As another aside, since this has been bothering me more than it should --
a lot of what I say on public horse forums is partially for the poster I'm replying to, and partially for the viewers who are reading but not interacting.
I'm responding here not necessarily as a follow up to siring a stallion, but as a follow up about the horse industry in general to people who are reading this thread. I went through the OPs post history the other day, just because I wasn't sure what level she was at after reading her response to me. There are several red flags in addition to those listed above and I want to outline them, not as a witch hunt, but just for people reading and asking themselves these questions.
If you are starting a business, whether it's standing a stallion or breaking colts, or anything else in the horse industry - you open yourself up to a lot of liability. In most cases, to enter a valid breeding contract - you must be at least 18 years old for legal purposes. If you are trying to sign paperwork for anything - buying a horse, selling a horse, sending a mare to a stallion to breed, etc please ensure that the person on the other side is a legal adult for your own protection.
If you have horses - whether they're show horses or pets, the best practice is really to have emergency funds available for them because... they're horses and they like to try to kill themselves at inconvenient times. Some people have savings, other people have access to credit cards. Some people may not spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on their care because they are livestock, but having the ability to call the vet when needed is really critical. It's cruel to own an animal and not be able to care for it when it gets hurt or sick.
If you are breeding horses, the above becomes doubly true. I lost a mare/foal to a bad dystocia two years ago. We rushed to the hospital to try to at least save my mare, and despite the best help I had and hundreds of dollars of vet bills afterwards - we lost them both during the birth. A girlfriend of mine had a foal born this year that came out nose first - she had to spend 45 minutes giving him "mouth to mouth" as he was stuck in the birth canal while he painfully squeaked during every contraction while waiting for the vet, because she couldn't get his front feet up by herself. Both the foal and the mare ended up at A&M's hospital; after three weeks, the foal died anyway. The hospital bill was five figures. While not everyone would be willing to go that far, you'd at least be on the hook to get the vet out to help get the foal positioned to come out. I mean, I guess a bullet is cheap, but that's a horrifying thought.
I want as many people as possible to enjoy horses. I wish everyone could have them. I've been around for many years and I know some people like them as pets, some people show them, some people use them as therapy animals. But, as with anything, if you're going to have it - please be able to care for it. I am very, very concerned when people start breeding horses that they acquired "because the owner agreed to give her to me for free". To anyone reading, the purchase price of a horse is the cheapest part of ownership. If you cannot afford to purchase a horse, please do not consider breeding additional horses. I think a lot of people enjoy the abstract concept of cute little foals and furry little muzzles (which truly ARE great), but they forget that they're legitimately creating a life - and they owe it to that foal to give them the best opportunities in their life, since the breeder is responsible for creating it. It isn't something to be taken lightly.
With anything in life, I do appreciate folks that are full steam ahead and gung ho about their passion. However, there's also something to be said about not putting the metaphorical cart before the horse. If you get started in anything - let's say miniature horses, since that's the crux of these boards - start slow. Take lessons. Watch DVDs. Find a mentor that you can ask questions to. I always tell parents that approach me about their children starting riding lessons - let them take lessons in a variety of disciplines. Maybe they like jumping, maybe they like reiners, maybe they'll join me and get a cute miniature and enjoy driving. Gain experience and as you discover what you like, dig in deeper.
It scares me when people have owned their first horse for less than six months and they're talking about standing him to the public as a stallion. (As a side note - whoever sold a first time owner a breeding stallion and then gave them a free, bred mare should probably have their head examined. To people reading - that's akin to putting your child in a Ferrari when they learn to drive.) There's that old adage that says, "The more you know, the more you realize you don't know." I think that's true with most things in life and especially horses. I've grown up riding hunters, and to this day, I tell parents not to buy a horse for their kids until they've consistently done six months of lessons and then probably leased a horse for a minute. Not because I don't want them buying - I really, really, really want more people in the industry... but because I want to ensure they enjoy it and make the best decision for "long term" happiness. I want to make sure the kids enjoy doing the hunters, or find out if they prefer the jumper ring. I want to make sure the kid likes to ride horses that have a big motor, or find out if they're more confident with a horse that needs a kick ride. Some kids prefer being on big horses, others prefer ponies as long as they can hold off puberty and the inevitable growth spurts that let them lock legs under a pony's belly. You simply won't know until you are able to try it.
You don't have to do everything "all or nothing", in fact - a lot of times it's better to learn little first and then grow from there, or you might miss some important details. When it comes to breeding, having a trusted team increases the odds of a successful birth so very much. Knowing the signs of placentitus, knowing what to do if you get a red bag foal, how to do an IgG test, etc.
Everyone has a first time for everything. But setting yourself up for success gives you the best odds of a good outcome. Luck favors the prepared, and I think it's more important to be honest about the realities of what you might face instead of instilling false rah rah feel good responses to a red flag festival. It's important, especially online, to really dig into the context of any question presented - it's not that I want to get into the can of worms of to breed or not to breed - but I can't in good conscience give straight answers on how to safely sire out a stallion if I don't know the rational behind it. In this case, it's a minor who appears to have needed to ask permission to purchase said stallion and whose only mentor appears to be a backyard breeder. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit. I would rather be "the bad guy" who presents the realities of the decisions that a young person is making, than have said young person be patted on the back the entire time and several years down the road say, "Man, I wish someone would have told me the implications of those decisions I made when I was younger."
pretty much the whole time I was reading it, lol. That all sounds crazy, though! So some people ended up dumping their mares on you?? That’s terrible! And all that does sound very stressful, it’s definitely making me think twice about all this... Honestly, I don’t even know how many people would want to have Buddy sire their mares around here. I have one friend who might want to, but other than that I don’t know if anyone else has miniatures and they don’t already have their own stud. Well, thanks so much for all your help, and, if you don’t mind, I’ll let you know if I have any more questions!
, I was a big fat stress ball when I first got the horses and I still kind of am, lol, I don’t like leaving them! I don’t need the stress of trying to breed Buddy to outside mares considering I’m already under a good bit of stress with my mare being pregnant, and with all the school and church stuff that I do.
