what do you breed for?

[Elsa]

Just curious as to what everyone breeds for. Do you breed for a future show horse or a pet? And for those who breed multiple mares each year, what is your goal with your foal crop? Do you usually keep a few to add to your breeding program and sell the rest?

 

[Reble]

Just curious as to what everyone breeds for. Do you breed for a future show horse or a pet? And for those who breed multiple mares each year, what is your goal with your foal crop? Do you usually keep a few to add to your breeding program and sell the rest?

Yes, we are always looking at our breeding program. Always can be improved

Our foals have been bought for pets, have been in the show ring, & also being used for breeding stock.

We are hoping to keep at least two more mares for our future stallion? He is tobiano homozygous.

A colt this year to gelded for showing.

Looking further ahead might keep a colt back for a stallion with our name for the show ring.

 

[Leeana]

The horses i purchase horses are show horse prospects or horses that can produce show horses/prospects. Its what i like, and what i want to produce. The horses on my show string right now are the type of horses i want to produce and thats how i choose them. My breeding program is just slightly in the beginning right now, but my ultimate goal is to produce correct, ballanced, showy horses with that 'sex appeal' (so to speak) for the show ring.

If one or two of those horses come out 'pet quality', so be it. Its bound to happen and actually, i think that may actually be a blessing if one or two foals end up in pet homes instead of show homes. Even some of the biggest farms in the industy who breed for show prospects, have about 1-2 (if not more) foals each season that go as pets to pet homes. My biggest pet peave is when so many farms market all their foals as show prospects, even if they are not show quality. If the horse is not show quality or a good prospect, dont market it as such. JMO

My ultimate goal is to breed my own horses for my own show string, so yes ...i want to produce show horses

 

[Marty]

Good question. Easy for me to answer.

I like a horse with a little substance; a using horse. Must be the quarter horse background in me because I feel horses are for using. I like to see here pretty little athletes in miniature who can be used for driving or obstacles or jumping etc. I only have one horse here that can't move worth a crap; but the rest are awesome movers and travel beautifully. But first, they have to be sane. A great disposition, a good mind, willingness to learn, is just the icing on the cake. My foals have all that.

If someone wants to show them, that's fine and dandy; but I'm just as happy to see any of my stock go to strictly pet homes too. A loving home, pet or show doesn't matter to me; just has to be loving and up to speed on care.

 

[Miniv]

NOT for pet..........although, if they are loved as one, that's great. We are shooting for improving the look of the parents AND either keeping or improving the movement that may be genetically passed.

I will say, what we strive for may not be what is "hot" for that specific year with certain judges, but overall we are working on keeping with the quality we admire and hopefully having foals that are even better than the parents.........It's not something that happens overnight.

MA

 

[txminipinto]

I will always breed for show quality animals. And with that said, that means to also continue to study the animals in the ring today to make sure they produce animals that are competitive in the show ring tomorrow!

Currently, my program is still quite young and any resulting offspring is offered for sale. All of my breeding stock, minus one, are under the age of 10 so I do not feel the need to keep any thing back for myself. However, if they do not sell at the price at which I ask I feel that I have the room to hold them for a little while. This next year due to the fact that I have several young animals that NEED to be shown and I can't afford to show them all, I may consider not breeding all of my mares back so that I don't have an accumulation of jr. stock that needs to be sold/shown. When it starts getting stressful, that's when I start thinking about how many horses I will have on the ground this time next year if none sell!

 

[Jill]

Before this year, I have only produced one foal, a 2003 gelding that I showed to multi championships. He has a very lovable disposition and is as smart as can be

2008 should bring my first real foal crop. I've looked forward to having my own homebred foals since 1999 and been planning for the 2008 foals since 2004! It's my hope that these 2008 foals will have the qualities that put their parents in my program: show quality conformation, loving dispositions and intelligent minds (with some of my favorite colors and bloodlines as icing on their cupcakes)

I hope to be able to produce some foals that will not just make me happy, but also make some other enthusiasts as pinch-themselves-happy as some of my most special horses have made me feel

Although pet quality can happen with even the most nicely made horses, it is not my goal to produce pet quality. There is so much of that already that from my perspective, it is very irresponsible to have that as the goal. "We" are "making" animals that may live for 30 years or more. Pet quality just isn't a goal that I would feel okay about.

 

[Elsa]

Maybe I stated my question differently than how I meant it.

I would hope/assume no one breeds for "pet quality" and everyone strives to breed a future champion. perhaps a more accurate question would be what your so-called success rate of this goal is.

what percentage of the horses you have bred have become showhorses

and what percentage have ended up as pets?

 

[Jill]

My answer isn't that helpful, based on my huge home bred total being ONE to date, but he is an accomplished show horse.

Just to further confuzzle the issue -- what do you mean by show horse? Do you mean a horse who can win at a local, open show, one who can win in halter at a registry show, one who got his HOF in halter obstacle, one who won National champion in costume? I mean, there are so many fun and good ways to win at shows and so many different types of show horses. Depending on what is important to the person, they all carry a different degree of weight.

 

[Elsa]

My answer isn't that helpful, based on my huge home bred total being ONE to date, but he is an accomplished show horse.

Just to further confuzzle the issue -- what do you mean by show horse? Do you mean a horse who can win at a local, open show, one who can win in halter at a registry show, one who got his HOF in halter obstacle, one who won National champion in costume? I mean, there are so many fun and good ways to win at shows and so many different types of show horses. Depending on what is important to the person, they all carry a different degree of weight.

i guess in a general sense a horse who has been shown at any level vs a horse who has not (which I would personally classify as a pet)

 

[Katiean]

I would say usable, sound, as free of conformation faults as possible. If that is a show horse, OK. If to another is a pet OK too.

 

[Kendra]

Our goal is to raise horses who can halter, drive, jump and everything in between! But they'd also make great pets!

I know a lot (A LOT) of Miniature Horse breeders have the goal of selling all their foals as weanlings. Not us! We'll sometimes have a mare and foal package for sale, or someone might talk us out of a baby, but generally we want to keep those foals for a while, watch them grow up and see what they can do, THEN decide if they're for sale.

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

I've slowly changed my focus this year to breed for versatility, and what type of Miniature I have decided I like. First and foremost important to me is temperament, I want an intelligent, kind, loving, horse, but with just a bit of fun thrown into the mix. I want them to be safe for families or individuals with disabilities to enjoy. All my foals get off the farm at some point and visit the local nursing home.

In the past, colt I sold (now a gelding) one 3 firsts places his yearling year before his owner had a problem with another horse that kept her from showing him more. One filly has been shown in 4-H, she is not a halter horse, but did go to States and was broke to drive, but is now in foal for her first. Majority of them have gone for pets or breeding stock for families and individuals. But to me the fulfillment of someone's dream to own a Miniature Horse is the best reward, not wins in the show ring.

It's my goal to produce a sound horse in mind and conformation, or as close to it as I can, and appaloosa coloring is the "icing". Yes there are always some who will be pet quality, but to me that's okay too.

 

[sedeh]

I really like a versatile horse. I want a "pretty" horse that not only does well in halter but can be used in performance classes too. I've only had minis for a few years and don't breed many mares. I show Pinto and my goal is that all my young, future breeding stock, horses obtain their Pinto Champion. This year my stallion Aloha Acres Heir to Magic, and 2 fillies received enough points in halter and 2 performance classes to attain their Championships. One filly was born here.....Total Eclipse Starlight Dancer, and I plan on taking her and Heir and a colt from this years foal crop back to the Pinto World next year. I like that you have to have performance and halter points to get your Champion title.....it's not just a pretty face!

 

[The Simple Life Farm]

I agree with Sandy and Jill. A show horse has many different classifications. I have one mare that would not do good in halter, but she is truely awesome at halter obstacle. She is a super fast learner, so I might decide to breed her, trying to pass that trait on to her foals. To me, it is not all about conformation, I really enjoy my performance classes best. I do realize that a pretty face can also be smart, but just an example why some one may want to breed a mare that is not 100% conformated. To me, my horses are "pets" first, then show horses. And I must admit, I have some beautiful "pets".

 

[Margaret]

I am striving to breed the perfect halter horse that can also drive well and compete in all other aspects of showing. My stallion has a great temperment, and has done well in halter, is an awesome jumper and my mares are well put together, and exceptional movers, so I am hoping to produce halter quality performance horses that will not have any limitations in the show ring.

My first cross this year has gone to show homes, and the first of my second cross arrives in January of 08.

 

[Fred]

We breed for performance horses that are pretty. First and foremost driving horses! The problem with performance is though you have to wait till they are old enough to drive to see what you have and I have to wait till next fall when the youngsters turn two. though they have done well at the local level in hand.

 

[txminipinto]

For your clarified answer: I have 3 foals out there with my name on them. 2 I consider show quality (meaning halter quality) 1 was gelded and sold at a pet price. Was he truely pet quality? No. He was/is a nice gelding, but he wasn't what I considered show quality (again halter quality). A member of this forum bought him and had plans for him as a performance horse for which he is suited for.

I probably could have hung on to him for a while longer and watched him mature. For all I know, he could be a competitive halter gelding. But at the time, I was on limited acreage with limited funds and 2 babies on the way. So, he had to go.

 

[HGFarm]

I agree with Marty- I want a horse I can USE. So, I guess I breed more for performance, with a pretty face! I want a healthy correct horse that travels well and is athletic first of all. 'Beauty pageants' are secondary to me, though I dont think any of mine are ugly. I want a horse that can do something, I dont really care to have one that just stands there and can't do anything else. Versatility is what I like, whether they are pets or end up in the show ring- either way!

 

[MyBarakah]

Hi!

With the few foals I've raised all were NICE show quality foals. I've been very happy with my foals so far, but am always striving for "better" and am wanting to have more "colorful" foals along with the refinment & conformation. Allot of fun!