Alex brings up a valid point here. From reading the earlier posts, I understand that you (MRM) feel that your parents don't take your minis seriously. I can understand your irritation and frustration when you feel that we don't take you seriously, either. I can also understand that you want your animals to be more than just some backyard pets. But if your parents aren't "into" minis, I have to think that you haven't been "into" them terribly long, either. Are you sure you have already developed the eye for a really good mini? You want to be a breeder (who doesn't?) but can you spot the animal with "take it to Nationals" potential? Does this little stallion that you are about to acquire have what it takes to possibly be the next Buckaroo? Are your fillies likely to produce babies that could be that good, or would you be risking their lives to produce middle of the road babies that (on a good day) might barely fetch a price that will cover the feed and vet bills that it cost to get them on the ground? Do you believe your animals are going to make a real contribution to the breed, or are you breeding them just because they happen to come equipped with reproductive organs?
If you have spent much time on this forum, you have surely seen a number of threads about foals that didn't make it, or mares that were lost due to complications. Things are slowing down there now, but I'd suggest spending a couple of foaling seasons hanging out on the Marestare website before committing yourself to the headaches and heartaches of breeding. Just watching and reading can be painful enough, without having to bury the bodies and pay the bills. Even if nothing goes wrong, it doesn't mean that everything will go right, either. I breed rabbits; I regularly get "awesome" and "ho-hum" in the same litter. Bloodlines alone don't impress me much, because I know even show-stoppers can produce only so-so, at least some of the time. Foals with poor conformation can still live 30 years or more, what happens to them?
When I first "discovered" minis, I wanted to breed, too. How can anyone resist the appeal of a fuzzy little foal the size of a Cocker Spaniel? But cruise a few salesboards, and reality begins to rear its ugly head. There are hundreds of minis for sale within an hour or two's drive of me, most in the pastures of "me too" breeders that wouldn't recognise a National Champion if it stepped on their toe. (Of course, it probably wouldn't be in their pasture in the first place, because their breeding animals aren't in that league!) In a world already flooded with mediocre quality minis, where animals with national championships are selling for rock bottom prices, the last thing the mini world needs is for me to jump into the already full breeder pool. You don't have to justify your decision to me, but have you really thought about this? I'm not saying absolutely don't ever get into breeding, more like not now, not yet. Put your passion into training and showing for now, and save breeding for a time when the market can better bear it. You may say "oh, that's alright. The foal will have a forever home with me," but that would mean you may be saddled with that horse until you are my age (yeah, I'm an old hag, too. You realize you may never live that down!
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Even if minis aren't very big, breeding them involves adult sized decisions, and potential adult sized consequences (not just for you, for the animals, too.) I'm not questioning whether you are capable of handling them, just asking, are you sure you want to? I decided that for me to add more animals to an already burgeoning population would be irresponsible, given the current state of things. You, of course, will make your own decisions; that is part of growing up. I wish you joy in them, whatever they are.
