found a perfect home for two of my geldings, have my 20 year old fostered and that leaves me with my two beautiful silver bay mares that I hope to drive as a pair and my black gelding. That settles me quite nicely where I am at. When I am ready to get another mini some years down the road I hope to be able to talk Jill into breeding Klassy and buying that one. I won't even think about any such thing as breeding or more horses until we have a place of our own and a real barn set up the way I want.

-Amy

 

[angelridge]

I have 5 mares,, one is my world champion CPD mare and I am dying to breed her to a nice shetland bred mini,, so if I find the right stallion, she is probably the only one I will breed this year. I only have 2 or 3 foals a year anyway and actually only one foal born in 06 and he sold pretty quick, but I think I am going to hold off on breeding any more than 1 this year.

 

[Jill]

Nope, not breeding here. I found a perfect home for two of my geldings, have my 20 year old fostered and that leaves me with my two beautiful silver bay mares that I hope to drive as a pair and my black gelding. That settles me quite nicely where I am at. When I am ready to get another mini some years down the road I hope to be able to talk Jill into breeding Klassy and buying that one. I won't even think about any such thing as breeding or more horses until we have a place of our own and a real barn set up the way I want.

-Amy

Amy,

You name the time and it will be done!!! I am a little hesitant to breed Klassy before I have a good candidate to take the foal with her being AMHR only and B (which I love, but that's not everyone's cup of tea...). I have DunIT now as a 2yo to breed some mares and see what happens (not sure who will catch given his youth), and then DESTINY will be around for the job starting next spring so that gives you something to think on

: I know you'd be an awesome mom to any horse!

Jill

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

Right now I have 5 mares, two will be getting the year off, and one will most likely be retired after this foaling. That leaves two mares, and I will probably breed both for 2008, but not sure yet.

I'm waiting for the 3 foals this year, depends what they are it might change how many I breed for next year. I have the space to keep all the foals until they sell, and of course hoping for at least one loud appy filly to keep. :bgrin

 

[Tatonkas Dream]

I am new to all this but I will have 3 (with God's luck) foals in March or April of 2008. I opted not to have any in 2007 - the stud I selected is a baby and he's got to grow up. I opted for an outside stallion and my 2 mares are on there "date" with him right now. :lol:

My 3rd girl is a new one (to me) and is coming from the farm with the stallion I selected.

Last year I had just gotten into minis and wouldn't let the grade stallion I rescued bred to the 2 mares I had, TX has had too much stuff going on with the drought/hay shortage. I've been in dog/cat rescue most my life but almost all of my guys (some I kept others I just bought really cheap - so they didn't end up going to the icky auction place)

The stallion was just in totally ignorant we got a mini for our one year old, he wasn't vacinated, wormed, fed a proper diet or seeing a farrier - and he was just a super super SUPER sweet mini - I didn't want him but couldn't bear to leave him either. So I tried to do good and got him just to get him out - he now has 2 standard size horsie friends and a family with 5 children and a mom and dad, he's been gelded and is a mini horse/dog - they even let him in the house from time to time...

anyway sorry off subject - but with rescue and drought breding a grade pet quality baby wasn't a "hip" idea to me so I have no babies this year - yes I miss it as 2 mares had foals last year (one was a mini mule)

hopefully the 2008 babies will be nice, healthy and put together pretty well.

either way I am

: with the world of minis now...

 

[Reble]

Hubby tells me they better be making money or they will have to go....

:

I guess that is why we got into these little guys to breed, promote, and enjoy.

 

[PaintedPromiseRanch]

yes we are but on a limited basis... we like to rotate so they have time off and not have a mare bred back year after year. and actually only have two mares out of 6 that would even have horse babies... it's my daughter's stallion trying for his first two babies this year out of a couple of my mares, she wants to see what he throws before advertising him and i think he is very nice so am happy to try my mares with him, otherwise would not have bred for any horses this year. one of my non-papered mares had a mule baby this year (our first ever) so will not be bred again yet... the other is hanging out with her handsome jack as we speak, and we just pulled the pony from the small standard jack as Bonnie says she is carrying

: . 2 miniature donkey jennets in with their jack, so far 1 is bred the other not yet, but that will be it for 2008. so if ALL take and do not absorb, at the most there will be 2 mini horses, 1 mini mule and 1 pony mule, and 2 mini donks. this actually would be our biggest year yet, but we have been waiting for this for a LONG time... we have been buying babies and growing them, and finally they are old enough to start. so with "maiden" mini jacks and my daughter's "maiden" stallion, there is also a good chance they will not all catch, but that's ok. i had people waiting for this year's two mini donks (our first ever) but with the understanding that jennets would be kept as their papa was elsewhere, only baby jacks would be sold because we have moms and sisters... so far one adorable girl on the ground and Bonnie says the other is also a girl. good for me :aktion033: , and the buyers are content to wait until next year if need be... when all foals will be sold no matter the sex as i will have both parents on property and prefer not to take even the slightest risk that either papa could someday breed his own daughter. that said, however, we will be prepared to keep anything born here if a good home does not make an offer, our policy has always been that any animal born here or bought by us or that comes in through the rescue, no matter how long after it is sold or adopted, can ALWAYS come home; in fact we put a buy-back clause in every bill of sale.

i can certainly understand everyone's decisions to severely limit their breeding, or hold off completely for this year, and i applaud your concern over the current situation. with so many minis in certain areas of the country, and the cost of fuel making it hard for people to purchase at a distance and have the animal shipped, you are wise! i have so many people contacting me about babies that cannot find any locally, i am cautiously optimistic about finding good homes for the few we will have that will be for sale.

i also have my riding mare being bred for 2008 but that foal will NOT be sold, colt or filly it will be her replacement as she has gone lame and has to retire from riding.

 

[Joyce]

I'm not breeding this year and haven't for a few years. Am cutting back on numbers and this was the best way to start.

 

[SWA]

Looking forward to just one, (so far

: ), for an 08' baby from SWA next year.

: :aktion033:

 

[Frankie]

My babies too are 2 years old. Did not breed for this year, and right now, no plans to breed for a 2008 baby. I just think there are too many babies out there, who are here, just because a mare was on the property and what else do you do but breed. Not much consideration taken into what you are breeding. Just my opinion, and too their right. So I have stopped, took a step back and took a good look at what I was breeding. Saw there were some changes needed, improvements that needed to be made, so that is what I am doing. I do miss the babies,,,,,but do not miss all the problems that come with it, nor do I miss an overcrowded barn. So for me, right thing to do.

 

[wendy4mini]

I won't be breeding any horse for the foreseeable future. I have a paso fino mare due to foal this week and I will keep that foal for me. I am active in a couple of horse rescue organizations and there are so many wonderful horses with no where to go. I just see so many horse and so few quality homes for them. Also, I don't like taking the risk that something could happen to my mares. I have the number of horse now that I can sustain with the increase price of hay, grain, vet ect. I see alot of potential problems with the entire horse industry at the moment that could greatly effect the quality of life for a lot of horses. So, I will enjoy mine and be available to rescues when needed.