Breeders Are The Leaders

[LaVern]

Breeders are the Leaders -- Everyone else, from the registry to the judges to the tack people to the photographers to the web designers are the followers. I am not saying that I think that anyone should be pumping out dozens of foals just to get foals because," Oh they are so cute." Or that they should expect to make any money. But, I am tired of this bashing of the honest horse breeder. We miniature breeders have made great strides in the last decade. We have begun to develop a horse that is functional, beautiful and reproductively sound with its own look. Should we stop? Not me. It is a passion with some of us, to try to improve the AMHR Straight B Miniature Horse, and I am not going to stop. We no longer breed mares that don't give us what we want (they just hang out here and eat), but I am just at the point where I am seeing the results of 30 years of breeding.

I am proud to be a breeder of miniature horses and will continue to try to breed better horses every year.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

I don't think anyone was bashing breeders who do breed for quality?

 

[LaVern]

Maybe, I should take that bashing word out.

 

[targetsmom]

Thanks for that reminder... we got into breeding miniatures (after over 40 years in horses) because we saw an opportunity to improve the breed. We are just hitting our stride now, when the economy is so bad, but we are not giving up. We feel that we CAN improve the breed, and even if we have to give our minis away, they are better than the minis someone else is trying to unload, so as long as we are very selective in where they go, we can still help improve the breed. Just yesterday a well-known and very successful breeder confirmed that our 2012 foal crop is very, very nice. And they not only look nice - and should be able to compete at the World/National level - but they have the potential to be all around horses. This breeder even suggested that we breed MORE of our mares, not just the two we bred for 2013!

I do think that as leaders, breeders need to be proactive in promoting miniatures and not wait for the registries to do it. I also shared an article yesterday that I had drafted about all the things minis can do and we discussed where I might submit it for publication in a general interest horse magazine. And another topic of conversation was the potential of 4-H Clubs with miniature horses, such as the one we started this year. Lots of positives!!!

 

[LaVern]

Thanks targetmom and I agree, we have to take the ball in our own hands. Pomote the good. My new thing is to hit the 65 years olds who are going on Medicare (like me). Say buy a miniature horse and reap the benifits. They will add 15 years to your life, and they will. Pitching and feeding and getting outside and working will keep you out of the olf folks home, or one of them will kick you in the head and you won't have to worry about it.

 

[targetsmom]

Hey LaVern, as another one who has already hit the 65 year old mark, I think minis are the perfect horse for us Baby Boomers. I am already planning a second article to target us! Taking a mini for a walk is already mentioned in my article. I have to be a bit careful about sharing it at this stage, but as soon as possible I plan to post it on our website.

 

[HGFarm]

LaVern and targetsmom, I so agree. I am not giving up either.

 

[Lewella]

Well said Renee!

 

[MountainWoman]

I'm a Baby Boomer and I hike with my minis. Have been doing it since I brought the first one hone and it's lots of fun. I've written about it and tried to promote it as well as doing parades and therapy visits with the minis. The breeders who have sold me horses have been wonderful people who are breeding horses of quality. However, I do personally think there are too many minis being bred that shouldn't be but that's my opinion. Here's to supporting responsible breeders who have the interest of the breed at heart and bless those who do rescue and clean up messes of those irresponsible horse mill breeders.

 

[LaVern]

The Baby Boomer Horse, that is good. There is nothing that will get rid of that winter muffin top around the waist, like doing the hoofs and clipping those yearlings, and then a nice long walk.

 

[Margo_C-T]

Some great points made in this thread; thanks to you all who are truly knowledgeable and dedicated to genuine improvement of the breed!(And BOY, do I like the description: "all-around horse"...that's what I've ALWAYS loved!

As one who has left 65 well-behind, I can testify that working w/ minis can indeed be VERY good for you! I am working my B gelding daily so I can finally hook and drive him(I dropped the ball on continuing his well-started driving education), and despite the hottest June we've ever had here, am hanging in to work him 6 days a week(everybody needs a day off!), and am seeing progress.Working with 'TEE' is pure pleasure and joy; I can highly recommend it!

Margo

 

[Renolizzie]

I am another baby boomer and this is my first horse. Encouraging people to see the benefits of the mini is a great idea. I love my little guy and I am thinking about getting him a friend to hang out with. Carting is fun but leading the little guy on walks and working with him is a lot of fun too. This is a new and interesting hobby for me.

I have been considering getting him a horse back pack of some sort so he would be versatile.

Getting out and cleaning the pen and making sure there is food and water twice a day means that I don't just sit on my butt eating bon bons

I would say if you have been thinking about a mini, start researching and get ahold of some of the mini horse people in your area. I looked on the internet for the mini horse groups in my area and found one. I also managed to find a trainer so that I could get some lessons on driving to see if cart driving was something I wanted to pursue.

Also, mini horse breeders, there are probably a lot of us who just want a nice horse with a good personality and we aren't necessarily planning on showing the little critters. I know I was looking for good breeding and conformation but also wanted a horse that was trained and people friendly. There is definitely a place for the hobby breeder because so many little horses I saw in the ads were not gelded [who really wants a stallion for a pet?] or have sat in a pasture having babies and never getting the training to be a good pet. I passed on all of those and held out for a nice pet.

My next horse will probably be from a smaller breeder as I know many of them care very much for their horses and they take the time to train them to be polite. I know if I bought from a couple of the people around here they would definitely be there for me if I have any questions about training or feeding and such. They are already helping me and I didn't even buy a horse from them!

Yes, getting a horse, even a small one, is a commitment in time and money and learning but it is so satisfying to be able to have a dream like horse ownership come true and the mini horse allowed me to do that even though I am in my fifties and getting my first horse.. The cost to feed is reasonable and the small size means I can handle him.

 

[horsehug]

Very well said, Renee. And I SOOOO agree that my hours outside working every day (while I dread it in the severe LONG winters we have) are a tremendous reason for my good health.......... and I will be 63 soon!!

Susan O.

 

[Grace67]

Not a baby boomer but after a total knee replacement at age 43 I simply don't want to ride much anymore yet I still want to show and stay very much involved with horses. I'm totally smitten with my new gelding even though it took me over 6 months to find him and in today's economy where feed and hay prices continue to rise I can see the benefit of going with these smaller equines. And it keeps me active as I work a full time desk job so mucking stalls, feeding and exercising my horses helps me stay moving. Kudos to all you breeders who are continuing to breed well and know that there are some of us out "there" who do appreciate all your hard work on improving the breed.

 

[Riverrose28]

Thanks Renee, you said it very well! As a fellow boomer, I've been so confused and conflicted lately after reading some of these threads on what in the World the buyers want! After all these years and many thousand of dollars spent on breeding stock, breeding, trainers, showing on our own, promoting. Some want bred mares, some don't, some want a proven stallion, some want well you get the picture! You can have bred a World Champion and still hard to figure out what is wanted. All the costs can put you in the poor house, but when you sell a Champion to a buyer that knows what they bought, you feel really good. On the other hand there are those buyers that want you to foot all the bills and still get a low price, and come up with more excuses, that's when to say no. I've been wanting to bred my Buckaroo Bandolaro mare to my Champion stallion for two yrs. now maybe I will thanks to your thread.

 

[muffntuf]

I don't think anyone was bashing - I certainly was not. I do think responsible breeding is in order though. Instead of breeding 100's of mares every year to get a couple that improves the breed- breed the best, maybe one, two or if your market can bear it - ten. But the overall discussion is about overpopulating the market with animals that aren't the improving the breed.

And yes I have watched the past 12 years, the miniature market improve greatly - as well as the great strides the shetland world has taken the past eight years.

 

[Leeana]

I have to agree with you renee on this one

Although, there is maybe only a small handful (if that) of people/farms in this country that I consider real "breeders".

 

[Genie]

Thanks La Vern, for starting this thread.

We made a visit to a Kentucky location a couple of weeks ago and the foal crop was stunning. Many years of making good breeding decisions was obvious and the results spoke for themselves.

We are in our 70's and I am pretty well on my own with the chores and training, but have no plans to quit completely. I would love to have time to read, but I love even more, looking in the pastures at healthy and beautiful, well cared for, miniatures.

 

[Marty]

"Breeders are the Leaders" is a nice phrase to coin LaVern. Good thinking. Clever.

And with that statement I think much more responsibility goes with it, or should go with it.

Not saying anyone should wrap their horses in a bubble, but mare care is so important. Adequate shelter from the elements, good food and hay, foal cams, tending births and proper vet care should go without saying.Then it should be extended even so much further in watching who you are selling to; someone equally responsible who will love and cherish that foal and treat him right; taking the extra steps to do what you can to sell to good people. Not just selling to whoever comes up with the cash first.

There are so many "smaller" breeders whose stock goes un-noticed. I hope people will take that extra look at them. Muffntuf brought up good points about not breeding so many just to get a few good ones. I"m not familiar with all the super large farms who have hundreds of horses but in today's equine world, pumping out large number of foals, be it big horses or miniatures like crazy on any farm is insane and those are the people who are doing the damage to the horse world by overpopulating.

Targetsmom is one of those Breeder Leaders that I do so much admire. They have always provided loving and responsible horse care from the start in the breeding shed to the end of it, and that to me means more than anything else. And it doesn't stop there. They take their responsibility to a whole nuther level by promoting the breed in so many different ways and have shown many what their stock can do besides stand on the end of a lead. In my humble opinion, these are the kind of breeders many should follow.

This is such a dangerous time for the horse world and if you choose to continue to breed, do it wisely and with the love, good care and respect these little ones deserve. Best wishes to all the Breeder Leaders.

 

[targetsmom]

Oh, gosh Marty, I just happened to read this right after you wrote it and I have tears in my eyes. You have made my day...I really appreciate this.

Before I got to that part, I was nodding my head over the big farms that breed so many to get a few good ones. We bred 3 mares last year and got 3 outstanding foals. And yes I agree that the smaller breeders can be harder to notice but might have stock every bit as nice as the big farms.