How many of you out there

[Orkie]

How many of you out there would buy an "open" mare, or would you buy an open mare vs. a bred mare?

 

[Taylor Jo]

I WOULD. I want a show one. That's what I'd use her for. IF one came to me pregnant and I bought her and she had the baby I'd leave her open after wards, show her, make a pet out of her, what ever. Breeding isn't my thing. But, that's me. TJ

 

[RockRiverTiff]

I was actually looking for an open mare earlier this year, but every mare that fit what I was looking for had already been bred.

 

[ontherisefarm]

Any mare I buy I look at as being Open even if she is bred. I wanna buy the mare for her not whats in her belly. If she happens to produce a live foal then that is a bonus. If I am buying a mare for breeding either I have her vet checked or buy her hoping she can do the job. But I never pay more for a mare just because she is bred or is bred to so and so.She needs to be worth the cost on her own as so many things happen in life and you just never know. She could have a problem delivering,produce a dwarf, the foal get sick and die or even abort due to shipping or new environment..the list goes on and on....But a consistant produce record is a big plus when looking for a broodmare but not necessary when buying youngstock of course....Then you just go on faith that they will be able to get pregnant and carry healthy foals...

 

[Leeana]

Sure..i would buy one open or bred...just wouldnt depend highly on the stallion they are bred to. I bought four mares this year...two were open and two were already bred to outside stallions. I purchased all of the mares because i liked the mares. One mare that i bought bred to Little Kings Junior Jinx for 09', i had been trying to get that mare for a few years....the other mare is a Egyptian King mare (bred by On The Rise Farm

) bred to a smaller appy stallion, not an appy fan but i LOVE that mare!

One thing i DO look for..be the mare bred or open...is i really want my mares on "early cycle"..meaning i want to be able to breed them March-May...not June/July/Aug/Sep...so if im buying a mare bred i want them to be bred early that year so i'll be able to keep them on that early cycle. Buying a mare that is already bred, but was bred in like July or August...is going to take me over a year and would have to leave them open for the following year to get them back on a early cycle. So really...thats the biggest thing i look for after i find something i like.

 

[Minimor]

I have bought open mares in the past & would have no problem with doing it again...IF I were buying mares, which I'm not.

I have also bought bred mares. As to which I prefer, it really doesn't matter if I am buying a mare for the purpose of breeding. If the mare is bred I want it to be to the "right" stallion--I find it very hard to purchase a mare that is in foal to a stallion that I don't like. If I were shopping for a young mare for showing then I wouldn't want her to be bred; and if I am looking for a broodmare and you have a bred 2 year old that you are offering for sale, do not offer her to me! If others wish to breed their 2 year old mares, that is up to them, but I don't breed two year old mares and I won't buy a 2 year old mare that is bred.

 

[Taylor Jo]

I have bought open mares in the past & would have no problem with doing it again...IF I were buying mares, which I'm not.

I have also bought bred mares. As to which I prefer, it really doesn't matter if I am buying a mare for the purpose of breeding. If the mare is bred I want it to be to the "right" stallion--I find it very hard to purchase a mare that is in foal to a stallion that I don't like. If I were shopping for a young mare for showing then I wouldn't want her to be bred; and if I am looking for a broodmare and you have a bred 2 year old that you are offering for sale, do not offer her to me! If others wish to breed their 2 year old mares, that is up to them, but I don't breed two year old mares and I won't buy a 2 year old mare that is bred.

If others wish to breed their 2 year old mares, that is up to them, but I don't breed two year old mares and I won't buy a 2 year old mare that is bred.

VERY WELL SAID, thank you!!!!!!! I think that is terrible, their just babies themselves, I may not know much but I DO KNOW THAT, IMHO!!!!! TJ

 

[maestoso]

I haven't bought any mares but if I was looking for one it could go either way. If I liked what the mare had been bred to I would want a bred mare with a LFG. If I had another stallion in mind I would want an open mare. If I was buying in the late summer, fall, or winter I would want a bred mare because at least than you get a baby cuz you wouldn't breed an open mare that late anyway.

If I was looking for a show mare I would look for Jr Mares, as they are generally less expensive and I prefer to train myself.

 

[Matt73]

I don't buy a lot of horses. But the two I bought (my first two) were open. I'll be buying another mare within the next year and she'll be open as I'll want to breed her to my stallion; I don't just want a foal for the sake of having a foal.

 

[Sandee]

If I were looking for mares, I'd want them open because I'd either want to show them or breed them to MY stallion. Not really interested in raising or selling someone else's pick.

 

[cowgurl_up]

I don't mind looking at a mare that is open. If I was looking for something to show then I would want open, but then again for the right mare I don't care open or bred!! I figure I am buying the mare, not the unborn foal as so many things can go wrong between slipping the foal or the foal being born with defects that it is just not worth it.....

I bought a bred mare in November last year. And I figure I got the best of both worlds as I now have a broodmare AND she gave me a wonderfull filly that I can show for many many years and if i decide, I can later on turn around and breed to my stallion as the filly is not related to him!! In that way I increased my herd. I think if people are looking strictly for a broodmare, they do look more at a bred mare then an open mare just because it "proves" to them that she is breeding sound. However, if just having something to show and have fun with is more what someone is looking for they would be more after an open/Jr. mare.

 

[Jill]

I have and would again. If a mare is bred but I don't personally like the stallion, that would probably make me NOT buy the bred mare.

 

[mininik]

I would buy an open mare.

 

[Genie]

I have bought a few that were really "open" and who were being sold as "bred".

Now if they are sold as bred I will only pay what I think the horse is worth open.

I bought one in particular that came with a great long list of the breedings and the great lengths they went to, and that they were sure she was bred, and she never came back into heat, and on and on.

It was a well known breeder in the circle of breeders that we move in, so I was stunned when I found her to be actually open, in a very short time after coming to our farm.

I called the lady because I had really wanted a foal from the stallion she used, hoping that she would provide a re breed.

Her response was "Oh no, I am sorry but I won't do that" and therefore I would not have horse dealings with this person again, and tell anyone who asks about the person's character , with regard to information on a horse they are selling.

Word of mouth is a powerful tool.

I know that wasn't your question, so my answer is........ I buy all horses as if open, and pay accordingly.

If I was buying a horse bred, and did not like the stallion that was used, I likely would "pass"

 

[Reble]

I used to think a bred mare was getting more for your money.

But also an older mare without any young or open can also be a problem.

Just got to hope open or not, the breeder is honest.

 

[Denise]

When I am looking at mares to purchase I want them open.

 

[Miniv]

When we have purchased broodmares, we have bought them either Open (knowing the seller and being provided the breeding history of the mare.), or Bred (but only to a stallion we liked.)

We've STILL been burned a couple of times over the years, but considering the number of years involved, I think we've done okay.

 

[shelly]

The two mares that I bought were both supposedly "bred" as I wanted to start a small herd and both of the stallions were ones that I liked...neither one turned out to be pregnant!!!!

With that said...if I buy another mare, it will most likely be open

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I guess I'll have to be the odd one out here. I am not completely unwilling to buy an open mare but would be far more likely to buy if the mare was bred. Of course I like others would pass if I didn't like the stallion but I have purchased more than one open mare who then gave me grief when I tried to breed them. If they had come to me bred I would then at least have known the problem was not a physical defect. I don't breed for many foals but if I were to buy a mare it would be with the assumption that eventually I'd want a foal from her even if in the end I chose not to breed her.

 

[Birchcrestminis]

I would only buy a mare open for next year, IF she had

a live foal this year - and the foal was still alive. Then I

could at least assume she is fertile and capable of getting

pregnant and having a live foal. I specify that the foal be

still alive(at the time I'm looking at the mare,probably at

weaning). Because I looked at a mare who the seller made no

secret that the mare had lost her last foal "due to an unattented birth"

but she had had a live colt this year. I thought, Ok, that happens.

But she had a live foal this year so everything is ok. NOT. Come to find

out her this years foal died at 13 days old. I didn't bother to find out why

it died, that was enough for me - pass!

Also, if I was buying a mare for breeding, I would want to know she has had live

foal(s) preferable this year. Because I know someone who advertized and sold a

mare "for breeding or show" when I know for a fact that a previous owner had tried

for a few years to get that mare in foal, breeding her to two different stallions and the

mare never conceived. So I would want live proof that the mare could produce a live foal,

unless of course she is only three or four and I'm told they never tried to breed her.

Then I might take a chance on her. But if i am buying a mare that is bred, I would try

to get the contract to state that I would pay such and such extra if and when I actually

got a live foal.

Yup, I can be difficult, but its a buyer beware world out there!